‘The Girlfriend’ review: Psychologically fun

Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke go toe-to-toe in Prime Video’s The Girlfriend, a captivating thrill ride of psychological warfare and slick storytelling. Based on the 2017 novel by Michelle Frances, this six-episode limited series ups the ante every episode with a constantly changing POV that makes it difficult to really determine who’s telling the truth and who’s secret will cause the most harm.

Something’s always lurking beneath the surface.

When Laura Sanderson’s (Robin Wright, who also directs some episodes) son brings home his new girlfriend, she’s immediately suspicious. On the surface, Daniel (Laurie Davidson) and Cherry (Olivia Cooke) are a happy new couple, but to Laura, Cherry comes across as inauthentic.

What starts off as general concern for her son turns into a game of cat and mouse between Laura and Cherry, with Daniel caught in the middle of a fight for his love he barely understands.

The series starts with a mystery. An argument between Laura and an unnamed person ends with someone in a pool. Who pushed who? What does Laura not understand? These questions lay in wait as the story gradually spirals toward the end. By the time we get there, it’s impossible to determine who to root for.

Subtle and layered performances sell the unique structure of ‘The Girlfriend.’

Wright brings a cringy sophistication to Laura. She’s a woman who seemingly has it all — a successful art gallery, a loving husband, a handsome son — but an insecurity lies beneath the surface. Laura is a pretty typical boy mom, so attached to her son that even her husband finds it weird. Her immediate suspicion of Cherry feels unfair and tiresome, the obvious signs of a mother who will never approve of anyone for her son. But like with all the best lies, a sprinkle of truth is necessary to sell it.

It’s quite obvious from the moment Cherry and Laura meet how alike they are. As her foil, Cherry also doesn’t know how to let go. Unlike Laura though, mystery surrounds Cherry. There’s a past that’s always hiding around the corner from her and a temper that makes itself known in small doses until the fuse is finally lit. Cooke brings a fierceness to Cherry but, just like Laura, insecurity overshadows it often. She loves Daniel but constantly lies to him. She’s clearly a social climber but her meeting Daniel was completely organic. In her softer moments, she’s an empathetic woman. But cross her, and there will be hell to pay.

From your perspective.

One of the most intriguing aspects of The Girlfriend is how the perspectives change. Each episode contains a “Cherry” and a “Laura” chapter, often retracing parts of the story from the other’s perspective. This structure allows for subtle changes in performances from Wright and Cooke as they each take on a more pleasant or cruel version of their character, depending on who’s telling the story.

Once you catch on to changes in the story you’re hearing, the more you’ll see. But just because you start to notice doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll know who’s telling the truth. The show does a fantastic job at balancing this out. It takes no side. It’s up to you to decide who’s in the wrong and what justifies what. But it’s also a clever way of showcasing the mentalities of each woman. Even if there’s an unlikeability to them, their motivations and the way they see the world and themselves provides a unique understanding of them, told in a visually mysterious way.

Overall.

As the opening moments come back around, The Girlfriend still manages to deliver a hell of a twist, one that begs for an immediate rewatch. Sleek and confident from the moment it begins, The Girlfriend is one of the best shows of the year.

The Girlfriend drops all six episodes on September 10 on Prime Video

Katey Stoetzel

Katey is co-founder and tv editor for InBetweenDrafts. She hosts the “House of the Dragon After Show” and “Between TV” podcasts and can be read in various other places like Inverse and Screen Speck. She wishes desperately the binge model of tv watching would die, but still gets mad when she runs out of episodes of tv to watch.