Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season 3

God, I love this show. And I love the main character, Hannah/Belle. She is unapologetic for loving what she does (i.e. being a prostitute) and is in total control of her own body and sexuality. That doesn't mean her relationships aren't all totally screwed up; it just means she doesn't have the same kind of problems as your average gal. No, her problems are of a much more different sort, more in the vein of "I hope my boyfriend can handle me having sex with multiple people for money."

Monkey Sri originally wrote about the early episodes of Secret Diary of a Call Girl here and here, back when our main focus was the titillation factor of Rose from Doctor Who* getting naked. I devoured the first two seasons of the show on Netflix, which frankly isn't that hard since there are only 8 episodes per season and they are only about 25 minutes long. But it's an addicting show with just the right blend of drama, sex, clothes, and humor. Think of it as a steamier, slicker, more cynical, and less annoying Sex and the City.

The third season and the first few episodes of the fourth season are now available on my Showtime On Demand, so I spent some time this past weekend catching up. The third season finds Belle still working on her own (outside the control of her former agency and madame, Stephanie) and dealing with the publication of her first book, a tell all about the life of a London call girl. Her hot male editor is pushing her to write a second book that goes further into people's kinks and fantasies, so she begins to take on new types of clients, often to strange and yet entertaining results. Hannah/Belle is also very attracted to her editor which opens its own can of worms: where exactly does a whore draw the line regarding sex in the workplace? Add in a subplot about Hannah's sister beginning a relationship with her best friend, Ben, and Bambi (a fellow call girl) falling for a client and there is a quite a bit of drama.

But through all the mess, the show is, at it's heart, about a working girl in London trying to have it all. The "work" in question just happens to be sex work. Remember, Hannah wasn't abused as a child, has never been addicted to anything, and doesn't have any children to support. She just really likes sex, money, and not working a 9-5 job. Lucky for me her work is so damn entertaining.

*In the second season of the show, Matt Smith, the current Doctor on Doctor Who, appeared as one of Belle's clients. So at least we got the "will the new Doctor and Rose ever have sex?" question out of the way.