Acorn once more offers a series that focuses on a group that few rarely see on TV these days. GIRLFRIENDS takes a look at the lives of three women, longtime friends, who are all over 60. For most actresses the chance to be in a series at that age requires you to portray a grandmother and little else. To find a series that focuses on women of this age is refreshing and should be commended.
The first among the friends we become acquainted with is Linda (Phyllis Logan) who's on holiday with her husband Mickey (Steve Evets). Onboard an ocean cruiser that their children work on as entertainers, this was a gift from them to their parents on their anniversary. When a tipsy Mickey goes after something in their room and fails to return, Linda goes looking for him only to find the door to their balcony open and Mickey missing. It's assumed he went overboard and a search begins to little avail. When she returns home she discovers she is not the prime suspect in the potential murder of Mickey.
Back home we meet Gail (Zoe Wanamaker), a woman in the middle of a divorce from her second husband Dave (Adrian Rawlins). Much of their problems stem from her grown son Tom (Matthew Lewis) just out on parole and now living with Gail with a leg monitor on. More problems face Gail when her mother wanders off from the retirement home she lives in.
Lastly among these three women we meet Sue (Miranda Richardson). Of the three Sue is the most outgoing and also the one most likely to refuse to accept her age. As one of the main people behind a wedding magazine she finds herself tossed aside with the claim her story ideas are no longer relevant to younger readers. It doesn't help that the man who pushes her out into an advisory position, John (Anthony Head), has been having an affair with her for years resulting in a son together. Being responsible for much of the success of the magazine Sue takes offense and assumes he is now beginning an affair with her much younger replacement. She seeks the help of her son Andrew (Philip Cumbus) who tells her to sue. Andrew has father issues having never been acknowledged by John.
Now that we know the characters it's time to mingle them together and combine their stories in one form or another. While it might seem that they come from very different walks of life the fact is they were once in a girl band together, nothing successful but known among friends. They've remained friends ever since and when one falls on hard times the others gather round to offer support. The big question here is what happens when all three fall on hard times at the same time?
The series could have gone terribly wrong and depicted the three in two totally poor ways. It could have made them seem weak and helpless. Women are never truly that way. But then it could have made them over confident. Once again, not all women behave that way. Instead the series makes them as human as any characters I've ever seen. They have secrets, they have flaws, they have strengths and they have each other. How they cope with the things like throws at them makes for an entertaining series.
Of the three lead actresses the odds are that Richardson is the most well-known. What's nice here is that she doesn't overwhelm and direct the entire series towards her character. All three leads are provided plenty of opportunity to show their stuff and give viewers the chance to see how good they each are in their roles. That writers would provide three separate characters with the potential on display here is wonderful.
As with a number of Acorn productions one never knows if the series watched is the only one or if it will return with more episodes. While the amount of items thrown at these three in just the few episodes on hand is overwhelming it would be nice to see how they fare after the events shown here. One can only hope.
The first among the friends we become acquainted with is Linda (Phyllis Logan) who's on holiday with her husband Mickey (Steve Evets). Onboard an ocean cruiser that their children work on as entertainers, this was a gift from them to their parents on their anniversary. When a tipsy Mickey goes after something in their room and fails to return, Linda goes looking for him only to find the door to their balcony open and Mickey missing. It's assumed he went overboard and a search begins to little avail. When she returns home she discovers she is not the prime suspect in the potential murder of Mickey.
Back home we meet Gail (Zoe Wanamaker), a woman in the middle of a divorce from her second husband Dave (Adrian Rawlins). Much of their problems stem from her grown son Tom (Matthew Lewis) just out on parole and now living with Gail with a leg monitor on. More problems face Gail when her mother wanders off from the retirement home she lives in.
Lastly among these three women we meet Sue (Miranda Richardson). Of the three Sue is the most outgoing and also the one most likely to refuse to accept her age. As one of the main people behind a wedding magazine she finds herself tossed aside with the claim her story ideas are no longer relevant to younger readers. It doesn't help that the man who pushes her out into an advisory position, John (Anthony Head), has been having an affair with her for years resulting in a son together. Being responsible for much of the success of the magazine Sue takes offense and assumes he is now beginning an affair with her much younger replacement. She seeks the help of her son Andrew (Philip Cumbus) who tells her to sue. Andrew has father issues having never been acknowledged by John.
Now that we know the characters it's time to mingle them together and combine their stories in one form or another. While it might seem that they come from very different walks of life the fact is they were once in a girl band together, nothing successful but known among friends. They've remained friends ever since and when one falls on hard times the others gather round to offer support. The big question here is what happens when all three fall on hard times at the same time?
The series could have gone terribly wrong and depicted the three in two totally poor ways. It could have made them seem weak and helpless. Women are never truly that way. But then it could have made them over confident. Once again, not all women behave that way. Instead the series makes them as human as any characters I've ever seen. They have secrets, they have flaws, they have strengths and they have each other. How they cope with the things like throws at them makes for an entertaining series.
Of the three lead actresses the odds are that Richardson is the most well-known. What's nice here is that she doesn't overwhelm and direct the entire series towards her character. All three leads are provided plenty of opportunity to show their stuff and give viewers the chance to see how good they each are in their roles. That writers would provide three separate characters with the potential on display here is wonderful.
As with a number of Acorn productions one never knows if the series watched is the only one or if it will return with more episodes. While the amount of items thrown at these three in just the few episodes on hand is overwhelming it would be nice to see how they fare after the events shown here. One can only hope.
