25 replies to this topic

[TWoP Mars]

From Sho.com:

Belle introduces us to her world as a high-class escort living in London. While she enjoys her profession, it's top secret from everyone in her personal life - even best friend Ben thinks she's a night time legal secretary. Belle explains there are several rules to follow if you want to succeed in this business, but number one is to keep the two identities - Belle and Hannah - completely separate.

[lanter]

Alright, I guess that I will go first…I liked the episode. I spent a few years living in England back in the late 90’s when Billie Piper was a “pop star” but since I never got into Doctor Who this was my first time watching her as an actress. Overall I think that she is pretty good, at least in this role. It is a bit surprising that Showtime did not just make an Americanized version of the show but I’m glad that they did not. For a first episode of a summertime show it captured my attention and I will be back next week.

[PetuniaP]

I sort of liked it as well. On the plus side, I love that it's totally British, it made me feel nostalgic for the time that I lived in London. However, I'm not sure the show has me hooked yet....if I didn't have TiVo, I might or might not catch the next episode. I hope it gets sexier as well as more emotional. If it's just "weird client of the week", that'll get old fast.

Edited by PetuniaP, Jun 17, 2008 @ 5:31 AM.

[Thena]

I was kind of surprised how much I liked the first episode (and this whole series). I do agree that it is quite British in its own way. I also really like the soundtrack they use. I use to know BP from her British pop days too, but she grew on me a lot during DW and part of the appeal of this show is how much one can like her. She seems to enjoy herself in this role, and I do like the Alfie camera trick. That's not easy, and it's fun and interesting if done in moderation.

[Last Time Lord]

I wasn't sure what to expect going into t, but I thought the pilot was great, and am excited to see where the show goes from here.

[Aunt Nette]

I was interested to discover that high-class call girls do not take off their underwear while having sex, a la Carrie Bradshaw.

[darkestboy]

I liked it. It's fun and a little frothy.

Physically you can definitely tell that Billie got in shape for the series but her performance as Belle is just great. I certainly wasn't thinking about Rose here.

I like that Belle has at least one friend in Ben but like Nancy Botwin, Belle does strike me as the kind of girl that can only have male friends.

The clients were a fun mixture. I think the first guy was really surprised with how Belle took control of the situation.

As for the narration - it's the best, even better than Dexter's. I love how Belle doesn't dictate but just explain things. Maybe the Desperate Housewives/Grey's Anatomy could learn something there.

[Chainlightning]

I definitely got a Dexter vibe from the voiceovers as well.

I always found Piper very attractive (to quote Dead Ringers, she has a mouth that could swallow a submarine), so I definitely enjoyed watching her. I also found myself enjoying her acting as well. Definitely a good pick-up for Showtime and a solid counterpart to Weeds.

[attica finch]

Nope, I didn't like it. BP is fine, but the role relies on entirely too many hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold stereotypes to be interesting to me. And then to freassure us that Hannah likes sex! Because fucking for money would be tacky if she didn't! And the money and clothes are so great! So, yay, sex with strangers! (Except shhh! and pixellate her face on the website, because we don't want the 'rents finding out. That would be sooooo totally embarrassing!)

It's always nice to see Cherie Lunghi chewing the scenery, but that's not enough to entice me back.

And on a shallow note, not for nothing: in the battle of Belles de Jour, Billie Piper is no Catherine Deneuve.

Edited by attica finch, Jun 17, 2008 @ 1:05 PM.

[American Snob]

I really enjoyed the show, its definitely a departure from other shows I've watched. But I will definitely plan to watch again. Billie Piper is great in the lead role and I loved her narrations.

One of my favorite quotes from the episode was about Belle being addicted to the fourth season of The West Wing. That was a nice touch.

I like that Showtime decided to air the original UK show rather than making a remake. I can't really picture the show now without Billie Piper in the lead role.

[Kaffyr]

I really enjoyed it - very sly wit, particularly when Belle breaks the fourth wall to address us. I could have dealt with, oh, about seven minutes fewer of the writhing on the bed stuff, but that's a pretty minor complaint. It's great to see Billie Piper in this; while the Brits may have seen her in some pre-DW stuff, we haven't, and it's a pure delight.

[cyberducks]

Fun and frothy and not taking itself too seriously - a perfect summer show.

I am glad this is not an American show as it probably would have been more heavy-handed and cliched.

[Nonnie Muss]

I liked it and my hubby didn't - probably for the same reasons he likes Californication and I don't. I can enjoy it in a shallow way, but Calif. is first-person male fantasy sex, in the same way this is strong female character with a healthy grip on her sexuality. I'll keep watching but it won't be appointment TV.

In an American version, they would have immediately: a) given character a wacky roommate b) found some way to punish her for her ways (disease, parents find out, awkward high school reunion scene, abusive customer) just to make sure we understood that the producers were not in any way advocating this lifestyle-please-don't-sue-us or c) had at least one scene of introspection (god forbid she doesn't feel bad about her wicked ways).

One comment the hubby made: "If I was paying a girl I'd want her to get naked at least." He doesn't understand why everyone on pay cable has sex in bras. Nor do I.

[TheRealJanBrady]

I was interested to discover that high-class call girls do not take off their underwear while having sex, a la Carrie Bradshaw.

Exactly what I thought while watching it! I liked this enough that I think I can suspend my disbelief...at least for a few more episodes...

[oakgal]

Let me ease your minds, she takes off her bra in upcoming episodes. Lots of things come off. I get what you're saying though, it was always the thing that made me laugh watching Sex and the City. But it does happen, swear it.

I really like the pilot episode. I think it establishes everything quite well. We get to see Belle and Hannah, we see Hannah's relationship with Ben, her relationship with her boss and a couple of disparate clients. Sets it all up nicely.

I never watched Doctor Who, so my ideas about Billie Piper were mostly tabloid driven. That being said, I think she's wonderful in the role. I love the asides to camera and I think she plays the role with just the right amount of twinkle in her eye.

[shanarra]

It's weird when you think about it...why does she bring her clients to her place anyway? If she's so careful about maintaining her two lives separate, she should haunt other places as Belle.

[kenziegirl]

It was good enough for summer froth. I like BP, so I'm giving it a couple more episodes.

Oddly, what bothered me most about the show was that it looked like it was filmed through gauze. It definitely wasn't our TV, the recording, or my 40-something eyes. Every so often I'd look away from the screen to make sure my eyes hadn't gone wonky all of sudden. Annoying.

[JadziaDax]

I hope we see Daniel again. He was dreamy, and I loved his interaction with Hannah (not Belle).

[Thena]

It's weird when you think about it...why does she bring her clients to her place anyway? If she's so careful about maintaining her two lives separate, she should haunt other places as Belle.

I thought the same when I was watching the show, and reinforced when I read that the real Belle de Jour only ever did out-calls. I think this is based mostly on a production decision to have a primary set.

Daniel was dreamy. They had a lot of chemistry.

[D291173]

Daniel was dreamy. They had a lot of chemistry.

Agreed. I certainly got the impression that he was being set up as long-term boyfriend for Hannah (what with her repeatedly breaking her first rule and all), but my friend Mr IMDb assures me that this is not the case.

I'm not sure I like Billie skinny, though. She's one of those women who can carry some extra weight and she looks curvy rather than just lumpy.

[Thena]

One of the reasons BP can play a sexpot is that she is a curvy girl. I don't think she's actually that skinny in this though (as compared to other naked TV people). She definitely worked out quite a bit in advance for this though. She's not as skinny as when she was in her teens/during her ED years.

As for Daniel, I got the same impression that he was long-term material, but the show surprised me by having this season long-term boyfriendless for Hannah.

[VGMan]

After reading quite a few negative reviews I decided to give BP and the show a shot and I absolutely adored it.

BP is an absolute thrill to watch, and I dug the small little nuances in her character. Despite her eventually throwing Daniel away at the end, I liked that her competitive side made her steal Daniel away from another escort.

And while I don't want to say too much, I've had a teensy bit of experience with the topic of the show and it does a marvelous job in capturing the underlying awkwardness of the business.

[insaneman]

This show is annoying even if it is kind of watchable. OK, so it has some decent points. But it's like they mix in some of the more annoying parts of Sex and the City with some of the annoying parts of Tell Me If you Love Me(though Tell Me if You Love Me is in a whole another level of suckitude that it may actually be unfair to compare this show to).

Billie Piper is like a hotter version of Cheryl Hines, but has the same kind of annoying face. I wonder if the female viewers will like this show more than the males. OK, I realize high class hookers do not always have to take their clothes off. But the fact that they show her more clothed than the client in every single hookup is beyond ridiculous. And I realize high class call girls have an ability to turn it on when they are wth the client even if they are not into the person at all. But Billie Piper is holding something back even in those instances. A good high class girl will adjust very well according to the client. She can say goodbye to repeat business if she exhibits such an attitude unless she relies solely on clients who like to be treated like that.

I know people in the business and it is amazing how they will just go into "ON" mode when they are with a good client even if they are bored out of their minds.

Edited by insaneman, Jun 25, 2008 @ 9:44 AM.

[Paramitch]

I liked it. I thought it was fun and frothy, and silly, and Hannah/Belle is an intriguing character. I gave it a try because I loved Piper as Rose on DW, and couldn't imagine her in this role. I was slightly scandalized at the entire idea, then amused that I was so scandalized. It was like I was afraid The Doctor would find out.

So I was pleasantly surprised at her here, though, in such a different role. She takes on the character in a very nice, breezy open kind of way. There's something relaxed about her performance choices that's a lot of fun. And when she occasionally gains focus to make a sharp or snarky observation, it's an enjoyable contrast.

I'm very on the fence about the subject matter and related issues in the real world, but I agree with those who find it refreshing that Belle's not damaged goods or an addict, and that she seems to simply really enjoy the power and security of what she does. In a way I found the end of this episode very endearing because she truly looked like she was having a blast, in this completely ridiculous scenario. I almost buy that she's just very sexually confident, and very nurturing, and that this satisfies both impulses while also allowing her to live the kind of lifestyle she wants.

And LOL on the Carrie Bradshaw bra. I had a love/hate thing with SATC for that precise reason. For someone playing a sex columnist, SJP always seemed so damn uptight. So I never really bought her characterization. She had very prim, closed-off body language. And every single scene of her in a bed, there was the bra, the ever-present body-armor-bra. Or the bedsheet was surgically attached all the way to her collarbones. It just rang totally false to me every time. And eventually seemed an oddly cowardly choice, given the subject matter (I'm not saying she should have stripped, but she could have done so much more to seem natural in those scenes). BP already seems far more relaxed and believable physically here.

[twistedsoul7]

I just finished watching the first 2 episodes. I liked it. So weird seeing her this way. I totally remember wannabe pop star Billie, haha. Acting suits her better.

I hear she is pregnant in real life. I wonder how this will affect the show because I know they are/will be filming the new season soon.

[cyberducks]

I wonder how this will affect the show because I know they are/will be filming the new season soon.

They are using a body double for her nude scenes.