"What makes a thriller thrill is pacing. The speed at which information emerges dictates the rhythm of our engagement; it's what keeps us coming back week after week. Most good thrillers escalate gradually, with each twist surpassing the last. The Girlfriend,a new Amazon Prime series based on Michelle Frances's book of the same name, directed by and starring Robin Wright,"
"It's already hard to create a pilot in any genre that isn't bogged down by exposition. The Girlfriend gives itself another problem by alternating between the perspectives of its two main characters. Laura (Wright) is a high-powered gallery owner; her son's girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke, doing what she can), is an ambitious real-estate agent. They compete over the attentions of Daniel, a medical student with a boyish air."
Pacing determines a thriller's suspense; the speed of information drives engagement. The Girlfriend presents classic prestige-thriller elements: wealthy characters, polished aesthetics, competing desires, and claustrophobic appearances. The pilot alternates between Laura, a gallery owner played by Robin Wright, and Cherry, an ambitious real-estate agent played by Olivia Cooke, revisiting the same events from both viewpoints. Repetition makes the narrative feel redundant and stalls plot progression. The framing establishes lethal antagonism early with gunshots and violent sounds, but the episode's 50-minute runtime feels baggy and fails to escalate tension effectively. Character dynamics and setting remain well-crafted despite pacing issues.
Read at Vulture
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