What was the deal with the guy in the finale? - The Girlfriend Experience (2016) Discussion

[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

He was a masochistic creep paying her to abuse him by making him watch her with another guy. If you notice, she was alone in the hotel suite afterward so that it appeared she was visiting him when, in fact, it was her very expensive room. It's also notable that when she arrived in the lobby she was greeted by the person behind the desk. So they must have known her there.

The point seemed to be that she was a hardened, successful escort who was in complete control and willing to do just about anything for the money that allowed her to live so extravagantly and feel so successful in what she had chosen to do. In that episode we saw her order a $300 bottle of wine for lunch with her sister. She had her own personal driver. And with that client, she was in complete control of him, the male escort and even the room itself. And the blank look on her face at the end of the episode suggests this is all fine with her. It isn't good, it isn't bad, it's just what her life is all about now. Kind of sad after the previous episode with her family because they had expected so much more from her.

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[–] jannykitten 8 years ago

I agree with your assessment of the finale, except the "creepy" comment. However, just because something seems odd or different doesn't necessarily make it wrong, does it? Masochism isn't really my thing, but what someone is turned on by sexually, is sort of like bananas with peanut butter. Or perhaps nose piercings or toe licking or collecting cat figurines. It might not make sense to one person, but to someone else, it isn't that questionable at all. That expressed, that last scene was new to me & interesting to watch.

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

I agree with your assessment of the finale, except the "creepy" comment. However, just because something seems odd or different doesn't necessarily make it wrong, does it? Masochism isn't really my thing, but what someone is turned on by sexually, is sort of like bananas with peanut butter. Or perhaps nose piercings or toe licking or collecting cat figurines. It might not make sense to one person, but to someone else, it isn't that questionable at all. That expressed, that last scene was new to me & interesting to watch.

I guess it's PC to find whatever people want to do as being okay. But then it should also be acceptable for people to find some people's actions "creepy." To me, he was creepy. And I don't think that scene was written for the viewer to not notice the very weird situation Christine was involved in to please a client.

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[–] jannykitten 8 years ago

Oh, I agree with you 100%! Homey was weird as f#+@! PC or not, you're right, you have every right to your opinion - which in this I agree with. It was new to me and I'm sure my mouth was open in bewilderment the entire time! I just disagreed with the "creep" comment is all. But I totally get where you're coming from! I appreciate your reply.

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

That was the only episode I didn't enjoy. Otherwise, I thought the series was terrific, especially her acting.

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[–] jannykitten 8 years ago

Shut up! That was what I freaking said! That was the least interesting episode, right?! A lot of up-the-air, "but what...?" and "who?" and "HUH?!" The P.I., the possessive stalker, the chick who introduced her into the field? Biggest peeve? Why would she send something embarrassing/ incriminating from her own email?! Hacking wasn't a possibilty? Like, ever? That made no damn sense!

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

Jack the stalker sent the video. Some viewers tried to read too much into it looking for clever plot twists that weren't there. He vowed revenge and let her alone after that. She previously turned down a half million dollars to prevent all those same people from finding out about her (and had no way to know the outcome of being fired would be even more money). And if she was diabolically setting up her employer by sending the video, she wouldn't send it too her own family too. And she would not scroll thru the email to see who received it if she sent it.

BTW-you mentioned the PI. I was very impressed with Riley's acting in the scene when the PI cornered her in her work building and threatened to expose her secret life. She looked absolutely terrified and couldn't even speak. It looked so realistic.

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[–] moviefool09 8 years ago

And with that client, she was in complete control of him, the male escort and even the room itself. And the blank look on her face at the end of the episode suggests this is all fine with her. It isn't good, it isn't bad, it's just what her life is all about now.

Yes and no, I think. She is potentially opening herself up to dangers and people with severe problems, mental and otherwise. That creep seemed on the verge of hitting her. Somehow, she had the intuition that he would not. I suppose she was right but I think that scene caused a lot of tension and there was certainly the potential for things to get out of control.

But, as you said, Christine doesn't care. It's all about the money and the power.

"This is dead air, Barry....dead air."

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

Your point is relevant. Prior to that scene she presents for a photo session of sexy shots for her website. The photographer asks her if this kind of work scared her. She confidently answered "no." That answer was consistent with her demonstrating total control over a client situation that we might think would be scary. If we try to analyze the character beyond the series, we know she doesn't see the danger but that doesn't mean it isn't there.

When she first entered the business with Jacqueline, Jacqueline explained that she carefully screened the clients. Initially, Christine's clients were well-to-do sophisticated professionals either referred by Jacqueline or referred from one client to another in his social circle. They treated her great. We saw her with clients on a yacht, a fancy restaurant and a day at the pool. After she went free lance, she selected her clients from the least objectionable guys who responded to her website. Some responders wrote disgusting stuff. She hung up on a crank caller. There was a cocaine addict and several guys who seemed to have emotional issues. As the series ended, these seemed to represent her clientele. But she didn't seem to care. To her it was all about the power and the money. The character of the guys she serviced didn't even matter to her.

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[–] moviefool09 8 years ago

Yes, good points. According to some articles I've read, some consider Christine to be a sociopath. That's largely due to her antisocial behavior and apparent lack of conscience. However, I think she does have a conscience but it's very muted. She acts in her own self-interests purely. Early on in the season, she creates the illusion of intimacy with her clients (I suppose that is what the GFE is all about) and she tries to make them believe she cares about them.

It appears to all be an act.

No further scenes show this better than two with the gentleman who had money issues. At first, she comforts him and tells him they'll work something out. The next time she sees him, she doesn't care about letting him down gently. She says there's nothing she can do. There appears to be no great thinking that went into her decision. She never had an intention of "working things out" with him.

One question is- at what point does she separate what Christine *believes* is good for her and what is actually good for her. Putting herself in these potentially dangerous situations doesn't appear to phase her. She has been lucky, up to this point. What happened to her with the emailed webcam video, while horrible, at least didn't injure her physically.

Do you think she would have been safer if she had stayed with Jacqueline? Hard to say. But she hated giving up that sense of control. Also, she was upset what Jacqueline did to her friend.

It's a fascinating series and apparently season 2 will focus on a new GFE character, which is a shame. I would have liked to continue to see the evolution (or DE-evolution) of Christine.

"This is dead air, Barry....dead air."

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

I think she was better off with Jacqueline because Jacqueline carefully screened the clients. At first it all seemed too easy. Money and clients were great. But we saw that when Jack became obsessed with her and stalked her, she flew into a rage and called his female friend. That led to him sending the video and ruining her law career and her family life. Without Jacqueline, Christine had no one to talk to about how to handle a problematic client and Jack changed her life because she didn't know how to handle him. One can also imagine that Jacqueline would not have referred the cocaine addict or the emotionally disturbed clients. But those things didn't seem to matter to Christine. It's also relevant that when Christine met another escort who had been working for 6 years, the other girl said that even tho the work was as easy as going to an ATM, she wanted to get out of it. That suggested that Christine's career in this field was not going to be rosy.

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

One of the fascinating things in the series was the conflict between Christine and her alter ego. Initially we see she is a "good girl" from a good family, a good law student and diligent intern. But when her male roommate asks her for her rent, she doesn't have it. Avery talks her into a double date with a client but Christine initially refuses to take money for it but then changes her mind. After that, she can pay her rent. She enjoys the benefits (great money and fun dates) of being an escort but doesn't let it interfere with her real life. She forfeits a half million dollar inheritance from a client in order to keep her job as an escort a secret from family and work. When the PI threatens to expose her secret life, she is terrified.

But after Jack sends the video and exposes her secret life to the very people she forfeited a half million dollars to keep it a secret, she essentially gives up all the things that made Christine who she was. She gives up her law career and emotionally distances herself from her family. By the series finale, there is no longer any conflict. She is a pure, 100% call girl with no concerns other than how to perpetuate that career. It's a 13-part character study of how a nice girl evolves into a hardened prostitute.

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[–] McGavin_the_Shooter 8 years ago

It's called "cuckolding". Check it out.

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[–] moviefool09 8 years ago

Good points, Finnegan. You mentioned the PI. Please clear this up- the PI was hired by the dead client's family, correct? There was so much swirling around Christine at that stage that it was a bit confusing.

It seems to me that her relatively easy life in the GFE ended when her client died. From that point on, everything more or less went to hell.

"This is dead air, Barry....dead air."

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[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

Good points, Finnegan. You mentioned the PI. Please clear this up- the PI was hired by the dead client's family, correct? There was so much swirling around Christine at that stage that it was a bit confusing.

It seems to me that her relatively easy life in the GFE ended when her client died. From that point on, everything more or less went to hell.

When Michael (the yacht owner) died, he left her a half million in his will but he knew her only as Chelsea. His children hired the PI to find out who she was. They learned she was an escort. The PI learned her true identify and told her that they planned to expose her life as an escort to her family and employer if she collected the inheritance.

This was one in a series of setbacks for her. Initially, she could see no downside to her work as an escort. She made great money from wealthy, sophisticated men who treated her great. We saw her in fancy restaurants, on a yacht, at a pool with various clients. And none of it interfered with who she really was: Christine Reade: daughter, sister, student, intern. But the first sign of trouble was when a client's wife threatened her if she didn't stay away. Christine was visibly shaking after that meeting. Then Michael's death prompted the PI to threaten to tell everyone about her secret life. She had a look of terror on her face as the PI told her he knew all about her life as Christine Reade. Then Jack became obsessed with her and discovered her true identify and ultimately destroyed her law career and family life with his video. Then she changed her escort name (to Amanda) and got all new clients off a website and these guys all seemed pretty strange. From that point on, the scenes with clients were only about sex and no longer the kind of "dates" she used to have with men who treated her like their girlfriend.

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[–] moviefool09 8 years ago

That pretty much says it all, thank you!

"This is dead air, Barry....dead air."

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[–] Patience00 8 years ago

Cuckolding Fetish

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