Bango here. Now, it's not my usual practice to provide career commentary; I always think that films and television series should speak for themselves and that everyone should stop looking askance in the grocery store checkout line to see the latest on Angelina Jolie's reproductive life. But alas, we are a culture consumed by image, and such biographical and professional contexts inevitably color the viewing experiences of most. Stardom and celebrity will always plague acting; this is not a new idea.
Which brings us to British starlet Billie Piper, whose career choices continually puzzle me. I originally fell in love with her during her three year stint as Rose, companion to the Doctor on BBC's "Doctor Who." She was smart, sassy, strong, and sensitive - the girl next door with a tinge of attitude and just the right dose of humanity the Doctor ordered. One day, surfing the internet, as I am wont to do, I learn that she once was a teen pop idol, not unlike Britney Spears in her early years. This confuses me, and immediately makes me think, "Wow, Billie Piper. Look how far you've come. Good for you." And after flying around in the TARDIS, Piper played Fanny Price in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. Not too shabby for a teeny bopper. Very respectable, in fact.
Piper's latest project "The Secret Diary of a Call Girl," however, has her performing sexual acts every five minutes (and that's barely an exaggeration) as a high class hooker named Belle. In the first episode alone, she plays along with a man's horse fetish, resorts to a dildo, and....well, let's just say she's on her knees a lot.
So this review should be about "The Secret Diary of a Call Girl," but it's really about me trying to reconcile wholesome Billie Piper with vampy Billie Piper.
"Call Girl" began airing for the first time in the U.S. this summer on Showtime, and may very well be Piper's first mainstream appearance on American boob tubes (pun, considering the show, possibly intended). Some Yanks may have been mystified by syndicated episodes of "Doctor Who" airing on the SciFi Channel, but, let's be honest, geeks and nerds aren't exactly reflective of broader demographics. The fact that this side of the pond will only see Piper as a call girl, high class or otherwise, considerably diminishes her acting esteem. She'll just be that hot chick who's in that show about prostitutes.
Or will she? What will determine Piper's fate transatlantic-ally is the legitimacy and weight of this show. Is it just a salacious entertainment? Or is it actually doing something more substantive? In trying to figure out how to satisfy her customers, Belle does explore on behalf of her viewers how fetishism and sexual fantasy works [cue Freud], not unlike her namesake from Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour (1967). She also poses as a feminist figure - the woman men fear and other women scorn because she enjoys sex. The heart buried deep beneath this show could be very political and provocative - can prostitutes be empowered or will they always be destitute, no matter how big the pay-off?
Cinematically, at least, the show is very slick, and demonstrates some thought. The occasional use of handheld camera shakes very nicely contrasts with more fantastical, over-the-top 180 degree turns. Confrontation is the name of the game - not only is the camera always up close and personal with Belle and her clients, but Piper's character actually turns to the camera and directly addresses the audience. Bridget Jones' Diary (2001) meets "Sex and the City," perhaps? The fact that I don't care for either does not bode well for "Call Girl." To not give this show the benefit of the doubt would be to say that it's not trying to be meta, just cute. A much better use of the diary-esque voiceover narration is USA's "Burn Notice," where protagonist Michael divulges the ins and outs of spyhood in a wry manner, unlike the giggly Belle sharing the tricks of her trade.
"Call girl" is certainly playful and situationally comedic, but is it necessarily smart? I'll give it a couple more episodes and report back. Perhaps by then I will have gotten over Billie Piper's new found (or recently rediscovered) licentiousness. Bango out.
3 comments:
Dear Dear Bango, "Abandon all hope ye who enter here!"
I have to absolutely agree with your comment on the direct to camera insets. These are often accompanied with a girly grin, hair flip or eyelash flutter that, while attempting to make the character endearing, fail. Having no Doctor Who experience to speak of, I just felt dirty watching this show, even more so than an episode of Sex and the City (perhaps due to weaker plot). I don't know, I think the whole direct to camera has been cliche since Zack Morris stole in from Ferris Bueller! Look to the Office for a structure that allows asides without breaking the characterization.
Bango's assessment of Billie Piper's career choices leaves me more than a little disenchanted. I recently discovered the lovely and talented Ms. Piper while watching Season One of Dr. Who, and became enamoured of her endearing and disarming portrayal of Rose. I must admit that imagining her as a high-priced prostitute is difficult at best, but I am reminded of the young Jodie Foster, who played both a hapless preteen in Freaky Friday and a prostitute in Taxi Driver within the span of a year. Jodie was only 12 at the time! Far from ruining her career, the roles propelled her to stardom and paved the way to two Academy Awards. Ms. Piper's Belle may be jarring and disturbing in part due to her squeaky-clean association with Dr. Who's Rose, and it may take time for her fans to shake the accompanying sense of unease. So, take heart, Bango! Maybe Billie's choice wasn't so bad (for her, at least) after all.
Check out: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.com/
For some salacious promo pics for series 2.
I've seen all of this series and was in the end disappointed. Mainly, because there isn't a point to it. It's like right when they get around to addressing an interesting point about relationships or sexuality or personal choice/freedom they back away and go for some insubstantial sexual hijinks.
There are these fleeting moments with Billie that hint at a depth behind Belle... but the show isn't interested in exploring them. It reminds me a lot of the first season of Entourage, which fleshed itself out nicely in its 2nd go round... only to devolve again.
Still Billie Piper, right! There's an interview where she talks about the show possibly being the biggest mistake she's ever made yet she's still excited about where it could go. I wish I could say the same. And yet sadly, I know I'll watch.
In my mind at least, Rose was so devastated after losing the Doctor she moved to London and became a high class call girl... by the time this series ends, she'll have gotten her life together, joined up with Torchwood and start searching for the Doctor. The timeline's will match up, you'll see. This call girl thing is just a phase. Though the real question is: with CloneDoctor in the picture, will she have to go back to her old lifestyle to support the two of them and their life of adventure.
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