I have to admit that I had missed this show on TV - I was probably knee deep in a box set which I seem to have been for some time. So offered the chance to review the 1st season and being unable to do much else as I am nursing a broken leg I delved in...
I do love American TV, from an early age I watched Taxi, Soap and Dallas so I have grown up with the polished serialisation format. In later years I was a huge Sex and the City fangirl but my heart usually lays with horror and Sci-fi so maybe that is why I didn't see this coming!
As a blogger I read a great deal about others' lives and can relate to most situations, having never tied the knot though I am a stranger to the big D. Obviously I have been in failed relationships but without all the legal entanglement, but this show has made me realize - we all have the same worries.
Girlfriends Guide to Divorce is written by one of my favorite screen writers Marti Noxon (she wrote many of my favorite Buffy episodes) and the writing is superb as to be expected!
The main plot centres around Abby McCarthy a successful author with a perfect career, perfect family and well a perfect life...or so she'd have us believe (whilst convincing herself) Things are not as they seem.I don't do spoilers so I won't be giving away any plot lines but the story follows Abby and her gorgeous group of friends through the ups and downs of marriage, family life and of course; Divorce!
Abby is played by the very beautiful and talented Lisa Edelstein whom you may know from House (Dr. Lisa Cuddy) and she plays her to perfection. I found myself feeling that she needed more gumption throughout the first couple of episodes BUT then I realised; THAT is exactly what disappears...along with who we are, what we love, what we like to do, read, listen to, talk about, it all gets boxed up with our gumption and put in the loft to be sold at a boot sale when we are 67.
We all love our families and yet somewhere whilst we look after and nurture them we lose a part of our essence which makes us 'us'; Or is it that we just find different things are more important only to discover years later that we would actually quite liked to have hung on to at least part of our old self....the balance is excruciatingly difficult!
I can totally relate to so many situations that appear in the series my favorite being the whole 'HOW shit scared am I to show anyone my post baby body EVER again' situation. I don't have the body of a Goddess like Lisa does so nobody will ever see me with the light on again!
I watched season 1 over a couple of days and now I am lost and waiting for season 2!
I would highly recommend this show, it is well written, well performed, Lisa is perfect in the lead role and has a wonderful supporting cast, has a gorgeous setting and makes you comfortable only to throw in a sub plot that can disturb and leave you in tears.Get the girls over and have a (well deserved) wallow!
PRODUCT INFORMATION:· Title: Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce· Retail Release Date: DVD - 8th February 2016· Rating: 15· Retailer SKUs: DVD RRP: £24.99· Running time: 60 minutes· Copyright: © 2016 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.