Secret Diary of a Call Girl: Season Two [Import]

SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL is one of the most suprising and exciting comedic series to have ever emerged! Coming from SHOWTIME (the cable network resposible for the addictive and Emmy-nominated series WEEDS), the show, as the title suggests, is about a call girl and her daily struggles in balancing work and life in London. In Season 2, Hannah, played by the amazingly talented Billie Piper (of Doctor Who fame), is forced to balance a relationship for the first time with her work as Belle (the name she goes by with her clients). As the 10-episode season progresses, Hannah finds it to be increasingly difficult having a boyfriend, especially when he has yet to learn what she does for a living. Yikes! Witty and utterly charming, this series immediately captures your attention (given its subject matter of course) and holds on to it with great writing and captivating performances. Billie Piper truely shines in her role as Hannah and commands the audience's attention every single time she appears on screen. Piper brings a lot of heart to her character and is truely the driving force that makes this series so great. For anyone who wishes to get into this series, I would suggest watching Season 2 first and then maybe going back to revisit Season 1 later, b/c I found the second season to be much better than the first. Definitely check SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL out. I promise, you won't be sorry!

Some of you may have read (and agreed or disagreed) with my review of season one of this Brit import / Showtime broadcast series. I kept meaning to get around to championing season two, which is even BETTER, but it looks like I'll have to settle for being the second customer review.

It's very odd, whenever people find out I have (had) Showtime, they always ask about "US of Tara," as though that's the only good show. For my money, this is actually a better show (and I like Diablo Cody's "US of Tara") and it got even better in the second season.

I found the most interesting parts of season 1 to be the drama-lite, but realistic portrayals of juggling the Hannah/Belle dynamic (one is the girl everyone thinks they know, the other is a high class escort.) This season dives into that dynamic whole-heartedly with her attempts at having (gasp) a relationship, and at her having a "real" friend/co-worker of sorts, the delightfully dim Bambi. (Last season flirted with her having an escort friend, but it turned out to be a disappointment for her character.)

With the new characters, the same witty writing, the same fast-paced zing, you owe it to yourself to check out this criminally unmentioned, unwatched, and underrated series. It's a heavenly blend of witty comedy and drama-lite (it's engaging and affecting, but never "heavy") and this is coming from a viewer who traditionally avoids Brit-TV shows and movies. (Nothing personal, just not my favorite international locale for the moving picture.)

You can watch season 2 without having seen season 1, both are good, but season 2 far suprasses the original thanks to its attention to character, and realistic complications. The sex is there too, complete with an of-the-moment fetish-induced-scandal involving a PM candidate, but really, that's not the reason to watch. This is NOT a show anyone should feel guilty about watching, it's sharpness, succinctness, and attention to detail in my opinion make even the revered "Sex and the City" look like a cliche.

I had watched the first season not too long ago and found myself interested in the funny/sexy show and the character of Belle/Hannah. Hannah a "nighttime legal secretary" and Belle the smouldering call girl who finds herself in wonderfully strange situations. The second season went beyond anything that I would have expected for the show. Introducing a new character played by Callum Blue (Dead Like Me) who makes her personal and professional life completely collide with each other. The chemistry between the two of them is amazing and creates an awkward threesome between her and Ben (her best friend).
I don't want to give too much away because the suprises are what make this season so special. The fifth episode particularly was very very good.
I would recommend this to anyone who isn't too squeamish and loves British television.