Netflix's “Good Girls” - Review

FOUR STAR RATING

****

Netflix’s new comedy series, “Good Girls”, makes for an entertaining spring binge. With only ten episodes (each of which last for approximately forty minutes), the show maintains a fast enough pace throughout the entirety of its first season to keep viewers interested.

Still of Retta, Christina Hendricks and Mae Whitman as Ruby, Beth and Annie in “Good Girls”

At first sight, “Good Girls” seems like an entertaining blend between drama and humor. The series begins when three suburban mothers (played by Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman) decide to steal money from a local food mart’s vault in order to solve their severe economic problems. Unbeknownst to them, however, the grocery store that they robbed turned out to be a front for an illegal money-laundering operation, led by the menacing gang-leader, Rio (played by Manny Montana). Their situation only grows worse when Rio finds them and demands that they provide him with a refund. From that point onwards, the women rush to pay him back; the only issue is that they already spent most of his money and can’t seem to retrieve all of the cash that they stole. They soon realize that the only way in which they can avoid financial ruin as well as survive is to form a partnership with Rio, and became entangled in a life of organized crime and illegal acitivities.

Part of the reason why “Good Girls” works so well is because of its exceptional main cast. Christina Hendricks executes her role with remarkable ease, bringing to life the character of Beth - a woman whose marriage is falling apart and who is desperate to regain financial independence from her husband. The actress, Retta, also does a great job of reinforcing the humorous tone of the show with her impeccable comedic timing, while interpreting a character named Ruby, who is married to a security-guard (later-turned police officer) and whose daughter suffers from a life-threatening disease. The last actress of the trio is Mae Whitman, a slightly younger addition to the cast who is at the center of most of the show’s comedic and heartfelt moments. Whitman, more specifically, plays Annie, a single mother that works at the same supermarket that the three women rob and who is in the midst of a custody battle with her wealthy ex-husband.

Still of Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman and Retta as Beth, Annie and Ruby in “Good Girls”

Still of Manny Montana as Rio in “Good Girls”

Despite all of its cheerful instances, “Good Girls” is actually a dark comedy - a challenging genre to fulfill. However, the series manages to live up to its hype with grace and style, always speeding up its tempo before the plot starts to drag on for too long. Needless to say, “Good Girls” is an entertaining first installment of the show and a recommendable Netflix production to watch.