If I'm not mistaken, ITV3 reran S1E1 this past Tuesday, and tomorrow will be rerunning S1E2. We've been having such great episode discussions of the S8 eps, and I thought it might be fun to try discussing the reruns as they air on ITV3. And the non-Brits on the board can play along at home with their dvds. So, I watched S1E1 tonight, and I figured I would start the ball rolling. If a lot of people are into it, we can do this every week. If not, well, then it was a good experiment to try.

I've seen this episode at least five times by now, but every time I notice new things, which tells me how well-written, directed and acted it was. I was particularly struck this time by the relationship between Helen and Sean. The scene where Sean is introduced is very telling--he calls when Helen is preparing for her big wing meeting to talk to the wing about Carol's miscarriage. From the get-go, Sean is an intruder, not a partner. She's somewhat friendly to him, but then rushes him off the phone in a somewhat harried manner.

Then, in their first scene together at the apartment, there is this very strange flirtation going on, where Helen pretends to be mad at him for bringing his work home with him (ha ha, very ironic!), and then in a very flirtatious manner, pretends she doesn't want to sleep with him. The words don't mesh with the actions and attitudes, but of course with hindsight we know it's the words which are true, and the actions and attitudes which are false, just a cover up, play-acting. I could argue that's one of the big themes of episode one, given how it starts with the fashion show rehearsal, and a brunette Shell, only to see the wig torn off when the lights are turned on and reality intrudes.

Other random thoughts: I love the contrast between the private Helen and the public Helen. That's something they accomplished so well with this character in S1, and it started right from the get-go. I was surprised at how over the top the Julies were in their interactions with Dominic. I guess the show was trying to establish them as prostitutes, so they had to stage it with very clear action, in order to avoid annoying exposition. That's really true with all the characters--they are painted in this very vivid but economical way (Denny's aggressiveness making fun of Rachel and then kicking the door when she wants to get out during lockup, Rachel's total passivity, Dominic's naivite etc).

I found that final moment between Helen and Nikki to be really intriguing. Helen waits until right after the fashion show to thank Nikki. Why didn't she thank her right after Nikki made the announcement that it was back on, rather than walking off silently? Did she think it might not go well, did she not trust Nikki to be able to control the inmates? But then when it did go well, when Helen thought she looked good in Stubby's eyes, she RACED to thank Nikki. And then the blow-off, the "I didn't do anything for you, Miss" line from Nikki. It's the first Helen-in-pursuit moment, and in hindsight I think this is where her fascination with winning over Nikki begins, not in the initial confrontation on the wing, and not when she goes to see Nikki in solitary.

OK, those are my semi-organized musings. Jump in anyone and everyone....

This is a totally great idea, I'd say I was thinking of doing it myself about a month ago but I'd sound like a twat. I need to think s'more about It All, I'm not quite sure I agree about the Helen-racing-off-after-Nikki thing. I think she's acting more on impulse than by intention--an ironic partial similarity in their characters, as it'll later turn out--and that this gesture is primarily a social one, rather than totally strategic: Stubby's off glad-handing the visiting MPs, and Helen's either realized she needs to thank Nikki personally, or been waiting for a chance to run into her (different for her literally waiting outside the em, women's showers in the drug episode).

I couldn't agree more, and was just thinking today about how painfully bare S8ep8 was in contrast to S1. There's all this very choreographed (casual) movement in the background in every scene throughout the early seasons, interactions overlap each other, they're stuffed full of material and the screenwriters are pushed to give their best, it feels they're eager to fit it all in. S8's later eps feel sterile & rather threadbare in comparison, I had that embarrassing sensation of watching actors shuffling on their marks, waiting to start a scene, and then the camera rolling too long as they stand, open doors, walk through doors... gawd, how boring. So there's this constant sense of visual movement here, not clutter but a realistic-feeling sense of people being busy, each prisoner with their own agenda.

I think that's a very nice overview of this aspect of the ep, and would suggest Helen's actions with Nikki at the end also fall into this category; Helen isn't, quite, seeking out Nikki privately, that'd be a misstep in terms of char development, it's way too early, but she's seeing a private moment with her--and we have Shell looking over the two of them to emphasize there's never such a thing in prison. It also subtly heightens the fact that this is a pairing of sorts, even if Shell's minding them argues against setting up expectations: we already know she's Trouble, so if she's thinking... anything at all about this conversation, we're already just ever so slightly swayed towards internally disagreeing with her, just cause it's Shell.

I think you answered your own question here: because it's Public. Very public. It'd go against her strategy, which only Fenner has sussed.

Well, it was lock-up, she did have to catch her during the brief moment she saw her. I don't think she was being selfish or self-serving, if that's what you're suggesting. If anything, the delay's a little clumsy of her: I get the feeling she's tempted to treat Nikki as an equal, a peer, right from the start, but the setting's thrown her off, the woman is a prisoner, after all. But she has an obligation to thank her, professionally, and, perhaps... mm, socially, if you see what I mean?

Huh, my pov might differ from yours a bit here, it might be overstating things just a bit to say she's In Pursuit, but it might just be me fussing over emphasis. I think what's in front of us is that Helen's brought up short, whatever afternoon-tea-type response she was expecting, this certainly wasn't it: in a way, Nikki's very cleverly put her in her place, by reminding her what Nikki's own 'place' is.

Oh, yeah, actually I think we agree on this more than we disagree. What I was trying to get at, but didn't actually SAY, was something along these lines--that Helen had an emotional reaction to approval by Stubby, and she instinctively wanted to share her satisfaction with Nikki. She's not really sure why of course, and this is where the unconcious desire to have some sort of connection with Nikki begins. It's subtle, not overwhelming, but it's there.

Thanks for pointing this out! I had noticed it as well--in all the crowd scenes, the background characters are staged so that the reaction shots can be captured without an edit--all they need is a focus shift to switch from Helen to Sylvia and Lorna, or from Helen to Jim etc. There's a few points where Shell's involvement/reaction is emphasized this way as well, although of course I can't recall the exact line which leads up to her background reaction shot during the wing meeting (or was it another group scene?). But whatever it was, it was very very specific to Shell.

And not only that, but the visual emphasis is of lack of privacy, of intrusiveness, as you mentioned later in your post. The idea that the camera just has to move slightly to capture an entirely different point of view, rather than having to cut to the opposite angle--that is very telling: everyone's all on top of eachother, no one can establish their own privacy, agenda, goals etc.

Interesting. I might argue for the other side here--that her reaction, her observation of them, takes what could have been a throwaway interaction, and hands it significance. I'm not so apt to disagree with Shell's interpretation, although I guess on first viewing I might have feared that she was just going to start stirring up mischief for these two. But the fact that Shell's opposition puts the two of them on the same side is significant in itself.

DId you notice how much the camera work emphasized height? Not just in the moment above, with Shell looking over H&N, but early in the ep, when Bodybag and Lorna are walking down from the threes after not calling a doctor for Carol. One take, the camera follows them all the way down to the ground floor. And there's other examples as well. Not sure what the symbolism is, but it was noteworthy.

PS I think they used a foot model for Simone in the scene where Sean is rubbing her feet. Those are not the toes of an ex-ballet dancer, and the way the camera is edited, the feet seem like they aren't attached to her body....

This is a great idea Abzug, but I don't think I can comment anymore on ep1 as you have both said some great things.

I'll be watching ep2 tonight though, and will look forward to discussing it here, probably tomorrow when I finish college :D

They'd hire a foot model because professional ballet dancers have disgustingly ugly feet. The opposite of sexy. A total turn off for viewers. The feet which Helen has in this episode are quite lovely, shaped well, without the misshapen toes you'd get from being en pointe for years and years.

(No offense intended for any dancers out there--it's just a fact of life for having the grace and musical ability to do ballet. I wish I had it!)

I know, and agree. And was trying to tactfully say, sorry, I don't think S's feet are anything like attractive. They're not perfectly disgusting bec she didn't do it long enough to ruin them. But about the relative attractiveness of Simone Lahbib's feet... sigh. Flame away.

I don't know, my cousin did ballet through her teenage years, but nothing approaching professional level, and her feet are far worse than the ones which appeared in this ep. Simone, if I recall correctly from an interview, was planning on joining a dance company as a professional or pre-professional before she got some acting gig and decided to do that instead. I don't think it was something she just dabbled in a few hours a week while she was a teenager.

Someone, please, save us from this discussion of Simone's feet!

I'm not going to be watching series 1 again right now as I've too much else to watch and feel like I've moved on from series 1. There's other things I'm more interested in. But I like reading the comments here and I've seen series 1 so many times I can remember the scenes people are talking about..

However if people are going to make comparisons here with series 8 then I will stop reading this thread. I've only watched ep 1 of series 8 so far and have been carefully avoiding reading the series 8 discussion threads. So I was a bit taken aback to find spoilers - however general- froim series 8 sprung on me in this thread. It means I stop reading a post when series 8 is mentioned.

I can't resist commenting here tho I should be doing other things right now. I agree entirely with ekny's comment here. I've always thought series 1 ep 1 is particularly theatrical. Several scenes are quite stagey (especially that first scenes in which Nik & Helen come into conflict). The whole ep is s a stagey intro to the characters and themes drawing attention to itself as a fictional representation of very real issues. But done with an energyand sense of fun that is infectious.

That scene with Dominc and the 2 Julies partyicularly strikes me as OTT because of its theatricalness rather than because its drawing attention to them as prostitutes. It is more an intro to the 2 J's as Greek chorus.

The play within a play that starts the ep actually starts of looking more like a real nightclub IMO. The exposing of it as a performance after the intercuts with Carole trapped in her cell reaching for the light, draws attention to parallels between women's experience in society generally and the experience of being in prison.

The framing of various characters in the foreground and background is a feature of many scenes in the first few series of BG. It happens more in some scenes and eps than others and may vary with the directors I think. This kind of framing extends the theatricality of the scenes as well as highlighting the relationships between characters. It has the feel of a repertory company trapped within a shared theatrical, dramatic and social space.

The theatricality provides part of the camp feel of the prog. mixed with serious melodrama that echoes the serious tradition of British theatre. That along with the trademark one-liners present the programme as light entertainment that tempers its serious message. This is central to the success and/or main achievement of BG IMO. It treads the line between popular entertainment and a social realist critique of gender, sexuality and social class. This ep maintains the fine line between the excesses of popular enetertainment and serious issues. In later eps & series this balance is not always maintained as well. I also think in later series, while some of the theatricality of stage plays is maintained, there is more use of cinemativc style.... more so in the later series IMO. This extends the social and cultural terrain of the prog as well as providing more ways the prog can falter IMO.

But whether done well or not I think the wavering between serious drama and the excesses of trash TV have become part of the character of the prog. IMO.

There should not be any spoilers in these threads--all S8 discussion is supposed to be contained in the S4-8 section of the forum. I don't think there is any BG fan that feels like comparing S1 to S8. So, going forward guys, no mentions of S8, ok? Thanks!

Wow! A lot of indepth discussions going on here!! I can't really add to what Abzug and ekny were saying. You both went into it with gusto! Very imprressed. I'm sorry, but the only thing I can add to this is about Simone's feet. In an interview with her and Mandana (I think it was the South Africa ones) she jokes about the terrible foot massage that she got. So I am to presume that it was her feet that we saw. Right, I promise not to mention the foot thing again. On with the serious talk of Series one. :D

Great idea, Abzug. I'll defenantly put my 2 cents in!


Sean: I find it interesting what you had to say about Sean. I never saw it like that. To me, it felt like TPTB were trying to set a timeline on different things. Right away we find out that Helen and Sean are living together, but have not been living together long. Just like right away we find out that Helen hasn't been a winggoverner long. What i like best about Bad Girls is that they don't reveal everything in the first episode. I think it was episode 4 when we found out what Nikki was in for.

As for the "fancy a shag" scene. Well, i guess there we come to the heart of the discussing when exactly Helen first fell in love with Nikki. Personally, i don't think it during the first episode. And in that reflect, i think Helen did love Sean and did want to sleep with him at that moment. I just think later on she questions her relationship with Sean. Especially when by that time Nikki has become so important to her and did some amazing things to protect her. Perhaps Helen wonders if Sean would do all that for her, but i'll leave that question a few weeks. :D

Nikki: I think that in the 'old boys network' scene Helen already explained why she needed Nikki and her to work together. I think she knew that Nikki doesn't take crap and that thanking her right after her talk on the wing, would be pushing it. (they only just started working together) I also think that Helen would still be a little worried about how everything would go. Just because she had (temporarily) Nikki on her side, didn't mean a whole lot of things could have gone wrong. And last but not least, if she spoke too soon with Nikki again; what would the others think. Helen wanted to work together with Nikki because she believed her to be a great asset. If the others started to see her as a head prefax all her acctions would be in fain.

I think she went after Nikki because she did have a reason to thank her. Everything went great that night. The brush off from Nikki probably has to do with Nikki not trusting her yet. Think she is just another screw like all the others. I do agree that the initial pursuit is all Helen. She went to talk to Nikki down the block, she goes to Nikki at te end of the fashion show, she turns up in Nikki's cell i don't know how many times. I also agree that her initial pursuit is with her fascination to win Nikki over. But right at this moment, i think that her fascination has more to do with her job as winggoverner (her ability to do the job) than with any sort of feelings for Nikki at this time.

i allways got the feeling that she really was mad at the beginning, let's face it she had a shit of a day, she was angry and frustrated, and than at the middle she change her mind realizing she was wrong, make it sound as she was joking

Good point. I think that's a very legitimate way to read the scene, and lord knows I've complained and then backtracked into a joke with my girlfriend more times than I can count.

Also, ekny, I stand corrected on the foot thing. Flump, thanks for the confirmation on the foot massage. Sorry for opening that can of worms everyone!

Okay with the trepidation of starting off another foot discussion I did see the origional thoughts you guys had and I looked on some of the OK shoot photos and you can clearly see her feet in strappy shoes and they look okay. I would post them but I don't want to detract from the main discussion with huge photos so I won't but I do have them if people want to see. Also I did ballet from the age of 5 until 16 and my feet are okay although I only did 2 years en pointe.

Anyway again apologies from detracting from the serious indepthness.

With the angry and changing her mind thing I agree too. To be honest I do that lots, I go off on one and then forget why I was angry and it just dissolves completely, I take it as a womans perogative. I also do love the acting in that scene too she make's it seem so natural to just flow from the one emotion to the other. And I agree with Jules2 I think she was actually happy with Sean, or she thought she was at the time of that scene, and if she had any feelings for Nikki at that point I don't think she identified them for what they were.

I think it is great to revisit and discuss the episodes from the beginning. I miss having one a week to think about when BBCA was airing them (bastards).

I love reading everyone's observations and looking for new things I hadn't noticed before. Good point about the episode starting with the pretend of the fashion show. I remember the first time I saw it, wondering what the heck, I thought I was watching a prison show. So right away I was surprised and frustrated that I wasn't getting what I thought. Then I grew to love all the ambiguity and lack of instant gratification. So much better than what I was seeing on network tv in the states.

I have been stewing for a long time about the meaning behind the first time we see Helen. There has already been a load of things going on in the prison before we see who is in charge of it. Then we see her driving to work, trying to rush her makeup. Is this so we can relate to a busy woman just trying to do her job? I was always struck by how Helen is at the red light, stopped in her car and it seems like a rush of cars going the other way - right away I got a feeling she was going upstream. I was so relieved that she was able to laugh at herself. If I am to relate to a character, she must be able to see the absurdity around her.

Nikki's introduction also gives me something to think about. We first see her as an observer at the fashion show. Then she is wearing that fabulous red shirt as she tries to go up the stairs. She looked so good, I wasn't sure she was a con at first, she could have been an authority figure by her dressy appearance and demeanor. That is quickly scuttled when Sylvia condescendingly refuses to let her see her friend. The next time we see her, she is questioning Lorna about where the 3s are. Right away we see Nikki spending her time giving the guards a hard time. I love that they wasted no time in presenting her resisting the prison authority.

Going along with the playing a part theme, Helen seemed to me she was trying hard to come off as a real gamer. She is new, she has an agenda, but she is finding her way and acting how she thinks she should, not totally doing what she wants. She is backing up her officers even when she thinks they made a mistake, she must of practiced that bad-ass walk and expression she has on the way to the wing meeting, she sits there and takes Simon's shite, and she tries to clear the air with Jim and be up front with him so they can work together. I wonder if in wing governor training, winning over one of the prisoner top dogs is in chapter 2 of the manual because Helen does seem determined to succeed with Nikki. Another great point Abzug, I see Helen persuing Nikki in this regard pretty blatantly. Not much finesse there, Helen darling.

You all have given the Helen/Sean scenes way more thought than I ever had. He seemed such a plot device that I never gave him much mind. I thought it was obvious that he didn't give Helen what she wanted or needed. The audience needed to see the softer side of Helen and her doubts and he was just a way to show that. I don't think she wanted to shag him, because her mind was on work. Her mind went right back to work afterwards. I think the audience see that Sean is not "the one" for Helen and we can tell she knows that as well.

Hiya, I'm new to the board. I'm an American who heard of this show for the first time at the beginning of August. August seems like a long time ago--back in the pre-Bad Girls era before I went completely mad and devoted all my spare time to this show. LOL.

I wanted to point out something I noticed about the first episode when rewatching it for the umpteenth time. The "Listen, darling" thread does a great job of analyzing other aspects of this episode. What I'd like to point out though, is the use of color in this episode. It really is striking.

The first time we see Nikki, lounging against the wall observing the fashion show rehearsals, she is wearing the fire-engine-red shirt. The first time we see Helen, the next morning, she is applying red lipstick and wearing a bright red shirt under her power suit. Of coures, there is the obvious use of color with the transition from the blood on Carol to the red of the stop light.

But watch Nikki and Helen and their outfits. They are the most brightly dressed people in the prison; contrast their clothes with the drab blacks and grays of the screws and many of the other prisoners. (The two prisoners shown in this episode as being in solidarity with Nikki, the two Julies, also wear blue, red, and pink during this episode.)

So we see Nikki and Helen both introduced wearing red--a color that evokes power and life.

The next day Nikki is dressed in a bright blue sweatshirt with bright red lipstick. She and Helen stand out against each other (blue vs. red) in their first confrontation over what happened with Carol.

That evening in her scenes with Sean, Helen wears a neutral black shirt. But the next day she is wearing a bright blue shirt not covered by a jacket, almost the same color as Nikki's the previous day. When she goes to Nikki's cell in segregation, Nikki is first wearing the blue strips and then changes back into her blue sweatshirt, so in this scene in which they agree to join forces, they are wearing the same color (indicating they are on the same side).

The next day of the fashion show, Helen is wearing a light blue twinset (a more neutral color), and Nikki is back in the bright red shirt. Interestingly, Shell is wearing a bright red robe. So perhaps the bright colors are simply indicative of which characters have power, which ones to pay attention to.

It took me several viewings to notice this use of color, but once you pay attention, it is obvious. Just another example of how this show (particularly the first season) rewards close examination.

In the interview portion of the extra's..they mention that they purposely paid attention to the detail of BRIGHT colors being the fact that they are surrounded by the drab colors of the prison. So that may explain that part of it. You just don't any any brighter or stand out more than when a person wears red or electric blue, (unless of course your wearing hunters orange)!! HAHA

It's true that they were forced into using bright colors to help with lighting against the drab background (although they went a little overboard with Nikki's red lipstick imo), but the correlation between the colors worn by Helen and Nikki is definitely significant, particularly in this first episode. For some odd reason, I think you mentioned most of them, but one other which has always struck me in the first episode is when Nikki announces the fashion show is back on, she and Helen are still both wearing that bright blue color, again showing them in alliance.

There's definitely a lot of red in S3 as well, particularly when Helen first gets promoted to Governing Gov, where I think some of those martial themes kind of come into play.

Hey, was S1E4 broadcast this past Tuesday on ITV3? No one started a thread, so I wasn't sure if it had been on. Oh, and FSOR, welcome to the board, and thanks for joining in! :)

I think it's a great observation that For some odd reason pointed out. The 3rd last scene of "Us & Them" ep, N&H are not only wearing blue tops, but are the same hue ie: Royal Blue. This seems to be more than a coincidence, and probably indicates "joining forces."

Hi FSOR, welcome to the board! Nice set of observations, I've always wanted someone to start a color thread, but keep getting distracting by other things. Can't think why. I do agree the use of color, esp between H & N, is worth looking into. I don't want to put spoilers in here in case you're not past S1, but there's an important scene betw the two at the start of S2, in H's office, & I've always found the neat complementarily of their outfits there especially striking, a nicely subtle way to physically underline the layered quality of the tension between them.

Oops - yes it was, I forgot to start a thread :o

I've been very late in joining this discussions but I thought I'd put in my ideas.
What struck me forcibly is the very deft touches with which the story is told. Examples are :-
(a) the way Lorna without thinking answered Nikki's question as to why the 3s were down late- it said all that needed to be said about Nikki's natural manner of authority.
(B) the way that Helen was putting on her mascara at the traffic lights- it made a very eloquent point about the way that Helen was harrassed and under pressure from the word go- the scene where Sean phoned up to ask where the pencil sharpener was and the cross cutting showed Sean's leisurely lifestyle in contrast to Helen's and pointed to the differences between them.
© the way that Helen's private reaction to Carol Byatt's miscarriage was so similar to Nikki's public one "so this is all her own fault' compared with 'because even if we're bleeding to death, we don't get believed.' - so near yet so far apart,
(d) Helen's motif 'so you're just going to have to truist me' runs right through all 3 series and I've never got a proper handle on it. If Helen were obviously trustworthy, there is no need to ask to be trusted. I'd be grateful for input on this one.
(e) Helen's vulnerability to Stubberfield's vague but very definite intimidation is very striking and, yes, she did make a real point in thanking Nikki after the fashion event succeeded- there was the implication that she had, off screen, thanked Nikki before for helping out and waited till the event had taken place.

As has been said before, there is a real ensemble feel about the whole thing and nothing wasted.

I have seen the first three seasons (sorry, series) of Bad Girls. I have all 3 on DVD. I'm curious to watch beyond that, but I can't justify forking out the money. Besides, the Nikki and Helen storyline is the majority of the reason I love the show. I'm most familiar with series 1 because I've seen it the most, but I've watched series 2 and 3 multiple times as well.

I haven't paid much attention to color choices prior to re-watching the first episode again yesterday, but once I started paying attention, it was really striking. I'll have to check on the beginning of series 2 again.

At first I just paid attention to what characters were wearing from an aesthetic standpoint, and I hated Nikki's over-the-top makeup. I much prefer her more understated look in series 2 and particularly 3. The woman (Mandana/Nikki) is gorgeous as is, and I think makeup actually detracts from her appearance. But looking at the color choices from the point of view of what they mean about the characters enables me to appreciate this aspect of series 1. The colors are so vivid and contrasting that it's almost like a comic book (blue, red, black).

Another thing that is notable in the first episode is that in the first interchange Nikki has with Shell, Shell implies that Nikki is having a physical relationship with Carol ("goodnight kiss"). I remember being thrown by this for some time when I first watched the show. I naively assumed that what Shell said about Nikki was true. I've always felt this was a bold choice by Shed--to have a character tell a lie about our heroine Nikki in the very first episode, which we as the audience would naturally assume is true, not knowing Shell's character at this point. It takes some time for us to realize that Nikki is not *with* Carol and is never explicitly stated.

It adds to a sense of being thrown into a situation in which we don't know what is going on. Like Helen, like Dominic (who seems to have just started his job as well), like Rachel, we are dependent on what people tell us and don't really know the truth of the situation (that is, we are outsiders as well).

I think that's a great observation. The show definitely challenges audiences in the first 4-5 episodes, and it's because of this style of storytelling, where some "narrators" are reliable, and others aren't, and you may see a character one way, and then realize you've missed a whole other side of them. It's not really until ep 6 or so that these layers become clear, and it's amazing how much the audience has to rethink, without being Told Outright you were wrong. I think this is a technique they tried to use over the remaining seasons of the show, although it was never quite as effective as in S1-2.

I've been contemplating this one in an active way since I read your post a few hours ago. And then of course in a more subconscious way for about 6-9 months now. :) Here's an attempt at a theory: It's not that Helen isn't trustworthy. It's that the bureaucratic structure which she is part of puts her in the position where she isn't always in control, and doesn't always have the power to do what's right or to do what she wants to do. I think what the show is getting at is that few people in this world, even the most moral ones with the best intentions, have the level of autonomy a human being needs to be fully trustworthy. There are always other factors which come into play. Other people (in Helen's case, Stubberfield and Fenner), internal emotions (in Nikki's case, jealousy), etc. So when a person like Helen says to trust her, what she's really saying is "I'm still trying to do my best to act in your interests, please believe that."

I have always felt like Nikki is Helen's mirror. Whenever, Helen is with Nikki she is forced to confront her inner truths. From the first interaction between the two women, Nikki is only exposing Helen's true emotions about the event. Nikki is constantly challanging Helen to look inside herself and be true to who she is. Because of this, Helen begins her persuit of Nikki. Subconciously being around this person, is making her re-evaluate everthing. And for a head strong Helen, that becomes a slight addiction.

Thanks, abzug for this one. I had thought in terms of trust as a purely relationship thing and your reading is one that makes sense of the conundrum.
I had watched the part of the episode of Sean and Helen and Helen's manner seems very studied and not dissimilar to the way she was with Thomas (hence posts in earlier threads about Series 3 where Helen tries to revert to type with Thomas). I also got the feeling that her dissatisfaction with her life wasn't just that she had had a lousy day but something totally unspecific. For example, does Helen really want a job that isn't 'people oriented' and just deal with plants? It never sounded convincing and perhaps sets it up for later.

I never did sit easily with this one. From watching all three series, I always thought Helen really liked the people contact and she was there tohelp people and that's what she loved about her career. I wasn't convinced that she'd rather indulge in plant contact. It's just not in her character - and I felt it contradicted her whole love of her job; the helping people part of it.

I didn't take this conversation between Helen and Sean seriously in terms of her really wanting to spend time with plants instead of people. It was more of her blowing off steam. That is, she was saying sometimes I hate my job and the fact that people are so frustrating to deal with and I wish I could just have a job like Sean's. But both Sean and Helen knew that just wasn't her.

I think this conversation was a way for us to get a feel for Helen and her relationship with Sean. Perhaps she is with him because she finds him soothing and calming, in contrast to her confrontational style. She envies him his calm, controlled way of being, but in the end it isn't enough for her. Nikki more than matches Helen's passion for social change and challenges Helen to go beyond her comfort zone.

Another newcomer to BG from America. I started watching a few months ago and have the DVDs up until S7. S1-3 are my favourite, needless to say! Hope you don't mind me jumping in :)

One more aspect about the color red when Helen is driving is the sign of "danger". She's very new to running a prison with all its inherent dangers. There's the literal danger and also the emotional danger of dealing with so many stressed out prisoners and officers simultaneously. We see in S1 how much of an emotional toll it takes on Helen as Wing Governor, partly from her inexperience. As much as I hate Fenner, I have to agree she's out of her league. Helen's job as head of the Lifers Unit is more suited for her as she's able to work more closely with prisoners one-on-one with little or no interference from Area Management. OTOH, she's more adept at managing the prison as Governing Governor (i.e. the riot - more experience under her belt?).

The other danger part is from getting emotionally involved with a prisoner. Although Helen denied her feelings in S1, by early S2, she admits her feelings for Nikki ended up clouding her professional judgement. But she's caught between a rock and a hard place because Nikki is the only person she's getting support from. Sean's pretty useless and Simon clearly wanted Fenner as WG but its inferred Area went in a different direction, Helen. Meanwhile, he and Fenner do everything they can to undermine her.

By the end of S2, the danger of getting involved with a prisoner becomes dangerously clear. Nikki escapes from prison without Helen's knowledge and she ends up breaking the "bloody law" (harboring an escaped convict). She could end up in prison herself (and not likely to be put in Larkhall with her girlfriend!), which is why she broke it off.

Putting on makeup while driving also established from the first episode that Helen has a habit of running late. Something Fenner later points out to Nikki, who of course already knew! Ha ha.


Nikkhele

I agree with you here (and Fenner!) about Helen's struggles and being in over her head when she starts as Wing Gov at Larkhall. However, one of the things that I love about the show is that we watch her grow and become much more competent, even just by the end of S1. To me, this reflects real life so astutely. It's very rare for someone to come into a new job and be immediately competent and confident in everything they do and every decision they make. It takes mistakes and being smart enough to learn from them to be good at your job. So I'd say that her success as governing gov in S3 reflects how much Helen has grown and learned about managing a prison from those first weeks we see in S1.

It's very interesting that it is putting on makeup which makes Helen late. Putting on makeup is a metaphorical mask, a false self which Helen presents for public viewing. (I think this was mentioned upthread, or in another thread recently, but I can't find it!) The show emphasizes this even more by showing Helen in Serious mode at work, and then all flirty and casual with Sean at home. So it's very telling that this first image of Helen is her running late and rushing to cover up her real self, almost not having time to do it, doing it wrong (the smudged mascara), being late because of it. All of which is setting up Helen's journey towards becoming a more authentic person, one who won't be delayed because she no longer needs to wear a mask.

I agree here too (What's going on? We're all agreeing with Fenner!!) But sadly, it's true. She does get thrown in at the deep end and she can't physically cope with the pressure. And it's made worse in the fact that she gets no support from her fellow officers, her boss, or even her boyfriend to some extent. The experience she gains throught series 1 and 2 helps her cope more with her role as Governing Gov, and she knows what to do to have things run smootly and the way she wants them.

This maybe a long shot. Nikki's red shirt, (which is often discussed) stands out from all the other inmates outfits. I've read a few books on James Dean & in "Rebel Without A Cause," apparently the red windbreaker jacket represents a warning sign. So similarly maybe the creaters/costume Dept. went for same effect?

Agreed. I think Helen's biggest problem (especially initially) was being a little too naive. She had trouble identifying the bullshit before Fenner or Simon set whatever trap. She even admitted she "stepped right into that one", I forget what the situation was but it was one of the first 3 or 4 eps. Don't get me wrong, I love Helen, but it was painful to watch her get jerked around by those two.

In terms of a Governor handling colleagues ("above and below") who constantly undermined them, I think Frances Myers was the most adept at it. I thought Karen was very good at it too, that is, until she started shagging Fenner. That part really drove me crazy. She believed he attacked Shell but shagged him anyway? What she have a memory wipe? Ugh!

Moving on. They never did clarify what the relationship was between Nikki and Carol. Carol heard Nikki's voice in the hallway and she calls out to her. I missed it the first few times I watched the 1st ep. I think they were just demonstrating how Nikki was "protector" for the vulnerable women and her fierce defense of Carol highlighted that aspect, rather than anything going on between them.

Agreed. Remember, Nikki's comment to Shell after she sneers Missed your goodnight kiss? is the snarky Don't hurt your brain, which I always took to mean, roughly: The concept of simple friendship is far past you, Shell--and to be a way of signalling to the audience that though the reasons beyond Nikki's loyalties might appear complex to outsiders, the practice of those loyalties was not. Carol's another inmate, possibly a casual friend... & she's pregnant: she needs looking after. Not complicated--except to Shell.

At the risk of harking towards the rest of Series 1, what is astonishing about Helen is the way she learns rapidly from her mistakes due to her naivety (or alternatively, taking what Fenner, ect said and did at face value) and her sheer dogged resilience, The wonder of it all is not that she ended up taking sick leave but that she lasted as long as she did before going sick. I have had very nasty experience of being undermined by managers above me and some who worked for me but not both at the same time. That's a real killer.
Added to that, her sexual identity being challenged and the relationship with her boyfriend not turning out as she thought............

It IS a killer, as I lamented about in the ep5 thread. The last week or so has been about the worst in my time at my current job because of exactly that. So I definitely feel your pain Richard (and Helen's, of course).

But I think you're absolutely right about Helen's amazing doggedness and resilience. It's one of the reasons I have always seen her character as so heroic. Even when she has a setback, or gives in and takes the easier path, she always comes back that much stronger to do the right thing or fight against the people who have been doing wrong. The fact that she makes so many mistakes and has so many flaws just makes it all the more impressive. It's easy to always do the right thing if you are a perfect person, isn't it?

There's this moment in the brilliant play Doubt which is about a nun who runs an catholic school, and she suspects one of the priests of molesting a student in the school. The play is to some extent a battle of wills between the nun and the priest. Anyway, there is this scene where she's making tea for the two of them at the start of one of their meetings, and he asks for sugar in his tea. She makes a dismissive comment suggesting that those who are moral don't crave sweetness, and then (to show how morally upright she herself is) mentions that she gave up sugar in her tea for lent the previous year, and had never picked it up again after lent was over. To which the priest responds, "Well, I guess it wasn't much to give up then." (It's a fantastic moment in the play, because he totally wrenches control back from her, and she concedes it. I doubt I've done it justice in my description, but see the play if you get the chance, it's amazing!).

Anyway, point being, the truly impressive thing is when someone does something that's hard for them, not when they do something that's easy. And again and again we see Helen struggle against so many forces, never taking the easy path, growing as a person, a manager, a lover.

At one time, I might have thought that this thread is making a bit of a detour but it is these sort of discussions pitched a little way from the episode which are really fun and highly enlightening.

I couldn't agree with you more, abzug, on your description of Helen's shining courage. As a Brit guy, I've been brought up on films and TV when I was young where the superhero is physically brave, never makes a mistake and is never afraid, etc, etc whereas the real everyday bravery is moral courage, to do what you believe in against the odds. Series 1 shows Helen in being truly impressive, heroic and realistic and this is the theme which first grabbed me when, by chance, I first started watching BG.

Your theatrical instance is very convincing to me as it it all about avoiding being manipulated whjich, time and time again, Helen has to fight against. Even though Helen is occasionally tricked by Fenner, he never succeeds in 'getting inside her head' and that is the most precious freedom of all.

I'm really sorry you're having a lousy time at work, Abzug. Although one particularly bad experience happened many years ago, it is still engrained in my memory though, fortunately, I came out of it OK.

Great points, everyone. I enjoy reading everyone's replies. Thanks for all the insight into the show.

I just wanted to bring up the point about Nikki and Carol again. It does become crystal clear after the first episode that Nikki and Carol are not a couple (because Nikki is with Trisha, and Nikki is loyal to her). Time and again, Nikki befriends sometime, often as their protector. And each time, Shell accuses her of having a sexual relationship with them (Carol, Rachel, Monica, etc.). Each time Nikki makes the same sort of bitter, dismissive rejoinder to Shell's accusations. One gets the feeling this pattern has been going on for the whole time Nikki has been in prison. Shell assumes that Nikki is like her--that she has relationships with people because she gets something out of it (sex, power, whatever). Shell can't grasp the idea of friendship or caring for its own sake.

On the same lines of similar posts about Helen's mistakes: One of the reasons I love this show is all the characters (especially the two I like the most, Nikki and Helen) are human. They are flawed; they often have blinders on; we see their mistakes and wish they would act differently. But rather than being off-putting, this just makes them more sympathetic. It makes it easy to identify with them.

*bump!*

Ok, this is a question about a half-second of film. Yes it's late at night & yes I'm losing it. Okay, okay!--I've already lost it, fine--but hell, so have most of us, right? least we're among friends. So... the shot of Helen following Nikki in through the gates at the end of the episode--right before Nikki announces the fashion show's back on? I'm wondering what other people see in her expression. Again, I fully admit analyzing half-a-dozen frames is the height of lunacy. (Probably, she muttered sotto voce.) So indulge me please: is there anything to read here besides just Helen the Wing Gov wondering if she's made the right choice in making a deal with Nikki, or how Nikki's going to handle herself, or whatever practical, official, job-related thoughts she's no doubt having?

I discussed this with some friends awhile ago & we couldn't come to any conclusions except, mm, perhaps (which is all I think is possible, ultimately, with so little film & no dialogue). My opinion is that it's way too soon for H's face to be showing anything like 'attraction', etc. It's the first episode. But I wonder--see the top row in particular, all but the last frame, and the middle frame on the bottom--if it's perhaps expressing just the tiniest dollop of personal interest. Just: in this individual. Because it seems to me there's the slightest softening of her features, a trace of humor or something in her mouth, in the frames indicated, that might be showing that. It would be ridiculously subtle if so, & I'm not saying it's anything but purely unconscious on Helen's part. But Lahbib's performance is remarkable enough throughout the show that I have to consider it, at least, as Lahbib's entirely capable of the subtlest of facial nuances. (It's also possible Helen's just taking a moment to either appreciate the fact that Nikki's got spunk, or perhaps even admire it a bit: that even all trussed up after time in solitary she kept right on hammering away til she made her point, & that Helen's at the very least recognized the woman's bright, & she's got backbone; and considering how to get Nikki on her side.)

(Sorry the screengrabs are so bad, if anyone can do better, please feel free. I can capture frame-by-frame at home on my ancient computer, but it's still blown-up so a bit fuzzy bec she's way back in the shot...)

Still, I can't help but feel there is something there, although it's miniscule. Because in the second half of the shot, as she's turning her face towards the 'public'--the rest of the prisoners--she's adjusting her face: setting her mouth, giving us a more stern, evaluating look. All of which is appropriate to what she would be thinking/feeling after the interview she's just had with Nikki--and also to what anyone looking on would expect. But why adjust your features unless there's something to adjust from? There was something there that, in some tiny way, needed to be smoothed over, smoothed away, not shown (not 'hidden'--it's too soon for that. Just... not shown). Whatever the something was.