How dare they cancel it.Yes, I know, old news. I even knew it half way in to watching the series the first time around. I am still mad at the cancellation however, even if I don't know where they would have went with the show after last episode of season one. For once in TV storytelling history though, I was willing to let whoever produced Girl Boss to take the risk.
Girl Boss is based off the life and book Girlboss written and lived by Sophia Amoruso who became CEO of a controversial fashion brand, Nasty Gal-- and also I have found has a great Instagram which obviously only makes me admire this rags to riches story more.
When trying to explain the show to my friend and she had to understand, I explained it like this.
"You know that brand Nasty Gal that years ago you might have seen being sold on Nordstrom?"
"Oh, yeah. I think so."
"Well this show is loosely based on how it came to be from a vintage ebay shop."
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| Britt Robertson as Sophia Marlowe in the jacket that changed everything (Photo: Karen Ballard/Netflix) |
(Right away, as I continue to talk about this show, I should note that the show is only loosely based off Nasty Gal's Sophia Amoruso's life. Though I will take that into account, Girlboss will be seen as the storytelling and entertainment that it is rather than a take on true/false events.)
The Writing...
is fantastic.
A little rocky in the first two episodes (I caught myself debating if I should actually care about the cast presented), the writing grew as the characters did. From the stealing and truly unlikable Sophia Marlowe that the viewer spent so much time being convinced she was, she turned into a business minded woman who may not be lying when she proclaims that she "got it all figured out."
The comedic moments and a great soundtrack follows Sophia through about two years of her life. Each holds strong not only to move this unconventional plot line of past and present moments together, but moments for the viewer to connect to the emotions that Sophia is going through, but doesn't often share for fear of being rejected or abandoned as she was by her mother, causing conflict among her own self-views and realationships.
As a messy and somewhat of a obnoxious character that somehow relates to us all at some point in life, I was draw in to press next episode before the ten seconds could even count down for more ups, downs, and in-betweens in Sophia's adventure through vintage fashion and consumerism.
Unlikable Heroine IRL
The most common negativity towards the show I hear is the idea that Sophia is an unlikable character. This may be true, actually described in the show's description as an anarchist, but at 23 years old, who isn't a slightly unlikable human being? Most don't know what they are doing in life quite yet. It is frustrating, and time and time again, disappointing. An unlikable skin is what many are told to arm themselves with in this world of hyper-competitiveness.
In this, I found the character development not only different, but refreshingly real.
From the beginning though, sure, I will admit that Sophia is pretty much everything that everyone says is wrong with millennials today. They are set up as selfish, rude, never on time for anything, and don't want to grow up in the corporate system that those before them have.
As the old woman on the bench she uses as a free therapist says, "You're generation is so fucked up."
No wonder not everyone could like Sophia. Maybe, they just saw too much of themselves.
If that is the case, like Sophia, you are going to end up rooting for her in hopes that we will also find success in being messy sometimes terrible people having multiple existential crises in a week.
Luckily, Sophia has a great friend, Annie (played by Ellie Reed) to keep things light, fun, and to remind ourselves that in life, one great friend is all you may need.
Strong Portrayal of Friendship
Everyone needs that ride or die friend, and though Annie is a strong character I have found doesn't actually exist (sadly) within the real Amoruso's life, the message still holds and makes me wonder if there is a forum to find my own bff who will proclaim "I love you in case I die." Plus, I can not pass up the opportunity to praise someone who manages to look fabulously classy while having all the penis jokes ready to go when drawing a countdown to Nasty Gal launch thermometer on the wall in one of the final episodes...or whatever that thing is that strongly resembled a penis.
Sometimes side characters, or that side-kick character, gets the brunt of the unlikable story line to put our main heroine in the spotlight. In Girlboss however, this is definitely not the case. It appears Netflix producers and writers have done a flip with normal character convention. For once it is not the heroine, Sophia, who is going to save the day even if she does create Nasty Gal. Annie, not only helps wherever she can in the business side of Nasty Gal's production, also swoops in to save the day on multiple occasions just by being her bubbly self.
Annie is the crucial reminder to Sophia to be a good friend to not only her, but a good person with emotions overall, rather than a "garbage person," a phrase Sophia is described as within the only episode Annie is not.
Coincidence?
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| Britt Robertson as Sophia Marlowe (Photo: Karen Ballard/Netflix) |
A Dream of Success...and Actual Success
Because by the end of Girlboss, Sophia definitely knows the difference.
As Sophia Amoruso said during a conference, "You don't learn in your peaks; your learn in your valleys."
Netflix's Girlboss certainly maintains that idea through the rough times of Sophia Marlowe fails or almost fails at her dream. A few examples include when ebay and other shops turn against her vintage selling ideals, modern stores taking inspiration from actual vintage items Sophia planned to sell, and (what I believe is the turning point of what made me love the show in episode 4) when she has to man up and literally run a wedding dress across the feared Golden Gate Bridge after having a wine induced night with artist friend, Nathan, and his mother who wore the robe seen in the all too real photo above.
The road to success is rocky and not everyone believes in her, including her father and many viewers of the show apparently, but in the end she does what she has to do. She pushes forth and succeeds at the dream she created online in a heap of polyester and badass leather jackets.
Now...
“So that Netflix series about my life got canceled. While I’m proud of the work we did, I’m looking forward to controlling my narrative from here on out," Amoruso wrote online in the wake of the news. "It was a good show, and I was privileged to work with incredible talent, but living my life as a caricature was hard even if only for two months. Yes, I can be difficult. No, I’m not a dick. No, someone named Shane never cheated on me. It will be nice to someday tell the story of what’s happened in the last few years. Ppl read the headline, not the correction, I’ve learned."
Though I can only imagine what it is to have a show based off your life only for your life to be caricatured to extremes, I take the show for what it is. Entertainment of the best sort... the kind that inspires.
And plan to read the book ASAP.
We all need a little #Girlboss in our life.
Season 1 of Girlboss is currently streaming on Netflix.
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