I wasn't sure what I was going to get myself into when I began watching this show over the winter. Yes, there was lots of sex involved, but I was thrusted into an entire world of intrigue with rival bawds, demanding judges and a secret organization of killer sadists. The intrigue was honestly the best part of it all and how they managed to balance so many plot points throughout the seasons. Most shows would falter at the sheer number of characters, but Harlots manages to put enough time to care for everyone involved. This was especially evident when people kept on disappearing in the beginning of new seasons.
There were few people I hated in a show more than Lydia Quigley and how many times she managed to turn things around and keep outmaneuvering everyone. She's just such a great antagonist. Luckily, the show puts in enough Ls to not only be satisfied about getting her comeuppance, but even feel sympathetic towards her.
The Wells family were a delight to watch throughout the series and I thought the second season did the best job in showcasing all three of them. Charlotte was by far my favorite and I was glad that she got to head Greek Street at the start of season 3... which made her death in the middle of that season all that more devastating. I thought there was a lot more they could have done with her, but with her actress leaving it all had to be put on the shoulders of her sister. Lucy was the hardest to gauge. She felt like she didn't want to continue the business, but I wish the show would do more to show her attempts to branch out of Greek Street. It just didn't seem like she could measure up to the other two, especially in the back half of season 3.
Oh Emily. She was the perfect example of someone who thought she was hot stuff but proved time and again to fail to measure up to the others in the scheme of things. At least she managed to own her own house by the end of the series.
There were plenty of other characters to enjoy from all walks of life from the proto-domme Nancy to Lydia's spoiled son Charles. The Scanwells looked like it will go to an interesting twist with the daughter in a bit of an affair with a thief, but they were many who had their plot line cut short.
And behind it all were the Spartans, basically a bunch of rich nobles who love to murder the girls they bed. They were a menacing presence in the first two seasons.Sadly, they took a bit of a back seat in 3rd season, but at the very least that storyline was wrapped up.
Overall, the show treated every season as their last and managed to wrap things up fairly nicely every season. As much as I would have liked for them to have a 4th season, I liked where they left the two: at a stalemate depending on each other to survive.
There were few people I hated in a show more than Lydia Quigley and how many times she managed to turn things around and keep outmaneuvering everyone. She's just such a great antagonist. Luckily, the show puts in enough Ls to not only be satisfied about getting her comeuppance, but even feel sympathetic towards her.
The Wells family were a delight to watch throughout the series and I thought the second season did the best job in showcasing all three of them. Charlotte was by far my favorite and I was glad that she got to head Greek Street at the start of season 3... which made her death in the middle of that season all that more devastating. I thought there was a lot more they could have done with her, but with her actress leaving it all had to be put on the shoulders of her sister. Lucy was the hardest to gauge. She felt like she didn't want to continue the business, but I wish the show would do more to show her attempts to branch out of Greek Street. It just didn't seem like she could measure up to the other two, especially in the back half of season 3.
Oh Emily. She was the perfect example of someone who thought she was hot stuff but proved time and again to fail to measure up to the others in the scheme of things. At least she managed to own her own house by the end of the series.
There were plenty of other characters to enjoy from all walks of life from the proto-domme Nancy to Lydia's spoiled son Charles. The Scanwells looked like it will go to an interesting twist with the daughter in a bit of an affair with a thief, but they were many who had their plot line cut short.
And behind it all were the Spartans, basically a bunch of rich nobles who love to murder the girls they bed. They were a menacing presence in the first two seasons.Sadly, they took a bit of a back seat in 3rd season, but at the very least that storyline was wrapped up.
Overall, the show treated every season as their last and managed to wrap things up fairly nicely every season. As much as I would have liked for them to have a 4th season, I liked where they left the two: at a stalemate depending on each other to survive.
