Season
1 The
first season of the show deals with the issue of sexuality
within the confines of prison life, and does it pretty well,
too. The major storyline between Simone Lahbib, who plays
the idealistic and fast-tracked wing governor Helen Stewart,
and Mandana Jones who plays the hard-headed but intelligent
lesbian Nikki Wade, is a perfect example of a genuinely
written and sensitive portrait of a straight wing governor
who falls in love with a lesbian prisoner.
This
storyline, which is followed up in later seasons, is part
of the show from the word go. When Helen as a new wing governor
takes a tough stance on the inmates in the first episode,
she is immediately opposed by Nikki Wade, and there is chemistry
in abundance. Their friendship is cemented when Helen Stewart
seeks to make an ally of Nikki but ends up depending on
her a lot more than she would initially like to:
HELEN (walks into cell, closes the door behind her and sits
down next to Nikki on her bed): What you reading?
NIKKI: Little Dorritt, it's a story about a terrible
prison.
HELEN: Thank goodness we got rid of all of those! (sarcastic)
NIKKI: You're doing your bit Helen, most of the girls in
here know that deep down.
HELEN: (In tears) Yeah? But for how much longer?
NIKKI: Hey, come here! (puts her arm around Helen)
Helen
who sees herself as completely straight and is indeed engaged
(to a rather geeky looking gardener) begins to realize that
she has feelings towards this woman, who is a prisoner in
her care. Obviously thinking that denial is the best way
to go, Helen tries very hard and unsuccessfully to concentrate
on her insanely boring boyfriend instead.
Their relationship is not only well-portrayed and well-explored,
but it manages to combine issues of sexuality with issues
of morality. The very thought of a relationship with Nikki
goes against every rule that Helen has followed and must
follow. For such an idealistic woman to have feelings for
an inmate, no less a female inmate, it’s no surprise
that she is confused and dejected.
The
on-screen chemistry between these actresses is wonderful
to watch, and the power battles in the early episodes are
not only true to character, but are portrayed with real
intensity and sincerity. And, man, can Nikki give some cheek:
HELEN:
I'm not having this Nikki, you're not going to undermine
the good order of this wing.
NIKKI: So transfer me, put me on report, I don't give a
shit!
HELEN: When are you going to grow up and stop all this macho
crap? Why did you attack Michelle Dockley?
NIKKI: I dunno, touch of PMT. (Nikki stands up to leave
the room)
HELEN: Sit in that chair!
NIKKI: (Sitting down) Don't you wish it was electric?
Needless
to say, this is one relationship you don’t want to
miss. It will make you fall in love with the characters,
it will leave you frustrated, and it may even make you cry.
But it will definitely make you smile, too.
There
are other lesbian/bi-sexual storylines in season 1 of Bad
Girls, but the only one worth mentioning is the rather
strange and un-explained entanglements of Shell Dockley
(Debra Stephenson) and Denny Blood (Alicya Eyo). Shell Dockley,
who likes to set fire to people’s hair and is just
generally a psycho, is neither straight nor gay. In fact,
her sexuality is never really explained and even though
we see her involved with men and she never makes any declarations
of bisexuality, we see her sexually involved with her side-kick,
Denny. Again, it seems that writers perhaps find it easier
to write the lesbian storyline more than the bisexual one,
for their relationship is never fully explored or even understood.
Shell
is the kind of character that will use sex to influence
people, in fact, sex is all she’s ever known and perhaps
that can go a long way to explain her relationship with
someone who is technically just her best friend, her side-kick.
SHELL
(to Crystal, after kissing Denny): Enjoy that did you? Crystaaal?
CRYSTAL: Will you two be so hot for each other when you're
burning in hell? I'll ask God to forgive you.
SHELL:: Bollocks! In here, I'm God. Remember it!
