She
‘works’ with Fenner, giving him sexual favours in
exchange for whatever she wants. Shell considers herself straight
even though she has a sexual relationship with Denny, and she
will often shout crude remarks to inmates like Nikki regarding
her sexuality:
Shell:
"Going for something a bit more upmarket are you Wade?"
Nikki: "Get lost Dockley!"
Shell: "What's she got that the other girls ain't? Mink instead
of beaver?"
Shell
will even insult Denny, saying "What's it like being as thick
as pig-shit Denny?"
Denny
Blood (played by Alicya Eyo) is in prison for seven years for
arson for burning down her old children’s home after being
left there by her alcoholic mother Jessie. Denny has a lot of
strength but isn’t as hard on the inside as Shell. The two
are very different and their relationship is more friendship then
love. They are both still in Larkhall after an escape attempt
in Series 3.
Denny and Shaz
Denny didn’t focus her time and everything else just on
Shell; she needed more of a relationship, one with a bit of fun
instead of just breakout plans and intimidation. Enter Sharon
‘Shaz’ Wiley (played by Lindsey Fawcett), a seventeen-year-old
lesbian who found herself in Larkhall after accidentally killing
three people through food poisoning. Shaz is a confident character
who doesn’t like to take life seriously (part of the reason
why she ends up in prison at such a young age), as illustrated
through comments like “are Pets allowed, do we do Karaoke,
and where’s the pool table?”
Denny
and Shaz have fun playing tricks on the prison guards and fooling
around together. They enjoy being young and try to make their experience
of prison more enjoyable by being together. Their relationship was
cut short, however, when a bomb went off in the prison and Shaz
died in the fire at the end of series 4. Denny feels guilty and
upset, and decides the only way to feel better is to avenge Shaz’s
death by getting revenge on the inmate who planted the bomb.
Neil
and Di
Neil and Di appear to be a strait forward heterosexual couple,
but they are actually quite the opposite.
Neil
Grayling (played by James Gaddas), who became Larkhall’s
number one governor in Series 4, is tough, ruthless, ambitious,
efficient and gay. However this fact didn’t stop him marrying
fellow officer Diane ‘Di’ Barker (played by Tracey
Wilkinson). Not your typical marriage, Di knew Neil was gay when
she married him and they decided that they could make it work
by just being friends but to the outside world looking like a
‘normal’ couple. But as time has gone by, both Di
and Neil have regretted their decision and now wish they had never
bothered with the marriage.
Neil goes to gay clubs and picks up men half is age, whom he flaunts
in front of Di while introducing her to them as his tenant. Di
plays ‘wifey’ and cooks for Neil and keeps the house
tidy, but doesn’t even get a thank you off of Neil. The
two are destined for failure as now Di wants to have a baby, but
with Neil hardly looking at her, let alone sharing a bed with
her, this doesn't look likely to happen anytime soon.
Bad
Girls has managed to become an engaging, entertaining
show in an environment that could have rendered
it morbid and clichéd. The real prison system is unlikely
to contain quite so many innocent prisoners and successful escapes,
but the show is nonetheless a brilliant story full of passion,
remorse, hope and above all, strong wills, as evidenced by the
fact that Bad Girls has twice won in the (British) National
Television Awards "best drama" category, and has drawn
up to 9 million viewers a week.
The
storyline between Nikki and Helen in particular generated a frenzy
of internet discussion during its run: Will the two ever hook
up? Will evil officer Fenner continue his subtle blackmail campaign
against Helen? And, more importantly, who's “hotter,”
the femmey yet steely Helen or the butch yet vulnerable Nikki?
The show has a cast of excellent actors able to communicate all
the longing and multiple emotions required for such complex roles.
With
light hearted humour as well as darker drama, Bad Girls
is likely to stay a firm favourite in the UK for years to come.
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