I have just discovered Bad Girls...yes, I have been living under a rock... but I am now addicted, as are so many people. I ordered the first series (fyi: I will use UK terminology when I can, out of respect for the creators) from Netflix in January 2008 and watched 3-4 episodes per week for 3 weeks and then I was stuck.
So I did what we have all done and I googled the show, and oh, what a treat...so much info and so little time. And yes, I spoiled series 2 and 3 for myself by looking at YouTube videos. I do regret that, so if you have not done so, I think the 39 episodes of the first three series should be watched prior to watching any fan videos or reading any fan fiction.
I do recommend episode recaps though, since sometimes we can't understand some of the thicker accents and/or we miss the subtleties which are rampant (and for which I am thankful). Unlike lots of American TV, the creators at Shed assume we are intelligent enough to not need everything spelled out for us. It's all the little things that you must assume or read into the dialogue that are so refreshing. Anyway, I have found three sources for episode recaps that are really great. They are http://www.badgirlsannex.com , http://theagonyandtheirony.blogspot.com/ and http://www.afterellen.com/taxonomy/term/58?page=3 in that order.
On with my journey... I then ordered the first series from amazon.com and the next two series from amazon.co.uk and then learned about DVD region coding. Before I sent them back, I emailed customer service and they informed me that I could watch them on my MacBook Pro (however, if you watch DVDs often on your Mac, you can only change the region codes 5 times, so after the 5th time, you are stuck only being able to play the last region's DVDs...fortunately, I don't use my Mac as a DVD player very often, so I was able to not make any changes yet). In the meantime, I proceeded to buy all of the first 4 series from iTunes. I don't know if there's any difference in the iTunes versions versus the DVD's, other than all the extra stuff you get on the DVDs (outtakes, deleted scenes, photos, and cast interviews, all of which are great fun).
I have now watched all three series twice... once on my own, and the second time with my partner. She had not started watching with me from the beginning the first time, so I would not let her jump in in the middle. I'm bossy that way. But really, I just wanted her to experience it all in the right order or it would not resonate as well. Case in point...LOGO has been airing Bad Girls for almost two years now, so I would stumble upon episodes from time to time, but never could get into the show (and lots of my friends have said the same thing). In fact I watched bits and pieces of S2Ep13 (Oh What a Night) which, as those who have seen it know, is a pivotal show. I stumbled upon the doorway scene and a bit of what follows (I'm not gonna spoil anything here, if I can help it), and not only was I not interested, but I did not find the two characters involved THAT attractive...crazy, huh!? But, it's that slow and steady development of so many of the characters, not just the ones that the lesbian community have embraced, that make you fall in love with them and the show as a whole.
Anyway, my partner was hooked on that second go-round too. And after she watched all of it, I showed her some of the OWH videos (http://www.helenandnikki.com/favorite.html) that really pulled it all together. I recommend doing that to.
We have just begun to watch Series 4 and I have ordered all of the rest of the DVDs (4-8) from amazon.co.uk. We are enjoying it, but to be honest, I discovered that I am less addicted to Bad Girls per se, but rather to the Helen and Nikki storyline. It's an incredible love story and so well-written, performed, and presented all around. I know that's been discussed so much. As I said, I'm a bit late to the party. So, anyway, I am currently in a state of grief from withdrawal. I really got so involved in the N&H story that I truly miss the characters. So I figured I'd start this blog to put it all out there.
Ultimately, I'll have some fan fiction and episode comments (not full recaps, because I think the three sites I mentioned do it so well). So, stay tuned and I hope whoever finds this enjoys it.
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