The Gilded Cage

Money is the greatest divider in contemporary society, or at least if you watch streaming shows. Since Succession, the more time we spend with the rich, the more we abhor them. Especially when they do terrible things to poor people. In this new miniseries Robin Wright is Laura, a woman who seems to have it all: a beautiful London townhouse, a lovely villa in Spain, a tony gallery showing edgy artists, and a husband who can bankroll it all. She also has a handsome son, a surgeon-in-training who adores her.

Everything is perfect, until the arrival of said son’s new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke) who doesn’t quite share their postal address. Their seemingly gorgeous life unravels, with secrets tumbling out, including a lost daughter and a buried love affair. That is nothing compared to the malevolence that is unleashed once the girlfriend is crossed. Despite her best efforts to fit into the posh lifestyle with its attendants swimming, riding, shooting and playing tennis, Cherry finds herself with her nose pressed against the glass, on the outside. Expectedly she shatters the glass, in a Fatal Attraction, boil-a-bunny kind of way. It’s a train wreck but you can’t unsee it.

Laurie DavidsonOlivia CookePrime VideoRobin WrightThe Girlfriend Creator: Robin Wright and Andrea Harkin