Dope Girls

I didn't even see the title, all i noticed was that it was a Bad Wolf production, so i was hooked in....... Not sure what's happened at Bad Wolf but this misses more than it hits.

Woke from start to finish is probably the best thing i can say about this. The characters are unbelievable, the plot even more so and overall the production seems to have been robbed from 'Peaky Blinders' and put through the wringger.

Now admittedly at the start they say it's a fiction.....well that's the truth. They've taken liberties with just about everything of that period, which is a shame, as you just know the younger generation, (who will end up watching this), will think that's what it was like just over 100 years ago.....here's a spoiler for you...IT WASN'T.

If you manage to make the entire series apply to his majesties government for a medal, you deserve it.

Please Bad Wolf assign this to the bin.

Dope Girls opens in post-war Soho with a scene you won't forget: a grandmother calmly eating a severed tongue while discussing business. That grotesque, theatrical moment sets the tone for a series where women hold the power and survival demands ruthless choices.

Julianne Nicholson is outstanding as Kate Galloway, a widow who transforms grief into a nightclub empire to protect her daughters. She moves seamlessly between tenderness and steel, making Kate the emotional core of the show. Eliza Scanlen shines as Violet Davies, one of London's first female police officers, torn between her badge and her compassion.

The maternal theme runs throughout. From the mafia-like grandmother, to Kate's two very different daughters, to the wealthy mother of her daughter's friend, the series shows motherhood in all its forms: protective, privileged, dangerous and deeply human. My only wish is that the younger daughter had been given more depth, as her innocence could have balanced the darker storylines.

Visually, the show is flamboyant, dynamic and theatrical. Cabaret flair and stylised touches make Soho feel alive and unpredictable. Dope Girls isn't just another gangster drama. It's bold, messy, beautiful and unforgettable. If Peaky Blinders is a stiff drink, this is champagne spilling over the rim.

Julianne Nicholson's character has a seriously ruthless streak in "Dope Girls." The series is set in Britain in the aftermath of WWI, and her character is inspired by real nightclub queens selling (then) illegal liquors to customers. I have rarely seen her wield such authority and guile in a role. Her guarded, subtle smile and side-way glances that have served her well in shy wife and girlfriend roles translate surprisingly well to a menacing, murdering callousness, although she maintains tender if complex relationships with her daughters.

Some call this series a spiritual heir to "Peaky Binders," which I have not seen; there are far too many TV shows glamorizing gangsters already. This one is different because it is so women-centric. Her eldest daughter, abandoned early in life, now works in the club and they have a fraught relationship; the youngest is on her way to becoming a sociopath. One central character is one of the first female cops in London, and she is as cut-throat as the rest. They are pitted against corrupt police superiors and cocaine kingpins. Despite the 1910s setting, the style (including modern title cards and inscriptions) is as contemporary as the (im)morality. And "Dope Girls" makes it clear Nicholson's character hates "dopes," unlike too many gangster shows which glorify drug use. Too bad it is cancelled after one season.

Nicholson seems to have parlayed her Emmy award into exciting lead roles. In _Paradise_ she plays a tech tycoon lording it over surviving humanity, and may or may not be the arch villain of that streaming series.

She is plenty tough as a hostage in _Monos_ too. Hard, isolate, stoic, a killer, and so forth. One of the best American actresses finally achieves the recognition and success she deserves. It has happened really late in her career, but is so well deserved.

This is a very good show. Intelligently written and beautifully filmed. Interesting plot twists that get better and better with every episode. Part fantasy, part brutal reality. The acting is superb from all cast members. It's not for children or childish minds. Definitely one of my top for 2025. Enjoy.

Dope Girls is a fantastic dramatic and complex styling of smart, strong women in deeply repressed brutal environment. It brings dramatic tension to new levels. Hypnotic primitive soundtrack. And an unnerving and uncanny ability to make the existential stories of a past time resonate with contemporary women's experience.