Margaret Wells is a single mother of two beautiful girls in the 18th century. She struggles to maintain a balance between raising her daughters and looking over her Brothel business.
The show cheekily explores lots of topics, from the tension between religion and sex to the patriarchal power of a culture where men could plan their trips to the brothels right in front of their wives.
Harlots may be the most outstanding period drama debut on television since Game of Thrones -- and that every episode is written and directed by women doesn't hurt one tiny bit.
[Harlots] is certainly audacious. And ambitious. But whether it will be able to pull off it's fine-line feminist balancing act remains to be seen; this show may end up groundbreaking or it may end up a train wreck. In the meantime it's hard to look away.
There's a hesitancy to confront the thicket of conflicting emotions that are being hinted at... but the origins and the precariousness of these feelings never quite explored with any daring or seriousness.
It was soapily plotted and snappily written, but lacked depth. It was solid enough but with this estimable cast, it felt like a missed opportunity to make something more substantial.
Harlots mostly pulls off a tricky balance of substance and tone. It's infinitely more jocular than...The Girlfriend Experience... but no less thoughtful when it comes to the dynamics of sex and power.
Shocking and fascinating, Harlots will keep you watching not for the sex and nudity but for the women trying not to sell their souls along with their bodies.
Dramas about sex work can go wrong in dozens of ways, but this smart, nuanced, feminist series is perhaps the best portrait of prostitution to ever hit the small screen.
