Prime Video drama presents mother versus girlfriend showdown

The story of a mother-in-law clashing with her son's partner — and the hapless son stuck in the middle — feels universal.

- STORY: TATAT BUNNAG

It's a tale many people can recognise, either from personal experience or from watching families around them unravel in similar ways. Prime Video seems particularly fond of this theme lately, frequently pushing dramas about dysfunctional families. This year alone, they've released titles like Better Sister and We Were Liars. Whether or not you'll enjoy their latest entry, The Girlfriend, depends largely on how much patience you have for this type of conflict-driven domestic drama.

In The Girlfriend, Laura Sanderson (Robin Wright) appears to have everything: a successful career, a loving husband and her adored son, Daniel (Laurie Davidson). But her perfect, carefully maintained life begins to unravel when Daniel brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry Laine (Olivia Cooke). From the moment Cherry enters the picture, Laura feels unsettled. After their tense first meeting, she becomes convinced that Cherry is hiding something. Is Cherry a manipulative social climber, a young woman scheming her way into the family's wealth and social standing? Or is Laura spiralling into paranoia, unable to accept her son's independence?

Wright not only stars in the series but also directs several episodes. She brings the right kind of duality to Laura, shifting seamlessly from protective mother to unnervingly suspicious figure. At times she's sympathetic — an anxious parent watching her son slip away. At other times, she seems borderline sinister, almost obsessive in her quest to keep Daniel safe.