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Prime Video's newest entry in the psychological family drama category is The Girlfriend. Based on the novel by Michelle Francis, the six-episode miniseries dives into the juicy dynamics of the Sanderson family, after the son, Daniel (Laurie Davidson), introduces his new girlfriend, Cherry Laine (Olivia Cooke). Tension runs high and paranoia seeps into the cracks of their seemingly happy love story.
While the main plot of the book comes to life on screen, showrunners Naomi Sheldon and Gabbie Asher took the creative liberty to change things around and increase the impact of the psychological warfare. Whether that is timeline changes like when Daniel proposed to Cherry, or the big climactic reveal, it came together to make the drama a success.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong to the writer. Spoilers for The Girlfriend ahead.
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The Girlfriend: Book to show changes to event timelines, character deaths, and more
1) The major death swap in the book vs the TV show
One thing about The Girlfriend is: Every character resides in the murky gray area. Whether it's Laura's emotionally incestuous relationship with her son Daniel or Cherry's elusive past with her father, everyone indulges in their dark desires. Tensions build in both the book and the movie, but the ending of the show flips the script.
In the books, Cherry goads Laura to fall to her death in a garden pit. She ends up dying instead, and Daniel protects his mother from the consequences. But the show takes a darker turn, with Daniel getting in between their knife brawl in the swimming pool and holding his mother underwater as Cherry escapes. He is drugged in both cases, but by Cherry in the book and by Laura on the show.
He kills his own mother to protect his fiancée, only to realize in the end that she is the evil person his mother predicted all along.
2) Daniel's proposal occurs much earlier on the show
The Girlfriend cements Daniel's utter trust and love for Cherry much earlier on the show compared to the book. When the couple goes away on a birthday weekend getaway in episode 3 (after Cherry deliberately ruins Laura's birthday plans for Daniel), Daniel jokes about wanting to marry her, eventually turning serious and proposing on the spot without a ring. He gives her a keychain as a placeholder.
This happens right before the rock climbing accident that puts Daniel in a coma, which makes Laura's pushing Cherry away from the hospital way more emotional. Even when Laura lies about Daniel's death to keep Cherry away, the impact is completely different, because he is her fiancé, not just a boyfriend. In the books, he proposes later, after waking up from his coma.
3) Daniel's accident is more careless in the show
In an unfortunate turn of events in the novel, Daniel and Cherry's impromptu adventure trip ends abruptly when Daniel gets into an accident while white water rafting. It isn't anyone's fault in the books, but Laura blames Cherry for taking him away on a birthday trip when she specifically had different plans. The Girlfriend on Prime Video takes a different route.
In the show, Daniel tries to show off while rock climbing and jumps from a dangerous height, ending up in lethal danger. When he is rushed to the hospital, a piece of his skull must be removed to stop the hemorrhaging. Things are dire, and Laura still blames Cherry for the accident, asking her to get out of the room.
But Cherry specifically has nothing to do with the accident, and she even warned Daniel to be careful before he fell. This makes things way more complicated than a simple accident.
4) Cherry finds out about Daniel differently
After forcing Cherry to leave the hospital, Laura hatches a plan to keep her away from Daniel forever. She tells Cherry that Daniel is dead, and that his funeral was already over. In an emotionally charged attempt to get over her fiancé, Cherry goes out drinking and dancing. Meanwhile, Laura changes Cherry's number on Daniel's phone to a burner number, impersonating Cherry to break up with him.
But Cherry finds out he is alive through Howard's friend and walks in on him and his mother at a restaurant. It is a dramatic reveal in Prime Video's The Girlfriend, but the books had a completely different means to the end. Cherry acts hysterically and calls the hospital to find out details about Daniel's death, only to be told he is very much alive.
The show also reduces the timespan of his coma, making it just a couple of weeks as opposed to months in the book.
5) Howard is completely different in the book vs the show
While Prime Video's The Girlfriend uses Laura's relationship with Daniel as the driving factor for her tumultuous marriage and family, the book tells a different story. Howard is pretty much absent in the book, described as a terrible father and husband after cheating on his wife. He does not care about his son until the accident and coma.
The show made him a more nuanced character, adding another layer to his psychological complexity. He is a fan-favorite and Laura's voice of reason when she spirals about Cherry. He tries his hardest to connect with his wife, dating other women only after she suggests an open marriage. His character does a complete 180, which makes it more uncomfortable to see Laura's obsession with her son.
6) The characters are aged up for the show
The emotional complexity of Prime Video's The Girlfriend increases because the characters are older compared to the books. They are in their early or mid-twenties in the book, making it more understandable for Laura to be obsessed with her son's dating life. Her control might stem from his being so fresh out of college and taking things too fast with his girlfriend.
But the characters being in their late twenties in the show amplifies the horrors of her controlling behavior. Chastizing Cherry for staying over at his house, hacking her social media and getting her blacklisted from her career, and keeping her away from Daniel become extra intense because she isn't a new adult, but one with a career and a life.
7) Cherry's motivations are more ambiguous on the show
Cherry's motivations in both the book and show versions of The Girlfriend stem from wanting to get out of poverty and establish herself in higher social circles. However, the book shows her as more morally ambiguous than the show, which makes her come off as more suspicious than sympathetic.
The show succeeds in making her more believable. She does not come across as an outright gold digger, but someone who wants to leave her bad circumstances behind. She portrayed a genuine love for Daniel, and didn't want lavish gifts or money from him like she did in the book.
Watch The Girlfriend on Prime Video.
