MovieChat Forums > The Girlfriend Experience (2016) Discussion > Christine Reade vs. Don Draper

Christine Reade vs. Don Draper

posted 8 years ago by Jarrold
9 replies | jump to latest

Compare and contrast.

[–] Nuxxx 8 years ago

Interesting choice to compare and contrast, and damn hard even though in some ways they are very similar. I find Don Draper to be both more and less complex than Christine since we know so much more about him then we know about her. I will take a shot at it, but I'm not a film pro in the slightest and can't break them down and analyze them the way others can.

Compare:
Sexually aggressive in the sense that they go after what they want, regardless if it's good or "right".
Incredibly selfish, they make decisions that are best for them no matter the cost.
Cold and calculating unless they don't want to be, but work the distant angle in relationships.

Contrast:
It is heavily implied that Don Draper is the way he is because he was raised in a whore house, while it is heavily implied that Christine is the way she is regardless of the fact she was "raised well". Their upbringings are in direct contrast to one another.
Don Draper is a better friend and has better relationships overall (never thought I would say those words) compared to Christine who even said out loud that she has no friends.
This next contrast is a contrast although it starts as a similarity. They are both sharply intelligent, but Don Draper is creative intelligent whereas Christine is educated intelligent. Their thought process seems starkly different.
Don Draper is more emotional and attached to things, even though he pretends not to be. Christine gets attachments too, but not to the same extent.

That's my start/attempt at that.

What a lovely day!

[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

They both were, shall we say, morally-challenged.

Draper's actions were directed by his urges, both sexually and professionally. He just had to have certain women and certain accounts. He was pleased with himself, however briefly, when he made the conquest he sought, whether with a woman or a business client. Then it was off to the next conquest. This is what drove him and made him who he was.

Christine was without motivation. We don't know why she chose a law career but we do know that her sister was an attorney, so that may have influenced her career choice. But we saw her get her internship by simply telling the interviewers what she knew they wanted to hear. She didn't seem terribly sincere or motivated to be a lawyer.

Initially, being an escort was just a way to make a lot of money while having great dates. She had a cavalier attitude toward sex so she didn't mind having sex with these men for the money. It paid the bills and then some and it didn't interfere with her "real life" as a law student and intern. When the video was released, she was fired and dropped out of law school. Her sister suggested she finish school somewhere else, but Christine no longer had any interest in a law career. She pursued her escort career to become as successful as she could be at it. But there never seemed to be any satisfaction. She didn't care if she was being paid to be one of three girls pleasing a sloppy cocaine addict or doing whatever was necessary to please well-paying clients with some emotional or even masochistic issues. She never seemed to enjoy the men or the sex and was always most comfortable when alone.

Christine was successful by her own standards but seemed to live a joyless life that gave her no satisfaction. Draper always seemed motivated to pursue the things that gave him real satisfaction.

[–] planet17 8 years ago

That thread is... hum... unexpected. It's really hard for me to trace parallels between them.

But there never seemed to be any satisfaction. She didn't care if she was being paid to be one of three girls pleasing a sloppy cocaine addict or doing whatever was necessary to please well-paying clients with some emotional or even masochistic issues. She never seemed to enjoy the men or the sex and was always most comfortable when alone.

Yeah, Christine wasn't doing that because she likes sex or because of the men. I think her sexuality is related to her image. She enjoys being watched, wanted, desired. So being an escort was exciting for her because of that. Men was paying (a lot) to be with her. And I also believe she enjoys playing roles. And that is a parallel we can draw between Dick Whitman and Chrstine Reade, Don Draper and Chelsea.

Edit:

By the way, I don't think Christine was as unhappy as Don was.

[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

By the way, I don't think Christine was as unhappy as Don was.

IMO, Draper had highs and lows. He knew what made him happy (conquests at work and in bed). In between those conquests, he had his lows. Christine seemed to be on an even keel. She never seemed happy. She made herself the best escort she could be. She liked being desired and having power over men. She liked what the money bought (clothes, apartment, car, personal driver, $300 bottles of wine). So she wasn't unhappy either. It just seemed like she was doing a job. She didn't experience the satisfaction with her life that Draper sometimes felt. But she also didn't experience the lows that Draper also felt.

[–] planet17 8 years ago

He knew what made him happy (conquests at work and in bed).

I don't think Don was exactly happy with his affairs. I think his affairs was a way of dealing with his issues, his loneliness. I think he sabotaged his marriages because he, unconsciously thought he wasn't deserving of that kind of love. I do think he was happy when he was with Anna, tho. I think those were the moments we actually saw Don happy.

It just seemed like she was doing a job.

I do think that she didn't enjoy the sex, in a sense that it was just a job for her and she didn't have any emotional connection or even physical pleasure of the sex she had with her clients. But I do think the job gave her a lot of satisfaction and I do think she was happy with the choice she made. She liked being watched, she liked being desired, she liked playing roles, pretending to be someone else, she liked that power. So yeah, I do think she was happy being an escort.

The thing is that Christine was very emotional distant and even narcisistic. So I think her emotional distant gave a that impression that she was very unhappy.

[–] Nuxxx 8 years ago

The thing is that Christine was very emotional distant and even narcisistic. So I think her emotional distant gave a that impression that she was very unhappy.

Well said, because happiness to one person is totally different to another. People perceive her unhappy based on their expectations for being happy. I think Christine was "happy" in her own way for certain by the end.

What a lovely day!

[–] FinneganBear 8 years ago

The thing is that Christine was very emotional distant and even narcisistic. So I think her emotional distant gave a that impression that she was very unhappy.

My impression was that she was doing what she wanted to do and had achieved a high level of success at it. But the camera often focused on her facial expression, which never suggested she was actually happy. The final shot of the final episode was the blank look on her face as she stared out the window. She was neither happy nor unhappy. I think that was her philosophy on life: that there was no such thing as real happiness (in career, family or other people). So you just do what you want to do and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

[–] planet17 8 years ago

But the camera often focused on her facial expression, which never suggested she was actually happy.

Yeah, the camera often focused on her facial expression when she was with her clients (actually when her clients weren't looking at her face), but my interpretation is that it was done to highlight how that was just a job for her and how she can stay emotionally distant from her clients (unlike what she shows for them). And that she didn't feel physical pleasure from that either.

She was neither happy nor unhappy.

Yeah, I don't think Christine was a happy person (no one is), but I don't think she was unhappy either. But I think she was happy with that choice.

I think that was her philosophy on life: that there was no such thing as real happiness (in career, family or other people). So you just do what you want to do and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.

Yeah, it could be it. I got a nihilistic vibe from her.

[–] toesonherbells 8 years ago

IMO, Draper had highs and lows. He knew what made him happy (conquests at work and in bed). In between those conquests, he had his lows...She didn't experience the satisfaction with her life that Draper sometimes felt. But she also didn't experience the lows that Draper also felt.

The only time we ever saw Don genuinely happy was when he won a Clio, and as someone else said, he seemed happy around Anna. The character was defined by the fact that because of his inner demons, he was never able to be satisfied in his life despite professional success and a beautiful family. He also was a very emotional person, whereas Christine is almost completely emotionally detached from everyone. Don did care about people in his life, Christine didn't appear to care about anyone. Don hated himself, and I think that the finale ended with Christine masturbating to show that because she is so narcissistic, even though she had been with two men in the course of about 10 minutes, only she could make herself climax.