3. The creation and breakdown of Charlotte’s artifice
While trying to navigate her own annoyance, O’Donoghue views Charlotte as enacting a façade of artifice on every date: “she doesn’t talk like she does with her friends, she says these extremely innocuous things in this very fake tone of voice”. Charlotte is obsessed with the artifice of relationships, constantly mocked by the other three for her fairy-tale WASP-y expectations of dating. Alderton believes Charlotte is beguiled by fakery, by props and signifiers of seemingly eligible men such as their job, stock portfolio, or the size of their… apartment. But every time, these men have their shortcomings. The image is destroyed, and Charlotte has a break-up and a breakdown. This creation-destruction of artifice is typified in her marriage to Trey. She falls for and marries a fake man, has a fake marriage and bond, and when she tries to rebuild it, it’s like polishing a turd. Her arc for the series is her search for reality, a relationship that begins and lasts beyond the play-acting of her previous relationships. Enter Harry: a man that initially disgusts Charlotte, but is authentic and real – just what Charlotte needs.
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