Prime Video released the psychological thriller The Girlfriend, based on Michelle Frances’ novel, on September 10, 2025. The six-episode drama stars Robin Wright, Olivia Cooke, and Laurie Davidson in a twisted triangle of lies, manipulation, and betrayal. The streamer unleashed every episode at once for your binge-watching pleasure, and the following is a recap of episode one.
There are spoilers ahead!
The Girlfriend’s first episode begins with a flashback to events five months earlier, told from Laura’s (Robin Wright) perspective. She’s arguing on the phone about tracking something down when a noise startles her. Suspecting it’s someone in her family, she investigates. Fortunately, the noise is just a cat knocking over a vase.
Later, her son Daniel (Laurie Davidson) playfully scares her in the pool, revealing the unusually close relationship between mother and son. They chat about his new love interest. The new girlfriend’s also the subject of a conversation Laura has with her friend, Isabella (Tanya Moodie), while making dinner. She admits she’s nervous about meeting her.
Our first look at Cherry (Olivia Cooke) seems to make Laura’s nervousness feel justified. The evening passes and Laura notices her son is very handsy with Cherry. And a short while later, Laura goes looking for Daniel and Cherry, catches them in a sexual act, and quickly walks away. Her husband, Howard (Waleed Zuaiter), reminds her they were once like that.
The evening continues with probing dinner table conversations. Cherry tells them what school she attended, and Laura says their goddaughter went there. After claiming not to know who she is, Cherry finally remembers her.
Laura reveals they had a daughter named Rose who was only with them for a short time.
Laura overhears Cherry talk about Daniel changing his mind, shifting his interest from pediatrics to surgery. Laura isn’t happy, insisting that not “we” decided. Cherry defends Daniel’s choice to switch, and Laura accidentally pours hot coffee on her.
The evening continues and Laura discovers Cherry has a bracelet in her bag that is exactly like one of her own. Also, she can’t find her indoor cat in the middle of the night.
Following the dinner, Laura and Isabella have a spa day and Laura recounts all the strange things that occurred during his first meeting with Cherry. Laura believes Cherry is hiding things, and she still can’t find her cat. Their conversation is interrupted by Isabella’s daughter, Brigitte (Shalom Brune-Franklin), asking why her mom blew off a meeting with her lawyer. It’s revealed she’s avoiding him because they had a sexual relationship.
Daniel brings Cherry to Laura’s art gallery and Laura keeps an eagle eye on them. Laura contacted the school Cherry claimed she went to, and the headmaster has no record of her attending. Laura lets her attention wander a minute when she spots her husband standing close to another woman who touches his buttocks. Ignoring that, she asks Howard where Daniel and Cherry are because they are supposed to go to dinner. He confirms they left.
After the gallery showing, Laura’s surprised to see her husband is home; she assumed he was staying at Marianne’s, which would have been fine. Howard found it strange that Daniel left without saying goodbye.
After they have sex, Daniel asks if she is ready for him to give up Marianne. She’s not and thinks it’s better this way. (Apparently, they have an open marriage.)
Laura puts up flyers for her missing cat and decides to pop into Cherry’s office to see if she really works there. She catches Cherry standing outside, arguing with a man. He yells, “I’m getting married on Saturday!” and Cherry hits him in the face.
The first episode switches to a fresh perspective, Cherry’s. She lays eyes on Daniel for the first time, and he is smitten at first sight. She’s shocked to discover her unreliable co-worker got a promotion over her and spits in her cup.
Later, as Cherry leaves her cycling class, she sees the man she argued with. They don’t speak but stare at each other.
Daniel comes into her place of work to see about an apartment he is interested in. He spoke with someone else, but she takes him on as a client. There’s flirtation going on while she shows him the apartment.
After breaking into another apartment, she asks him what he thinks, and he wonders how they should celebrate his new apartment. They celebrate by being intimate. He takes her on their third date to his dad’s hotel. She asks about his mom and says her father passed away when she was 14.
It’s revealed that Cherry had been to Daniel’s family home before while his parents were gone. As Cherry tries on Laura’s jewelry, she hears Laura on the phone and quickly hides. She’s almost caught, but then Laura hears the vase break and leaves the room.
Cherry’s perspective of her first meeting with Daniel’s mom is decidedly different than Laura’s version. Seeing Cherry meet Laura for the first time from Cherry’s perspective, Laura does not seem either warm or welcoming.
Cherry notices Laura watching them being intimate together. And later, Laura accidentally pours coffee on Cherry while looking smug about it. As she gets cleaned up, Cherry puts their cat, Moses, through a window, even though she’s aware he’s an indoor-only cat.
Laura grills Cherry about what kind of work her father did and insists on trying to look him up on the internet. Daniel puts a stop to it. The whole evening is much more confrontational from Cherry’s perspective.
At home, Cherry’s mother thinks she would be better off dating the neighbor. Her mom believes the man Cherry’s dating will never marry her because he comes from money.
Even the gallery visit has a different vibe, with Cherry convinced Laura doesn’t like her. She tries to have a conversation with Laura, but Laura blows her off. Uncomfortable, Cherry sees someone she knows and convinces Daniel to leave.
Daniel is already falling hard and invites Cherry to come with him and his parents to Spain. He also confesses he loves her.
The slapping incident plays out from Cherry’s point of view. The man confronts her, accusing her of stalking him and his fiancée. She slaps him after he says degrading things. Cherry sees Laura and Cherry informs her that Daniel invited her to accompany him to Spain.
Episode one ends in an eerily creepy way with Cherry scooping guts out of an animal (her mother is a butcher) and placing them in a bag. The reason quickly becomes evident when the scene shifts to Cherry’s ex, who accused her of stalking him, enjoying his wedding with the woman he loves. As they cut into the cake, horrifyingly, blood sprays out, drenching them. Cherry takes off her catering uniform and leaves the wedding with a smile on her face.
