Bad Girls

CAUTION: Designated as “strong content,” subject matter regularly discusses and sometimes depicts violence and abuse. Viewer discretion is advised.

Overview

Bad Girls was a British television drama series, set in the fictional women’s prison of Larkhall, and featured a mixture of serious and light storylines focusing on the prisoners and staff of G Wing.

Helen and Nikki’s relationship should have been a disaster that ended in heartache. A lesbian in jail for killing a man who tried to rape her girlfriend falls in love with the straight governing governor. But there’s was a fairytale romance for the ages. It remains, to this day, one of the most satisfying queer storylines in TV history, and it ends with Nikki getting released from jail (after her crime is ruled self-defense) and chasing Helen down in the street, where Helen says to her: “[My boyfriend] Thomas is gorgeous, and he’s everything you’d want in a man. But I want a woman.” The last scene of season three, their last appearance on-screen, fades to black as they make out against a storefront in the middle of the day on a crowded street. Free to just be with each other. Free to be.
– Autostraddle

The same happiness cannot be said of the others.

Queer Plotline Timeline

Season three ends with Helen and Nikki happy together. Nikki was in jail for killing her girlfriend’s would-be-rapist, and Helen is a straight governor. After Nikki’s released (it was ruled self-defense), she chases down Helen who admits she’s in love. The season ends with them making out, both finally free.