Baby is a Netflix Italian teen drama Very Loosely Based on a True Story, specifically the 2014 real-life scandal known as "Baby Squillo" ("Baby Call Girl") about two high school girls from Rome involved in underage prostitution.
The series focuses on Chiara, a beautiful and privileged girl who lives in the wealthy district of Parioli (Rome) and attends an elite private school, but has parental issues and secrely wants something different in her life. In the first episode, she befriends Ludovica, a rebellious outcast who has financial problems and is considered a "slut" by the rest of the school. Ludovica finds a way to make money, when she starts throwing herself in the world of underage prostituton, and she draws Chara into it. Then the two girls start having their secret lives while struggling with high school drama at the same time. Chiara also starts drifting apart from her original best friend Camilla, in order to hang out with Ludovica, not helped by the fact that both Chiara and Camilla are attracted to Damiano, a troubled new student. Meanwhile, Ludovica has a dangerous relationship with her pimp Fiore.
The series premiered on November 2018, and the first season consists of six episodes. Nearly a month after its debut, Netflix renewed it for a second season, which was released on October 2019 and consists of six episodes. The series was renewed for a third and final season, which was released on 16 September 2020.
Tropes
- Aborted Arc: Camilla's character arc (her lifelong but complicated friendship with Chiara and their Friendly Rivalry) doesn't go anywhere after season 1. She randomly becomes a minor antagonist in season 2, and basically a background character in season 3.
- Academic Athlete: Chiara and Camilla are both honor students and athletes who take part in running races.
- Adaptational Heroism: Ludovica's mother, who is based on Agnese's mother. In this show, Ludovica's single mother is initially oblivious to her daughter's double life as a prostitute, and when she finds out, she's shocked and conflicted. And despite being irresponsible, she genuinely loves her daughter. In real life, Agnese's single mother pressured her to continue even when Agnese wanted to quit, because she needed more money after being left by her husband.
- Adaptational Villainy: Chiara's mother, who is based on Angela's mother. Near the end of the show, there's an investigation in high school, to find out who is the girl involved in prostitution. When Chiara's mother finds out about the secret of Chiara and her friend Ludovica, she tells the school everything only about Ludovica, in order to save her family's reputation. In real life, Angela's mother called the police to figure out how her daughter suddenly came into a lot of wealth.
- Adaptation Name Change:
- Chiara and Ludovica use the fake names "Emma" and "Desirée" in-universe with their clients. They are based on two girls who were referred to by the fake names Angela and Agnese in the news coverage (their true identities are unknown for protection).
- In this show, the pimps of the girls are Saverio and Claudio "Fiore" Fiorenzi. In real life, they had other names.
- Age Lift: In real life, Angela and Agnese were 15 and 14, during the "Baby Squillo" scandal. In this show, Chiara and Ludovica are at least 16 years old in the first season, and Ludovica turns 18 in season 3. Also, Ludovica is based on Agnese (the younger of the two girls in real life), but in this show, she's older than Chiara.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys:
- Both Chiara and Camilla have a crush on Damiano, a troubled newcomer who grew up in the Wrong Side of the Tracks.
- Ludovica is romantically involved with Fiore, who is clearly a dangerous adult man.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Ludovica was ridiculed and bullied in school due to her sexual reputation, and she was a social outcast.
- Alpha Bitch: Virginia. Blonde, pretty, popular, dating the Big Jerk on Campus, and acts mean to both Chiara and Ludovica.
- Ascended Extra: In season 1, Brando is a Satellite Character who only serves as Niccolò's equally jerkish friend. He has a larger role in season 2 and 3, when he has trouble accepting his homosexuality and attraction to Fabio, and we also learn more about his family, and his Jerkass father.
- The Beard: The Armoured Closet Gay Brando blackmails Chiara into pretending to be his girlfriend, in order to hide his homosexuality.
- The Beautiful Elite: Chiara and her schoolmates are all rich socialites who live in the wealthiest side of Rome.
- Betty and Veronica:
- In season 1, Damiano is caught between Chiara and Camilla. Despite being the main character, Chiara is the Veronica (secretly rebellious, has a dark secret) to Camilla's Betty (more of a goody two-shoes).
- Niccolò is the Archie caught between his longtime girlfriend Virginia (Betty) and Chiara, a Good Bad Girl with whom he has a secret affair (Veronica). However, personality-wise, Chiara is a nice and studious girl (Betty) and Virginia is the Alpha Bitch (Veronica).
- Niccolò is also the Archie to his girlfriend Virginia (Betty) and his teacher and secret lover Monica (Veronica).
- Chiara herself is the Archie to Damiano's Betty and Niccolò's Veronica. It may look like the opposite, since Damiano is a problematic new student and drug dealer, while Niccolò is a cute Pretty Boy and the brother of Chiara's best friend. But Damiano is portrayed as the nicer love interest, and Niccolò as the Jerkass, at least in the first two seasons.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Saverio and Fiore in the first season, as they are the pimps who manipulate Chiara and Ludovica into prostituting themselves. After Saverio's death at the end of season 1, Fiore is the only Big Bad.
- Bittersweet Ending: The two girls go separate ways. Ludovica manages to graduate and can start a new life in Paris, but her mother is in jail. Chiara is put in a group home, breaks up with Damiano, and she can't keep in touch with Ludovica, but there is still Niccolò who cares about her.
- Character Development:
- In the final season, Ludovica and eventually Chiara realize how much they've messed-up their lives and decide to quit prostitution.
- Most of the young characters become more sympathetic in season 3, the final season. Even Niccolò and Brando are no longer jerks, and learn to become better people.
- Chick Magnet:
- Damiano attracts Chiara, Camilla, Natalia, Aurora, and his ex-girlfriend Vanessa.
- Niccolò attracts Chiara, Virginia, his Hot Teacher Monica, and probably many others, considering his popularity at school.
- Coming-Out Story: Fabio is given one in the first season, while the Armoured Closet Gay Brando is given one between season 2 and season 3. They end up together.
- Derailing Love Interests: Fabio's first boyfriend Alessandro is a Nice Guy in season 2. In season 3, he publishes a defamatory article about Ludovica, so that Fabio can break up with him and end up with Reformed Bully Brando, even though Brando has done many things worse than that in the past.
- Demoted to Extra: Camila gets less screen time in season two and three.
- Friendship Moment:
- Many of them between Chiara and Ludovica. When the school finds out that Ludovica is involved in prostitution, Ludovica runs away. To save her friend, Chiara ends up confessing on Instagram Live about her secret life along with Ludovica, and she even takes the blame with a It's All My Fault.
- Niccolò and Brando get one in season 3. Niccolò was very homophobic initially, but after Brando's Coming-Out Story becomes public, he decides to support his friend and apologizes for the way he acted in the past.
- Fluffy the Terrible: Claudio Fiorenzi, the dangerous and manipulative pimp of the two girls, is only known as Fiore, which is Italian for "flower".
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling:
- Ludovica is the screwed-up sibling, while her sister Francesca is the serious and responsible one. Ludovica even overhears her father saying these words to Francesca, "Thankfully you're not like Ludovica, that's why you are my favorite".
- Camilla is the hardworking goody-two-shoes, while her brother Niccolò is the more immature one.
- Gang of Bullies: Niccolò, Brando, and their friends. They are jerks in general, but they are especially bullies to Fabio in season 2.
- Gay Best Friend:
- Surprisingly, Fabio becomes this to Ludovica in season 2 and 3, especially after their parents start dating. He's probably Ludovica's only real friend aside from Chiara (Damiano is nice to Ludovica, but they don't interact much). However, Fabio doesn't fit many stereotypes, but he's pretty much The Generic Guy, aside being gay and the principal's son.
- In season 1, Fabio was a close friend of Chiara and Camilla, but the three drift apart in later episodes.
- Gender-Equal Ensemble: In season 1, there are six main students, three girls (Chiara, Ludovica, Camilla) and three boys (Damiano, Fabio, and Niccolò). Season 2 and 3 avert this by having Brando (who was a Satellite Character in the first season) becoming one of the main students and Camilla being Demoted to Extra, so Chiara and Ludovica remain the only two female protagonists.
- Girl Posse: Virginia has two girls who are Beta Bitches in her popular clique.
- Good Girl Gone Bad: Chiara, going from Class Princess to teenage prostitute who goes out with older men.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Chiara has blonde hair, but one of the nicest and friendly characters in the series.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold:
- Both Chiara and Ludovica are ultimately good girls who care about other people, even when they are secretly working as prostitutes.
- Natalia is a hooker who knows both the manipulative pimp Fiore and the secret life of Chiara and Ludovica. She eventually decides to help the girls and testify against Fiore at the trial.
- Instant Humiliation Just Add Youtube: Quite a few times, Brando films humiliating videos and then reveals them to the school. He does it to both Ludovica and Chiara.
- Karma Houdini:
- Downplayed with Ludovica. By the end of the show, the parents of both girls are considered unable to take care of them, after the whole prostitution scandal is revealed. In the finale, Chiara ends up in a group home because she's still a minor, while Ludovica is free to start a new life by herself, as she's now 18 years old. But Ludovica's mother ends up in jail and Ludovica herself suffers a lot throughout the show, since she had a real Freudian Excuse, unlike Chiara, who only wanted a more exciting life. Also, unlike Chiara, Ludovica had already decided to quit prostitution even before getting caught.
- In the first season, Niccolò vandalizes the headmaster's office and lets Damiano take the blame. Nobody has ever discovered what he did, aside from his sister.
- Damiano doesn't receive repercussions for drug dealing, working for Fiore, and accidentally killing Saverio (although Saverio deserved it).
- Brando doesn't receive much comeuppance for his horrible behavior in the first two seasons. While he changes a lot in season 3, he barely apologizes for his cruel actions towards Ludovica, Fabio, and Chiara. Even Fabio eventually forgives him.
- Gym teacher Monica has an affair with Niccolò, one of her students and a minor. While she eventually ends this affair, confesses to the principal, and leaves the school, she gets no legal comeuppance.
- Another teacher, Tommaso Regoli, initially tries to help Ludovica, since he knows she's involved in underage prostitution. But then he make a move on her, much to Ludovica's horror. While he feels guilty and later talks to Ludo's mother, he doesn't receive any comeuppance.
- Later-Installment Weirdness: In the final season, Chiara's house looks completely different, while Chiara's mother goes from blonde to brunette, and she has political ambitions that she never showed in early seasons. None of these changes are explained or referenced in-universe.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: Deconstructed. The blonde Chiara is seemingly a wholesome model student (her name actually means "light"), while the brunette Ludovica is already known as a provocative and promiscuous bad girl. However, Chiara's behavior goes darker as the show goes on, becoming more of a Good Bad Girl.
- Love Dodecahedron: Especially in season 1, we have multiple love triangles linking the characters Virginia/Niccolò/Chiara/Damiano/Camilla. Niccolò/Virginia and Damiano/Camilla are couples but both Niccolò and Damiano are secretly attracted to Chiara, who is romantically involved with both, though she prefers Damiano. It gets worse when Niccolò starts an affair with his teacher Monica, though he also gets back with Virginia, and still has feelings for Chiara.
- Maybe Ever After: Chiara and Niccolò. He becomes closer to her in the finale, as well as the only person who visits her in the group home in the last few scenes. While they don't get back together on screen, it's implied that there's still something between them.
- My Girl Is Not a Slut: Chiara and Ludovica are occasionally slut-shamed and humiliated at school, even before their double life is revealed. On the other hand, Niccolò has sexual affairs and repeatedly cheats on his girlfriend, but his friends actually idolize him for it, and he always keeps his popularity at school.
- New Transfer Student: Damiano is introduced as this in the first episode, as he used to attend another school from a poor neighborhood.
- Odd Friendship:
- Chiara and Ludovica. Chiara is an overachieving Class Princess from a rich family and has a "good girl" reputation (initially), Ludovica is an underachieving outcast from a poor family and has a "bad girl" reputation.
- Fabio and Damiano. Fabio is the meek son of the principal, Damiano is a more Street Smart boy due to his background.
- In later episodes, the dorky Fabio also becomes friends with the wild and rebellious Ludovica, after their parents start dating.
- Out of Focus:
- Camilla gets much less focus after season 1. In season 3, she's so irrelevant that she doesn't even appear in the Grand Finale.
- To a lesser extent, Niccolò also gets less screen-time after season 1. In season 3, after he Took a Level in Kindness, he appears even less. Averted in the Grand Finale where he is seen helping Chiara.
- Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: Chiara and Ludovica are very close. They have no problem holding hands, cuddling, and sharing a bed.
- Rags to Riches: Damiano grew up with his mother in the Wrong Side of the Tracks. After his mother dies, he moves in with his father (an ambassador), but has trouble fitting in the new family and the private school.
- Riches to Rags: Chiara came from the wealthy Class Princess until at the end of season three, she ends up in a group home which she lost everything, her family and her friends, except for Niccolo.
- Really Gets Around: Chiara and Ludovica, as it's part of their dark secret and their meetings with many men.
- Satellite Love Interest:
- Virginia is only defined by her relationship with Niccolò and her jealousy whenever Niccolò cheats on her.
- In the last season, Aurora is introduced only to become a new Love Interest to Damiano, so he can end up with a different girl who is not Chiara. She hardly ever interacts with anyone else other than Damiano.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Odd Friendship between Fabio and Damiano. The former is a short, nerdy Bully Magnet, while the latter is the aloof bad boy of the school.
- Teacher/Student Romance: Niccolò and his gym teacher Monica. Monica breaks up with him in early season 2, after seeing Niccolò's girlfriend Virginia crying over her boyfriend's cheating.
- Villainous Crush: Fiore has one on Ludovica, though she actually likes him back initially. While he has some twisted affection for her, Ludovica dumps him after realizing that he's a toxic and abusive man who cares more about his business. Even more so in season 3, when he manipulates her into running away with him.
