'Slowgirl' is a 2012 play by Greg Pierce, about a young woman, Becky, who goes to stay with her estranged uncle, and godfather, Sterling in the jungle of Costa Rica after a dark incident with a mentally handicapped girl, Marybeth, at a party.
Slowgirl include examples of:
- Be All My Sins Remembered: Although Sterling didn't know anything about his business partner's financial impropriety, he lives in the Costa Rican jungle because he feels that he should've known.
- Cellphones Are Useless: Becky can't use her phone in the jungle. However, this is made very ambiguous with The Reveal that Sterling knew Marybeth had died, implying that he told Becky her phone wouldn't work and she just never happened to try it, or that he discouraged her from trying too often.
- Cool Uncle: Becky comes to regard Sterling this way, although he's technically been absent for a decade.
- Fille Fatale: Becky likes to show off about how much sex she's having and how many guys have been hitting on her, although she shows her true insecurity when she kisses Sterling - her uncle.
- Iron Butt Monkey: Most of what we learn about Sterling's past imply he was this: Becky remembers his wife, Karen, as a nagging bitch, and Sterling implies that he was The Un-Favourite (and possibly abused) by his parents.
- Minimalist Cast: Of two, Becky and Sterling. Sterling's cleaning lady and her husband are mentioned, and have at least kind of significant roles to Sterling's life, but neither appear.
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: Becky literally does not stop talking, while her uncle Sterling is much more reserved, shy, and thinks deeply before he speaks. Becky comments that this leads him to never finish a sentence.
- Secondary Character Title: One that may be regarded as especially trivial. "Slowgirl" is the nickname of Becky's classmate Marybeth, who never appears in the story (as there are only two characters, Becky and Sterling.) Becky talks about her a lot and she is an especially important part of Becky's backstory, but she's actually Dead All Along and an ultimately fairly minor character.
- Self-Imposed Exile: Sterling is in one of these to Costa Rica after realizing he was the head of a Ponzi scheme perpetuated by his business partner and best friend, and breakdown of his marriage. While he genuinely didn't know about the former, he still exiled himself to the Costa Rican jungle because of guilt and his awareness that everyone thought he did know.
- Wham Line: Sterling admits that Marybeth died on Monday, meaning that he has known the whole week that Becky is in serious legal trouble when she returns to the U.S., although he can only admit it on Saturday night.
