Teenage misfits in a wasteland that quite obviously doesn’t understand them is exactly how I’d describe James and Alyssa, the protagonists of Netflix’s The End Of The F***ing World. This is a dark, yet quirky love story between a vulnerable rebel (Alyssa) and self-diagnosed psychopath (James), who plans on killing her. Extremely bingeable, the first season of the series has 8 episodes, all under 30-minutes.
If Quentin Tarantino was British, this would be a show he would proudly make.
Brooding teen James (Alex Lawther) is looking for a his next victim, a human, to kill as household pets just don’t cut it for him anymore. In walks Alyssa (Jessica Barden), a militant teen, who alienates herself from everybody with her cynical attitude towards life - the perfect victim for James’ plans. Together, they embark on a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired crime spree, motivated by circumstances, inexperience and desires they don’t quite understand.
This coming-of-age story is cut with flashbacks, where we see James’ mother committing suicide in front of him, leaving him to be raised by an endearing but mostly absentee father. It leaves an already sombre James disturbingly fascinated with death. As for Alyssa, all she wants is out from a house that is home to her passive mother and her irksome stepfather who shows shades of being a perv.
The series is interspersed with internal monologues, where the teens explain their true fears and how they perceive the outside world - a riveting insight into the muddled head space of the teenage mind. Pair that with a murder (of a murderer) at the very beginning of their crime-spree (the end of which is to meet Alyssa’s real father), these two form true affection towards each other in a humorously dark manner. As James’ thoughts of killing Alyssa subside, they start getting protective of each other. But what seems to be a blossoming romance, is destined to end in ambiguity.
The indie music paired with the empty vastness of Britain make the show a visual and audio treat, and adds to the aesthetic of The End Of The F***ing World - inspired as it is from a graphic novel of the same name.
The fact that the episodes end in under 20 minutes keeps the plots crisp and engaging without any unnecessary subplots.
This is a dark love story to lighten your mind. By all means, watch it!
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