‘End of the f***ing world’ provides laughs and thrills
New Netflix original uses dark comedy to tell a unique will-they-won’t-they story
Fair use from Netflix
February 12, 2018
“End of the f***ing world” is a new British Netflix original series that debuted this January based on the graphic novel of the same name by Charles S. Forman. The show follows two teenagers, James and Alyssa, played by the British actors Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden, respectively. James is this psychopathic, disoriented guy, while Alyssa is an outspoken, temperamental girl. When these two meet, they end up confessing how much they hate their lives and run away together, and both eventually ending up on the police’s most wanted list.
Overall “End of the f***ing world” was a pretty weird show but was so compelling, I binge-watched the show in one day. It’s violent, it’s witty, it offers a twist on typical teenage romance and it is above all, hilarious.
James is perceived as this strange loner guy by his parents and everyone he meets, although he identifies himself as a psychopath. When he meets Alyssa, his first thought is to kill her. However, over time, he starts to soften and eventually falls in love with her.
Alyssa, on the other hand, is shown as this normal girl who has friends and family who care for her, but that’s not the reality behind closed doors. She has an abusive stepfather who molests her, a mother who couldn’t care less about her and a longing desire to explore new things and reunite with her biological father, something her friends can’t seem to comprehend.
The series is a bumpy road of romance, suspense and thrill. Its narrative takes unpredicted turns as it progresses, making the show worth watching. Both Lawther and Barden have an ability to go from expressionless to deeply agitated in an instant, and those shifts become more captivating the more you watch.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with the show and its characters and not wish for a second season. Even though the show ended in a epic finale, it would be interesting to see what they could explore next. Either way, “End of the f***ing world” is an ideal and unique piece of comedy that shouldn’t go unseen.
