By Kelsey Rogers, Asst. Living & Arts Editor
Netflix is notorious for brand new releases at the beginning of the year and Netflix originals in themselves can be hit or miss.
On one end of the spectrum are legends such as “Orange Is The New Black” and “Stranger Things,” while the stragglers at the end are originals that didn’t quite meet the approval of critics, such as “Fuller House.” However, over break I discovered a true gem of an original that took me through a mindboggling adventure from start to finish: “The End Of The F***ing World.”
This dark British comedy originally aired in the U.K. on Oct. 24 and aired internationally on Netflix Jan. 5. The pilot begins by introducing James, a 17-year-old who is taking the audience through his inner monologue as he explains that he thinks he is a psychopath. James has clearly displayed psychopathic tendencies, from sticking his own hand in a deep fryer in order to feel pain to killing animals. Searching for an interesting individual for his first kill, he finds Alyssa, a cocky teenage girl with a foul mouth and complete disregard for all forms of authority.
The connection between the two is the complete embodiment of awkward chemistry. James appears to be an emotionless slate, while Alyssa’s fiery personality shocks strangers. They begin to pursue a romantic relationship, but only so James can gain her trust and kill her.
On the day James plans to finally fulfill the murder, Alyssa storms into his house after facing rejection and abandonment from her careless mother and stepfather. Instead of slitting her throat with a knife, James punches his father in the face and steals his car with Alyssa in tow, off to a destination unknown to both of them.
That was just the plot of the pilot: with episode times ranging from 19 minutes to 22 minutes and eight episodes in total, every single minute is packed with detail and plot twists as James and Alyssa go from running away from their previous lives to running away from the police as they become prime suspects in a murder.
Shock factor aside, I instantly fell in love with the characters as they developed in such a short amount of time throughout the episodes.
Alyssa is the female lead that more shows need: blunt, careless and resistant to societal norms of being a “proper” young woman.
As the show switches back and forth between inner monologues from both Alyssa and James, you realize that her tough exterior is not to be quirky or impress her love interest, which is the character intent in most productions. Alyssa is raunchy and flawed because her life has been filled with neglect and abandonment. She’s raw: she wasn’t a character created solely to be a love interest for her male counterpart.
I found it strange how in the beginning I was creeped out by James for his complete disregard for feelings and emotions and ugly crying toward the end because I just wanted him to find happiness. The producers of this original crafted their character development in such a pristine way that viewers are able to retain a large amount of information in such a short amount of time while being hooked on every single word.
If you are of the faint-of heart and do not like to watch television shows with elements of gore, violence and foul language, steer clear of this series. However, if you want to binge watch a show but don’t have the time to go through a show with ten seasons, this is perfect. I’d like to think of it as a takeout special for television: all of the elements that you enjoy in a speedier fashion.
Overall, “The End Of The F***ing World” receives a riveting five stars because I don’t think I have ever become so attached to two characters in such a short amount of time.
