Matter-of-factly, “I kind of think I could be falling in love with him,” says Alyssa, teenage high school misfit, in the trailer for “The End of the F***ing World.” Jump to the perspective of her boyfriend, James, saying, “I thought she could be interesting to kill, so I pretended to fall in love with her.”
“TEOTFW” is a dark, wickedly funny Netflix original about two questionable teenagers who embark on a road trip involving awkward kissing, deep-rooted family issues and numerous felonies. The show is sardonic, bleak and heartfelt—think “Juno” meets “Bonnie and Clyde.”
Consisting of eight episodes, the first season stars Jessica Barden as the cocky, impulsive new girl and Alex Lawther (Black Mirror’s “Shut Up and Dance”) as a reserved killer-type.
The show opens with James narrating frankly about how he thinks he’s probably a psychopath, since he hasn’t felt much emotional energy since he was a kid. James’s mother killed herself when he was a lad and he never connected with his father. When he was young, James took to killing small animals. Now he thinks he’s ready to kill a human, which prompts him to foster a relationship with Alyssa.
Both Barden and Lawther give excellent performances, playing off the bizarre chemistry their characters share.
Alyssa is loud and insolent and Barden plays her infuriatingly well. You might just want her to get murdered by the end of the first episode. Lawther does a great job as a quiet, lanky boy who also happens to be laughably emotionally stunted.
Their characters mesh well together. Like everybody, both want specific things out of their relationships with others but struggle to communicate this with the people around them.
James and Alyssa are disturbed, heartfelt people that make for a very memorable pair.
The dialogue is also quick and witty. Despite their criminal tendencies, Alyssa and James have an undeniable charm. As they fumble across England, it’s hard not to root for them, despite their many shortcomings. This makes for some darkly hilarious scenarios, including a scene in which Alyssa walks in on James being groped by a veteran in a rest stop bathroom. Both teens are absurd but the audience connects with them nonetheless as they learn to connect with each other.
Structurally, however, the first three episodes don’t have the same focus as the last five. Prior to the fourth episode, there is a distinct lack of any one specific conflict driving the plot forward. When a show is only eight episodes long, screen time must be maximized. Also, there’s a chance the ending of “TEOTFW” leaves you confused and frustrated.
Still, “The End of the F***ing World” is a well-crafted show that encourages its audience to take a moment and appreciate the people that support you, even if they’re riddled with issues. It’s strongly acted and well-written—a heartfelt rom-com paired with gallows humor. It’s about delinquent teens, pedophiles and the struggle to take responsibility when you really screw up.
