Cue one thrill seeking teenager, a self-confessed wannabe psychopathic murderer and a series of absurd experiences building up to an existential crisis and you have Netflix’s original series THE END OF THE F**KING WORLD. Weird right? Well not really, at the core of it, this dark comedy series is a bildungsroman in all its carpe-diem glory or in other words, YOLO!
The series centers around two teenagers, Alyssa, the thrill seeker looking to escape her home with what can only be described as a tw*t of a step-father and complicit mother and James, an aspiring psychopath who has grown tired of killing animals and seeks a more advanced target: humans.
The pair make an unlikely duo as James targets Alyssa to be his first human victim only to find that headstrong Alyssa calls the shots and may actually be the key to liberating James from his dark past.
Touching on topics such as abuse, the aftermath of mental illness and suicide, social justice and navigating adolescence into adulthood, the series takes us through the journey of finding Alyssa’s biological father after she runs away from home. Recruiting James along the way, the two travel the countryside after a dire mishap leads police on their trail.
READ WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE SERIES FROM SHOWRUNNER JONATHAN ENTWISTLE BY THRILLIST ENTERTAINMENT
Overall the eight episode series was immensely enjoyable, well paced and well-written. Every episode is meaningful and serves a purpose, it doesn’t drag on and character developments happen in a realistic sense even as the phantasmagoric events unfold. It satisfies our manic sides while delving into emotional issues relatable to many of us on the issues of mental illness and depression as well as suicide and growing pains. It boasts a score of 97% on rotten tomatoes (so you know it’s good). So without giving anything away, grab a partner (or some snacks) and settle in for a good Netflix and chill session because binge-watching this show is the only way to watch it.
What did you think of the series? Leave a comment and lemme know.