![]() ![]() It’s like comparing apples and oranges: useless.įor the uninitiated, I May Destroy You stars Coel as Arabella, a Millennial writer in London whose drink is spiked on a night out with friends (to say much more would both trivialize the story and spoil key elements, so I’ll be as vague as possible – although in-depth looks at the series abound online). ![]() However, Fleabag and I May Destroy You come from very different places and are attempting to tell very different stories. * Coel and Waller-Bridge have some overlap in the topics of their most seminal work, namely a refusal to look at female sexuality as something to be ashamed of. And while there have already been far too many attempts to pigeon-hole Coel’s work and compare her to Phoebe Waller-Bridge*, Coel’s work here is original and singular and all her own. What Michaela Coel has constructed with this complex, compelling, and emotionally visceral series is nothing short of amazing. That may sound like a grandiose statement, but give it a couple of episodes and I suspect you’ll agree. We are reminded of the power of being able to heal and grow beyond trauma.HBO’s I May Destroy You is the best show currently airing on television. Seeing the strength of characters in I May Destroy You demonstrates a realistic portrayal of everyone's lives even in the obscurities that life throws. Offering strength and hope in the process is also a much needed narrative. It’s vital that the media highlights challenges and experiences that many young people find themselves in. The imperfect characters give realistic glimpse into the mistakes made in life and the willingness to work through them. Added with a proactive a approach to dealing with consent, viewers are presented with a courageous outlook far from the helplessness narrative that is regularly associated with rape. For many young Ghanaians raised in households where sex was a taboo topic of conversation, this show represents transparent and honest blind spots in sexual consent conversations. ![]() The representation in I May Destroy You cuts across a myriad of experiences, bringing to surface an informative storyline. ![]() In Coel’s world Bella chooses to fight, taking up all the available options to aid her own healing including therapy and a support group put together by former schoolmate Thea. Sometimes a wrongdoing is not clear to the person being wronged. No situation is foreign in the #MeToo generation that’s been forced to critically digest the powerplay between sex, consent, and agency. The fluidity by which the tone of the show addresses serious topics is not for the faint of heart, but it serves for an engrossing watch, probably because each scenario feels so familiar. In the same episode, Bella’s friend Kwame (played by Paapa Essiedu), experiences sexual assault when a Tinder-like hookup quickly switches from fun to violent. In episode four, a man commissioned to help Bella write her book ends up stealthing (a non-consensual condom removal midway in sex) her. In the third episode, Bella’s best friend Terry, thinks she’s agreed to a random threesome in Italy that - she finds out after - was orchestrated by the two men. In the second episode, Bella grapples with recovery. In the first episode, Bella is sexually assaulted at the club when out with male friends. In every episode, from the perspective of Bella and her two friends, the concept of what truly constitutes permission, is interrogated. Sexual assault and consent remains a running theme throughout the series. ![]()
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