He wants to kill someone, she wants to escape her life. That is the premise of the boy-meets-girl, coming-of-age Netflix original series “The End of the F***ing World.”
The main takeaway from the show is sometimes life isn’t what you expect. As teenage protagonists James and Alyssa grow and change their perspectives, the show itself evolves and viewers can’t help but evolve with it. At the end, “The End of the F***ing World” feels like a completely different TV series than it started out as, which is amplified by its unorthodoxly short run time.
Don’t go into this show looking for a binge-worthy series to eat up your next few evenings or weekends. Oh, it’s binge-worthy. But you’ll finish it that night. Each of the eight episodes last around 20 minutes, for a total run time just under two hours and 45 minutes.
Basically, it’s not a TV series at all, but really a movie Netflix split up into bite-size 22-minute-or-less episodes. It is built to be binge-watched in a single sitting. This keeps with the theme of “The End of the F***ing World” not being what one would expect based on its premise.
While it’s difficult to go into much detail, it is easy to discuss how the story is told. “Show, don’t tell,” is often perceived as a golden rule of creative endeavors such as film. “The End of the F***ing World” simultaneously follows and breaks this rule at the same time.
Throughout the show, James and Alyssa’s inner monologues tell viewers exactly what they are thinking. But at the same time, secrets are kept from the audience and only hinted at through the characters’ thoughts.
Viewers only have this connection with James and Alyssa, however. They are left to wonder at the other characters thoughts, which creates, or amplifies, the sense the two protagonists are in their own world together. This venue of storytelling creates an intimacy between James, Alyssa and the audience.
It also adds to the somewhat surreal, fantastical feeling that permeates the show. Everything feels somewhat like a dream, as though James and Alyssa could go back to how they had been before the beginning. The dramatic change in them from start to finish adds to this sense as well.
Ultimately, the only downside is it is too short. By the time I realized the TV series really was a glorified movie, I started to look forward to nights spent with the characters, only to finish the whole thing in a single evening.
However, for those who experience withdrawals after watching, “The End of the F***ing World” is one of those shows that can be enjoyed just as much the second time through. There are hints that make more sense, behaviors that can be better explained and flashbacks that hold more meaning.
Happy watching.
Nina Rydalch can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NinaRobin7