New Netflix show The End of the F***ing World is dark yet humorous
Staffer Nicole Perdigon calls The End of the F***king World an entertaining “mixture of dark humor, wittiness and irony”
January 29, 2018
A few weeks ago, The End of the F***ing World, an eight-episode series based on the comics series by Charles S. Forman, was released in the US for the first time on Netflix. Along with many other viewers, I had been anticipating the show’s release ever since I first saw advertisements for it scattered on Instagram. When I finally got to watch the series, I was not disappointed. I found it interesting because of its mixture of dark humor, wittiness and irony.
With a rotten tomato rating of 96% and only eight twenty-minute episodes, I can confidently say (after watching the show in one night) that The End of the F***king World is definitely binge-worthy.
The series focuses on James and Alyssa, played by Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden, two British seventeen-year-olds who become bored with small-town life and, craving adventure, run away from home. During their journey of self-discovery and personal growth, the two teens cross a line and spend the rest of the season attempting to outrun the repercussions of their actions.
The beginning, like most other shows, was a little rough in my opinion. The interactions between the characters seemed forced; the actors didn’t have chemistry. However as the show progressed, the actors seemed more comfortable on screen together. As viewers get to know the characters, we also get a better understanding of their decisions and the show unfolds from there.
At some points throughout The End of the F***king World , there are some dark and vulgar moments; however for the most part, the series maintains an overall humorous tone.
One of my favorite moments in the show occurred in episode 2 after James and Alyssa crash a stolen car, and we see the teenagers staring blankly at the accident. James asks if Alyssa thinks the car will explode and a sense of irony is implied when Alyssa promptly responds, “It’s not a film”.
With the season ending on a major cliffhanger, I hope the series will be renewed for a new season. If you enjoy shows with sardonic humor, The End of the F***king World is definitely for you.
