Netflix's Near-Perfect Thriller With 94% Rotten Tomatoes Score Is Getting Cut From Streaming
Sometimes, growing up feels like the end of the world...
Satirical comic book adaptations can have a broad appeal when done right. Take iZombie, based on Chris Roberson and Michael Allred’s comic book series, which smartly blends dark comedy with supernatural satire in a procedural setting. A more heavy-handed brand of brash humor and political satire has worked in favor of The Boys, which adapts Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic series across five seasons. The lesser-known Happy! also takes Grant Morrison and Robertson’s source material to gonzo and transgressive extremes.
The End of the F***ing World is among the best in this genre. Based on Charles Forsman’s minicomics, the eight-part miniseries follows James (Alex Lawther), a teen who thinks he is a psychopath, and Alyssa (Jessica Barden), who considers James a welcome distraction from her tumultuous home life.
The result is a story about the confusion that comes with adolescence, and what it means to experience young love during such a disorienting time. The series earned rave reviews when it premiered on Netflix in 2017. Now, it’s set to leave the streaming platform on Nov. 5, meaning you have just under a week to revisit The End of the F***ing World or experience it for the first time before it disappears from streaming.
Two disparate worlds collide in The End of the F***ing World
James has good reason to believe he might be a psychopath. He has killed animals as a hobby, and sheer boredom pushes him to consider killing a human being. After carefully assessing his classmates, he settles on Alyssa, who is as straightforward and rebellious as it gets. James pretends to be romantically interested in Alyssa to be able to spend more time with her, but his killer fantasies are interrupted when she proposes a road trip across England. While James decides to take his time and kill her later, their dynamic gradually morphs into something more genuine and substantial.
The first episode of The End of the F***ing World might feel a tad contrived, but this is a deliberate creative choice. After James and Alyssa run into a string of unsavory characters, the true premise of the show slowly unravels. While the two eccentric leads still retain their edgy humor and general quirkiness, they also start displaying emotional depth that is hidden beneath layers of social performance.
James’ so-called psychopathy is filtered through a darkly comedic lens at first, but this aspect gets meatier as we are privy to his vulnerabilities. Alyssa, on the other hand, is introduced as an unpredictable force of nature, but this audacious facade is more of a survival mechanism than an innate trait.
The End of the F***ing World is an unconventional coming-of-age drama
While complex and messy emotions are an integral part of coming-of-age stories, The End of the F***ing World pushes the boundaries of what the subgenre means. Like most teens, Alyssa and James aren’t afraid to break the rules, but their actions are more outrageous than one would usually expect. The two break into an affluent house in the middle of nowhere, smash their phones to remain unreachable, and raid a thrift store to don colorful clothes just because they can.
Beneath these enjoyable shenanigans lies a desperation to escape their usual lives and never look back. Most teens seek to integrate into their immediate circles, but James and Alyssa are more than happy to live in a reckless, whimsical bubble of their own.
At the end of the day, The End of the F***ing World is a love story. It’s about two people whose actions are fueled by self-destructive tendencies but end up discovering something irreplaceable and meaningful in each other. The process isn’t linear or easy at all, as they get embroiled in events that are too overwhelming for two teenagers to handle. James and Alyssa’s initial dynamic thrives on the contrast between internalization and externalization of trauma, but the two meet each other halfway after they’re on the path to healing. Even when things get objectively horrifying, they find genuine safety and tenderness in their bond.
Although drenched in morbid humor and absurd satire, The End of the F***ing World isn’t as bleak as it appears to be. The light, no matter how faint, shines through, even when the second season forces James and Alyssa to ground themselves in the responsibilities of impending adulthood. This is a must-watch for anyone who loves a genre-blend that is a taut thriller, a dark comedy, and a redemptive love story all at once.