‘THE END OF THE F— WORLD’ | NETFLIX
After the wonderfully stylish and witty first episode of “The End of the F— World,” a viewer might expect the rest of the eightpart series to simply follow teenagers James and Alyssa (played by the fantastic Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden) on a runaway road trip. James thinks he’s a psychopath and Alyssa is a borderline anarchist, but whatever high jinks ensue should wrap up neatly. Thankfully, that’s not what series creator and co-director Jonathan Entwistle had in mind.
“[We’re] always looking for ways to subvert a scene with the unexpected whilst still making a show that feels real,” Entwistle says. Creating “a weird, crazy backdrop for our characters to play it straight, that’s how we built the world of TEOTFW.”
A joint production of Channel 4 in the U.K. and Netflix, this adaptation of Charles Forsman’s graphic novel is more than just a suburban millennial “Bonnie and Clyde” endeavor because the kids aren’t as bad as they seem. Sure, James and Alyssa steal a car (actually they steal more than one). Yes, they might actually kill someone (but it’s in self-defense).
Where the series truly wins you over is with a teleplay crafted by Charlie Covell that allows each character to discover his or her truth in often the most subtle and nuanced ways. Alyssa’s father (Barry Ward) is the mess-up you’d expected, but it’s what she learns about her “annoying” mother that truly guts her. And James learns he might not be as messed up as he thinks he is. He might even be a hero.