Angry teens, language spark ‘The End’
James and Alyssa are your average 17-year-olds, except James really wants to kill someone and Alyssa is about to blow at any moment.
When they meet, Alyssa, who is struggling with manic depression, says this about James, “I’m not saying he’s the answer, but he’s something.” James sees her as somebody who would be “interesting to kill,” so he pretends to be into her.
Welcome to the first few minutes of “The End of the F***ing World,” a new Netflix series that dropped Friday. The half-hour British show is a comedy — a very black one. James (Alex Lawther — “Black Mirror,” “The Imitation Game”) keeps imagining ways to off Alyssa (Jessica Barden — “The Lobster,” “Penny Dreadful”).
They make a date. James sharpens his knives, but when Alyssa is held up she has a revelation that her life is a waste — complete with Janis Ian’s “At 17” playing on the soundtrack.
James doesn’t kill Alyssa when she shows up — not exactly a spoiler because there are seven more episodes and it is a comedy, sort of. Instead, the misfits head off on a road trip to find Alyssa’s father, who left home when she was a child. Oh, and James takes his knives and steals his own dad’s car.
It’s then that the series — created by Charlie Covell (“Humans”) — begins to find its gear. While he still imagines killing her, James suggests Alyssa wear a seatbelt and seems to admire the way she annoys people.
Much of what you hear from them is through voiceovers or flashbacks. Obviously, Jim’s and Alyssa’s fragile psychological states aren’t going to be repaired over eight episodes. “The End…” takes weird turns. By getting out into the world, the pair find they have other things to focus their rage on, and that maybe they are not as bonkers compared to everybody else out there.
The quest for Alyssa’s dad becomes less of a focus. Once the two have cut ties with their former lives, anything goes, but they also gain some balance.
The series slowly gains some emotional depth as Alyssa and Jim confront feelings of rage that had been covered up for too long. The show is an adaptation of Charles Forsman’s 2011 graphic novel.
As angry and volatile as Jim and Alyssa are, the world is far wackier and more dangerous, which they find out. This smart series never lets you forget that Jim and Alyssa are like wild animals you think you
have tamed, but at any moment they might turn on you and bite.
Also, kudos to the series for its offbeat selections of songs.