Sweet/Vicious

I think its unfortunate if the rumors that this show is discontinued is true. I love this show. Sexual assault is serious and in real life a lot of the stuff on this show really happens, meaning many people don't report rape because they are afraid that they won't be heard and instead of getting justice they will be the ones whose name is thrown under the bus. A lot of high profile cases have been overturned in favour of the guy.... just because of who they are. The majority of sexual assault charges are true. But in the courts it doesn't hold up in courts because of who they are and it may ruin the guys life... and girls see that they wont get justice but they are affected for the rest of their lives but cant get justice...

Sweet/Vicious is a show that wants to be everything. It is a tale of vengeance in which two women put on masks and terrorize unprosecuted rapists. It is an extremely silly soap opera-ish comedy along the line's of MTV's terrific Fakin' It. It is a sort of non-supernatural superhero show in the style of the amazing Crazyhead. It is a study of post-traumatic stress disorder. It is an attempt to explain the concept of consensual sex. It is an exploration of the darkness inherent in vigilantism. It is a relentless exposure of campus rape. It is an attempt to end rape culture.

It's a sometimes awkward and bumpy mix of things, but for the most part, it works surprisingly well. At first, the series focuses on the action-comedy aspects, as the very funny Ophelia teams up with the very focused Jules to take down rapists and cover up a case where that got out of hand. As it progresses, the series moves more into Jules' trauma, at times dropping action entirely, as in a searing episode that would be, in superhero terms, her origin story.

As with other driven vigilantes like Batman, Jules is broken by trauma. Vigilantism isn't portrayed as purely straightforward; early on they attack an innocent man. Unfortunately, the heroes of Sweet Vicious seem uninterested in the Batman idea of turning criminals over to the cops, even in the case of two serial rapists that really need to be arrested rather than beaten up.

Through it all, the series makes the case for consensual sex. The nice guys in the series, of which there are several, are extremely polite, and there is a fair amount of, "can I kiss you," "is this okay," and "are you sure" sprinkled through the sex. While the idea of consensual sex sometimes sounds rather un-hot, the series makes the case that it's romantic and sexy.

Sweet/Vicious can be funny and entertaining, and it can be grim and heartbreaking, but it is always worth watching. I like to think that, if enough people watch it, this series could do a little damage to rape culture. I certainly admire the attempt.

Alas, it was canceled after one season. Tragic.

I know a lot of manly men are going to hate this, it shows sympathetic female characters being effective at physically punishing males who deserve it, just wrong, right? This reminds me of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and also Xena Warrior Princess. Not as grown up as the former, not as much a cartoon as the latter. I like the Clark Kent-ish identity of the sorority girls, and I like their often imperfect executions of revenge. I like the balance of humor, realism of a taboo subject (campus rape) from an unusual but needed POV, and of course I adore the violence and gore and action that doesn't require a magic lasso for a girl to prevail.

If I had to nitpick, I'd wish the battle scenes were a bit more realistic, use a stunt actor or something; I know she's a sorority girl, but if she's going to be effective against a larger male, her street fighter skills need to appear better executed.

For future character development, I'm hoping for more darkness and anger and lack of cultural normality from the hacker character; green hair does not alone make an alienated outsider nonconformist hero. And of course I'm looking for an end to the apparent need for straightness or bisexuality (as opposed to exclusive lesbianism) to make these girls sympathetic.

But I'm hooked.

MTV doesn't have the best track record for making good scripted television but Sweet/Vicious is very enjoyable and refreshing regarding the heavy topic matter. Sexual violence is an extremely serious issue and currently there is no show portrays what victims feel - rather only the legal aspects of the crime and maybe the psychology of the abuser. Sweet/Vicious brings a whole new dynamic to the topic and I personally enjoy that the show doesn't feel cold and matter-of-fact - you really understand the effects and most importantly, you actually want to root for the main characters, who are the campus vigilantes. The show does have it faults - the writing can sometimes be a little off and certain things can be set up better in terms of story development but I overall think the show is a fun time; it doesn't take itself too seriously - there are funny moments, dramatic moments, relatable characters and importantly, strong female characters that show their strength in various different ways. Sweet/Vicious is definitely something to look out for and possibly empowering to anyone who has ever been assaulted. Please don't dismiss this show in fear that it is only about misandry because that is far from the truth.

Why this show did not continue is puzzling to me but it was awesome. This awesome badass girl that gets revenge on guys that rape. It shows how she mastered her skills. It was awesome how she found the guys that would rape and how she went after them. How she finds out who they are and goes after them. I wished this would have gone on for a few more seasons. I was very sad that it didn't have more seasons. The characters are awesome the two leads are great badass women characters / actors. The acting was great the story was awesome. I seriously recommend watching this show. You seriously have to watch this.