I May Destroy You

I watched the whole show today, so my review is about the entire show in general.

The positives:

• Michaela Coel as the leading actor does a really great job. Also big props for writing and producing the show as well.
• There are several different intertwining story lines with different and well- constructed supporting characters.
• The whole cast are actually all pretty good, and I think it's refreshing and important how diverse the cast is.. I'm so used to white washed casts that this show felt unique in terms of representation. The more positive representation the better in my opinion.

The negatives:

• I feel like although I found the show interesting and liked how it focused on different characters and different issues, I found the plot a bit thin or even neglected. Such as the most central story line of the show, focusing around sexual assault, sort of fading into the background. I just found the plot a bit wavering at times.
• I also don't think I saw much character progression from any of the main characters. I was expecting them to sort of go through a change and come out the other side, but I don't really think any of them came out much better than they were at the start? It kind of just felt a bit anti-climactic.
• I think the show suffered from showcasing too many story lines, social issues and politics. I really like a show that isn't afraid to be honest and political, however I thought that there was quite a lot going on, when maybe It would've been more effective if Cole had just focused on a smaller amount of issues but with more depth. I don't know, it's just how I'm feeling..

Good show though- I mean clearly, I watched the whole thing in a day!

What an incredible watch. I binge watched the whole season although it was not an 'easy' watch per say - it was raw and extremely needed.

It was excellently executed and I felt every single emotion. Michaela Coel is nothing short from phenomenal. The acting in this show was fantastic; as a Londoner, I love how true this show felt to reality. The soundtrack was equally fantastic. The throwback in Theo's segment was much appreciated nostalgia, although again, it was raw but needed.

I have learnt so much from this show and will recommend it to everyone I love.

There are lessons here that need to be learnt; this show is the truth. The experiences highlighted are what many of us go through and the world needs to see it - we must see it. We must see ourselves in both the victims and the villains, because you never know what side you may end up on; we must LEARN.

In order to move forward, we must listen to the stories of others and learn from them.

To dislike this show, is to dislike the truth.

Thank you so much Michaela, you're making big waves.

Just Finnished watching the first two episodes and they have completely drawn me in. I love the awareness that this series is raising plus the contagious ways off the leading actress. She is the perfect role for this character and I'm so glad to see her pop up on my screens again I've been waiting since chewing gum !

There's a small list of films and television shows that have profoundly affected me either because they have created an awareness on a subject I was previously completed misinformed on (Hillsborough) or have impacted me so deeply I became an activist (And the Band Played On) while others have just connected with me on an emotional level for more personal reasons and in the case of IMDY, it was certainly the latter and partly about timing.

I May Destroy You follows the life of London blogger Arabella (Cole) propelled to sudden fame by a hit best seller, she's trying to find something relevant to say for the difficult second album. While trying to live up the expectations of both her agent & publicist, who are trying to define her image for her, rather than her organically discovering it on her own. As she struggles to focus on work she finds herself dealing with a sea of overwhelming emotions after a night out that she only remembers through nightmarish flashbacks, which leads to her recollecting images of a serious sexual assault. These events cause her life to slowly unravel as she tries to discover what happened on that fateful night but neglects her own friends issues in the process, often with dire consequences.

If Cole had focused on Arabella alone, it might have been hard for the audience to stay with her on this journey, but equal perspective is given to best friends Terry and Kwame (Opia & Essiedu both SUPERB) whose lives are impacted by some of Arabella's poorer choices, but may themselves have also played their part in the circumstances which led to Arabella being sexually assaulted. There's no good guys or bad guys in this show, only people, real characters, defined by their actions.

Just when the show starts to feel in comfortable territory MC will throw a hand grenade into an already complex subject and the issue of sexual consent is something which is under constant examination throughout the show and rarely has it been tackled as well, nor honestly, as it has here. Frequent flashbacks to Arabella school years give the present narrative some clever twists and unique contexts, especially to old school mate Theodora (Webb, just excellent) who now runs a support group for victims of assault, someone who is probably the most ill suited person on the planet to do so.

I am sure I still would have thought as highly of this show, as I do, had I not been the victim of a serious sexual assault during its broadcast, something which, for someone of my age, was not only extremely difficult to deal with, as it was to discuss with even my closest friends. This show became my support group. This show helped me on the road to healing from that awful experience and for that Ms Cole, I truly hope, one day, I get to thank you in person. Who would have thought it would serve such a role in my life.

There is so much more I could say about this show and while its not flawless and there were a couple of moments (walking into the sea in Italy) which risked borderline on the ridicule and felt like I was suddenly in a different show, fortunately these were few and the its positives far outweighed those moments.

Michaela Cole is an actress I have been aware of before even Chewing Gum, as I had my Casting Director offer her a role in a small indy we were involved with (Which she gratefully declined as CG was happening at the time) but I always remembered her, due to the uncanny similar energy and physical presence she had to someone I knew once whom sadly is no longer with us. Thus I followed her work with interest.

MC is one of those few individuals that once in a while comes along and rocks the industry to its core, refusing to be bullied by its worn mechanisms nor defined into purely ticking a diversity a box. She has a remarkable grasp on not only her own culture, but how it fits in the narrative of modern society and has defined her own struggles. Yet it is to her credit that she finds completely unique ways to explore the subjects she tackles with a unique narrative tapestry that is both relatable and obtainable to its audience. Her work has a vein of reality which gives a truthful voice to subjects that are difficult to digest, yet refuses, like real life, to give us easy and simple answers. Avoiding cliches of portraying Arabella as simply a victim nor labelling characters who behave reprehensibly, as black and white villains. These insights are invaluable in not only engaging the audience but starting conversations about the issues she chooses to explore and few writers and directors can make this claim about their work.

She is quite simply, one of the most exciting talents the UK has ever produced and long may this continue. Needless to say, I highly recommend this show, you might not like everything you see, but that, is often the reality of life, is it not?

Loved it! As a young British woman from London it's very relatable, from language to interactions. Some hard hitting scenes mixed in with Michaela Coel style dark humour. It's not meant to be girlfriends or SATC and it doesn't pretend to be. It's not a sitcom or light comedy, it's devastating at times, yet humorous. It's witty and real, covers some of the darker life scenes that aren't ordinarily placed on the screen. Think more of skins/euphoria etc... better yet don't compare it to anything at all... yes, people get wasted, do drugs and shock, horror they talk to their friends when on the loo. I'm confused by the lower scores claiming it should be a thriller or that the characters are one dimensional when we see the depth in their nuanced facial expressions and fleeting moments of raw honesty between friends. I can only say that those people appear to have completely missed the story being told. They didn't understand that it's not meant to be a whodunnit or sanitised portrayal of sexual assault according to how society expects victims to behave. It's about consent, the shades of grey, the acceptance/lack of it, how we understand it and how it's interpreted by the aggressor and victim...How sexual assault survivors cope with the aftermath and then have to exist with daily life. It's brilliant and has left me excited for Coel's next project.