It’s the survivor story, but not as you know it.
If you’ve at all frequented social media over these past few weeks, you’ve probably heard about I May Destroy you.
From the mind of Michaela Coel, the new BBC and HBO series (which has been the talk of Twitter for weeks, by the way) tackles race, sexual assault, trauma, victim blaming, and PTSD in ways rarely seen on TV.
Created, written, co-directed, and executively produced by Coel, I May Destroy You follows a young woman named Arabella (played by Coel too, of course) who is attempting to write a book, navigate her sex life, and stay relevant… all the while dealing with the aftermath of being spiked.
The series kicks off on that fateful night out. Arabella has just returned home from “working” in Italy, intent on pulling an all nighter to finish the first draft of the book she has willingly told her publisher is already done.
Instead she goes out; meets up with friends she hasn’t seen in a long time, has a few drinks, and ends up back at the office typing away with a cut on her forehead, not entirely sure how she got there.
Arabella takes it upon herself to find out exactly what happened to her that night, but she is not alone in her survivors-status. Nor is her attacker from that evening the only man who will betray her.
If all of that sounds a bit heavy, that’s because it is. But I May Destroy You isn’t your usual survivor/revenge narrative.
The series depicts a modern, beautiful, and cruel culture, one that is unforgiving of some forms of assault and uninterested in others. Its exploration of race, the treatments of rape victims, and modern LGBTQ relationships are bold and unapologetic, supplying a glimpse of 2020 Britain that is often ignored or avoided.
And it’s also just really, really funny.
I May Destroy You is only half way through its first season and already the show has amassed a considerable amount of praise on Twitter, Instagram, and real life too, probably.
Coel’s wit and savvy perception are themselves present in each episode she writes, totalling a show that is as clear about the importance of consent as it is about getting back at those who have taken advantage of you.
Unfortunately, the series currently isn’t available to watch in Ireland (BBC and HBO are the places it resides right now, legally), but here’s hoping that we’ll be able to enjoy I May Destroy You in its entirety (and legally) soon.
It’ll be worth the wait. Promise.
