I MAY DESTROY YOU - mon and tue bbc 1045

[Blondeshavemorefun]

New dram series starts tonight on bbc 1

With only hours left to deliver a draft of a book to her publishers , writer Arabella is tempted into a night out with a friend ........

the series is set in London and centers around the story of a young woman who must rebuild her life after her drink is spiked with a date rape drug

I thought it said Gordon/Ben as well, glad it wasn’t just me.

Amazing stuff.

I am in love with Kwame.

I want to watch it all again from the beginning now

@CurlsandCurves

There’s a really interesting thread about this on Lipstick Alley if anyone’s interested.

Someone’s posted their thoughts on the final 2 episodes which I found fascinating.

Nowhere near the same thing. But this is going to be another Fleabag in that we are going to keep on talking and talking about it.

Please could you link to it if possible? I'm making a bit of a cack hand at searching the site

Just finished the last episodes - I have to say I preferred the preceding 10, but it's still light years ahead of anything else I've seen on TV recently!

Also, it's reintroduced me to Janelle Monae who is bonkers and wonderful

Finished watching it last night - just WOW! I am not entirely sure I understood the last episode but 'Firestarter' was certainly an inspired choice!

I thought Ben was secretly in love with Arabella? .

Amazing drama and what a huge talent Michaela Coel is.

Agree that I need to watch it again to pick up all the 'nuances' and the sheer genius of it all.

I had to rewatch the last episode to make sure I had it straight, but it's very clever. So much happens so fast, really satisfying. Such a lot of tv has padding, but this was all worth watching and all relevant. I wondered if Arabella's writing method is what MC used? Oh and I was so pleased that Ben is a good guy with a gentle unrequited love for Bella.

that was so gripping.

@famousforwrongreason here you go...

www.lipstickalley.com/threads/i-may-destroy-you-hbo-discussion.3443291/

Aaaand I’ve only just realised from the link why we saw 3 different outcomes. This was her playing around with different outcomes for the book!

I thought it was just her playing out different outcomes in her mind and working through everything in her mind (under her bed).

I guess it’s both really isn’t it?

I thought Ben was a bit of a play on 'token white guy' until the last episode when you realised he was lonely and there was more to him.

Do you think there's room a for a second series? I read an interview with Michaela Coel and she said after the final episode you'd know.

I'd like to think there was. How will Arabella's status change as a more established time author, Terry's relationship with a transman, Kwame finding stability, Theo's backstory. I love the vibrancy of it all and how it navigates issues of modern times.

Michaela Coel is definitely going places.

I wouldn't want a second series of this, it's complete in my view.

I'd love to see more from MC though, definitely.

Ben was an interesting character, the background flatmate who suffers from agoraphobia, depression maybe, a non-judgemental support for Bella? A bit of stability? The gardening is significant I think, and bird watching.

I loved seeing Bella taking control and moving on from her various traumas too, and exploring the various implications - like Terry's wish to protect her and absolve her past betrayal?
Loved the scene in the living room watching Terry's work. Sorry not to see Kwame with anyone though.

I agree, it doesn’t need a second series although if MC decided to write one I would absolutely watch it.

Right until the end I was convinced Ben was going to be a bad one, even the scene where he was watching the video about loneliness I thought was going to lead to a reveal that he was actual one of those crazy incel guys. Was so happy to see how his story played out, actually feel a bit guilty for being convinced it was him all along.

I thought Ben was there to subvert the trope of the 'supportive black friend', only there to further the main character's story. But Michaela wasn't even going to be straightforward there - even the seemingly two-dimensional supporting character is allowed an inner life.

I don’t think a 2nd series is needed either. And although I absolutely would watch if there was another series I’d be slightly disappointed if she wrote another.

Can I just check my understanding on the last episode? Did she actually remember how it happened? We saw that all played out in the bar and given that she didn’t go in the end does it mean that she didn’t remember either?

My take on it was that she remembered what happened and who it was but then started to play out in her mind what she was going to do about it if he ever was there in the bar again. Playing around with the idea of having consensual sex with him was unexpected, but I think it was her looking at him from different angles somehow and seeing him as a person who had no power over her. She could have destroyed him but made the decision not to?

My gosh, that last episode covered a lot of ground! Brave stuff. I wonder what it was like for her to film such challenging physical scenes. I hope she found it cathartic.

Really didn't like the storyline with Terry and the guy from the bar. I get how it worked with the consent angle but it felt tacked on and inauthentic to me

Other than that, what a wonderful series. I've never seen anything like it. And some of us were right about Biagio!

POSSIBLE SPOILERS

LottaPianos was it Biagio on the beach she ran to as she was coming out of the water in the end?

I need to watch the last 2 episodes again. Did she remember what happened in the penultimate episode or was it always in one of the 3 scenarios (ie when they didn't happen, she hadn't actually remembered)?

'LottaPianos was it Biagio on the beach she ran to as she was coming out of the water in the end?'

Didnt notice that. I really hope not! I was always in the anti-Biagio camp

Just re-watched it and no sign of Biagio on the beach, just Bella running. Given how he acted, there would have had to be some fucking heavy-duty explaining to do if she got back with him. Also, he wasn’t in the little gang watching Terry’s advert so I think the gun-toting was the last we saw of him. I’d have been really disappointed if she’d got back with him anyway given how victim-blamey he was.

This was such a good series. Theo also turned out to be a good person although obviously people haven’t forgotten what she did at school. But she seemed supportive of Bella and I think she was a victim too when she was a teen.

I feel so bad for thinking it was Ben. Turns out he’s a sweetie and I’m so glad it wasn’t him. I think they built it up though with the constant replaying of where he says he doesn’t go out much. Right up until the end I thought it might be him.

Just re-watched it and no sign of Biagio on the beach, just Bella running

I think I’m going to watch the last 2 episodes again but I thought there was a shot of her and Biaggio kissing right at the end in the little montage with Bella at the beach? Did I get that wrong?

He gets a mention when Terry reads out Bella's accolade to her in the book that's wrapped up. She says something like I thought you were going to dedicate it to that Italian piece of shit. Could mean that he still part of Bella's life but hopefully the fact that he is a piece of shit to Terry means that it's history.

Oh the last words are The End so it's unlikely to be followed up. I'll definitely be following up on MCs other work though. I watched Chewing Gum the other week and loved it's vibrancy and humour.

Was it Kwame who was asked to go kayaking? I assumed it was an urban dictionary thing and he was up to his old tricks. But it appears it isn't and maybe he did have a wholesome date for once.

'I watched Chewing Gum the other week and loved it's vibrancy and humour.'

So brilliant, isnt it? Her character is so sweet it's so funny and filthy, and I love how much it has to say about female desire and sexuality