Sweetpea, while intriguing, betrays its own premise
As a huge kevin can f himself fan, it’s only natural I would gravitate towards a series such as this. & it’s not that I’m not enjoying it. I absolutely am but I do have a few issues with it. Full disclosure, I have yet to read the book; in fact, I didn’t even know there was one until quite recently but it’s next up on my list. But putting that aside, there is a lot to delve into here as the series makes its debut.
I guess my biggest issue with the series is it feels like we’ve been lied to. I mean we all knew she was going to snap & turn into a serial killer; i don’t know why they even bothered trying to hide it in the trailers but it was pretty obvious to anyone with half a brain. But more to the point, she’s not the girl the trailers lead us to believe she is. I mean for starters, she’s not a victim here, no matter what she says. I mean the trailer led us to believe she’s been dealt a bad hand in life & is doing terribly but it really doesn’t seem like she is.
She has a decent job, a car, a dog & even gets a boyfriend later on (which by the way, completely flies in the face of this whole “not being seen” motif). Maybe the one thing you could say in favor of this argument is her being a human coat rack but honestly, if that’s the worst thing you can say about your life, you’re doing just fine. Yes, he is a dick for doing that but trust me: there are much worse situations in life than that. & sure, she is being forced out of her childhood home but again, she has a steady job. Even if she doesn’t make the best money, she should still be able to afford a decent-enough apartment (assuming she hasn’t squandered every penny she earns). So I’m sorry but I’m just not buying the whole “woe is me” act. Maybe she’s not where she wanted to be in life but she’s not failing at it either.
Not to mention this whole Julia situation is completely insane. I mean why the hell are you still grinding a decade-long axe? Obviously, what she did to her back then was terrible but they were just kids & she seems to have turned out alright (at least prior to the snap). So if she were willing to apologize, that would be all well & good but if not, just move on. Life’s too short to wield such petty grievances. That’s why as much as you want to take her side during the confrontation, it’s kind of difficult to. I mean Julia actually made some decent points here. I’m not saying she was totally in the right but if you’re still harping on something that happened over ten years ago, you just might be the problem. Letting her live rent-free in your head is doing much more harm to you than her. Additionally, I find it difficult to believe the majority of people wouldn’t notice someone as pretty as Ella Purnell.
Even the dog dying (while tragic) is mostly her fault. I mean if she weren’t so obsessed with getting back at her old high school bully, she wouldn’t have let go of the leash. As such, he wouldn’t have run straight into oncoming traffic. & as far the career goes, who the hell asks their boss for a promotion without ensuring they meet the necessary prerequisites first? I’m sorry but I just cannot feel bad for someone trying to climb the corporate ladder without even bothering to do their homework first. That’s just not how it works. I’m not saying her boss made the right call with his decision. I mean he may very well be a nepo hire but we also can’t rule out the possibility that he might actually have a good deal of experience in journalism & thus be qualified for the job. I wouldn’t necessarily put money on it but I’m just saying it’s not impossible either.
So if they wanted us to sympathize with her, they’re doing a terrible job. I’m not saying the guy was an angel. Obviously, peeing in public is not only disgusting but illegal but he doesn’t deserve to die for that. There are actual people out there who are impoverished or have been trafficked, raped or forced to leave their homes due to wars or natural disasters. So I would be much more empathetic toward her if she actually were downtrodden like the trailer led us to believe but if this is the worst she’s dealing with in life, she has not one single thing to complain about. But in any case, the pilot does a great job of setting up what is to come & I for one can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Like the wise man, Alan Moore, once wrote, all it takes is one bad day.