The End Of The F***ing World - General Discussion

[methodwriter85]

On 1/18/2018 at 11:41 PM, JustaPerson said:

In most shows the actors are clearly not teens, but I kept thinking the characters were 14-15 because the actors look so young. In reality they're both in their 20s. 

British shows are usually much, much better with casting either real teens or people that look unquestionably look like teenagers. The fact that they both looked like kids really added to the heartbreak, in my opinion.

[rab01]

I just binged this series last night.  I'm still not sure how much I liked the series.  I think the performances were really good but it still didn't totally click with me and it may be because of the ending.  I like that he knocked her out to prevent her from doing anything to get herself into more trouble and to set her up to be absolved of all crimes but I didn't like the gunshot and fade to black.  It feels a little bit like Schrodinger's Cat and I'd rather the creators picked an end result.

Count me in the camp of thinking he's still alive because killing himself would be selfish (by traumatizing her the way he was by his mom) and the cops killing him would be unnecessary when he had literally nowhere to run to -- he's running in broad daylight on a shore miles away from the nearest city, town or escape route. 

I'd have loved another 3-4 episodes in this season because I liked watching them change in each other's company but I can't see a second season working.  (I don't see what journey they could take that was interesting for itself, did justice to their growth over these episodes, and wasn't a downer of them getting worse together rather than better -- 2 out of the 3 maybe but I can't envision all 3 together.) 

[small potatoes]

On 4/9/2018 at 5:06 PM, rab01 said:

Count me in the camp of thinking he's still alive because killing himself would be selfish (by traumatizing her the way he was by his mom) and the cops killing him would be unnecessary when he had literally nowhere to run to -- he's running in broad daylight on a shore miles away from the nearest city, town or escape route. 

Yes on both counts. That's exactly what I was thinking. 

[Dizzychickstar]

Liking this dark comedy thus far. I’m in. 

[Pindrop]

Just binged this. What a surprisingly good show; it was not what I expected (and was dreading) at all. 

My expectations: some tedious teen angst involving too-cool-for-school precocious twats. 

The reality: A darkly humorous, bittersweet gem of a series. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Pindrop

[Lone Wolf]

On 2/10/2018 at 9:53 PM, wayne67 said:

Yeah I don't buy that he's a psychopath or a sociopath, the more likely option is he's just traumatized by something in his backstory and he's shut down and trying to deal with it in a really messed up way.

He's had plenty of chances to kill her and he's not done it. I'm really hoping this isn't going to be a 'lover conquers mental illness' plot. It's looking bad so far. 

So much this.

That said, does three in row count as binge watching?

As if it wasn't enough that I was 65% all in from the trailer, this ep featured Hank Williams. And not III, but The King (forget Jr., talent skipped a generation).

That's it.  If there was any hesitation before, it's gone, It may be the bottle of Pinot Grigio talking, but I'm down. 

Show, don't fail me now.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

An Emmy nomination!

Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) - Episode 3

[paulvdb]

Netflix Renews "The End of the F***ing World" for a Second Season

[nodorothyparker]

 

Nice little Netflix announcement reminding of us where they ended the now first season.

Now I'm dying to know where they go from here.

[ruby24]

So I just watched this whole thing and I LOVED IT!!!!

What can they possibly do in a second season though? I think the key is the two of them together, but how can that be the case now? If, for example they had managed to steal the boat and get on their way over the channel and left it sort of ambiguous, then yes I could see a second season.

But with this ending? I don't know what they could do, unless it's just a completely different story. But even so, the appeal of this was definitely the two of them as a pair, so replicating that would be essential somehow, and with that ending I don't see how that's possible.

[nodorothyparker]

We have a premier date for the second season.

[ruby24]

Oh my god. I can't wait. But...if James really is dead (like the poster indicateS) and this is just continuing Alyssa's story I'll be disappointed for sure. The show was really the two of them together and if they couldn't figure out how to have them both back they should have just left it as it was.

Edited October 8, 2019 by ruby24

[paulvdb]

Season 2 trailer:

[ruby24]

Ummm...this was not as good as Season 2. And unless they're planning on a third season (which I think I heard was a definite no), that was not a satisfying ending.

I can't believe they didn't even let them have sex. Again. 

It seems like they really wanted to focus on Alyssa's trauma rather than put them in as many scenes together as possible, which is a choice, but the interaction and chemistry between the two of them as a pair IS the show.

Even the brief scenes they had in this was the only good stuff about the season. Their scene in the hotel room was the highlight of the season.

Having her be mean to him basically the whole time until the last episode, while he pines for her just didn't work.

And the Bonnie stuff was really bad, I thought. They really didn't HAVE to have another murder/stalker situation going on.

Edited November 5, 2019 by ruby24

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E1

Newly released from prison, a brooding young woman named Bonnie sets out to avenge the death of her lover.

Original air date: 11/5/19

Ugh, I did not need any backstory on gross Clive. I mean, it's bad enough that he was the kind of person who has pictures of himself in his own house. And of course he described himself as exceptional. Not at all shocking that he is also the kind of manipulative asshole who sleeps with his students and lies to them about each other. Yes, OBVIOUSLY he was the poor victim in the situation. To quote Avi on Ray Donovan:  THIS FUCKING GUY.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.1

Ray: Bonnie, it is you! It's Ray! From St Joseph's. We were in the same class. I had, like, a medical eye-patch for a bit.
Bonnie: Oh, yeah. 
Ray: So how are you? You got kids?
Bonnie: No.
Ray: Married? 
Bonnie: No.
Ray: So what have you been doing?
Bonnie: Prison.
Ray: Oh, right. Why were you, er? What did you do?
Bonnie: I killed someone. On purpose.

Clive: Foucault is an embarrassment. He has no class.

Clive: Who was that?
Bonnie: He wants to be my boyfriend. He asked me to a fondue night tomorrow.
Clive: Are you going to go?
Bonnie: I like cheese.

Bonnie: I used feel to like I maybe wasn't real, like I was made up of nothing. But when you fall in love, the nothing feeling is eaten by a something feeling, which is eaten by an everything feeling.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E2

Just as Alyssa claws her way back to a semblance of a normal life, she discovers her past isn't done with her yet.

Original air date: 11/5/19

Poor Alyssa. She clearly had no real interest in Todd the puppy dog but she just wanted an escape from the  boring mundane life she was living at her aunt's house.

And poor James. Having Alyssa's mother come to hospital just to demand he write a break up letter? Way harsh, Tai. But going through multiple operations, rehab, a trial, and the death of his father only to find out that Alyssa had a new boyfriend? How much can a kid take?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.2

Gwen: You can finish [school] later. Or get a job. Or marry someone rich.

Alyssa: I don't really feel anything any more. It's good not feeling. It's like a superpower.

Alyssa: [Todd] teaches canoeing to kids and he has quite strong opinions.
Todd: You know Finland? Doesn't actually exist. It's a fabricated landmass made up by the Russians in the Cold War.

Alyssa: I told [Todd] about everything.
Todd: Shit.
Alyssa: Yeah.
Todd: Do you like chicken fajitas?
Alyssa: He gets it.

Alyssa: Getting married young is one of the most renegade things you can do these days. Mum's using Tony's divorce money to pay for it, which is also pretty maverick.

Alyssa: Getting a bullet in the post should be threatening, but it's hard to feel frightened of someone who can't spell your name right and clearly doesn't know where you live.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E3

After an awkward encounter at the cafe, Alyssa wakes up on her big day with nagging doubts about what she wants from life.

Original air date: 11/5/19

I wish I could say I can't believe Alyssa went through with the wedding, but I believe it. Like she said, she just wanted to feel something. But ultimately, I think going through with the wedding was a combination of not wanting to be a dick to her mom (as evidenced by the smile she pasted on when she thanked her for the limo), not wanting to be a dick to Todd, and wanting to hurt James for writing that letter (which, admittedly, was pretty harsh).

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.3

Alyssa: Why is it that the more you have to say, the harder it is to speak?

Leigh: You can stay in the cabin. Toilet's through there.
James: Is there a shower?
Leigh: There's a lake.

Alyssa: Sometimes you can choose to not be a dick.

Waitress: Congratulations. 
James: What? 
Waitress: Happy wedding.
Alyssa: We're not married. 
Waitress: What? 
Alyssa: We've actually been to a funeral.
Waitress: Oh? Sorry.
Alyssa: I just thought I'd get a bit more wear out of this [wedding dress].

Alyssa: You were stalking me.
James: I was not stalking you, I was watching you.

Alyssa: How did he die, your dad?
James: Heart attack. Bad diet, no exercise.
Alyssa: Shit. It's probably how I'll go.

James: On paper, things looked quite bleak for me. I was a homeless orphan on the run with a married woman.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E4

A flat tire forces the unlikely trio of travelers to seek refuge at a roadside inn run by a man who's desperate for company.

Original air date: 11/5/19

Ha, I never would have guessed that motel was nice enough to have bathrobes.

I spent half the episode worried that Bonnie was going to kill the innkeeper.Then I felt bad that the poor guy was so lonely that he was willing to keep talking to people who clearly wanted him to go away. But then he sat down on the bed and ate the chocolate and I was like ewww, who does that? And then he had to make things worse by TAKING HIS DICK OUT. Seriously, who does that?

[ruby24]

Another thing I'm not understanding about this refusal to let them have sex. They actually DID in the original comic (one of the few things they left out of the show).

So, what is that about? Not getting it.

ETA: I think my biggest problem with this season (aside from the Bonnie stuff, which I just didn't like), is the decision to pull back on the love story in order to focus in more on Alyssa's PTSD. This had the effect of making her just overly hostile towards James for the entire season, which wasn't the case last year.

She was angry and hostile at first, but it was clear she had this weird soft spot towards him that she couldn't explain and her genuine fondness for him was clear to the audience. I'm not so sure that's the case this time. When she says she loves him at the end we hadn't gotten a whole lot of evidence toward that point. The most I could ascertain was a sadness and sympathy for him at certain points, but not love.

Edited November 5, 2019 by ruby24

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E5

While Bonnie scrambles to cover her tracks and tend to her injury, James tries to figure out where things stand with Alyssa.

Original air date: 11/5/19

I'm glad that Alyssa and James finally had that fight/discussion. Alyssa definitely has her flaws but she was right about one thing - she is not the answer, but James thinks that she is. He has spent the last two years imagining that Alyssa is the solution to all of his problems and she isn't. She's just another messed up person who makes bad choices.

I honestly don't know if there is enough between them to make a relationship work. Didn't S1 take place over the course of about a week? That's really not enough time to know whether this person is right for you, let alone right enough to spend the rest of your life with.

I'm not saying they can't try, but the fact that James has spent the last two years dreaming of Alyssa and idealizing her is not healthy. I get why he did because they went through some intense shit together, but that doesn't mean it's realistic to expect that they would just get back together or that his life would be better if she was in it. I'm glad that spending the last day or two with her made him remember how bossy and mean she can be because he needs to rid himself of that fantasy version of her he has in his head.

What they both really need is some therapy.

I know Bonnie is totally delusional for thinking that Clive loved her (or even liked her), so I laughed every time something went wrong, from leaving her gun in the bathroom to getting ditched by James and Alyssa.

Edited November 7, 2019 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.5

James: Why would [Bonnie] have sex with [the motel owner]?
Alyssa: Her boyfriend died. She's got low self-esteem. People do all kinds of shit when they feel bad about themselves.

James: You can't kiss someone and then be mean. It's confusing.
Alyssa: Why? Are you 12? You dumped me, James. You dumped me in a letter, like a Victorian.

Kevan: Listen to me. Violence is not the answer.
Bonnie: What if it is?

James: It wasn't just you. 
Alyssa: What's that supposed to mean?
James: Who had a bad time.
Alyssa: It's not a competition. 
James: I nearly died. 
Alyssa: Oh, apparently, it is.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E6

Alyssa decides it's time to set things right at home, James searches for a new plan, and Bonnie resumes her quest with fresh vigor.

Original air date: 11/5/19

How is Alyssa, a waitress, allowed to tell the cook that he can go home early? If he leaves, why would she stay? Is she planning to cook if they get any customers?

I'm glad that she was finally honest with Todd, although it would have been nice for him (and her mother) if she had decided to be honest with him BEFORE the wedding. That poor sweet guy was still willing to take her back even after she ran away on their wedding day.

James suspected Bonnie was up to no good, followed her as she stalked Alyssa, and then decided to snoop in her car when he saw her go into the cafe where Alyssa was alone? REALLY?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.6

Alyssa: People say moments like this are like ripping off a plaster. The problem is that underneath the plaster, there's still quite a lot of shit.

James: My dad always told me that musicals lift the spirits.
Phil: You'll love this. They're cats, but it's good.

Leigh: Where are you going to scatter [your dad's ashes]?
James: I don't know.
Leigh: What did he like?
James: Eating shit food.

Alyssa: It's quite hard to put things right when everyone hates you and you can't find your husband.

Todd: We can put a panic room in the basement. I've looked into it. It actually doesn't cost that much.

Alyssa: Sometimes doing the right thing feels like committing a crime.

James: It wasn't ideal. Only two hours after deciding to move on, I was, to all intents and purposes, stalking Alyssa again.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E7

After discovering Bonnie's true intentions, James races to help Alyssa, and a tense showdown unfolds inside the café.

Original air date: 11/5/19

The one tiny squirt of whipped cream that Alyssa begrudgingly put on the cop's apple strudel totally cracked me up.

I'm glad that Alyssa and James survived and that they finally found out the truth (that Bonnie knew Clive and that Bonnie killed the motel owner).

I already thought they needed therapy but after this episode, they need to start seeing someone immediately. They have dealt with a lot of trauma in the past two years.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.7

Alyssa: This is pretty awkward. What do you say to someone you abandoned in a car park?

Alyssa: It's weird knowing you're going to die. You feel like you're old and you know everything so you don't give a shit anymore.

Alyssa: The problem with a person having a lack of love is that they don't know what it looks like so it's easy for them to get tricked, to see things that aren't there. But then I guess we all lie to ourselves all the time.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

S2.E8

Desperate to banish visions of the night at Clive's house, Alyssa suddenly disappears, sending James into a panic.

Original air date: 11/5/19

The final episode was a bit anti-climactic but a good hopeful wrap up. I'm glad that Alyssa admitted that she needs some psychological help. I hope James realizes that he needs some too.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2.8

Alyssa: I read somewhere that if you want to talk to someone about something important, it's easier if you don't look at them. It's less confrontational or something.

James: I love you too.
Alyssa: Yeah, don't go on about it.

[mledawn]

Just binged S1 and S2, and really enjoyed it.  I initially steered clear of the show because I didn't understand what it was about, based on the trailer. I didn't realise Anderson from Sherlock was in it at all, so that was a fun connection. The actor unfortunately does look a little weasely.

When S2 started I assumed James had died, then to have him show up felt like a cop out at first. I like how they explained it though, and it felt okay.

Loved the scene in the bus at the end, with the manspreader.

Definitely one I'll recommend to others.

[Milburn Stone]

Loved the show, loved the season, felt totally satisfied by the finale.

[methodwriter85]

On 11/15/2019 at 12:55 PM, Milburn Stone said:

Loved the show, loved the season, felt totally satisfied by the finale.

Yeah, I hope it's done. I don't need anything else but those two holding hangs and looking out hopefully into a wide open future. The best part is that Alyssa was holding James's burned hand, signifying that she fully accepts him. (In the first season, she didn't like holding that hand.)

I liked the contrast between this finale and the first season finale- Romeo and Juliet tragic ending love, and a more grown up, mature love at the end.

[methodwriter85]

Edited November 23, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Zima]

On 1/18/2018 at 11:41 PM, JustaPerson said:

In most shows the actors are clearly not teens, but I kept thinking the characters were 14-15 because the actors look so young. In reality they're both in their 20s. 

On 3/21/2018 at 11:06 PM, methodwriter85 said:

British shows are usually much, much better with casting either real teens or people that look unquestionably look like teenagers. The fact that they both looked like kids really added to the heartbreak, in my opinion.

Wow, really? I mean, James looks young, I'll give you that. But to me, Alyssa looks really rough in the face; I would find her believable as a 40-something trailer park mom, or maybe a 20-something meth head.

I loved season 1 so much, and was bummed when I found out that there was a season 2. I loved the dark ending from last season. I didn't much care for the Bonnie stuff, and overall, I didn't find S2 very funny, while S1 was hilarious. The only "lol" moment from S2 was when James was trying to spread his dad's ashes, and they came out in a muddy clump. I laughed my ass off. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jessica Barden guest starred on Better Things last week (S4.E2: She's Fifty).