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I May Destroy You - An incisive new drama from the creator of Chewing Gum (Michaela Coel) - Sun/Mon on HBO & BBC One

RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

Are we human or are we dancer?
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Oct 25, 2017
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The second series written and created by Michaela Coel, "I May Destroy You," will premiere on Sunday, June 7 at 10:30/9:30c on HBO in the US - and Monday, June 8 at 10:45pm on BBC One in the UK. The series consists of 12 half hour episodes.

Set in London, where gratification is only an app away, the story centers on Arabella, a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.
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Cast

Michaela Coel as Arabella
Weruche Opia as Terry
Paapa Essiedu as Kwame
Marouane Zotti as Biagio
Aml Ameen as Simon
Adam James as Julius
Sarah Niles as Officer Funmi
Ann Akin as Alissa
Harriet Webb as ?
Ellie James as ?
Franc Ashman as Susy Henny
Karan Gill as Zain
Natalie Walter as Francine
Samson Ajewole as Malik

Reviews

Paste said:
All of this adds up to a weighty, ambitious attempt to wade through incredibly difficult subject matter, but one that also seeks to balance with earnest optimism and a desire for healing. There are many, many scenes of the friends just having fun, of getting annoyed with one another, of professing their undying love. That movement back and forth, to the past and present (to an imagined future), between feelings and experiences and traumas and desires, covers some of the series' other uncertainties in ways that are both compelling and true. But more than anything, it's a thought-provoking work that should make us consider our own relationship to trauma, experienced by ourselves or others, as well as hopefully this new cultural awakening to the many, many different kinds of sexual assault.
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TV Guide said:
Coel is undeniably comfortable in her body and non-European beauty, and delivers a raw performance and story that unflinchingly examines consent, victim shaming, gender, race, class, imposter syndrome, and our over-reliance on social media through the lens of a Black Londoner.
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AV Club said:
The episodes that fuel the show's main arcs are brilliantly executed. Much-needed moments of levity, courtesy of Coel's expert comic hand, add a holistic, human touch to a tragedy that devastates, but never wholly defines a person.
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Vanity Fair said:
Writer, star, executive producer, and sometime director Michaela Coel has accomplished an unlikely feat with her second show, I May Destroy You—a sexy, cool, funny half-hour about, well, rape and consent in the digital era. It's a wild balance to strike, and if the show can't quite keep all its plates spinning at once, it makes the moments where the show comes together pop with exceptional clarity. At its best, I May Destroy You ruffles your feathers unpleasantly, creating moments that trigger an urge to laugh uncontrollably commingled with a sense of spreading unease.
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Vulture said:
I May Destroy You isn't trying to teach audiences a lesson, but put them on a journey that challenges our assumptions. Each of the 12 30-minute episodes proves adept at wrenching hearts and evoking laughter in equal measure.
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BeeDog

BeeDog

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,637
Sounds like an interesting show. It struck me, is this the first London/UK-centric HBO production ever? Can't think of any else.
 
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
I'm definitely interested in this. Chewing Gum wasn't my style of humor but Michaela is an incredibly talented actress.
 
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
This show is gonna hit hard. Good intro with purposefully confusing editing. Interested in where it goes.
 
samoscratch

samoscratch

Member
Nov 25, 2017
2,847
Chewing Gum is awesome, I'm excited. Michaela Coel was also great in Black Earth Rising, I love her.
 
Loud Wrong

Loud Wrong

Member
Feb 24, 2020
14,553
First episode definitely made me want more. Embarrassed to say I needed subtitles turned on.
 
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

Are we human or are we dancer?
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Oct 25, 2017
14,934
I thought the first episode was solid, if a tad slow. (though that was necessary to set up the central conflict of the series)

Really wish we were getting 2 episodes a week like the UK :(. Especially seeing as how the first episode ends in such a disorienting manner.

samoscratch said:
Michaela Coel was also great in Black Earth Rising, I love her.
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Yes! She's so good in Black Earth Rising. It's on Netflix is anyone here hasn't seen it.
 
Triggerhappytel

Triggerhappytel

Member
Oct 27, 2017
15,122
I saw this on TV last night but didn't watch as the premise seemed a bit intense and I was looking for something lighter. Maybe I will check it out though if it is acclaimed - don't know anything about the main actor but saw her on Graham Norton a few weeks ago.
 
Kino

Kino

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,337
Triggerhappytel said:
I saw this on TV last night but didn't watch as the premise seemed a bit intense and I was looking for something lighter. Maybe I will check it out though if it is acclaimed - don't know anything about the main actor but saw her on Graham Norton a few weeks ago.
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Check out chewing gum on Netflix. It's a light hearted comedy with some really good humorous moments.
 
Timbuktu

Timbuktu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,267
RatskyWatsky said:
They've got some other British co-productions, like Gentleman Jack and His Dark Materials!
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Band of Brothers and Rome were HBO+BBC too, and The Night Of was based on BBC1 drama Criminal Justice, so it's nothing new. And HBO has started conproducing with Sky too with the likes of Chernobyl. Why is it only HBO in the title? Hearing good things about this, interesting that this is on BBC One, I was beginning to think that the interesting Shows are coming from BBC Three only (Fleabag, Normal People etc)
 
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marmalade

marmalade

Member
Nov 28, 2018
569
Noticed yesterday Chewing Gum is no longer on Netflix US despite being a "Netflix original series"
 
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

Are we human or are we dancer?
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Oct 25, 2017
14,934
New episode tonight!

Someone Is Lying

Lunch with Terry gets Arabella thinking about the hazy events of the previous night, prompting her to probe Simon for answers. Growing increasingly desperate to put together the pieces, Arabella drops by Simon's apartment - and, later, finds herself at an unwelcoming doorstep. Meanwhile, Terry has a lousy audition, and a concerned Kwame rushes to Arabella's side.
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RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
okay, episode 2 was fantastic. Michaela Coel continues to show us that she has dramatic chops. It was surprisingly paced pretty quickly for a 12 episode show. I have no idea where this show is going to go and that's great
 
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

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Oct 25, 2017
14,934
Yeah, episode 2 was great. Michaela's performance at the police station was incredible.
 
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

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Oct 25, 2017
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New episode tonight! (the show airs on Mondays now)

Don't Forget the Sea

Three months earlier, Terry visits Arabella in Ostia, Italy, where she's living large on her agents' dime. After procuring party favors, Arabella and Terry each have a wild night of their own.
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

Are we human or are we dancer?
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Oct 25, 2017
14,934
Episode 3 was really good!

I'm not sure the show works that well just airing once a week though - I wish we were getting 2 a week like the UK :(
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,415
Oh shit!!! I was wondering what Michaela Coel was up to. Chewing Gum was fantastic and very underrated. Gonna check this out.
 
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
This show is incredible. The last two episodes were amazing imo. It's tackling the multiple layers of consent so well.

Best new show of the year maybe.

Also, now that RatskyWatsky mentions it I'm pissed the UK gets episodes quicker than we do!
 
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Kino

Kino

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Oct 25, 2017
3,337
I'm enjoying this but there is something missing for me. I can't put my finger on it but it just isn't coming together as solidly as I'd like.
 
Nothus

Nothus

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Oct 26, 2017
984
Started watching this on the back of the other thread recommending it and I'm loving it so far! I think I've watched the first eight episodes in one day haha.

Is anyone else getting massive Atlanta vibes from this show? Something about the writing style, the clever use of music, the ability to mix serious themes and comedy together in the way this show does reminds me of it.

Climate change is real, my hair is not, and I love fried chicken 😂
 
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

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Oct 25, 2017
14,934
Getting caught up on this after falling behind a bit. The end of episode 4 wtf :(
 
gunlovefiction

gunlovefiction

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
2,399
Most of the cast is meant to be Ghanaian so the fact that most of them speak with a Nigerian accent is pretty distracting
 
Piston

Piston

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Oct 25, 2017
11,207
I watched the first episode last night and it gave me bad anxiety already just from her blowing off her deadline. The ending left me asking questions, I'll have to keep watching.
 
Nothus

Nothus

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Oct 26, 2017
984
Just finished, what a great series. Very curious to hear people's thoughts about the finale.
 
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

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Oct 25, 2017
13,147
The finale was fucking phenomenal. I was unsure as it was progressing but she stuck the landing. This joins the pantheon of peak TV alongside Fleabag tbh. I hope Michaela cleans up every awards show.
 
Delphine

Delphine

Fen'Harel Enansal
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Mar 30, 2018
3,658
France
I just started this show, on episode 2 right now and I'm already blown away by how episode 1 ended. I'm definitely going to binge-watched this now.
 
Delphine

Delphine

Fen'Harel Enansal
Administrator
Mar 30, 2018
3,658
France
So I finished watching the entire show and wow, what a treat. I'm still trying to wrap my mind about it all, but yeah, it's definitely one of the very best show of the year for me indeed. The way this show talks about trauma feels so real and relatable, the way consent is being talked about is incredibly rare and refreshing, the way black queerness takes a center stage in a very heartbreaking ways at time (I absolutely cried at the "I need a hug" line, like holy fuck it was perfectly executed). Everything about this show was masterfully done and kept me engaged from start to finish. And it gave me pause, and things to think about for now as well. I now kinda want everybody to watch this in order to talk about it.
 
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RatskyWatsky

RatskyWatsky

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Oct 25, 2017
14,934
omfg the last 1/3 of episode 5 :O

and poor Kwame - his experience at the police station was mortifying
 
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
This week's episode in America was one of the best of the series. There's still two more absolutely excellent ones to come as well!
 
RastaMentality

RastaMentality

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,147
Another series best tonight. My reminder that this show should have just as much hype as Fleabag on this forum!
 
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