Sweetpea

I was initially a little annoyed with this show because it as too obvious what her character turn would be, from the first five minutes... Additionally, it reminded me way too much of the show Obituary, also from the UK, release only not so long ago. Similar quirkiness, dark comedy, office setting, reporter job, character turn and plot - but I felt the Obituary show was more unique in its nuance and story plot. I feel the striking resemblance has to be called out, and the plot is predictable , BUT neverthless- I eventually got into a groove with it and it turned out to be quite a fun romp of a show, even if the storyline wasn't particularly original, unique or powerful- it's a fun dark comedy and you eventually get taken along for the ride ... And swept into binging the series ;)

This review is base on Episode 1 and I will update it once all 6 episodes have aired.

When you are in a tough spot in your life, everything sucks, you are invisible and people around you are the absolute worst, funny ideas can cross your mind. SweetPea take this concept and push it to the extreme, following the life of Rhiannon Lewis (Ella Purnell) an office worker bullied her whole life who suddenly lose her father to illness.

Her fantasies to "remove" people who has done her wrong in her life becomes an obsession as things spiral out of control! Sweet Pea flowers are beautiful to see but they are also toxic, which is the main point of the show.

Although the episode is only 43 minutes including credit, it's insane how much the emotional build up is fantastic. By the end of the episode I understood poor Rhiannon motivation and was hooked. Some movies can't make you feel a thing in 2h, but this show in such a quick lapse of time made me care so much about its plot.

Not only is the writting solid, but the music and the way it is filmed is excellent, which only adds to the intensity of the show. Also how can I not touch on the acting. Is there anything Ella Purnell can't do?! For a lot of people, Ella made fallout such a fantastic show because her acting. This remains true in SweetPea, like in Yellowknife and Fallout. Her acting range is one of the best I have seen in a long time and I can't wait to see where he career will take her!

To summarize, the show is well worth you time and although episode 1 is a build up, it shows amazing potential which is strongly supported by fantastic acting, an engaging story and great atmosphere. Can't wait to see where it goes and will update this review as the season wrap up!

"You made me this way" - Rhiannon.

Too much of the first episode is to give the audience a taste of how bitter her life is, and they succeed a bit too much, since most of the episode felt awful to watch, but... the origin story ends with the episode, and she bites for the first time, and that's what I think most people watching the show expect.

In comparison, Dexter kills someone in the first 5 minutes, this is the oposite, we are drag trough her horrible existence as much as possible, so much that some people will tune out... but I think there is a pay off and a potential behind hi, she had teeth now, and everything will change because of that... Yes... her moral compass is off... as many pointed out... but is not the point... all that pressure is finally released in a boom... we will see if she matures or devolves, anyway, annoying life, big bang ending, potential for the series, we will see.

Sweetpea is a dark comedy/revenge fantasy starring the charming Ella Purnell, who's been on a lot of big things lately, wich is justifiable since she's a very charismatic and versatile actress. Once again, Purnell's performance elevated an otherwise clichéd and disposable project, her portrayal of a shy, lonely, and traumatized young woman pushed to the edge is just as entertaining as it is disturbing. Throughout the fast paced 6 episodes, we get invested in the main character's inner drama, even to the point of feeling very bad for her, the character work was so good that i forgot this was a typical unreliable narrator type story, i cared for Rhiannon despite knowing she is a sick, dangerous person. The pacing was very good for the most part, it never felt like they were dragging things too much, however the last episode felt like they were trying too hard to create cliffhangers and setups for a second season, instead of wrapping things up on a coherent way. This is the problem with modern entertainment, everything needs to be a franchise, or a whole ass series with multiple seasons, nothing is allowed to have a clear begging, middle, and END anymore, it all depends on the ratings... I think this could've been a very good 2h movie, if only they had a clearer vision for this story, i don't know much about the book in wich the show is based on, but damn i think the script could've been a lot better. Most of the supporting characters are played by mid-tier actors, nowhere near the same level of the protagonist, specially the actress playing Julia, she came across as a bit forced to me, i didn't buy her motivations, nor felt any sympathy for her, and that scene with her husband in episode 05 was ridiculous. Overall, Sweetpea might not be the most creative, deep, or remarkable series, but Ella Purnell's usual charm, appropriately quirky English humour, and some good gory killings make this a strong option to those looking for darker, adult orientated content.

The episodes flow very well and easy to watch, Dark yet funny, defiantly shows the danger of mental health. This might just be a tv show but it reflects todays world of fake wellbeing.

Not sure its everybody's taste but if you like your humour on the dark side then this is for you.

Ella Purnell is brilliant as normal but shout out to Jeremy Swift very funny.

I am not 100 on the ending but thats just me, some of the twists are good but you could see them coming.

British drama at its best and not dragged out over far too many episodes, too many shows drag it out .

Defiantly need more shows like this.