Sweet/Vicious is a show that wants to be everything. It is a tale of vengeance in which two women put on masks and terrorize unprosecuted rapists. It is an extremely silly soap opera-ish comedy along the line's of MTV's terrific Fakin' It. It is a sort of non-supernatural superhero show in the style of the amazing Crazyhead. It is a study of post-traumatic stress disorder. It is an attempt to explain the concept of consensual sex. It is an exploration of the darkness inherent in vigilantism. It is a relentless exposure of campus rape. It is an attempt to end rape culture.
It's a sometimes awkward and bumpy mix of things, but for the most part, it works surprisingly well. At first, the series focuses on the action-comedy aspects, as the very funny Ophelia teams up with the very focused Jules to take down rapists and cover up a case where that got out of hand. As it progresses, the series moves more into Jules' trauma, at times dropping action entirely, as in a searing episode that would be, in superhero terms, her origin story.
As with other driven vigilantes like Batman, Jules is broken by trauma. Vigilantism isn't portrayed as purely straightforward; early on they attack an innocent man. Unfortunately, the heroes of Sweet Vicious seem uninterested in the Batman idea of turning criminals over to the cops, even in the case of two serial rapists that really need to be arrested rather than beaten up.
Through it all, the series makes the case for consensual sex. The nice guys in the series, of which there are several, are extremely polite, and there is a fair amount of, "can I kiss you," "is this okay," and "are you sure" sprinkled through the sex. While the idea of consensual sex sometimes sounds rather un-hot, the series makes the case that it's romantic and sexy.
Sweet/Vicious can be funny and entertaining, and it can be grim and heartbreaking, but it is always worth watching. I like to think that, if enough people watch it, this series could do a little damage to rape culture. I certainly admire the attempt.
Alas, it was canceled after one season. Tragic.
