I May Destroy You is not for your average viewer. It is uncomfortable, disturbing, sometimes gross. But isn't that part of life-the good, the bad, AND the ugly?
I've seen many foreign movies that are graphic, gratuitous, and grotesque, so watching this fast paced drama series (with darkly humorous moments) was not shocking or offensive.
Some reviewers are saying cruel things about the characters, or blowing them off as unlikable. I challenge the viewer to see these as real human beings-immature, reckless and careless. Haven't we all been there on some level? And aren't we ALL worth saving? Aren't we all worthy of empathy and love, even when-no, especially when-we're at our worst?
If you take that into consideration and go in with an open mind, you will find that this show is a master class in writing. The pacing moves at lightning speed. The plot is razor sharp focused. The themes are strong and relevant. The characters experience trauma and grow and evolve over the episodes. Especially the main character, Arabella.
Without spoiling it, by the final episode (which is SO cleverly meta in terms of writing about writing), she is able to come to terms with her trauma in one of the best final episodes I've seen in a dramedy show. It's sheer perfection: fully resolves everything, funny, violent, shocking, thought provoking and smartly written and executed. It would be perfect if this was all there was. Not sure how a second season would fare or what it would focus on.
One last and very important thing: Americans need to watch this with subtitles! I had no clue what they were saying in the first three minutes. Once the subtitles were on, it was smooth sailing.
