Season One Review.

As I type this review, a second season is apparently being talked about though is not confirmed.

Adapted from a Graphic Novel, "The End of the F**king world" is a pitch black comedy about two dysfunctional teenagers James (Alex Lawther) and Alyssa (Jessica Barden) who leave their lives behind and embark on a road trip across the southeast of England. However, James believes himself to be a psychopath and is plotting to murder Elissa.

It feels weird to type that into the synopsis, as although the murder aspect feels pretty important at the start, it soon doesn't matter as their connection grows. Instead, despite James's shy, awkward nature and Alyssa's brash, strident character they form a likable, and even oddly believable couple as their "True Romance" esque story runs towards its conclusion. The plot is very dark with James and Alyssa meeting a range of shady characters as they run. Murder, suicide and sexual abuse all form subplots of the journey. However, there is comedy mixed in too, either from supporting cast or from the internal monologues of both characters, which we can hear.

It's a relatively short series. 8 episodes most of which are around twenty minutes long... so it's very easy to binge-watch in a single session. The central performances are phenomenal as is the smart direction by Johnathan Entwistle and Lucy Tcherniak. Another massive plus is the soundtrack, contemporary indie songs mostly, with some classics by The Buzzcocks, for example, in the mix too.

The ending may prove divisive. . But it does provide a way for the show to continue, should they decide to make more. Even if they don't it's a memorable addition to the catalogues of Netflix and All4 that I look forward to revisiting again in the future.