I really wanted to like this show. I love Michaela Coel, the casting was great (both in terms of talent and POC representation), the topic is real, raw, and its depiction was gritty and unforgiving, but there was just something about the storytelling that made it hard to watch. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but the whole season felt like a jumble of ideas forced into a narrative that didn't give them proper room or time to develop. Story-lines and characters take center stage and then just trail-off while the focus shifts to another topic.
Then I watched the Colbert Show and saw Coel explain that she had to search "How to Write a TV Show" before creating the series. It all makes sense now: she's a new writer.
Why do story-lines trail-off? Because she isn't sure how to integrate them all into the overarching narrative.
How does Arabella suffer two sexual assaults, plunge deep into denial, and indulge her immaturity, but then meticulously publicly shame an abuser with little intervening development? Because Coel wants to capture the radical transformation from a vulnerable girl into a wise resistance leader, but she doesn't know how to spend time with the character during the transformation part, so she just jumps from one to the other.
I really don't mean to neg Coel. She's super talented and she put herself out there with this project--both personally and professionally. That takes guts and talent. Still, this project definitely would have benefited from guidance by experienced writers to focus the storytelling, develop the characters, and transition from scene to scene (and episode to episode) with a stronger sense of purpose.
Then I watched the Colbert Show and saw Coel explain that she had to search "How to Write a TV Show" before creating the series. It all makes sense now: she's a new writer.
Why do story-lines trail-off? Because she isn't sure how to integrate them all into the overarching narrative.
How does Arabella suffer two sexual assaults, plunge deep into denial, and indulge her immaturity, but then meticulously publicly shame an abuser with little intervening development? Because Coel wants to capture the radical transformation from a vulnerable girl into a wise resistance leader, but she doesn't know how to spend time with the character during the transformation part, so she just jumps from one to the other.
I really don't mean to neg Coel. She's super talented and she put herself out there with this project--both personally and professionally. That takes guts and talent. Still, this project definitely would have benefited from guidance by experienced writers to focus the storytelling, develop the characters, and transition from scene to scene (and episode to episode) with a stronger sense of purpose.