Sweetpea AKA Rhiannon Lewis (Ella Purnell) is a downtrodden wallflower, ignored and neglected by many people in her life.
The six part miniseries that streams on Binge, it is a British dark comedy/drama, created by Kirstie Swain. The series is an adaptation of the book of the same name by CJ Skuse.
In episode one, Rhiannon also suffers from the psychological effects of childhood bullying by classmate Julia Blenkingsopp (Nicôle Lecky).
As a result, Rhiannon occasionally entertains murderous thoughts. Her father, Tommy, is the only person who recognises her attributes and encourages her to stand up for herself. However, Tommy suddenly dies, leaving Rhiannon bereft.
In the aftermath of his death, Rhiannon suffers a series of setbacks - she is passed over for a promotion at work by her ignorant boss, Norman; her sister Seren informs her she's selling their family home; and Julia, now an estate agent, returns to town.
Rhiannon is distressed upon learning Seren has asked Julia to handle the property sale. Furthermore, Rhiannon's dog Tink dies in a hit-and-run when Rhiannon is distracted by a billboard of Julia's face.
Angry and drunk, Rhiannon goes to confront Julia but is rudely rebuffed. Afterwards, Rhiannon gets into an argument with a stranger and finally snaps about being invisible, resulting in her stabbing the stranger to death in a rage. Disposing of the body, Rhiannon leaves the scene, finding that murder has inspired her with newfound confidence.
Ella Purnell as Sweetpea is exceptional. This series landed last month from Sky Atlantic in the UK, while airing on Starz in the USA.
I liked the headline for this series, a coming of rage story. A tight six, action packed episodes. It shows, after a childhood of bullying, Rhiannon/Sweetpea's quiet life as an admin assistant at a local newspaper, living with her father and dog.
However, her father's death leads to a chance encounter with a stranger that changes everything. Once the change happens, it is all drama and violence.
This was a highly enjoyable watch, with a banging girl powered soundtrack. From Billie Eilish to Icona Pop/Charli XCX, Labi Siffre and the Spice Girls.
If you need a new binge, go to Binge for Sweetpea!
No comments:
Post a Comment