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When all of the lines, the borders we put up around each other are exposed we feel vulnerable. When those get crossed without our consent, we feel violated.
I May Destroy You, created by, written by and starring Michaela Coel explores these themes in both overt and subtle ways and the result is a brilliant analysis of our overly connected, confusing and conflicting time.
It is, so far, THE show to watch this year.
Arabella (Michaela Coel) is an up-and-coming writer, millennial and social media savant. Frantically working on her new book, with a draft deadline on the horizon, she’s in desperate need of some late-night R&R and takes a friend’s invite to go out for a drink.
Things are fine for a bit, sticking close to her phone’s alarm to make sure she doesn’t blow it, until someone spikes her drink. Her memory goes blank and she finds herself struggling to make her way back to sanctuary.
Slowly and painfully, flashes of memory of her assault come back to her like some terrifying fever dream. She’s not quite sure what to believe until the visions slowly become clearer, more precise and she starts to put the pieces together.
It’s incredibly difficult and tragic subject matter on something that sadly happens far too often.
In fact, this is exactly what happened to Coel herself. When taking a break from writing the second season of the Netflix series Chewing Gum (which she also stars in), Coel went to a bar with friends where her drink was spiked and she was sexually assaulted.
I May Destroy You is a painful reflection and, according to Coel, a cathartic reflection of her own experiences.
Crossing the line
Although the sexual assault is the primary story arc of the season, I May Destroy You also highlights other ways people infringe on each other’s personal space and dignity.
Arabella is confronted by people on the street asking her for selfies, violating her personal space. She’s asked invasive questions by detectives. She finds herself shamed for her choices, her race, her lifestyle. Why didn’t she watch her drink? She’s attacked by her reality and the perceptions others have of her.
The lines she puts up are crossed again and again as the impact it has on her is shown through her evolution as the season progresses and she comes to terms with the idea she may never get the justice she thirsts for.
It’s not just Arabella who has to deal with the constant barrage of invasion.
Her close friends, Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) and Terry (Weruche Opia) – also go through their own micro and macro aggressions against them (and towards others).
Kwame, hooked on hooking up with other guys, finds himself lost in his phone until he’s utterly betrayed by someone he thought he could trust in a delicate situation.
Meanwhile, Terry thinks she’s found just the thing to stifle her boredom, only to find out she’s been duped by a pair of tricksters. Her fantasy and her vision of the moment are violated.
Consent is constantly defined, thrown out, redefined, entrenched and then broken down again in a whirlwind of emotional release. It’s hard and interesting and heartbreaking.
There is humour and tenderness too - it’s not all grim. You feel a real connection to the characters. You root for them and care about them, making the transgressions against them that much more difficult.
I May Destroy You is available on Crave with the Movies + HBO add-on. Note that anyone who has survived sexual assault/harassment may find the content difficult.
The show wraps up its first season on Aug. 24. New episodes drop Mondays at 10 p.m.
Lower Decks below expectation
Star Trek: Lower Decks should be made for me. I like silly, animated comedies (The Simpsons). I like Star Trek, but the new animated series just isn’t working, at least not yet.
Available on Crave, with new episodes arriving every Thursday, Lower Decks follows crew members of the federation starship U.S.S. Cerritos who are at the lower end of the command hierarchy.
Rather than focusing on the captain and senior officers, which most Star Trek series do, Lower Decks highlights the folks that fix broken replicators and conduct the more mundane tasks in the final frontier.
It’s an interesting jumping-off point, and the Family Guy-style animation and humour has its moments, but there just isn’t a lot to grab onto.
An early highlight for me was Ensign Tendi, voiced by Noël Wells. She’s a true try-hard and her enthusiasm is infectious and hilarious.
There are a lot of clever references to Star Trek lore and the ridiculousness that comes from the genre. But it’s also a parody within the canon of Star Trek (this is an officially licensed Star Trek franchise) which means they’re making fun of themselves.
It’s a fine line for parody to track, and it’s commendable the austere series is taking itself a little less seriously, but other shows like The Orville just do a better job of it.
