When the pair of teenage girls at the centre of First Kill have their first kiss – at a house party during a game of “Spin the Bottle” – their chaotic groping causes a jar of candy-red maraschino cherries to shatter across the floor. Juliette, played by Sarah Catherine Hook, is a young vampire who needs to drain a human’s blood to complete her transition to adulthood. Calliope – a slayer played by Imani Lewis – needs to stake her first bloodsucker to earn her family’s approval. The cherries are either a portentous metaphor or a vague innuendo. Or maybe someone just noticed them in a Netflix prop closet and thought it would look cool.
Since First Kill debuted earlier this month, the series has climbed to No 3 on the streamer’s global rankings (in some countries, such as South Africa, it’s No 1). On social media, fans have been organising viewing parties and rewatch sessions in the hope of pushing this camp supernatural drama toward a season two renewal. It’s that popular.
