Our nation has a seemingly insatiable appetite for murder-themed media. Following in the wake of the true crime boom, best-selling books turned TV adaptations about killers (The Perfect Couple, Apples Never Fall) are having a big moment. But there’s nothing out there like Sweetpea – the new six-part Sky Original, adapted from the 2017 release of the same name by CJ Skuse.
The small screen version serves as a prequel or origin story of sorts to the book series, of which there are six in total. It is part thriller, part rom-com, part fantasy – undefinable in genre, but simply brilliant TV.
The show starts with Ella Purnell (star of Sweetbitter, Yellowjackets, Fallout) reading out her character Rhiannon Lewis’s ‘kill list’, while she sits unassumingly on a bus. You know the drill: you mentally recite the names and reasons people in your life deserve to die at your hands. On Rhiannon’s list are: the condescending, sexist boss, who calls her Sweetpea. The colleague who uses her as a human coat rack. And the school bully who “ruined her life.” So far, so relatable, right?!
Working as the admin assistant at a newspaper, Rhiannon feels invisible, overlooked and her personal life is no better – the guy she slept with will only reply to her in emojis for starters. Then after multiple tragedies occur in her family in fast succession, the show accelerates into what’s the creators describe as a ‘coming of rage’ story. Rhiannon’s grief and dissatisfaction are channelled into finding what she calls her ‘roar’ (it was her dad’s last request to her, so she is duty bound).
It’s taken quite literally when she does a not-half-bad performance of the Katy Perry hit at pub karaoke, but also in the fact she goes on to do some truly grisly and very calculated things, mostly with a sharp knife. Grief is a wild ride, but this is something else.
The casting feels ironic considering how beguiling Purnell is – you can’t take your eyes off her and her doe-like ones. But as the show progresses, her innocent face proves very useful in masking her dark side.
Leaning more into fantasy, or giving Rhiannon the feel of a comic book anti-hero, is the fact that as her behaviour gets more evil, she is imbued with more and more confidence. And it doesn’t take long for her to get the attention she’s never had: climbing the career ladder; finally being chased by the guy she fancies (perfectly cast as John Pointing of Big Boys and Queenie). But as she also in turn gets more and more complacent, we’re left asking, can she get away with murder?
In stories published prior to the series’ release, based on the trailer, Purnell’s Rhiannon has been called the female Patrick Bateman. But that would be to underestimate Purnell’s range – she manages to make serial killing *almost* relatable. And it is a very British psycho story in so far as it never gets too bleak, thanks to the dead-pan humour.
A lot of what allows the show to propel forward is the fact that no one suspects Rhiannon. But the show also leans into stereotypes about murderers and bleaker truths about the real world: that late at night when some of the crime is happening, women have cause to be in fear and are almost always the victim, not the perpetrator.
Mention also needs to go to the ying to Rhiannon’s yang: Marina the junior detective (played brilliantly by Leah Harvey) who has her own starring episode. She has her very own kill list, is also overlooked, but is the only one who seems to have good instincts about what’s really going on in the town. The mirroring of the two characters reinforces both of their humanity and relatability, but also proves that everyone has two sides: Jekyll and Hyde.
The show also delves into some ambitious themes related to trauma, looking at the two sides of the story from Rhiannon and Julia (Nicôle Lecky), her high school tormentor turned successful real-estate star. There are some real a-ha moments about what it means get revenge, be redeemed and what it means to be a victim and a bully.
Fans of The End of The F***ing World will love it for this cocktail, while it would also make a good follow up to binging Heartstopper (both are produced by Zorana Piggott), because bizarre as it sounds: it has the feel of a comfort watch – at least what the murder podcast generation would consider one. Though it’s worth a watch for Purnell’s performance alone. She manages to be endearing and wickedly funny, all while taking us inside the mind of a killer. She is truly one to watch.
