Another catch up on a bit of Netflix that I watched pre lockdown, based on Charles Forsman’s graphic novels. I watched this quirky gem hard on the back of the very enjoyable I Am Not OK With This, which is like a wee American cousin to this British set drama, with a dark humour vein running right to the heart.
James is a self confessed psychopath, with no friends or family he really cares about, and no direction in life, until he meets the equally damaged Alyssa, who displays the foulest mouth in the north, and a slight tendency to nymphomania. They hit the road as the perfect pair of misfits, commiting crimes for the sake of pure amusement as they journey to find through each other who they really are.
There are some very inventive storytelling techniques going on here in both 8 episode seasons. It looks and plays like a Hollywood teen film, but with the edge and open boundaries a Netflix show can afford these days. The perfectly cast Alex Lawther, who I know from Black Mirror, is wonderfully awkward and troubled; mild mannered and polite, shy even, but with a very sinister undertone that is always mere moments away from bursting out.
The kudos here though belongs to the extraordinary charm of Jessica Barden as Alyssa. At first acting out for attention, she lives on a whim and does whatever comes into her head, regardless of the consequences. Her swearing mixed with the northern accent is both artful and hilarious. But underneath it is a performance of pain and vulnerability that makes you fall in love with her and want to protect her as much as James does.
It’s about two people so broken they don’t function alone, but together they can shine. A Bonnie and Clyde love story, with UK accents and a John Hughes with bad language vibe. It works well enough to keep you going episode to episode and has moments of true genius that pop up amongst the endless tropes and references to other teen iconography. It pays homage like a Tarantino film, in a very post-modern way, to so many sources, but always retains enough style and originality to be it’s own thing.
I wouldn’t want to get too carried away with recommending it to everyone, it does have a fairly disposable feel to it ultimately, but I would say it is totally worth a look, if only for Barden. For sure, I’ll be keeping an eye on her career from here on. She genuinely deserves a shot at the big time. I hope she gets it. Cast in the right roles, she could be a very bright star indeed.
Only the two seasons, which is actually about right. A third would seem a bit of a stretch, especially how S2 ended. With seasons in 2017 and 2019, it isn’t beyond reality to think a 3rd season in 2021 must be tempting, but if I was part of the creative team I’d be tempted to leave it where it is; twisted, damaged, short and sweet.
8/10
The Wasteland 