Sweetpea introduces crimedy! The central sentence in this series is: 'people I want to kill'. Every episode starts with that sentence. Rhiannon (excellent role by Ella Purnell) is and feels invisible. She depends heavily on her father and dog. When both die under different circumstances, Rhiannon feels lonely. At work she feels a great distance from her colleagues. In her private life she just muddles along. When her greatest tormentor from the past comes her way again, her state of mind changes. The moment she breaks comes closer.
Sweetpea plays excellently with the striking eyes of Ella Purnell. They become even larger than they actually are. Her facial features become harder as her character lets go of all inhibitions. The shocking events follow each other quickly. The plot twists are incredibly fun. Clumsiness is given a central place. Coincidence also regularly helps out. The advantage of Sweetpea is that all the gruesome events are covered with a quirky humorous tone. It works because Ella knows how to manifest herself excellently in that. The monster also remains vulnerable and pitiful.
Sweetpea plays with themes such as bullying and revenge.
Rhiannon's relationships with other people are always marked by uncertainty. Her tormentor from the past is blamed for everything. Rightly or wrongly is no longer the question. Rhiannon has strong feelings for the wrong boy. He doesn't see her and has used her. Yet she keeps returning to him. When Rhiannon's transformation takes shape, the power relations are seen in a different light. When another boy comes into her life, she hardly notices him. It doesn't occur to her that someone likes her.
Sweetpea plays with themes such as bullying and revenge. Both have a central place. As Rhiannon increasingly manifests herself, she is also (logically) seen more. Sometimes too late. Her innocent appearance and the fact that she is small ensure that many people do not suspect her of anything. Those who do are not believed. It ensures that Rhiannon can do more than the average person. Still, the question is whether she will get away with everything. The end of this first season gives a fitting answer to that.
The approach makes Sweetpea an unusually fun series about murder and manslaughter. The recognizable British humor ensures that everything is exaggerated just a little bit more. What is normally unbelievable, now becomes exactly what you are laughing about in front of the television. Violence is not funny, but the circumstances that lead someone to commit gross violence can be portrayed in a humorous way.
The approach makes Sweetpea an unusually fun series about murder and mayhem.
However, the series also has a serious undertone. Bullying, the outbreak of violence and the behavior in the workplace are painfully highlighted. It ultimately makes Rhiannon who she is. Someone who needs revenge to come to terms with herself. Of course, the way in which she does this cannot be justified. The fact that you continue to do this for a long time because of the situation Rhiannon is in is actually striking. That is why Sweetpea is fun but confronting at the same time.
Luckily there will be a second season because this (ending) screams for more. Crimedy, crime and comedy at its best.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
