Today is the day, the first post in my new feature #CurrentlyWatching is going live and I am so excited to share this show with you. I know a lot of you expected Emerald City to go up first, because I’ve been obsessing over it for weeks, but I’ve only watched 3 episodes, so I felt like it was too early. Anyway, to get back to the matter at hands, I will first talk a little about the feature in general and then about the show.
#CurrentlyWatching is going to be a weekly regular on the blog from now on, in which I showcase a TV show of my own choosing. I want to empathize that not all shows will be suitable for all people. Just because I am saying that I love a show, does not mean you should necessarily watch it, which is why I divided the post in two parts. If by the end you are still not sure whether this is for you or not, I will be more than happy to discuss in the comments!

Now, Sweet/Vicious – I feel like it is not a show that is very present in people’s minds (hence why I want to share it with you). MTV has done such a great job with their original programming lately and Sweet/Vicious is no exception. Having gotten a 10-episode-order (each lasting about 40-something minutes), it is about to finish its first season in two weeks time. But enough of the factual blabla, what is it about?

Jules, a former quirky sorority girl, was raped by her best friend’s boyfriend. Not having gotten the support of the authorities that she had hoped for and scared to talk about it with the people closest to her, she tries to deal with the matter by herself. Finding a partner in crime in her new acquaintance, Ophelia, they avenge girls who have been assaulted by becoming wannabe vigilantes and taking revenge on the guys themselves.

I did not expect MTV to take on such a heavy topic and to do it well in the process. I know it sounds like a dreadful thing to watch, but they sparked it with humour, without ridiculing the situation. They don’t take themselves too seriously and it helps. Although I could do without some of the violence at times, it soon becomes clear that it’s only a minor part of the show and gets less with each episode as Jules is trying to find a way to cope with what happened to her.

Most shows that cover assault stories focus on the legal and criminal aspects but not so much on the emotional journey of the victim before/during/after what happened. Bit by bit Sweet/Vicious uncovers what happened to Jules and they do it in an unfortunately very realistic way. The build up to the flashback episode that shows what actually took place and the way it was handled by people who should know better and who should also do better simply broke me. I just felt so much rage and despair, while the same episode was able to make me swoon and laugh. It really is both, sweet and vicious.

Ultimately the show unabashedly portrays today’s rape culture, but also shines a light on the importance of friendship, family and even love. The characters are badass, witty, sassy, empowering and relatable. Jules (Eliza Bennett) is stronger than anyone would have suspected at first glance and Ophelia (Taylor Dearden) is fiercly loyal despite her commitment-phobia. They make mistakes too, they are far from perfect, but the show clearly states that there are consequences. I just love everyone’s performance and how much they’ve grown on me in this short amount of time.

There are a lot of secrets that might still come out, friendships that are in peril, love that may not survive everything and wounds that will need more time to heal. I, for one, cannot wait to see how this pans out and hope that it will get renewed.

I am going to keep this section short. Despite the topic being a very important one, I would not blame anyone if they said that it wasn’t for them. In fact, the show put several trigger warnings and disclaimers before some of their episode, because they are well aware that it might be upsetting to some viewers. So, I would not recommend you watch this show if you are uncomfortable with one or more of the following themes: assault, rape, violence, foul language, excessive drug and alcohol consumption.

So, that was it for today’s post and I am already trying to determine what I’ll talk about next Friday. Do you think you’d watch Sweet/Vicious now or not?