It is officially winter on Northwestern’s campus, and if you are anything like me, this frigid weather is an excuse to curl up in bed and binge a new Netflix show. Even though the fan-favorite Gossip Girl is leaving Netflix, you are in luck because season two of The End of the F***ing World is out. If you didn’t watch season one, stop reading this article and watch it NOW. Season two will surely put you in your feels and maybe make you feel like a sad boi, but if you were into season one, you are in for a major treat.
Recap:
Before I jump into my gushing review of season two, we need a quick recap of season one. We have Alyssa and James, our two protagonists who go on a whirlwind journey of discovering themselves in the midst of teenage troubles, hormones, family problems and just sheer angst. The two bond over their bitter home lives and fragile mental health and decide to run away. They hit the road in James’ father’s beat-up car, which clearly develops into a symbol for their relationship. Along their road trip, they get into trouble, to say the least. They are involved in a murder – the murder of Clive Koch, a university professor-meets-psychopath-meets-rapist. After the killing, Alyssa and James are on the run, facing the impending dread of imprisonment and separation from each other. Oh and let’s not forget the major cliffhanger at the end of season one when James is shot! Yeah, he literally gets shot! This experience of fear bonds Alyssa and James for life and continues to haunt them both into season two.
Part 2:
Season two brings with it an entire new load of baggage. The first episode fills us in on what happened to James and Alyssa during the hiatus, featuring montages of James in the hospital recovering and Alyssa meeting a new man and getting married. It seems like the two are doing alright, I mean as alright as they can be post-extreme trauma. That is until they receive bullets with their names inscribed on them. Who could these be from? These warning bullets are from Bonnie, a new character who is absolutely psychotic. She was a student of Clive Koch as well as his lover. Her ultimate goal is to seek vengeance on Alyssa and James for killing Koch, but her reasoning is all wrong. She doesn’t know about Koch’s sorted past and convinces herself that Alyssa and James are killers, when in reality they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. While Bonnie is a psychopathic, love-sick, young girl, her character reunites James and Alyssa and without her, our two soulmates would still be drifting apart.
Season two overlays the journeys of Alyssa, James and Bonnie and the paths they have to take to all end up together, complete with another murder, a wedding, car-jacking and so much more. While this season is definitely not as sentimental as season one, it carries some strong messages and political undertones that make this season feel heavier than season one. Definitely worth a watch, just don’t expect the same mushy-gushy loveliness from season one.