The End of the F***ing World

The End of the F***ing World T

he End of the F***ing World is a British black comedy-drama television programme. The eight-part first series premiered its first episode on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2017, after which the following episodes were released on All 4. Netflix handled international distribution and released it internationally on 5 January 2018. The programme follows James (Alex Lawther), a 17-year-old who believes himself to be a psychopath, and Alyssa (Jessica Barden), an angry classmate who sees in James a chance to escape

from her tumultuous home life.

Cast and characters Alex Lawther

as James

A 17-year-old who believes he is a psychopath; the disturbed love interest of Alyssa.

Jessica Barden

as Alyssa

A rebellious teenage girl. Initially James’s intended victim but later his love interest.

Naomi Ackie

as Bonnie

A love interest of Clive Koch. She believes that James and Alyssa murdered Clive out of spite, and is determined to take revenge on the pair (series 2)

Christine Bottomley

as Gwen

Alyssa's mother (Season 1)

Steve Oram

as Phil

James's father (Season 1)

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he first series began filming in April 2017 and wrapped up a few weeks before the show’s release in October 2017.

Although filmed in the UK, the show has an American tone; Entwistle was inspired by Twin Peaks and Fargo. The series was mainly filmed in the suburbs and across Surrey in locations including Guildford Bus Station, Camberley’s Square Shopping Centre, Woking and Longcross Studios. There are also some scenes in Bracknell, Berkshire. Another filming location was at Lethdown-on-Sea on the Isle of Sheppey.

Entwistle mostly uses close-ups, especially in the early episodes where most of the scenes have only one character. He delivers deadpan humor by filming

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eries is set in the modern day, but Entwistle aims to feel like it could be set “anytime between 1988 and 2006”. Plus, the restaurant has a 1970s-inspired design and the soundtrack includes songs from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, as well as original music from Blur founding member Graham Coxon. Entwistle described Coxon’s soundtrack as “guitar-based suburban noir”, noting that more of his music was used for the cops in later episodes.

Premise J

ames is a 17-year-old who believes he is a psychopath. He kills animals as a hobby, but grows bored with the practice. He decides he wants to try killing a human. He settles on Alyssa; a mouthy, rebellious 17-year-old classmate with issues of her own. She proposes they run away together, hoping for an adventure away from her turbulent home-life, and James agrees with the intention of finding an opportunity to kill her.

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hey embark on a road trip across England and begin to develop a relationship after a series of mishaps. However, in series two they grow distant and Alyssa proposes to another man. But someone thirsty for revenge for what they did hunts them down, bringing them together once again.

Synopsis

Season one

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ames 17-year-old considers himself an out-and-out psychopath who has killed many small animals. When he met Alisa, a rebellious new classmate, he decided to kill her. Alisa had a good impression of James, and James also pretended to like Alisa, so the two began to date. James originally planned to make a move on the date, but was accidentally delayed. Alisa, who couldn’t stand her stepfather, wanted to escape the small town where she grew up, and James decided to go with her. The two experienced wind and rain together on the way to elope, and their relationship gradually warmed up.

Season two

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urvived the shooting and was not convicted of murder but was given a suspended sentence for other crimes. Then, Alyssa’s mother Wenger forced him to write a breakup letter.

After his father’s sudden death, James lived in his car with his father’s ashes. After receiving death threats, he decided to make sure Alisa was safe. Alisa now works in a small country town and is already planning a wedding. Although she also received a death threat letter, after discussing it with James, Alisa didn’t take it to heart. On the day of the wedding, James drives away alone, but on the road he meets Alyssa who escaped from marriage. So the two embarked on an elopement journey together again.

Production T

he series is adapted from the work of the same name by Charles Forsman. Originally self-published as a mini-comic series, the series was published by Fantagraphics Books in 2013 as a graphic novel. Republished in hardcover in 2017 in anticipation of a TV series.

When Forsman was publishing the mini-comic, Jonathan Entwistle approached him about adapting it to a visual format—the initial idea was to make an American film, then a web series was considered. A film was pitched to Film4 and Entwistle was awarded short film funding. Produced in 2014, it features some of the cast and crew continuing their roles in the TV series. Entwistle directs and Dominic Buchanan produces; Jessica Barden as Alisa. However, instead of Alex Lowther, James was played by Craig Roberts.Despite the short’s popularity, no production company was willing to invest in the idea as a full-length film. Entwistle and Buchanan decided to team up with Clerkenwell Films for a TV series,

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n the print, the pair killed a satanic serial killer whose wife was a police officer; instead, the TV series featured cops Eunice Noon and Teri Darego and didn’t show the serial killer as a Satanist. Another major difference is the graphic novel’s ending: Satan teaches the cops to chase James, and the two start attacking each other, while the cops try to stop the fight. Then there is a gunshot. In the final scene, Alyssa’s mother talks about her daughter being safe from James, and Alyssa has the name “James” etched on her arm. Some critics have interpreted this to mean that James is dead, but Forssman sees the ending as ambiguous.

Critical response O

n Metacritic, the series has an overall score of 77 out of 100 based on reviews from 21 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”. The first series has a score of 81 out of 100 from 12 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”. The second series has a score of 71 out of 100, indicating “generally favorable reviews” from nine critics.

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he overall approval rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes is 93%. The first series has an approval rating of 96% based on 51 reviews and an average rating of 8.38/10. The site’s consensus is that “disgust and humor blend beautifully in this romantically nihilistic show that proves that falling in love can feel like the end of the world.”

The second series has a 91% approval rating based on 34 reviews and an average rating of 7.64 /10. The site’s consensus was that Season 2 of “What the Fucking End of the World” lacked in urgency, but it made up for it in character development, delving into the protagonist’s darkest folds of memory and emerging a sense of A darkly entertaining meditation on love and trauma. “

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HR reviewer Daniel Feberg praised the show’s writing, characters and score, and praised the performances of Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden, calling it a “British import.” An eight-episode black comedy gem”.

Kelly Lawler of USA TODAY called it “crazy fun,” praising Lowther and Bardem’s performances while praising the show’s surreal concept and execution.