Should You Try It: Sweetpea on Starz

We’re in October, so it makes sense that we’re starting to get Spooky Season content. That even extends to new series making their debut this month. But what of these series is worth checking out? Let this series do the work for you as we give you all the information needed to know if a series is right for you. Today, it’s a spooky series debuting on Starz.

Series: Sweetpea

Where to Find It: The pilot is now streaming on Starz, with subsequent episodes dropping Thursdays.

What’s It About: The series is an adaptation of the novel of the same name from CJ Skuse. It was developed by Sky Atlantic, making its debut in the U.K. at the same time as it debuted in America on Starz. The series stars Ella Purnell as a woman who is going through a really rough time.

Rhiannon (Purnell) is bitter. She makes mental lists of the people she’d like to kill. It includes those rude to her on the train, the co-workers who treat her badly or don’t see her at all, and the bullies from high school who made her life hell. When her father dies, she’s in the midst of grief, too. In the aftermath, her sister Seren (Alexandra Dowling) makes it worse by declaring she’s selling the family home—where Rhiannon currently lives.

Pushed further and further toward a breaking point, Rhiannon is forced to take stock of her life. She tries to follow her father’s advice to stand up for herself and be more assertive, but that takes a surprisingly dark turn.

You Should Try It If: You’re a fan of mini-series, a fan of darker stories, or a fan of Purnell.

One Man’s Opinion of Sweetpea

I think we’ve all had a moment of frustration where we felt like we could kill someone who wronged us. But what happens if those moments keep piling up? What happens if they’re combined with a string of losses that leave us feeling helpless and alone along with frustrated and full of rage. Well, we might end up a little bit like Rhiannon.

We’ve seen series before where the protagonist isn’t a good person, per se. That’s the case here. We spend most of the pilot building sympathy for Rhiannon, who is trod upon by nearly everyone in her life. We see her pushed further and further to the brink until, naturally, she snaps. That’s where the pilot leaves us—and where the series takes off.

This feels like something of a female twist on Dexter. Whether it goes that far remains to be seen. But Purnell is a captivating lead who holds your attention throughout the pilot. The series is six episodes, making for a short commitment. I’m curious to see where it goes, and the pilot did a good enough job of building the world to make me interested in seeing more.