IR TV Review: SWEETPEA - EPISODE 6 (“Life 2.0”) [Starz]
The progression of a story of power can move in interesting ways depending on the necessities of the character. With the character of Rhiannon in "Sweetpea," Ella Purnell is playing against the notion of a wallflower who likely honestly believes she is on the side of right. Like DFENS played by Michael Douglas in "Falling Down", this truth is at fault because of the character’s sociopathic tendencies but it highlights a unique perspective of what happens when reality takes a break. Over the six episodes, Purnell builds up the decisions that her character makes but she is able to move back and forth. A few times, especially in basement scenes with her high school nemesis Julia, you can see the light behind her eyes go out. While it does work for most of the show, in the season finale "Life 2.0", the intention of survival does skirt the line because of her reasoning. While the point of affectation is completely valid, it almost seems like going over the edge, which is probably part of the point.
The idea that hubris or ego is now taking over brings to bear another aspect of the character which begins to be meglomania or the aspect of indestructability. The one aspect of the final episode of the season revolves around if Rhiannon is still being manipulated or played, even when she thinks she is in control. An opposing police detective who herself is being pigeonholed and shut into a corner actually opens up another avenue for perspective depending how far down that path the showrunners want to go if a second season is greenlit.
There is an ultimate irony that might come to bear and is alluded to in the finale, which doesn't tie up the loose ends on purpose. While not as engaging as the middle episodes which still show Rhiannon wrangling with her calling, the details that are brought to bear shows how far she is from the wallflower but also it shows her throwing away the very things that kept her even remotely grounded. That her instinct completely takes over in some of the wrong ways is what interestingly enough takes away her empathy when she loses the ability to reason. "Sweetpea" is an interesting take on the serial killer genre because Rhiannon is messy, compulsive, broken, strategic, instinctual but also reflective which is an interesting mix for any character. B
By Tim Wassberg
