'I May Destroy You' Episode 3 Preview: Terry feels guilty about leaving Arabella alone that night but why?
As Arabella (Michaela Coel) finally comes to realize and accept what might have been done to her the night she can't somehow manage to piece together, we see two sides of her support group. There's the calm and collected Kwame (Paapa Essiedu), like a pillar of strength walking around with her, literally by her side as she makes her statement to the police. And then there's Terry (Weruche Opia), who sounds like somehow Arabella's woes once again got the best of her life's tragedies.
At the end of the episode, a very frustrated Terry cries out that she wishes she was with Arabella the night she got assaulted, thus sparking a curiosity of this guilt. Do we find out if it's a pattern or is it just to gain sympathy?
After a long day of trying to piece the events of the night together, Arabella finally decides to report her blurry visions of a man violently thrusting inside a toilet cubicle. She thinks she can lead the police to help someone who was actually assaulted. This is after she sought Simon's (Aml Ameen) help on how the night ended, but he evaded, expectedly, to avoid his wife finding out about his affair. So Arabella decides to report to the authorities and is eventually led to the possibility that the victim she had set out to save, was actually her.
Arabella's mandatory rape kit exam reveals bruises on her pelvis and knees, along with the cut on her forehead, and soon it is confirmed that she was raped. When she returns home after a whole day of not being able to sleep, Kwame is by her side, again. But this time, they are joined by Terry too, whom Arabella — dazed and exhausted from her ordeal — still asks how her audition went.
Terry seems dismissive, but not without an air of trying to cover up her tracks. This immediate guilt piques the interest; why would she feel so terrible about not being with her fully grown friend who parties frequently? It's either Terry feels bad for failing as a friend, or clearly this defensive retort comes from a place of self-pity, where she feels others might accuse her of being a bad friend.
It's no secret that Arabella's flourishing career overshadows her struggles as an actress, and over the last two weeks we have also seen the show explore her individual arc beyond Arabella, so maybe now it's time to flaw her down and flesh the character out by making her the not so godsend friend she seems to be. And that's something we can look forward to unfolding next.
'I May Destroy You' airs every Monday at 9 pm on HBO.