'I May Destroy You' Episode 3 Review: Why are people closest to Arabella so wary of her?
Spoilers for 'I May Destroy You' Episode 3 'Don't Forget the Sea'
With each passing episode, Michaela Coel's portrayal of consent and sexual assault gets darker, and yet somehow more relatable on her HBO/BBC One drama 'I May Destroy You'. Funny, provocative and rattling — the riveting story of London-based millennial writer Arabella (Coel) is constantly keeping its viewers on their toes. So right after accepting the possibility of being assaulted, why we are transported back to Italy three months ago is a curious thing indeed. Episode 3 titled 'Don't Forget the Sea' might seem like one of those flashback fillers, the significance of which can readily be estimated.
That is until we arrive at the end of the episode and unravel both Terry (Weruche Opia) and Biagio's (Marouane Zotti) feelings towards Arabella and suddenly we can understand a lot of things. We see Arabella is a different light where she is carefree and lively. The weight of deadlines isn't looming large on her either. But the episode also finally reveals those closest to Arabella are wary of her — be it jealousy or a general air of foreboding — and even though it's not immediately after she finds out she was raped, its significance reveals the true sentiments of others, her own history and party problems.
The episode kicks off all the way in Italy when Arabella was enjoying her writer's retreat and Terry had decided to pop by for a visit. The two girls decide to party hard and by hard we mean blackout level hard. They get down and dirty on the dance floor, indulging in drugs and alcohol alike, but there's something about Terry that doesn't quite seem right. At first it looks like she's keeping a secret. Something she's not comfortable telling Arabella about. But soon it turns to an air of insecurity she feels around Arabella, almost as if she's jealous. Leaving a drunk, inebriated, barely able to stand on her feet Arabella all alone to fend for herself, Terry leaves her at the pub after a while.
The obvious hint here is Terry talking about her struggles at getting an audition and bagging the role subsequently, thus revealing an air of jealousy for the immediate hit Arabella has become with her book deal. We are unsure if Arabella has gauged Terry's feelings yet, but if she has, she seems to be masking it quite well. It's a striking contrast to the real-time when back home, after the assault has happened and Arabella is finally drifting off to sleep, Terry claims she would have been there if Arabella had waited for her at the pub on the night of the assault and Arabella shoots back with "but you weren't there". The flashback explains why Terry felt so guilty and broken about what happened to Arabella and our fears about this being a pattern are finally addressed.
But Terry isn't the only one wary of Arabella's success. Back in Italy, right when Terry visits, Arabella is blooming a fling with Biagio — the lover we meet in the pilot and who has been calling her this far on and off. Biagio and Arabella meet through drugs and unlike the f***boy extraordinaire, commitment-phobic impression we get of him, in Episode 3 we see the depth to the man who, at his core, is terrified of Arabella's partying habits. We learn Arabella has lost her mother and sister to drug overdose, so for her to be taking it up, considering she isn't quite the person who can hold her ground when she 'parties hard', might be a little unnerving for Biagio, who peddles drugs as a means of livelihood. So it makes sense why he keeps his distance because Arabella can't seem to quit the insanity.
At this point, looks like Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) is the only one not entirely afraid or jealous of Arabella and his approach to her trauma and support afterward seems without any ulterior motive. He is probably the only one around Arabella without complaints or demands, but right now might be too early to judge, considering what the flashback reveals about Terry and Biagio. But before we strip down Kwame's intentions, a special nod goes to the very explicit and honest portrayal of period sex in the history of TV, that Coel's dark comedy brings out.
After that night out with Terry, Arabella hooks up with Biago, whom she's met earlier that very same day. Before they get to sex, Arabella tells him she's on her period and Biagio, unfazed and cool as a cucumber, even helps her with the tampon with peculiar curiosity in the bloody mess. The episode also shows Arabella dispose of a used sanitary napkin and to think how far we have come as primetime television from the fake blue liquids on hushed up commercials to this vivid red and uninhibited essay is remarkable and groundbreaking. But then again, such is the brand of Michaela Coel.
'I May Destroy You' airs every Monday at 9pm only on HBO.