'I May Destroy You' Episode 5 Preview: How will Biagio handle Arabella's assault?
Hooking up or not, Arabella (Michaela Coel) has been constantly craving Biagio's (Marouane Zotti) attention. It's a little odd that someone of her level of cognitive wokeness would be so desperately into an Italian drug dealer she had a momentary fling with, but c'est la vie. It is finally time for Arabella to open up about her tribulations since the Italian rendezvous to the one man she has been somewhat serious with, or so suggests the synopsis for Episode 5 of 'I May Destroy You' titled 'It Just Came Up.'
That Biagio hasn't always been boyfriend material — or even prospective study friends-with-benefits material is not secret, which is what adds to the concerns surrounding how he might react to Arabella's assault. And the impact of it on her road to overcoming the trauma. According to the official synopsis of the episode, "The day finds Arabella reassessing a sexual encounter with Zain (Karan Gill) and, following a promising new lead in the investigation, opening up to Biagio about her assault." While we aren't quite sure what the circumstances of her opening up might be, or even why she would be opening up to him at all, the scene opens up a lot of possibilities.
First of all, it could be a stepping stone for Arabella and Biagio's relationship. While the two don't make sense, the heart wants what it wants, and given that Biagio was sensible enough to accompany Arabella home in her inebriated state, something tells us he might not be all that terrible at handling the situation, thus unlocking a new level in their whatever-ship.
At the same time, things could go horribly wrong. Considering how Coel's dramedy evaluates the several nuances of consent and gauges the various ways it can be broken. Biagio not entirely coming clean about his stand on period sex waves a teeny tiny red flag about what else he might be ready to lie about just to get in her pants. He could pretend to be faux-nice and offer her comfort only for his own subsequent pleasure and the last thing Arabella needs right now is to be taken advantage of her vulnerability.
It should be noted how restrained Arabella has been about her assault as she processes the trauma. She doesn't even want to discuss it with her therapist, let alone fully admit she was raped. And while we can't blame her for choosing to go on about her day as if this never happened, there's no denying that she is on the brink of a breakdown should another incident like Zain's stealthing were to repeat. Let's just hope Biagio decides to be a wise man and not pull a total d*ck-move on Arabella when she voluntarily opens up to him about something so personal and excruciatingly traumatic.
'I May Destroy You' airs on Mondays at 9 pm on HBO.