'I May Destroy You' Episode 6: Is Theo a villian or a victim? Fans are 'terrified' for Arabella
Spoilers for 'I May Destroy You' Episode 6 The Alliance
A White girl falsely accusing a Black guy of rape in high school for vengeance sounds vicious. But despite the conniving tactics of Theodora aka Theo (Harriett Webb), viewers are honestly confused about whether to actually label her the demon for her 'terrifying' true intentions with Arabella (Michaela Coel) or still be doubtful of whether she was the real villain or just a victim.
Theo enters the story as the person running the support group Arabella joins. The two have a murky past with Theo accusing Arabella's friend Ryan of raping her at knifepoint and somehow Terry (Weruche Opia) sided with her, dragging her own friend's name through the mud when these allegations sprung. Ryan was eventually acquitted of all charges as Theo's allegations were found to be false and while that makes her quite villainous, fans are torn about the way Theo's mother manipulated into slamming similar allegations on her father to gain full custody of Theo.
All these years later, when Theo becomes a survivor's support group leader, it's natural that fans would be shocked further. Not just that, Arabella voluntarily opting to attend her meetings knowing full well about her lies raises more than just a few eyebrows. But Theo was also a victim of manipulation where she probably learnt the only way to get your way with a man is to falsely accuse him of a heinous crime.
So when Ryan refused her advances and dabbled in passing compromising photos of Theo around for fun, she thought it best to hit him where it would damage the most. Of course, we don't get to see how Ryan's life turned out to be in the future, and since Theo's immediate future saw her dealing with leaked compromising photos, prominent name-calling and even being offered money for sex, it's understandable why fans are having a hard time nailing the coffin about how to feel about her.
"Did anyone else see that Theo though she cried rape & made racist slur, was victim to rape culture (the pics w/o consent, name calling, money offered)? Also victim of emotional abuse from mum at home," noted a fan on Twitter. Another shared: "I wonder if she would have cried wolf if he hadn't tried to take the photos and treat her in the way he did. But as you say it was the photo that saved him, and turned him into a hero instead of being called out as a pervert."
A third viewer also pointed out: "It's mad cos as a character I don't like Theo yet the teen pack mentality of defend the #alliance rather than calling out the young lad's dirtbag tricks of passing the pics around? Rape culture starts early and grows if not challenged."
But fans rushing to Theo's defense wasn't the only reaction after Episode 6. "That sinister looks Theo gave Bella. Yo! That story telling device with playing the same scene again. But now with context, for us to really see how long she stares at Arabella & thinking out what must be running thought her mind. My chest! Both terrified and confused," tweeted a fan about Theo's kindness towards Arabella.
We don't know if Theo welcoming her into the group is for some sick twisted mode of revenge for Arabella taking Ryan's side and slamming her crying wolf all those years ago, but Theo isn't the nicest person here either. She evidently has an ulterior motive and fans are terrified for what it might entail for Arabella's future. "This most recent #IMayDestroyYou has f***ed my head completely, who really knows what Theo's true intentions are omg," another said.
'I May Destroy You' airs on Mondays at 9 pm only on HBO.