Pop-Culturalist.com

To say we were blown away by Sweet/Vicious would be an extreme understatement. In a mere ten episodes, this series packed a serious punch – pun intended – and brought its A-game every single week. With its fearlessly honest story-telling and incredibly raw performances to its gifted cast, this badass series left us wanting more. We are very much rooting for a season two here at Pop Culturalist.

The season ended with multiple cliffhangers, Harris wanting to join team vigilante and Jules’ bright pink backpack being left at the scene of a crime to name a few, and it’s blatantly obvious there’s plenty of story left to tell. Not to mention Jules and Ophelia have turned their line of work into a calling card and will use social media to reach those who seek their help and expertise. They even have aesthetically pleasing envelopes to deliver to those who want to aid in the take-down of rapists on campus.

Basing an entire series around vigilantes, or vagilantes if you please, who seek vengeance and their own brand of justice against rapists on a college campus isn’t an easy sell. Sexual assault is often a taboo topic and most of the time people aren’t educated on the subject matter or avoid it entirely. Sweet/Vicious tackled this controversial subject matter head-on and did it with integrity, grit, and unwavering honesty. Jules, played with fearless eloquence by Eliza Bennett, was a rape-survivor but not once did she ever seem weak or willing to let this incident define her life. By going on this journey with Jules as she confronts her rapist Nate, a terrifyingly good portrayal by Dylan McTee, and then eventually informing her college of the events that took place, we got an inside look as what it’s like to experience this first-hand.

On the flipside, we also got to live this experience through the eyes of the people that are apart of Jules’ life. While what happened to Jules didn’t define her, it was the reason Ophelia, portrayed with a fiery realness by Taylor Dearden, was brought into her life. The two of them formed an instant bond when Ophelia saved Jules from Carter’s wrath after she found out about her extra-curricular activities. This was the catalyst for them to don masks and bring justice to those who were guilty of sexual assualt, which they excelled at as a team.

Enter into the picture Kennedy, played with immense amount of heart by Aisha Dee, who was Jules’ best friend and girlfriend to the man (we use that term loosely) who raped Jules at a frat party. Kennedy went from being in the dark about the incident to refusing to believe it to finally acceptance with deep regret for what transpired. Often times we’re so focused on the victim we forget that those around them have their own journey to go on, expecially in Kennedy’s case as she was so closely linked to the perpetrator. Believing her and Jules were drifting apart because of all the secrets and subsequent lies Jules was telling, it was hard for her to immediately believe what happened. When she finally heard Jules out, she fiercely stood by her side as she came forward about her attack and proved she was someone who always had Jules’ best interests at heart.

Jules’ also became cozy with adorable artist Tyler, played with a graceful nuance by Nick Fink, who happened to be the step-brother of Carter. The same Carter who Ophelia killed to protect Jules. Keeping this a secret from Tyler made for a rocky start for their courtship, as he was actively looking for Carter ever since he went missing, but eventually their chemistry was too undeniable. Though they had a short-lived romance until Tyler was informed of what transpired between Jules and Nate and came to realize that was why Jules had been keeping him at arms length. It’s not a topic that comes up in casual conversation and Jules wasn’t ready for Tyler to know until she came forward. Once Tyler was in-the-know, he was nothing but supportive of Jules and even took a swing at Nate. In that moment we all were Tyler.

Harris and Evan, Ophelia’s best friend and boyfriend respectively, were also effected by the events that transpired. Harris, played with infectious spunk by Brandon Mychal Smith, spent the better part of the season trying to unmask the vigilantes, to which he was successful. After learning his best friend and her partner-in-crime Jules were the ones wearing the masks, he ultimately decided he wanted to be their “Charlie”. Ophelia notes he’s more of a Bosley but seems more than happy to add him to her crime-fighting team.

At the end of the season Evan, portrayed with a sincere delightfulness by Stephen Friedrich, receives one of those oh-so-decorative envelopes (where do they find the time to make those?) as he showed concerned for a sexual assualt victim in Ophelia’s presence. This sets up so many possible storylines for Evan, all of which we would be eager to see should the series get greenlit for season two. Evan is a fan-favorite on the series and it’s very easy to see why with his fun-loving relationship with Ophelia, his good guy tendencies and his easy-going demeanor. More Evan is a very good thing for Sweet/Vicious.

This beautiful, powerful, emotional series may have slipped under the radar, but we here at Pop Culturalist were completely captivated by it and found it to be the best new series on television. Sweet/Vicious stars Eliza Bennett and Taylor Dearden were more than capable of leading it’s strong cast as Jules Thomas and Ophelia Mayer, and each supporting actor and actress played their respective roles with dignity and raw talent. We were able to connect with every well-rounded character on the series, allowing us to feel their joy and their pain. It’s rare to become deeply invested in characters with only having known them for a short 10 episodes, but Sweet/Vicious did this exceptionally well.

Whether the series gets picked up for a season two or not – fingers crossed! – we want to thank the cast and creators for a beautifully compelling new series that will always hold a special place in our hearts. All involved should be very proud of themselves for the work they’ve done and the lives they have touched. May we find the vagilante in all of us and never be afraid to stand up for ourselves and what’s right *You Don’t Own Me plays in the background*.

Photo Credit: MTV