Viewers have hailed the finale of Michaela Coel’s acclaimed BBC series I May Destroy You as an “incredible” and “dazzling” masterpiece.
The 12-part drama, which is also currently airing on HBO in the United States, sees Coel, 32, present a nuanced exploration of issues such as sexual assault and consent.
I May Destroy You follows Arabella (played by Coel), a writer and social media star who is sexually assaulted after having her drink spiked on a night out.
The trauma of her assault sends shockwaves through her life in different ways, causing her and her friends to question grey areas in their previous relationships and sexual encounters.
Coel plays writer Arabella on the show (BBC/Various Artists Ltd and FALKNA/Laura Radford)
Coel previously revealed she was moved to write the series after she was sexually assaulted on a night out during the writing process of the second series of her Channel 4 show Chewing Gum. She discussed the incident when she delivered the McTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival in 2018.
The final episode, which aired on BBC One on Monday night, saw Arabella grappling with a number of different scenarios of confronting her attacker, before eventually processing her trauma in a healthier way.
Fans praised Coel’s finale as “extraordinary” and “moving” - and admitted that they would be left thinking about the episode for a long time to come.
Others hailed the “righteous anger” of her work and even described it as a “once in a generation” piece of television.
The series was also touted as a potential awards contender for next year.
I May Destroy You is available to stream on BBC iPlayer now.
