Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘The End of The Fu***ing World’

REVIEW: ‘The End of The Fu***ing World’

Charles HartfordBy Charles Hartford11/17/20196 Mins ReadUpdated:04/15/2023
The End of The
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The End of The

Content Warning: The End of The Fu***ing World covers issues of abuse, sexual assault, and suicide.

We all have that one aspect of storytelling that just puts us off. Whether it’s graphic violence, too much profanity, or crude humor. For me, though it’s a sense of discomfort within a scene. Awkward social situations are my bane. And viewing others try desperately to navigate those social waters, and failing miserably, is something I usually cannot push myself through. The End of The Fu***ing World season two, much like its previous season, is overflowing with the uncomfortable. Yet I couldn’t stop watching. James and Alyssa (played by Alex Lawther and Jessica Barden) play their characters so perfectly and sell the pain, discomfort, and turmoil each endured throughout the season that I had to keep watching. To stop would be to abandon them. And they have had far too much to deal with for me to do that.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The End of The Fu***ing World season two picks up two years after season one after the events of the first season. James and Alyssa haven’t seen each other since the events on the beach that capped season one. The intervening two years have not been kind to either of them. As both emotional and physical scars refuse to heal for the troubled duo. And that’s before Bonnie(played by Naomi Ackie) shows up to make everyone’s life even more tumultuous.

You see Bonnie came from an extremely abusive family. Her mother was determined she would be what she perceived as perfect. And when she failed to live up to those standards she was punished harshly. In one scene Bonnie’s mother Forces Bonnie to eat a stick of lipstick. Because according to her, “Only w***es wear lipstick.” Her terror of her mother is palpable. She eventually finds herself at university where she meets one Professor Clive Koch(played by Jonathan Aris).

Bonnie quickly becomes infatuated with him. And sadly, due to her atrocious home life, is unable to perceive how horribly he is treating her. He is lying, manipulative, and makes her feel like scum for so much as questioning him. When Bonnie sees another woman at his home with him she confronts, albeit in the timidest way possible.

When Koch tells her the girl is threatening him with false scandal Bonnie takes it upon herself to kill the girl. This act lands Bonnie in prison. And that is where she is when James and Alyssa came across Koch’s house during season one of The End of The Fu***ing World. And all she knows is that James and has been accused of killing her boyfriend. Without any knowledge of the truth about him.

One of the most striking aspects of The End of The Fu***ing World season two is how it uses perception to show how extraordinarily different the world can appear to different people. While Bonnie’s past is the most striking example of this it is even more amply expressed in one of the key mechanics of the show’s storytelling. James and Alyssa’s numerous internal monologues.

Both James and Alyssa struggle with expressing themselves. Outwardly Alyssa comes off as cold, and rather uncaring. James just comes off as awkward, and maybe even a bit dumb. But through their internal monologues, we get to fully understand what truly goes on inside them. How much each simply doesn’t know how to properly express themselves. They feel a lot more than they often let on. Understanding these struggles makes the emotional moments come through all the stronger. There are times when Alyssa breaks through her distance she’ll to truly be there for someone. These acts of genuine kinds become all the greater for the characters involved. As not only do you understand how important it is to the recipient, but you also understand what it means to Alyssa herself to come through and make herself vulnerable enough to show these feelings.

The End of The Fu***ing World season two never pulls any punches either. There are scenes of violence, sexual misconduct, the drugging of a woman with the intent to rape her, and suicide. None of this is done for shock value. Every painful moment is used to show how dark, terrifying, and traumatic life can really be. As trauma after trauma piles upon the characters, you come to sympathize more and more with them.

You understand how Bonnie could meet a man like Koch and think he truly loved her. It’s easier to understand why Alyssa has built a wall of venom around herself for protection. Why James just seems so scared. And why they both seem to go together so well. They have seen who each other truly are and they feel safe with each other. And that is are a rare gift in this world.

While I feel the story told in The End of The Fuing World season two is nearly flawless in its execution it certainly isn’t for everyone. As previously stated, uncomfortable scenes abound, and the content and message may be too much for some audiences to handle. It is also a fairly slow burn. As the inevitable confrontation, the plot builds to is sidetracked again and again by circumstances that would be farcical in most settings. Yet within the confines of The End of The Fuing World Season Two, they are simply the struggles that are continually perpetrated upon our hapless protagonists.

The last note I will give on The End of The Fu***ing World season two concerns the manner in which one views it. While watching it anyway one can will do, I can not recommend binging this program enough. While it amplifies the discomfort throughout the show, it also heightens the payoff. When I reached the end after watching the final six episodes back to back(there are eight in total) the impact of the final two scenes was immense. I felt like both the characters and I, had earned the ending we got.

When I rate media I ask myself how well does this program succeeds at doing what it set out to do. Looking at it in that light I feel The End of The Fu***ing World season two is a near-flawless masterpiece. It, like most art, will not be for everyone. But it is definitely worth a look. And with so much big-name content like Watchmen, His Dark Materials, and The Mandolorian coming out right now it would be a shame if this beautiful, tragic, and soul-searching piece of television was allowed to fly under the radar.

The End of The Fu***ing World season two is available now exclusively on Netflix.

The End of The Fu***ing World Season 2
  • 10/10
    Rating - 10/10
10/10

TL;DR

When I rate media I ask myself how well does this program succeed at doing what it set out to do. Looked at in that light I feel The End of The Fu***ing World season two is a near flawless masterpiece.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ Season 1, Episode 2 – “The Read-Thru”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Klaus’ Will Put You in The Holiday Spirit
Charles Hartford
  • X (Twitter)

Lifelong geek who enjoys comics, video games, movies, reading and board games . Over the past year I’ve taken a more active interest in artistic pursuits including digital painting, and now writing. I look forward to growing as a writer and bettering my craft in my time here!

Related Posts

Better Late Than Single
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Better Late Than Single’ Is More Than the Name Suggests

08/03/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 still from Apple TV+
8.0

REVIEW: Foundation Season 3 Episode 4 — “The Stress of Her Regard”

08/02/2025
Lerato Mvelase in Marked (2025)
9.0

REVIEW: Moral Dilemmas Battle It Out In ‘Marked’

08/01/2025
Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen in Platonic Season 2
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Platonic’ Season 2 Is ‘Superbad’ For Grown-Ups In the Best Way

07/31/2025
King of the Hill Season 14 episode still from Hulu
10.0

REVIEW: ‘King Of The Hill’ Season 14 Is the Best Revival Ever

07/25/2025
Foundation Season 3 Episode 3 still from Apple TV Plus
8.0

RECAP: ‘Foundation’ Season 3 Episode 3 — “When a Book Finds You”

07/25/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

Better Late Than Single
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Better Late Than Single’ Is More Than the Name Suggests

By Allyson Johnson08/03/2025

The Netflix reality dating series Better Late Than Single offers more than meets the eye as it allows the contestants to get to know one another.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here