HBO's 'I May Destroy You' praised for 'realistic' portrayal of sexual assault and the aftermath

Kylie Mar
·Host & Producer, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated ·3 min read

Created, written, co-directed and executive-produced by Michaela Coel, HBO's new British comedy-drama series, I May Destroy You, is getting a lot of buzz on social media after airing its second episode, "Someone Is Lying," Sunday night.

Inspired by her own true story, Coel stars as the main character, Arabella, who struggles to remember what happened to her after a night of drinking, which led to blacking out entirely. After waking up with a smashed phone and a gash on her head, Arabella begins to have short flashbacks from the night before — thumping sounds as a man hovers over her and a blurry ATM withdrawal — before realizing that she was drugged and sexually assaulted.

Following Sunday's episode, viewers took to social media to praise how brilliant the show is due to its very realistic portrayal of drug-induced sexual assault and its emotional and traumatic aftermath. Here’s what some viewers were saying:

While I May Destroy You is not the first television show to tackle sexual assault, Coel's ability to create a series with a very realistic depiction of how sexual assault survivors process their encounter is not only inspiring viewers who are survivors themselves, but it is also opening a larger conversation.

Only two episodes of I May Destroy You have aired, but the show is already shaping up to be one of the must-watch shows of the summer.

I May Destroy You airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. HBO.

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