Last night, MTV’s Sweet/Vicious came to a beautiful, bittersweet season end. If you are not familiar with the series, it follows two female protagonists, Jules and Ophelia on their quest to bring justice to rapists and offenders of sexual assault on their college campus.
Jules is a bubbly, stereotypical blonde sorority girl by day, but a badass justice doling vigilante by night. The show’s plot tackles Jules trying to cope with the aftermath of her rape, a plot line which is done with the utmost care and vulnerability. Ophelia on the other hand is part weed dealer, part computer whiz, and the master of quick comedic jabs. After a run-in with the vigilante (i.e. Jules), Ophelia uses her computer hacking skills to discover Jule’s identity and then signs herself up for the crime fighting ride.
The twosome, while starting off more as a Batman/Robin, hero/sidekick team, later turn into equals. Both girls are equally devoted to the other as friends and as crime fighters. They love each other despite their stark character differences and try to bring out the best in each other, which makes for a well developed, positive female friendship.
The show also features two dynamic characters of color to combat an otherwise white vanilla cast. Harris is Ophelia’s best friend and a wisecracking law student. He serves as a foil to many of the duo’s plan, because while they’re out serving up justice, Harris is trying to expose the vigilantes. The other person of color, would be Kennedy, the head of Jules’ sorority and also Jules’ best friend who just happens to be unknowingly dating her rapist. They are unapologetically black, but also not stereotypically so, a problem many TV shows face when representing characters of color.
Sweet/Vicious successfully tackles issues such as sexual violence and hazing, without losing any charm in the process. The girls are realistic, fallible, hilarious, and are coping with their problems the best that they possibly can. Taylor Dearden, who plays Ophelia, delivers many of the clever quips that make the show so enjoyable. She also offers a multidimensional look into a vulnerable, abandoned rich girl, who is afraid of commitment, but is unfailingly loyal in her friendship with her crime fighting partner. Jules, played by Eliza Bennett, makes your heartbreak and reform with her spot-on portrayal of aftermath of rape and the frustrating, devastating feeling of having rape allegations ignored and undermined.
This show is brilliant, funny, and deals with issues that most other shows either gloss over or completely ignore. However Sweet/Vicious has not yet been renewed for a second season, which would be a real shame considering how few shows accurately show positive female friendships, feature interesting lead characters of color, and have realistic portrayals of sexual violence. The cast and crew is firmly committed to accurate and fair representation of a diversity of stories
One of the writers even said that they’d try to explore the stories of male survivors if given a second season along with adding in more LGBT characters and characters of color. Sweet/Vicious is an unnoticed gem, that is definitely worth viewing and supporting. Don’t sleep on this show, let’s get Sweet/Vicious a second season.
