User Reviews

I must concede I found it actually quite shocking just how powerful the finale is here & I'm not being melodramatic when I say Lucy Prebble & Billie Piper deserve serious recognition for their achievements with their second season of this show (genuinely, give them ALL the awards); if you thought "I Hate Suzie" was good (which it most certainly is), then "I Hate Suzie Too" is arguably what I'd consider to be an absolute masterpiece & the best work produced by either of the duo in their entire careers, who are undoubtedly going from strength to strength. Beautifully realised by director Dawn Shadforth & the talented cast & crew who've faultlessly put this to screen, the series ends with a truly devastating punch to the stomach, finally bringing the story to the inevitable, melancholic crescendo it feels as though it's sadly always been heading towards, from the beginning.

Angry, pained, aggrieved & delivering an irrefutably scathing condemnation of society's mistreatment of women, the themes of patriarchal discrimination (& the toll this inflicts on the victims of it) are addressed with an unsettling honesty that seems seriously profound to watch unfold, as an audience member. I wasn't even wrong to compare this to Todd Phillips' "Joker" either (in an earlier review) - the only difference being Joaquin Phoenix & his efforts pale in comparison to this soaring accomplishment of television, which is easily amongst some of the best 2022 has to offer.

Truly, I'm astonished by the sheer level of bleakness, but in witnessing many women celebrities suffer the exact same fate - due to the unjustifiably misogynistic societal pressures placed upon them, due to their gender - it's not hard at all to believe that in such a chaotic, unstable, pressure cooker environment, this is what would likely happen. I'm saddened - but I can't pretend as though it's alright because the injustice portrayed is a work of fiction; it's reality.

Over two years ago now, the first season of "I Hate Suzie" was, for me, a bravely performed black comedy, but occasionally too fond of a flight of fancy for my taste. This second season though, harnesses those flights of fancy for a what is one of the most extraordinarily uncomfortable, moving and odd limited series I've ever seen.

Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper) takes part in a limited Christmas run of Dance Crazee, a reality show. She has agreed to the show partly at the behest of her new agent, Sian Bellingham (Anastasia Hille) and partially because her first husband, Bailey Quinn (Douglas Hodge) is also taking part. Her second husband, Cob (Daniel Ings) is refusing to stick to the terms of their divorce settlement, particularly around Christmas and their son. He is also about to release a tell all interview about his marriage.

That performance.

That the first season of the show didn't elevate Billie Piper to all of the best roles in the world is strange, if this doesn't, then it's because she's turning them down. It is staggering. In three episodes she takes us through the complete mental breakdown of her character is such a way that you can't help but be overwrought and even genuinely upset yourself. The writing, by Piper herself and Lucy Prebble, makes you feel the pressure that she's under, juggling the show (rehearsals, judgement, feedback) and the divorce proceedings, whilst various other aspects of her personal life implode. It wrings you out as a viewer. Interesting, isn't it, that Suzie has a gregarious first husband she's still friendly with, and an arrogant, needy, worthless second husband.

But it's funny too, it's still a black comedy and it punctuates the darkness with occasional moments, not of levity, exactly, but with a moment to make you laugh before diving back into the visceral panic attack that the show is.

For the record, I too spent time thinking about "Joker" in relation to the series, so I'm glad that I wasn't the only one.