Ella Purnell's Sweetpea review

Series starts with Rhiannon (Ella Purnell), a timid administrative assistant (receptionist) at a newspaper. You could say she is a bit of a pushover. People ignore her and she is used to being unnoticeable.
Used to it? Not really. She makes a list of people she’d love to kill, but who doesn’t? We all indulge in some fantasy.

She is living with her father who is kinda sick. Her father dies! She is sad and frustrated. At the funeral, she sees Julia Blenkingsopp (Nicôle Lecky), her school bully, who is returning to town.

After the funeral, Rhiannon’s sister who is returning to France tells her that she is selling their house with Julia as the real estate agent.
Rhiannon’s frustration builds and she feels like she is losing everything while her bully, Julia, seems to have the perfect life. Aren’t bullies supposed to peak in school?

Though frustrated, Rhiannon decides to take her father’s advice to “stand up for herself.” There is a position open at the newspaper for a junior reporter. She approaches her boss, saying she was promised progression during hiring and should be considered for the role. (It is a local newspaper with a small staff.)

After some time, she sees AJ (Calam Lynch) getting hired for the position. It seems like the boss knows his mother — nepo hiring! Rhiannon is losing it.

Tone: It is a bit comedic. If you are looking for a psycho killer murdering people, this is not it. “Sweetpea” is not so much a thriller, but the casualness of Rhiannon and her lack of guilt is refreshing. By casual, I don’t mean she doesn’t have emotions or doesn’t panic, but she is just too normal and unaffected by murder.

Acting: I have been watching Ella Purnell even before “Fallout,” and she is amazing as usual. Portraying a timid girl, the frustration, and a little psycho behavior, she is expressive.
The side cast is also good. Jon Pointing as Craig, a worker at Rhiannon’s dad’s small business, also has a significant role. This was the first time I saw Leah Harvey, and she is also great as Detective Marina (and gorgeous).

This is a British series. There are some sex scenes.
The series also tries to draw some parallels between Rhiannon and Marina (Detective). I wish they had done this more, as it somehow feels not fully explored.

The story (or arc) kind of finishes early in the 6th episode. It feels like it should have ended, there is nothing to do, but it keeps running. However, the cliffhanger at the end is good. Sweetpea is labeled as a mini-series, but they are making a second season.

Final Verdict: Must watch for Ella Purnell fans
Rating: 7/10

Length: 6 x 40 min