I Hate Suzie has become somewhat of a revelation for women today. It exposes the world as we know it and shows us snapshots of some of the shocking experiences many women face in their everyday lives. I will be delving deeper into this drama to explain why this is the case.
Rating: 3/5
The Plot
The eight-episode short series I Hate Suzie tells us the story of how UK celebrity Suzie Pickles (Billie Piper) has her career compromised after her nude pictures have been released online in a messy cheating scandal.
The producers of this series may have intended to create a humorous drama for mature adults, but the series has indeed highlighted the reality of what women face in society, from double standards in the media and labelling to sexist attitudes and crude comments. The series has it all. As viewers, we watch stages of Suzie’s reaction to the scandal. She goes from being shocked, angry, and guilty to finally accepting her situation on her path to self-discovery.
Spoilers ahead!
First Impressions
Our protagonist Suzie is quite the character. We begin to see her as obnoxious and mentally unstable. Throughout the series, she is blamed and judged for the scandal; a mistake that was out of her hands. This draws on the reality of what women go through when being sexually exploited online.
As viewers, we see how harshly Suzie is treated by her husband Cobs (Daniel Ings). Rather than console her when she’s frantic, he becomes patronized and develops a superiority complex where he believes he’s always correct. As a result, he insults her frequently. It is hard to decide whether we should feel sympathy for Cobs since he did get cheated on. At the same time, his character reflects the patriarchal attitudes of men in the media and in society. Men who blame women like Suzie for engaging in sex acts, making it harder to like his character.
I found Suzie’s best friend and manager Naomi (Leila Farzad) particularly interesting. Naomi is always around when Suzie finds herself in a mess (this happens a lot). She finds joy in her accomplishments and best of all takes on Suzie’s problems as her own. Though not perfect, Naomi’s character is selfless and does not fail to defend Suzie. At times she makes us dislike Suzie for her irrational behavior, making her every girl’s dream friend.
Why many women will find it relatable
The producers of this Sky-original did not fail to provide us with a dark tale. A perspective of how a woman, a celebrity, and a mother all in one, is judged by others. We are aware that Suzie is far from flawless, and often puts herself in troubling situations that do not benefit her. On the other hand, she is belittled and patronized in more than one way. As an adult woman, Suzie’s ability to make decisions is undermined by Cobs and even Naomi at times. Her scandal is held against her by Cobs, who doesn’t hold back from telling every new person they meet about it, which compromises her career opportunities. His exaggerated reaction towards the issue makes Suzie feel ashamed about herself, even causing her to make a vow to become a better wife and mother. What about being a better individual for her own state of mind?
Personally, I found Cob’s character acts as a reflection of the way men force women to feel embarrassed and ashamed about their actions, when in reality the fault lies with the media. It wasn’t a shock that the police took Suzie’s fingerprints for a vandalism offense, a result of a public breakdown, but failed to hold the man responsible in the scandal accountable, instead choosing to pixelate his nudes in the newspapers, but not hers.
Suzie’s reactions across the episodes — shock, denial, fear, shame, bargaining, guilt, anger, and finally acceptance — act as a real eye-opener for the female audience. The protagonist’s paranoia is presented effortlessly and we witness the downfall of Suzie’s sanity. Whilst the series is initially intended to be comical, we see explicitly how a mere cheating scandal can ruin the lives of women, crush relationships, and cause mental breakdowns.
Quotes that stood out to me
“There is no shame to be had in a woman doing a sex act.”
“It’s women who are there for other women.”
“Women are the great love, that’s what love is.
“Women take all sorts of drugs to deal with the pain.”
Critique
Overall, I think the series had great cinematography. With a fast pace movement, eerie music, and an insight into Suzie’s wild imaginations, too. It was enjoyable to watch her character development and recognisable human flaws. It’s also worth mentioning that Naomi’s discovery of her self-identity is inspiring too. She went from managing Suzie’s whole career, to dealing with her own case of sexual harassment on the train, to finally deciding to give up being an agent and go travelling. It’s fair to say that Naomi’s character contributed to the narrative immensely.
What’s the verdict? The drama is chaotic, to say the least. With moments of sarcasm, awkward interactions, crude remarks, and profanity: I Hate Suzie demonstrates the messy, but normal everyday responses adults have in the world. As well as the way women deal with pressure thrown at them by society, and issues of mental health. Farzad says: “I Hate Suzie shows you the ugly side where your most personal, private self is intruded upon, the vulnerability it makes you feel, and the ramification of that behaviour.” She admits this makes the series “truthful and authentic”.