Finally - A Murder at the End of the World Impressions

I’ll admit, I do have a soft spot for these types of shows. Not mysteries, I don’t have much of any feelings towards those, but shows about secretive tech billionaires. Something about massive amounts of wealth spent in a childish way really gets me going. I need a second… whew okay I’m good and yeah so is this show.

I have proof. Proof that this show is good and also that I am more than a simp for TV billionaires. I absolutely hated Glass Onion. I know, shocking. Extravagant wastes of money are my passion but it sucked so much, also like I said I’m not a huge mystery person. Obviously, the main problem was that atrocious accent. But also it lacks the one key element that all great pieces of media (including a Murder at the End of the World) have. Connection. 

I was hooked before I even heard of the show. From the moment I saw the ad with Darcy’s (Emma Corrin) pink hair outside of the subway stop near my place I had a hunch this would be special. Then when the show (which I came into completely blind) started off at a bookstore, I became properly intrigued. There was something about the opening scene. Darcy walking in right before her moment, the tinge of nervousness more from the scene as a whole than in Darcy herself, and the way the patrons of the bookstore went from overlooking her story to being engaged. As if they were understanding the same thing I was, that we are in for a fun ride. 

A ride that starts 6 years ago, in rural Iowa. Starring Darcy of course, but also her ex-boyfriend Billy (Harris Dickinson). The contrasting vibes of present and past (which the show keeps switching between) is beautiful. Darcy’s accent depeens, the colors get warmer, the filming style changes, it is a different world. One bolstered by the unique screen presence of Billy. He feels both too real and eerily fake, a manic pixie dream boy of sorts, but one a slightly too old for tiktok teen might dream up. And their road trip, which we join in at the end, leaves us with multiple cliffhangers that demand you watch the rest of the show. 

I hate spoilers, and this is a first impression not a breakdown, so I’ll stop there. But A Murder at the End of the World feels different. It’s that indescribable feeling we get when the lights… just kidding,  but it is a unique feeling. The feeling you get, when the first 5 minutes of a movie blow your expectations away so much that you stop breathing and only realize when the opening credits roll in. The assurance that in giving your full attention to this thing, it is going to pay off. I’ve missed that feeling.