I remember intentionally postponing watching this show because I heard that it was about sexual assault, a difficult subject to experience across a dozen episodes. Now that I have finished the show, I now realize that how shortsighted I was on this masterpiece. It is based on the show creator, Michaela Cole’s actual experience of being a victim of sexual assault, and it is the main plot point. But, this is not everything. The show is more about the reverberating effect of the traumatic event that manifests in the person themselves but also in their career, communities, friendship, and family.

The main character, Arabella is not a model citizen and she has many flaws. I think this is a clever narrative choice because this can easily make audience question her choices and judge them, which is one of the toxic narratives that often surround the victims of sexual assaults. The show also revolves around her friends Terry and Kwame. They have their own sex-related stories, and because Arabella react to them in certain ways, the story and characters became more interesting and complex. I really enjoyed (and also occasionally pleasantly shocked by) Kwame’s gay story line. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gay sexual assault story on TV.

Even though it was somewhat bitter, I really loved the ending in the final episode. It presents multiple scenarios (Arabella’s imaginations) on what she would do when she confronts her attackers. One scenario involves violent revenge, and the other involves over-the-top forgiveness and generosity. Towards the end, we learn that neither happened, but instead she just walked away from them even when she found them at the bar, the site of her attack. The show ends with Arabella writing a book about her experience and dedicating it to her dear friend Terry. This might mirror Cole’s actual experience and shows her gratitude to those who were with her when she was going through this journey.

Overall, this is a show with a variety of rich and innovative narratives that feature many people of color and LGBT members in our community. I applaud Cole’s creativity but also her performance, especially given that the story was based on her own life experience. I am already looking forward to her next work.