First Kill created by Victoria Schwab based on the short story of the same name is not great and falls flat in many places. It becomes a parody when it tries to be serious just like its title track. It is a supernatural- vampire version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliette, where the hunter and the hunted falls in love.
The teenager vampire Juliette Fairmont (played by Sarah Catherine Hook) and her human hunter Calliope Burns (played by Imani Lewis) fall in love as they are about to make their first kill. It is a forbidden relationship which makes way for lots of family drama. Juliette is compassionate unlike her older sister Elinor. She does things that she is not supposed to do and finds herself getting pulled more and more towards Calliope. Every character seems mysterious. Every character seems to have their own inner monsters.
The story begins as a typical high school romance, cute and pleasant and takes a genre shift as a major revelation happen. But the supernatural seems more comic than serious. The scene where the hunters hunt for monsters in a cemetery is hilarious. So are the scenes involving zombies. They do not invoke fear in the audience and the scenes are so silly that the characters look almost like they are playing monster tag.
The writing and execution weigh equally, in making the series an average flick. Just when we think this would be a love story of the hunter and the prey, there comes a zombie, ghoul and other creatures. The makers did not just stick to the love part or the supernatural part which involves only vampires. The love story itself is too shallow. The audience does not feel what the protagonists are feeling or what they say they are feeling. It seems hastened and fails to make an impact. Juliette’s friendship with Ben impresses more, than the love story itself.
The series is stuffed with cheesy dialogues which are made to sound sentimental or serious. The most interesting character has to be Elinor but for a pivotal character like her, she becomes almost peripheral. References to Romeo and Juliette with warring families seems like a desperate attempt to make the show ‘great.’ Yes, there is a romance and family feud but the love story here is far from being a classic.
The show gets interesting only towards the middle of the second last episode. But the ending makes the audience confused again and makes them wonder whether to like it or not.
But the actors are the saving grace. They hook you to the show till the end. Both Imani Lewis and Sarah Catherine Hook are perfectly cast. Aubin Wise who plays Talia falters in some scenes but shines in the last episode. Gracie Dzienny who plays Elinor and Philip Mullings Jr who plays Theo are the show stealers. Both are impeccable. Gracie Dzienny is ruthless, reckless, dispassionate, weird and eccentric as she breathes life into Elinor. Philip Mullings Jr nails the character of Theo especially in the scenes where he transforms. He is confused, angry, animalistic, hungry and is almost vulnerable and chaotic as a new born. The actor is brilliant.
There are some commendable aspects of the show though. This is a mainstream series focusing on the love story of two girls. The show does a good job in non-judgmentally representing characters who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. The warring families are White and Black which makes it a metaphor for the prevalent racism in the US. The dream sequence involving the Garden of Eden is probably the most beautiful scene in First Kill. It breaks all conventions and belief systems and even the core of Christian mythology.
First Kill is not good but not bad either. It is a one time watch but won’t be so for everybody.
Arya is a curious soul and nerd who loves books and cinema. You can read her articles on Medium. You can also follow her on Instagram where she talks about her favourite books and movies.