Source: Netflix
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is delectably old-school television series by BBC available on Netflix for Indian viewers.
From “13 Reasons Why” to “Pretty Little Liars” to “One of us is lying” to “Stranger Things” thrillers based around teen girls have engraved a separate path in the television scene. “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” is based on the book of the same name in the series by the best-selling author Holly Jackson; it is Netflix’s the newest thriller starring Emma Myers (Wednesday) and Zain Iqbal in the lead roles as Pippa ‘Pip’ Fitz-Amobi and Ravi Singh respectively.
The series takes place in a small town called Little Kilton in Buckinghamshire, where a 17-year-old girl Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) goes missing in 2019 and is allegedly killed by her then boyfriend Salil ‘Sal’ Singh (Rahul Pattni) who then kills himself after confessing, even though her body was never found. Fast forward five years Pip for her EPQ project decides to investigate the case as she thinks that Sal is innocent. With the help of Ravi Pippa began to discover that it was not at all like it seems back then and something was amiss. Across six episodes, she discovers secrets and revelations that the town desperately wants to hide but won’t be able to bury again.
| Source : Netflix
Pip starts to interview people who were around the case back then. Cara Ward (Asha Banks) is Pip’s best friend and her sister Naomi (Yasmin Al-Khudhairi) and Max Hastings (Henry Ashton), a rich kid were Sal’s best friends who had loads of skeleton in the cupboard, which Pip opens up, not by reason, but by luck.
Clues drop into her hands as her subjects immediately open up to her and answer her truthfully just like in every other teen show ever because nobody cares about a teen girl doing her project. However, when she finds out about some shady stuff going around, she starts getting anonymous warnings threatening her to stop digging. So as teens do, she does the opposite and recklessly puts herself and her dear ones in harm’s way.
She plays stupid games and wins stupid prizes, but comes out soaring high as she finds out about secrets. The so-called “good girl” earns her label by being a teen who does not take part in any immoral behaviour (drugs, drinking and boyfriends), but also by attempting to mend the town’s mess (because she thought that Sal was a “good guy”).
While the series of events isn’t exactly predictable, the first couple of episodes are spent establishing the early stages of the investigation and the fifth episode reveals a mind-boggling twist. “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” charmingly unloads the agony of being a teenage girl, the difficulties of relationships and the disingenuousness of facades; But as Pip ties up loose ends in the finale, plotlines become a bit muddled and implausible, as if the writers were racing against time to tie up the story. Yet, for all of Pip’s poor decisions, her stubbornness and disposition to follow her instincts make her a fascinating character.
Overall, the show is breath of fresh air. It hooks you on right from the start and leaves you wanting more. The series is charming, knowing, embroiling and a tad bit silly. Forget your disbelief, grab your popcorn and enjoy it.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is currently streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer below :
