![]() ![]() Later, he’s back on Grindr, ready to return to male company. Angry that he lied to her, she kicks him out. ![]() Kwame is puzzled by the hypocrisy and points it out, finally telling her he’s gay. She tries to defend herself, saying she wouldn’t say it because she has Black friends - and out of precaution because she can’t even ask for the British slang term for a cigarette without offending gay men. The two bond over a rap song they know the lyrics to, but he stops when she substitutes the word ninja for the N-word. Still maintaining a flirty air, she smokes a joint in bed and relaxes with Kwame, who eventually eases into conversation. As soon as it sounds as if she’s finished, he lies on his side, shaken. When things escalate to sex, certain moments remind him of his traumatic experiences. Meanwhile, Nilufer begins kissing Kwame, who looks uncomfortable and awkward. Undeterred, she sneaks into the building when someone enters and, using the spare key, lets herself into his apartment to wait for him. She tries to call him but runs out of data. With no luggage or bag, she sprints to Biagio’s place and rings his bell. Since she’s still short on funds, as we saw in the previous episode, this adventure isn’t going to look like the all-expenses-paid trip to Italy she took with Terry last year. In a taxicab in Italy, Arabella nervously looks at the crumpled bills in her hands. “Well, yeah, that’s me,” he says, shrugging, with a hint of apprehension, but he follows her lead to come up to her flat. Kwame’s eyebrows dart upward he’s taken aback by her frankness. He says he’s into everything and asks what she’s into. Walking back to her place, she asks Kwame if he’s into white girls. After a bumpy start, she smiles at him reassuringly and takes off the hat she wears when feeling self-conscious. That night, Kwame awkwardly starts his date with Nilufer (Pearl Chanda). Arabella hurriedly gets ready, putting on the wig Biagio last saw her in even though she has essentially stopped wearing it since she had her head shaved. Arabella then asks for a plane ticket to see Biagio in Italy, which Terry tries to argue against, only for Arabella to twist her reasoning and justify the spur-of-the-moment trip to reunite with him. Trying to get her friend back on the path of self-care, Terry suggests leaving and going to a happier place. The news returns Arabella to the station lobby in a quiet state of staring off into the middle distance while surrounded by garbage bags full of her belongings. There wasn’t enough of a DNA sample from the perpetrator to substantiate a match, and the DNA they did try to match ended up negative. It has been nine months since her world was upended by rape, and after an investigation of the details and the DNA samples, the caseworkers deliver the harsh news that they’ve reached a dead end. A second call breaks up the group’s fun, this time sending Terry and Arabella on a trip to the police station for an update on Arabella’s case. Arabella says she’s not straight when she corrects Kwame’s assumption that she and Terry are, but their fun is interrupted by a call from his next potential date. His friends playfully tease him about that prospect. Since Kwame is still recovering from his sexual assault by a male partner, he tells them he’s going to explore the other side of his sexuality and try dating a woman. When reunited with her best friends, Terry and Kwame, Arabella vapes, eats chips, and enjoys their company. Theo even hides a small smile as she watches Arabella progress from shy newcomer to motivational leader in her group. Arabella draws a connection between men taking advantage of victims’ shamed silence over their harassment and assault and men expressing outrage over the cultural movement empowering women to speak up. This installment begins back in group therapy, where Arabella confidently responds to a woman’s story about a man who is avoiding her because he believes everything has gone too far with the current call-out culture and Me Too movement. The episode “Line Spectrum Border” is yet another showcase of Michaela Coel’s boundary-pushing writing, taking two of I May Destroy You’s most in-turmoil characters and allowing them to make mistakes that affect others. ![]()
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