Hidden Feelings
Dare Me has always felt artistic but at times it’s fallen into the trap of style over substance. This week however, the cheerleading drama manages to interweave both together for a beautifully edited episode, one that sees the same event played out multiple times from different perspectives. It’s a smart move and one that sees a lot more substance injected into the show in a clever manner. Following the fall-out from the party, everything begins to feel tense this week as Addy takes the brunt of Beth’s resentment after taking her to Colette’s house. In the morning, Colette calls Addy into a private meeting where she talks to her about the party. At cheerleading practice, the girls watch on as Beth stretches out and shows off her flexibility. Tacy watches from afar, trying to hide her jealousy. After learning Addy lost her necklace at the party, back home her Mother talks to Addy about the night she was out, berating her daughter for not texting back. As things threaten to spill over, at the Homecoming Pep Rally the head teacher introduces the squad and the girls do their routine. Only, partway through Tacy is dropped and as a consequence Riri’s mouth is kicked in as several teeth are knocked clean out and rattle across the floor. From here, we then see this same day play out but from Colette’s perspective. She’s berated by Riri’s mother who holds her responsible for the accident while Sarge continues to stick around as a constant reminder of her past. The attention then turns to Beth, who finds Addy’s necklace at Colette’s house and we see her conversation with Colette from her prespective. She brushes off Addy’s questions and at training puts on a brave face while ignoring Kurtz as he constantly texts her. It’s implied that she was sexually assaulted and this causes her to become incredibly distracted during training. The incident at the pep rally sees her grappling with mental demons as a result of this and as Riri’s mouth spews blood, she screams out to the heavens. As the episode closes out, we see Beth atop the human pyramid while Addy narrates us on what’s happened. Episodes like this are a great example of how good television can be as a medium for conveying a powerful message. The opening few perspectives portray Beth with a tough, mean exterior and both Colette and Addy fail to see the real pain hiding behind her eyes. It’s not until we switch over to Beth that we actually understand her troubles and really start to empathise with her. The entire episode is composed in such a clever way that it really elevates the entire plot line. As we reach the midway point of Dare Me, it’ll be hard to top this episode going forward but it’s certainly a very promising sign of things to come if the show can keep this up and deliver for the remainder of its season.
