‘Sweetpea’ Recap: ‘This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ella Purnell as Rhiannon in Episode 102 of ‘Sweetpea’ – ‘This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy’. (Photo Courtesy of STARZ.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Sweetpea’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One particular question we often wonder about people that commit sins in this life, is whether or not they feel some sense of remorse or have some understanding of what they’ve done. Because dark acts are hard for us to understand, since the rest of us have firewalls that prevent us from doing terrible things that would cause stunning harm to others. So, we instead wonder, ponder, and hope that perhaps they do… so that they can find redemption and peace and make those they hurt whole again. If anything, this particular thought is top of mind today, simply because the next episode of Sweetpea on STARZ bothers to answer that question in a fascinating manner for us.

For ‘This Sort of Thing Needs Some Feminine Energy’ picked up the morning after Rhiannon murdered that man in a fit of rage and well, it didn’t take long for her to feel a sense of guilt, a sense of genuine remorse for what she did. Because she may have killed a genuine innocent. Which prompted her, to think best about how to reconcile these feelings, especially after the police found the body and began their investigation and after the paper started a story, and she decided to learn what kind of a man her victim was, to know if she did something worthwhile or if she was a monster. So, she wormed her way into the story to meet the man’s parents and what she learned, gave her peace.

Because it turned out, this guy was straight trash. He bullied others, including a former employer, to the point that a restraining order came into play. Which prompted her to get all the evidence she could for the article, one that she fought to have published in an honest manner, and she got her wish, and she even received respect from her editor for sticking to her wants regarding exposing the truth. All because, she wanted and needed justification, and she needed to find peace regarding her own guilty conscience, and uncovering the dark truth about her victim helped with that. Making it clear that yes, there is a measure of guilt for people that commit terrible acts and a sense of remorse, because they are human, and they don’t just magically shed their emotions. That… takes time, and that… is important to note because that too was put on display here.

For while this episode did answer our question in a palatable way, it also explored, why we have to ask that question in the first place. Which relates to the fact that not everyone comes back from the darkness and not everyone’s conscience is willing to override the darkness. In fact, some find joy in what they do and that is why they continue to embrace the ugly and the actions that make us question them, and sadly, Rhiannon did that here. Because she has so much pain to resolve, so much darkness in her soul, that the only way she believed she could ever find solace was by once more by killing once again. Specifically, someone that was a monster in their own right as well, and she also made plans… to murder the ultimate problem… her bully.

All of which made for a fascinating episode. One that explored some fascinating aspects of the human condition. Because that question isn’t one that is explored often, and for that matter, Rhiannon held up a mirror up to the rest of us. For we also work to justify our actions to find solace. But more importantly, this brought about the potential origin story of a serial killer really. Because slowly but surely, Rhiannon is transforming into a monster before our eyes, one that has motive and justification for her actions, and it will be interesting to see if there’s any chance of redemption for Rhiannon, or if we are about to see a marginalized soul be lost to the anger and the darkness, most of us learn to keep at bay. Until next time.

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