The End of the F***ing World: What happened in season 1 again?

4 November 2019, 18:08

By Nicky Idika

The End of the F***ing World is back for season 2 on Channel 4 and Netflix. It's been two years since the show first aired, so here's your End of the F***ing World season 1 recap.

The End of the F***ing World returns to Channel 4, All 4 and Netflix this week, two years after it first arrived on our television screens back in 2017. It's been a while since Alyssa and James left us in utter suspense with that finale and, if you're anything like us, you're in dire need of a season 1 recap.

READ MORE: The End Of The F***ing World season 2 will probably be its last, says creator

The End of the F***ing World season 2 is bound to have viewers hooked all over again but before you dive headlong into the eight new episodes, here's a quick run-through of season 1's most important bits.

Remind me. Why did James and Alyssa go on the run in the first place?

Before things got majorly (and criminally) complicated, James and Alyssa were actually just looking to leave their "shithole town". Alyssa's home life was complicated (her step-dad was a prick and her mum just doesn't get it) and James was a budding psychopath along for the ride.

James was fully prepared to murder Alyssa, but then she comes up with a hairbrained scheme to steal James' dad's car and skip town. James and Alyssa started their misadventure with some casual grand theft auto. As you do.

After their car breaks down, James and Alyssa hitch a ride with a guy who turns out to be a big creep.

He drives James and Alyssa all the way to a diner, before trying to make a move on James in the men's toilets. This is obviously VERY BAD because James is a teen boy who is just trying to have a wee, for goodness sake!

Anyways, Alyssa sees this as an opportunity to extort him for money, which actually works. He hands over his wallet and he's loaded.

But then James and Alyssa kill someone and that's when the sh*t hits the fan.

Alyssa and James come across an empty house where they help themselves to the owners' booze and food. They plan to stay the night and come up with a plan for the rest of their trip but then the owner gets home and finds Alyssa sleeping upstairs.

When the owner of the house tries to sexually assault Alyssa, James stabs him in the neck, killing him.

Now James and Alyssa are fully on the run. They clean up the crime scene, change their hair and clothes, and try their best to disappear.

Eventually, James and Alyssa make it to her dad Leslie's house to hide out.

So, what happened in the season 1 finale?

James and Alyssa think they're safe at her dad's house but he's got some seriously f'd up motives. Meanwhile, the authorities are hot on James and Alyssa's trail. When Leslie finds out that the two are actually fugitives, he's keen to collect some reward money.

Leslie tries to trick James and Alyssa into confessing on a 999 call from a phone he's hidden, but James clocks onto his plan and all hell breaks loose. Alyssa stabs her dad in the leg and knocks out the brunette policewoman with the end of a rifle.

This is all happening while police cars are closing in on their location. Desperate and out of options, James and Alyssa take off running on foot. When they reach the beach, James hits Alyssa with the gun and runs. The last thing we see is James sprinting away from the cops before a gunshot rings out and the screen goes black.

Did James die?

Your guess is as good as ours! No doubt season 2 will address James' fate in the most dramatic of ways.