[VIDEO] The Cast of MTV’s Sweet/Vicious on Subverting TV Rape Tropes and Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

"It is about switching the dialogue."
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In just a few weeks, MTV adds a new show to its lineup that has me pretty excited. Sweet/Vicious is the story of two young women seeking out justice for sexual assault survivors on their college campus. The series centers on Jules, a student who starts off her vigilante crusade alone until a computer hacker by the name of Ophelia uncovers her secret and decides to join in on her quest for vengeance.  This is the superhero teamup we needed in the midst of a rape culture which sees convicted rapists spending mere months in jail for a crime that has lifelong effects.

I had the chance to speak with Eliza Bennett and Taylor Dearden, who star in the subversive drama, about why this show is so important and relevant right now. We also touched on rape tropes in TV, and how this series looks to change that narrative. For anyone who has been disappointed in shows like Game of Thrones (we actually stopped promoting the show because of that) for gratuitously using it as a plot device, this is quite refreshing. It also helps that the show was created by a woman named Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who also wrote each episode this season.

Sweet/Vicious premieres on November 15. Clips from the show are available here.

(image via screencap)

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