It all begs the question: Will it ever be enough? Killing Eve was always labeled “ too toxic.” Crush was “too corny.” She-Ra and the Princesses of Power were “too childish.” And now First Kill is “too sexual.” Over the years, there have been a number of shows and films that featured representations of sapphic women, yet they always get shot down for one reason or another.
The conversation around the movie became about how “corny” it was, despite its many similarities to Heartstopper, including the incorporation of art, the journey from friends to lovers, and the sometimes-cheesy dialogue. That same side of the internet paid no mind to Hulu’s Crush, which debuted in March of 2022 on the streamer. The consensus on the Heartstopper side of the internet seems to be that First Kill, despite its all-female production and direction team, is appealing to the male gaze simply because two girls dare to kiss. On the other hand, Heartstopper is a coming-of-age story that follows two boys as they learn to love themselves and each other, ultimately given the TV-14 rating for language. A number of these complaints compare First Kill to Netflix’s other most-recent queer hit Heartstopper, but that comparison is extremely unfair it’s like apples to oranges.įirst Kill, which is rated TV-MA, is a romance between a vampire and vampire-hunter steeped in the world of fantasy and desire.
