Netflix's newest original series First Kill is a Romeo and Juliet-inspired tale of fantasy, supernatural creatures, and romance. Based on the short story by V.E. Schwab in the collection Vampires Never Get Old, First Kill follows vampire Juliette Fairmont and Calliope Burns, a monster hunter from a long line of hunters. The two find themselves stuck in the middle of a decades-long conflict between demons and hunters when they begin falling for each other.
Since its release, First Kill has been watched for millions of hours and garnered quite the fanbase, especially those on social media platforms advocating for a second season. While the show has received some criticism for its poor CGI moments and overall story, many aspects are brilliantly executed and enjoyable to watch.
Spoilers ahead for First Kill season 1.
8 Juliette And Calliope's Sexualities Were Not A Point Of Conflict
In a sapphic story inspired by Romeo and Juliet, it would be easy to have the conflict in Calliope and Juliette's relationship be that their families disagree with them being in a same-sex relationship. However, that is not the case.
Cal and Jules are both accepted and celebrated by their family as lesbians. Instead, the conflict comes from the feud between their two families as vampires and hunters. In this way, First Kill subverts many tropes regarding the representation of queer teenage female relationships in media.
7 The Show Champions Diversity
Not only is the central romantic relationship in First Kill a lesbian relationship, but Calliope is black, and her entire family is made up of fully fleshed-out black characters. The show combats tokenism, by showing Calliope's whole family's confidence in who they are. In addition, Juliette's best friend Ben is gay, turning TV's habit of disingenuous, representational check-marking into something much more – a community full of love and support.
Teen shows have had a history of featuring one token person of color or one gay character in a friend group, in the name of diversity, when in actuality, people often form friendships within their communities because of similar interests and understanding.
6 The Family Histories Were Explored In Detail
Given that vampires and monster hunters have been enemies for hundreds of years, they are bound to have a rich history, something that First Kill does well at exploring. In addition, Juliette comes from a long line of legacy vampires, those born rather than turned and share a pure bloodline.
Juliette's immediate family, and her matriarch grandmother, are all given ample time, with their histories being told. Calliope's family history and the Guild of monster hunters, to which they belong, are also explored. Cal's family's willfully ignorant following of the Guild's teachings begins to unravel as the narrative progresses.
5 The Pantry Scene
First Kill did not shy away from portraying the physical relationship between Calliope and Juliette, something that frequently is not shown when it comes to LGBTQ+ couples. Fans rejoiced when, during the pantry scene in episode one, Juliette and Calliope get caught up in each other, as the rest of the party fades into the background.
Not only is this an important moment for their romantic relationship, but it also highlights what will become the show's central conflict; these two people who are supposed to be enemies are attracted to each other.
4 The Show Doesn't Take Itself Too Seriously
First Kill received a lot of criticism in the first few days of its release, due to questionable CGI, some slightly cringy dialogue, and strange narrative choices, for example, having Juliette's father eat her grandmother. But, many appreciated these moments as they recalled older texts such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight, from which the show took some obvious inspiration.
Overall, First Kill is a teen fantasy show about vampires and demons and should be allowed to explore its silliness and give LGBT fans a trashy show to watch without having to be taken too seriously.
3 The Theo Twist
Out of Calliope's two brothers, Theo was arguably the most likable, being more sympathetic towards Cal and thinking before he acted. On the other hand, Apollo was more reckless and gave Cal a hard time. When Apollo stakes Theo when trying to take down Elinor, Juliette tries to help him die by draining him but instead turns him into a vampire.
This creates a considerable conflict as Theo has now become something that both he and his family have been taught to hate. If audiences are lucky enough to get a second season, the Burns', especially Talia, may find themselves relating to Cal, seeing a vampire as something more than a demon.
2 Good vs Evil Is Not That Black And White
One of the reasons that the forbidden love theme of First Kill works so well and has viewers allegiances changing is because everyone involved is flawed but also can be understood. While Juliette is kind and genuine, other vampires in her family, especially her siblings, are more dangerous and ruthless, meaning that Burns' opinions on vampires are in some ways valid.
However, along with Calliope, viewers see that not all demons are evil. Given a chance, they could live as productive members of society without needing to be hunted. Juliette and Calliope struggle with their feelings as they know, but both girls still harbor the dislike they have been taught their whole lives.
1 Juliette And Calliope's Relationship Feels Genuine
Despite the high stakes of their romance, Calliope and Juliette's relationship feels more truthful than other TV teen relationships. Juliette may be a powerful vampire, but the initial idea of talking to Calliope is difficult for her and even crossing paths with her makes Jules feel giddy. For a while, Cal thinks Juliette has an ulterior motive, but Juliette is only thinking about how much she likes Cal.
Over time, organically, Calliope begins to put aside what she has been taught from birth and sees Juliette for who she is. Entering a forbidden relationship, the two sneak around, climb through windows and run away to be together, showing their strong pull toward one another.