Debuting in the month of August, "Guilty Party" is a new series about a girl whose diary is exposed to the entire school, so she seeks revenge on her group of ex-friends one year later, suspecting one of them to have leaked her diary. This series has grasped the attention of teenagers all over social media, especially Instagram. However, this show only came out two weeks ago, so you may have not heard of it yet. So, here's your latest spoiler-free scoop!
"Guilty Party" was released via YouTube on August 29, 2017. The first episode already has over 460,000 views on YouTube. The generic gist of the show is that a girl name Emma seeks revenge on a group of people she suspects revealed her diary.
Okay, so what's the plot twist? Here's where it gets interesting...
At the start of the first episode, viewers of the show can see the insurmountable amount of agony and anger Emma portrays. From the beginning, the viewers infer that Emma is the victim of the entire bullying story. However, as the show transitions to a year after the diary's release, a threatening letter is displayed all throughout the school. This new letter is Emma's declaration of revenge on her group of ex-friends. Supposedly, Emma states whoever stole her diary must come forward otherwise each person's secrets will become revealed, one by one. As a result, the roles of the bullies and the bullied are reversed: Emma becomes the bully, and the group of friends become the bullied.
This show twists the entire concept of bullying, showcasing the ugly truth that sometimes, people broken down by bullies become bullies themselves. Not sure why the twisted plot concept of bullying is important? Then let's take a look at it from another view.
The effects of bullying are always stereotyped as the victim having an emotional breakdown or having thoughts of suicide or depression, eventually ending in a confrontation with his or her bully. But wait, didn't Emma also have a breakdown? Yes, but typically the victim is often portrayed as weak. However, if you were to observe the expressions and movements of Emma from the beginning of the first episode, you'll notice that the supposed victim Emma lashes out violently. She is the exact opposite of weak. The way she trashes the laughing crowd is almost terrifying, as if the writers are already foreshadowing the drastic aftermath of the unexpected release of Emma's diary.
Her rash outbreak complies with her old reputation at school: the one who ruled the school.
Emma was considered one of the "queen bees" until someone leaked her diary to the entire school. People chose to continue bullying her by creating memes of her outburst and spreading them all over the internet, which may further explain what tipped her over the edge. Her violent actions are focus to achieve one goal: burn the social lives of her ex-friends into ruins. Even after supposedly transferring schools, Emma obviously shows to have nursed this grudge, evident from her letter to the group.
But that's not even the most twisted part!
Rather it's the fact that Emma chooses to become the bully herself, both willingly and happily, just to even the score — tit for tat. This is interestingly realistic, yet understandably disappointing, because most would assume the victims of bullying would try to be the bigger person instead of inflicting the same cruel pain they experienced onto those who afflicted them.
This twisted concept of bullying and its aftermath is a rather dangerous narrative to be shown in this day and age, especially to the new generations of teens who are often hooked on social media. This new form of bullying may influence others to become just like Emma, someone who seeks revenge. Unlike older shows in the past, this one doesn't seem likely to impart good morals anytime soon. Rather, it seems that nowadays, shows are produced to trigger shock value entertainment without considering the serious effect they may have on young minds.
I hope that "Guilty Party" will take a different route and help viewers understand, people are seldom all good or all bad. Our behavior in our times of weakness defines us just as much as when we are in cognizant control. And sometimes, even the bullied can fall into the darkness and become the bullies.
To those who have yet to see the first episode, check out the first two episodes of "Guilty Party" below! (You won't regret it!)
