Brand New Cherry Flavor: The Good, the Bad, and the Weird as F*ck
Still not sure what I just watched, but I’m kind of obsessed?
by MADISON MANCZKO ★ SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
Brand New Cherry Flavor is by far the strangest show I’ve seen in a while. You might not have seen it, or even heard of it, as it only dropped on Netflix a month ago. I didn’t even know it existed until last weekend, but after binging all eight episodes in one day, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Think a witchy, hypersexual, drug-fueled crossover between Stranger Things and Euphoria with some major baddie feminist ass-kicking. Intrigued? You should be.
Credit: Netflix
Netflix’s new series takes place in the gritty world of 1990s Los Angeles, where everyone’s willing to do whatever it takes to make a name for themselves. This is especially true of young filmmaker Lisa Nova, played by Rosa Salazar, who drives to L.A. in her beat-up car after securing a meeting with big-shot producer, Lou Burke.
For a while, things are looking up for Lisa. Her short film “Lucy’s Eye” is a hit with the studio, and her new mentor Burke promises to give her full creative control. This is short-lived, however, as Burke quickly makes a sexual advance towards Lisa. When she refuses, things go from bad to worse, and he steals her movie right out from under her as a punishment.
Credit: The Hollywood Reporter
It’s from this point on that Burke becomes the main villain of the series. He is played by Eric Lange, who gives a chillingly accurate performance of a creep abusing his power. You might recognize him as the crazy and loveable Mr. Sikowitz on the hit Nickelodeon show Victorious. You better leave your expectations at the door, though, because here he’s quite the opposite of loveable, with extra emphasis on crazy.
Credit: TV Insider
After this incident, Brand New Cherry Flavor goes from a stylish drama to a total mindf*ck. Lisa sets out to destroy Burke’s life and enlists the help of an eccentric witch named Boro to put a curse on him. Boro is played by Catherine Keener, who proved her ability to play bizarre roles after her performance as the hypnosis-inducing mom from Get Out. Once the curse is completed, Lisa starts puking up newborn kittens as a payment to Boro--one of many WTF moments in this series.
Credit: Now Toronto
From this point forward, Lisa goes on a revenge-fueled journey filled with sex, gore, zombies, hallucinogenic trips, and much, much more kitten-puking. Strange mysteries also start to present themselves, like Boro’s true identity, and an ominous trapdoor that appears randomly in Lisa’s living room.
It’s not all blood and guts, though. In fact, the show features a steamy romance between ice-queen Lisa and the troubled A-list actor Roy Hardaway. Roy is played by Jeff Ward, whose performance is outshined only by his attractiveness (can you tell I’m in love with him?). He reveals that even the most glamorous movie stars have dark pasts, and this humanizes him into an extremely endearing character.
Credit: IMDb
Brand New Cherry Flavor is a sharp, sleek, offbeat horror-comedy that grabs you and doesn’t let you go until the season finale. Its message is strong: the price of success may cost you everything, and people are waiting to take advantage of that success at every turn. If you’re looking for a new show that’ll both have you on the edge of your seat and make your skin crawl, turn on Brand New Cherry Flavor and watch certified bad b*tch Lisa Nova take down the patriarchy one spell at a time.
Cover Photo Credit: Collider