Michaela Coel Explains Meaning of I May Destroy You Title
Watch Michaela Coel Explain the Multiple Meanings of I May Destroy You's Enigmatic Title
There is plenty that will be unpacked about I May Destroy You for years to come. The distinctive dramedy, which is already being lauded as one of the year's best new shows, follows zeitgeisty millennial writer Arabella as she pieces together the details of her sexual assault, which takes place in the premiere episode. Much like the show's central traumatic event, the title also presents an enigma. Michaela Coel — who created, wrote, and stars on I May Destroy You — offered her explanation of the title in a recent interview with British GQ.
"I may be completely thoughtless and just destroy any and everything around me."
"When the title card comes up, it says, 'I may destroy you,' and then 'you' deletes," Coel said in a video breaking down scenes from the eighth episode, "Line Spectrum Border." Coel went on to explain how there are several potential destroyers being referred to in the title: the destruction caused by the man who sexually assaulted Arabella and Arabella's own self-destruction. She said, "I may destroy you. I may destroy myself. I may be completely thoughtless and just destroy any and everything around me. Who is saying, 'I may destroy'? Is it Arabella? Is it the man that sexually assaulted her in episode one? Who may destroy?"
Then again, Coel hopes the title inspires various interpretations from viewers. "Just like with everything else, I'm leaving it for us to be curious about and to think about," she said. "I don't have a certain answer, which is where I like to stay as a creative." Watch Coel talk about the title at the very beginning of the video above.
