S1E9 Social Media Is a Great Way to Connect

I May Destroy You Episode 9 'Social Media Is a Great Way to Connect' aired July 6, 2020 on BBC One and stands as the series' formal peak - the episode where Coel's non-linear structure and tonal range reach their most fully integrated expression. The episode uses the architecture of public online disclosure - the Twitter thread, the immediate public reaction, the loss of control over one's own narrative - to mirror Arabella's internal experience of processing what was done to her. The tonal shifts between comic and devastating are managed with complete control: the episode knows exactly when to let the audience laugh and exactly when to make that laughter uncomfortable. The Metacritic score of 86 for the series overall reflects a unanimous critical sense that this formal ambition was earned.