Netflix’s Apple Cider Vinegar doesn’t ease viewers into its unsettling world, it throws them straight into the deep end, writes Mona Mohamud.
The first episode, Toxic, sets the tone perfectly, with Belle Gibson introduced as a self-made wellness guru, but from the start, something feels off. The pilot is nothing short of a slow-motion car crash, full of influencer narcissism and real human suffering, with Belle (played by Kaitlyn Dever) at the core. A very rotten core.
From the moment Belle appears on our screen, her entire presence feels false. She isn’t charismatic or particularly smart, she just seems… fake. Her conversations with her crisis manager reek of desperation. She claims she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, but when asked for proof, she stalls and turns to victimisation. This is a whole new level of “white woman tears.”
Watching her grasp at straws would almost be pathetic if it weren’t so sinister. Belle’s sincerity is fake, her lies paper-thin, and her self-importance unbearable to watch. I found myself physically turning my body away from the screen. It’s not just cringeworthy, it’s painful.
At first, the audience isn’t explicitly told she’s lying but the writing is on the wall. The real gut-punch of the episode, however, comes from the parallel story of Milla, a young woman actually facing a terrifying cancer diagnosis. Milla’s search for alternative treatments, including an agonising conversation with doctors about the potential amputation of her arm, adds to the episode’s growing sense of dread.
Belle’s fakery is not just in her words; it’s her tone, it’s in the way she moves through the world. A flashback to 2010 shows her manipulating a store clerk into giving her a refund by making up a pregnancy-related sob story. It’s a small moment, but it reveals everything about her. She lies instinctively and shamelessly. She is not just deceiving strangers on the internet, she’s been lying about everything, to everyone, for years.
What makes the pilot of Apple Cider Vinegar such a brutal watch is that it doesn’t offer any relief. It doesn’t give you the satisfaction of seeing Belle fall apart just yet. Instead, it immerses you in the unfairness of it all. By the end of the first episode, we’re left with a bitter taste.
By the end of the opener, we all know Belle Gibson is not just a fraud, she is a parasite, and she’s going to hurt lots of people.
If you’re looking for a relaxing drama to watch, this isn’t it but if you want to witness a truly sickening story unfold, one that destroys lives whilst a scammer profits, then Apple Cider Vinegar is an essential viewing.
