
The novel is told from Addy’s point of view, and she is increasingly revealed to be a biased and unreliable narrator who colors descriptions of those around her with her own judgements of them, but also has blind spots that cause her to miss important details. In the show as in the novel, the shift in Addy and Beth’s relationship after that encounter is different for each young woman, but Abbott notes, “It is great to be able to not have to put on a label on it - because it allows for the subtlety and the complexity and for things to go places.” That was something that we really wanted to explore,” Fattore says. “It was a much more binary world in 2012, and now one of the most exciting things about this moment is all of those binaries that were false to begin with are being dismantled. Meanwhile, Addy’s infatuation with her new coach can be interpreted as a romantic crush or simply idealizing a new role model. In the novel, Addy and Beth do take things beyond just being best platonic friends, but the feelings in the wake of that sexual encounter are expressed differently for each girl. The one area in which Abbott and Fattore did want to address changes from the publication of the novel to present-day is in how much more open young people have become in terms of discussing but often not wanting to label their sexuality. That territory felt perfectly applicable to TV.” “Sometimes that’s a romantic relationship, but sometimes it’s not, and in this case it’s a mentor relationship. I looked at the book in that way and saw instantly the chance to make the first season really a classic coming-of-age story about a relationship with an older person that changes your life,” says Fattore. “I have told coming-of-age stories on so many shows it’s really my favorite kind of show.


Their expectations for their cheerleading squad get up-ended when a new coach, Colette (Willa Fitzgerald), comes into play - a presence in their lives that begins to challenge their closeness in general as Addy begins to follow Coach similarly to how she once followed Beth.

Guardiola) and Beth (Marlo Kelly) have a complex dynamic in which Beth is often the alpha, with Addy as her No. The novel of “Dare Me,” and now the show of the same name, explores themes of friendship, sexuality, competition, murder and power through the world of high school cheerleading.
