The combination of tasteful carnage, clever wit, and disturbingly cute kittens yields an acclaimed show like Brand New Cherry Flavor. The Netflix horror miniseries follows an ambitious young woman as her filmmaking dreams take a dark and witchy turn in Los Angeles.
The cast of complex characters drives a wicked plot, and naturally, their complexity is accompanied by striking dialogue. Taking a look at some of the sharpest standout quotes from Brand New Cherry Flavor provides some insight into all of the reasons why the show has been making such waves with horror fans since its release in 2021.
Say What You Want
"I Want My Movie Back And I Want To Set His Life On Fire."
When Lisa first decides to work with Boro to put a curse on creepy movie producer Lou Burke, she vomits a cat as payment. Despite the apparent pain that comes with throwing up a small mammal, this is Lisa's response to Boro's question of what she wants.
This quote from very early on in the series tells the audience the exact kind of drive that Lisa has. She is willing to do whatever it takes to reclaim her movie and destroy everything that Lou Burke represents. The line sets the tone nicely for the rest of the show, as it is this type of ambition that eventually leads the story to spiral out of her control.
Through The Looking Glass
"What Would Somebody See If They Looked Through Your Window?" / "I Guess It Depends On Who's Looking."
This is an interaction between Roy Hathaway and Lisa, respectively. At a party full of people in the arts, Lisa is staring at a piece, stating that it feels like someone is staring at her through a window (as if they are staring directly into her soul).
This is a particularly profound and artistic response, and it makes perfect sense to characterize Lisa in the first episode. It also establishes an air of ambiguity surrounding her character, which viewers will see plenty more of as the story turns to her use of dark magic. Rosa Salazar shows her range as an actor with her vague yet intense portrayal of a character that is very different than her previous role of Alita the Battle Angel in one of the best action movies of 2019, (according to Ranker).
The Gift Of Life
"This B***h Just Puked A Cat!"
When Lisa gets arrested for breaking into Lou's home to steal a photo of him and some of his DNA, she ends up in a jail cell with a few other women. These ladies watch as Lisa pukes up another kitten for Boro, and this line is the first verbal reaction from one member of the group.
The abrupt delivery of this line makes it a bit of comic relief for viewers, who just sat through the brutal scene of Lisa pushing a newborn kitten out of her esophagus. Plus, this response is entirely relatable for the audience who has only seen Lisa do this one time prior. The disturbance of the whole situation is part of what makes Netflix one of the best streaming services for horror fans.
Social Masochism
"I'm A Social Masochist. I Get Off On Going Where I'm Not Wanted."
When Lisa shows up to Lou Burke's screening of her short film as Roy Hathaway's plus one, it is clear that Lou had no intention of her being there. Lisa has this to say about being at the party, though her real reason for being there is to make him inhale a substance that will accelerate the curse.
At the point that Lisa says this quote, the audience already has a great sense of how bold she is and the blunt delivery confirms this. Beyond the punchy sentiment, it is also simply believable. Even though viewers know her true motive for coming to the party, they cannot help but buy it alongside the rest of the partygoers.
Fatal Flaws
"Getting Arrested Doesn't Hurt My Pride."
After Lisa gets arrested for breaking into Lou's home, he soon shows up to her home to offer her a position as his assistant. He tells her that he did not want to hurt her pride after her arrest for breaking into his home, to which she immediately responds with this line.
If getting arrested for stealing Lou's pubic hair in order to put a curse on him does not hurt her pride, then that speaks to just how durable Lisa's pride is. This is part of what makes her such an intriguing character, but it also might just be her fatal flaw. She is very headstrong, and her continued drive after her arrest tells the audience that she will stop at nothing.
Boro's Identity
"I'm Boro. I've Always Been Boro."
When Lisa attempts to find out more about Boro, she ends up discovering that Boro uses a woman named Jennifer's body as a vessel to walk amongst people. However, as she tells Lisa, she is not Jennifer. She has always been Boro. This is the perfect character for Catherine Keener, who is no stranger to the horror genre, with one of her best roles according to IMDb being Rose in Get Out.
This quote gives the audience a better idea of Boro's character. It separates her from her physical form and allows viewers to see the witchy spirit at her core for who she is. Boro does not speak of who she is very often, so this short line is one of the few glimpses of her true self that the audience gets. Yet, it is powerful enough to sustain their understanding of her for the duration of the series.
Eye On The Inside
"I f**king ate it?!"
This is what Mary Gray says when she finally watches Lisa's short film, which she stars in, and finds out exactly how she lost her eye. She learns that she scratched it out of her own skull and ate it after seeing Lisa's face morph into something demonic.
The delivery of this quote is hilarious, but in truth, the audience is just as shocked as she is since the show had not yet revealed the end of the short at this point. Viewers can also imagine that from Mary's point of view, the experience of watching herself eat her own eye out is beyond appalling, and the quote confirms her jolt.
Inner Self
"Are they still the same person deep down inside?" / "Yes. We all are."
About the men that Boro turns into undead slaves, including Lou's son Jonathan, Lisa asks if any part of them is still left deep down. Boro responds, confirming that their true selves are present in their seemingly mindless corpses.
Jonathan is collateral damage in this whole ordeal, and Lisa seems to regret that the curse has harmed him. So, it is reassuring to know that he is still in there, which is later confirmed when he says the word "shrimp" at a restaurant with his father, a call back to their previous trip there. The quote holds the double meaning that, despite witchcraft taking over Lisa's life, she has the same heart that she has always had. The multitudes to her character are part of the appeal of Brand New Cherry Flavor and the best shows like it.
Lou's Revenge
"He'll stop at nothing to kill this person, and when he finally finds this person... You can guess how the story ends."
While talking to Lisa on the phone and sitting next to Alvin Sender at a bar, Lou cannot directly threaten Lisa the way that he wants to for hurting his son with her curse. So, he veils his threat as the plot of a book in which a father hunts down the person who hurt his son.
This gives the audience the sense that Lou means business when it comes to avenging his son. He may not have believed in the curse at first, but now that he sees the repercussions that it is having on his son, he will be relentless in his mission to get revenge. While most viewers may be doubtful that he can succeed when dark forces are on Lisa's side, the quote still exemplifies the sheer gravity of Lou's grief.