Adolescence Doesn’t Have the Answer

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Spoilers follow for all four episodes of Adolescence, now streaming on Netflix.

The Netflix limited series titled “Adolescence” isn’t about unveiling the identity of the murderer since that’s already clear from the start – it’s a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller who is arrested for killing his classmate. This four-episode series, directed by Philip Barantini, presents each episode as a single shot, providing a detailed narrative of Jamie’s experience at the police station: fingerprinting, medical evaluation, and legal consultation. The camera focuses on the system in motion while highlighting Jamie’s fear and vulnerability, reminding us that he is still a boy who was scared when the police broke into his home, even wetting himself.

The series doesn’t dwell on whether Jamie committed the crime; by the end of the first episode, it becomes evident that he did. The interrogation scene with officers Luke Bascombe and Misha Frank reveals security footage showing Jamie stabbing his classmate, Katie Leonard, repeatedly with a kitchen knife. So, Jamie is the murderer, but the real mystery lies in understanding why.

Through this initial unveiling, the show “Adolescence” clearly states its purpose. It is less about a traditional crime drama centered around procedures than it is about creating a vivid social portrait, delving deeply into the turbulent cultural unease surrounding boys and young men in an era marked by incels, male displacement, and harmful podcasts. Thorne and Graham’s script unfolds as a series of distinct scenes that offer glimpses into different stages following Jamie’s arrest: The second episode follows Bascombe and Frank as they question his classmates shortly after the police raid; the third episode focuses on an imprisoned Jamie a few months later; and the final episode takes place about a year after the arrest, concentrating on the Miller family as they strive to rebuild their lives. However, within this sequential structure, “Adolescence” steers clear of any rigid sociological progression: Though we get some background information for Jamie’s actions — a combination of cyberbullying, hormonal stress, and online manipulation — Thorne and Graham refrain from providing a detailed blueprint for why such incidents occur and what, if anything, might be done about it. This is understandable given the complex and amorphous nature of the issue. The potential explanatory factors are numerous, including the “manosphere,” social media, the internet at large, a broader misogynistic culture, or simply the innate cruelty present in people, young and old, regardless of digital advancements. As a result, the series chooses to focus on the destruction left behind, ending with an image of the Miller family shattered and Eddie collapsing on Jamie’s bed.

The keen focus on incel culture during adolescence sets it apart as a current topic. While fear and apprehension surrounding this subject isn’t novel on-screen, depictions that delve into it sincerely are scarce. Olivia Wilde’s ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ comically uncovers Harry Styles as an incel, while Todd Phillips’s ‘Joker’ is frequently criticized for its shallow interpretation of an incel-infused remake of ‘Taxi Driver’, moving the anti-hero into the superhero universe. Unlike these two films that barely scratch the surface, ‘Adolescence’ offers a significant departure by engaging directly with the menacing presence of radicalized young males. Last year saw the publication of Tony Tulathimutte’s ‘Rejection’, a collection of short stories expanding upon his viral 2019 tale, “The Feminist”, which presents a darkly humorous exploration of a male feminist’s slide into incel radicalization. At present, ‘The Pitt’ is grappling with its own version of Chekhov’s Young Adult Male, as medical professionals face the ethical dilemma of whether to report a young man who posted disturbing content and compiled a list of women he intends to harm, or find another way to help – a moral quandary that intensifies when a mass shooting is threatened.

The show “Adolescence” doesn’t delve deeply into the world of incel culture, as it primarily focuses on portraying the perspectives of adults trying to understand Jamie and his peers. Instead of exploring Jamie’s mindset, the series reflects the confusion of its adult characters as they attempt to comprehend Jamie’s thoughts and actions. The audience is mainly placed within the viewpoints of the police officers, teachers, therapist, and father, with the camera often switching between Eddie and various aspects of the police station in the first episode, and clearly following Bascombe and Frank as they search Jamie’s school for evidence in the second. The adults in the show stumble around for answers, often outsmarted by students until Adam (Amari Bacchus) finally explains the significance of their social media symbols to his father who is eager for answers.

In this episode, the divide between generations is highlighted as Bascombe and Frank navigate the school, which appears as an uncontrollable wilderness akin to a war zone, reminiscent of both “Adolescence” and “Children of Men.” A teacher laments, “These kids are impossible. What am I supposed to do?” The adults seem helpless, while the school, struggling to manage the chaos, almost feels like a jail. Bascombe even compares it to a “holding pen,” suggesting why a boy on the brink of violence might go unnoticed. Like other threads in “Adolescence,” this observation is made and left hanging. The story concludes with Bascombe attempting to reconnect with his son, hinting that involved parenting could be the answer we need. However, consistent with “Adolescence”‘s style of detached observation, it remains more of a suggestion than a definitive solution.

Although the series Adolescence may not revolutionize our understanding of incel mentality, it distinctively ventures into the realm of adolescent male sexuality. One notable scene in the initial episode portrays characters Bascombe and Frank showing Jamie his Instagram posts with female models and suggestive comments. “What are your thoughts on women, Jamie?” Bascombe queries. “Do you have a girlfriend? If you did, would she look like these women?” The line of inquiry is uncomfortable, not only because we’re witnessing a 13-year-old boy grappling with his own developing and undefined sexuality, but also because those expressions are perceived as potential signs of violence against women. Although the portrayal is factually accurate, it remains questionable: It’s challenging not to ponder whether a 13-year-old is old enough to be labeled misogynistic.

In this third installment, the undercurrent of tension intensifies when Jamie encounters Briony (played by Erin Doherty), a therapist sent to assess his mental state before trial. This scene is one of the most captivating in the series as it delves into Jamie’s growing anger, a result of his experiences within the justice system. The character Owen Cooper, who is only 13 years old, exhibits a mix of emotions that are typically associated with adult men (anger, entitlement, aggression), yet also shows signs of a teenager lost in developmental turmoil. This interaction, which includes some adolescent sexual interest towards the mature Briony, provides a compelling glimpse into Jamie’s confusion. This episode is both intriguing and risky, as it dares to explore complex and sensitive topics that are central to the show’s aim to delve into challenging territories. Although it doesn’t quite reach its peak in this episode, its boldness underscores the ambition of the series.

The enigma of Adolescence presents a truly challenging conundrum: How should we deal with boys and young men? The fact that a satisfactory solution remains out of reach highlights the underlying mood of the series, which combines the eternal parental anxiety over whether you’ll ever measure up, and the generational worry about how contemporary life has subtly yet profoundly transformed the inherent perils of boyhood. Adolescence is a depiction of social realism, but it also conveys the unsettling cosmic dread that underlies the process of raising a son. The series’ final episode, its most emotionally charged, focuses on the Miller parents as they grapple with questions about what went wrong and their shortcomings as parents. Manda (Christine Tremarco) says Jamie rarely left his room, while Eddie wonders if he could have helped Jamie more by involving him in sports or whether his own father’s abuse may have instilled some anger within Jamie. The lingering fear is the unsettling feeling that there are no definitive answers, and that the well-being of the children you cherish is never completely under your control.

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2025-03-19 20:54