Adolescenceis a new British miniseries on Netflix that has been getting a lot of attention, and rightfully so. While most crime shows are about finding out who the killer is, this psychological drama is much more interested in getting at the roots of why a particular murderer did what they did. Each of its four episodes was remarkably filmed in a single shot, the atmosphere is so immersive that each of its settings feels absolutely real, and the marriage of impeccable acting with superb writing come together to make this perhaps one ofthe greatest miniseries ever made. It was created byStephen Graham(who also stars in a few episodes) andJack Thorne, who also wrote the whole thing together. Meanwhile,Philip Barantinigets the credit for directing every single groundbreaking episode.
Adolescenceis inspired bythe recent uptick in knife-related murders in Britain, which is especially affecting kids and teens, but it doesn’t treat this serious material in an exploitative manner. Though every frame is fascinating, the story is always treated with the utmost seriousness and has no interest in entertainment for entertainment’s sake. Those who prefer lighter fare with easy answers and conventional storytelling may find this difficult to watch. This miniseries uses an experimental form and structure to analyze the different angles from which we can view the problem. As such, every episode takes place in a different setting and shows a few different characters' points of view to best understand the societal issues as a whole. Though they’re all filmed in a single take, each episode has a unique feel to it—as well as the understanding that the issues tackled in this Britain-born drama are also significant on an international scale. Every hour-long entry is masterful, and it’s difficult to call one any better or more insightful than the others. However,one may be able to rank them in terms of how well they help us understand the roots of these violent episodes—from social expectations to social media to people’s conceptions of masculinity.
Adolescence
4Episode 4
Settings: The Millers' house, the Millers' van, and a hardware store
The fourth and final installment ofAdolescencetakes place 13 months after the murder, but it might as well have been yesterday for the Millers. It’s Eddie Miller’s birthday, but because he’s the father of a killer, his present is the word “nonce” getting spray-painted onto his van. It’s never specified which member of the family is being called the “nonce,” but it doesn’t really matter; this act of vandalism is largely what drives the narrative forward. First he tries to wash it off with a soapy sponge, but it’s not nearly strong enough. So he takes his wife and daughter to a hardware store called Wainwrights, where he learns that the only way to completely get rid of it would be getting the van professionally repainted—which he cannot afford. On the family’s way home, Jamie calls to say happy birthday, and to say that he’s going to change his plea to guilty. This scene is one of many that demonstrates how the show is on par withthe greatest psychological dramas with stellar performances. Afterward, they resolve to watch a movie at home, but the audience never gets to see that happen.
Like the other episodes, the plot in this one is simple. In fact, it’s probably the simplest one of all: a family wants to celebrate a father’s birthday as if they were normal, but several things make that impossible. It’s even framed explicitly as a struggle with some overpowering, intangible force when the three remaining Millers say “Let’s get the day back” at various points in the episode. The choice of moving away is shot down every time it’s brought up, as the son’s past will always catch up with the rest of them. At this point, the show is not only interested in how broken this family has become from the murder, but also in gathering some insight into what about the boy’s environment might have helped drive him towards what he did. That employee at Wainwrights tries to tell the father he’s on his side, while those kids who spray-painted his van follow him around—as if to convey that the Millers belong with neither the people who take Jamie’s side nor with those who oppose it. They’re caught in a perpetual in-between, as their painfully awkward phone call with the boy also demonstrates. This episode significantly doesn’t have a definitive answer as to what the Millers should have specifically done or when they should have done it, but the parents do have an insightful and heartbreakingly candid discussion about where they might have gone wrong.Overall, it caps the series with the long-term consequences of this boy’s actions, and it’s impossible to shake off.
3Episode 1
Settings: The Millers' house, a police car, and the police station
Adolescencebegins with a house raid so aggressive that the Millers' front door is broken down, which is surprising because we quickly discover that the police are looking for a 13-year-old boy, Jamie. It’s astonishing that Jamie isOwen Cooper’s first role, as it’s easily one of the greatest displays of child acting and one of thestrongest acting debuts of all time. It’s clear from the start that this boy is overwhelmed by the police raid, but we’re left wondering whether this was excessive force against an innocent kid or a warranted approach to an arrest that Jaime didn’t anticipate. One of the things that really sets the first episode ofAdolescenceapart from the others is that we spend most of it not knowing whether this young boy is innocent or guilty.
This is also the only episode in which the audience gets to feel bad for Jaime, as the ambiguity of the situation leaves us potentially feeling sorry for the kid who’s getting stripped search for what—based on the small information provided throughout most of the episode—the audience interprets could possibly be someone else’s crime. Details like Jaime peeing his pants during the arrest and asking for his father to accompany him throughout the various processes of legal procedure feel like potential clues, but they could also be natural responses to a terrifying situation. In a way, that makes the video evidence at the end all the more brutal, as it doesn’t leave any doubt whatsoever that Jamie stabbed and killed his schoolmate Katie the evening prior. In the end, we’re left with the impression that this series is going to be an intense and unflinching exploration of this kid’s mentality. Meanwhile, the camera occasionally swerving into the rest of the family’s perspective conveys how frantic and traumatizing this experience is for his family (which is explored further in the final episode). Not revealing until the end whether Jaime is guilty also shows us just how difficult it can be to tell from someone’s appearance alone if they’ve committed such a gruesome crime. In retrospect, since much of this is shown from Jamie’s perspective, it may also be intended to illustrate just how in over his head an impressionable, radicalized boy realizes he’s got himself into. Overall,this is the extraordinary premiereof what is amongthe best series of the past decade.
2Episode 2
Setting: Jamie’s school
Easily one ofthe strongest miniseries on Netflixfollows up its emotionally wrenching debut with an episode in which Inspector Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and Sergeant Frank (Faye Marsay) go to Jamie’s school to find the weapon and figure out a motive. They interview the victim’s best friend, Jade, who’s understandably furious and completely unwilling to engage. Then they go around trying to talk to classes, a process that doesn’t get them very far but nevertheless helps the viewers understand the amount of obvious bullying that goes on. Kids have the audacity to bully Bascombe’s son right in front of him, and even Jade made a few comments about the detective’s son before storming off. The detectives have gone into this thinking that the suspect and victim were friends when everyone they ask contradicts that assumption, another important detail that helps paint a wider picture for us before we’re given the answer near the end.
Just as the first episode has the air of a mystery, the second also keeps the audience wondering a few things: What was Jaime’s relationship to Katie, where is that knife, and who else in Jaime’s social circle helped him?There are important stakes here, too; Jaime has a bargaining chip if they can’t find the knife. The sudden fire drill is very well done (all the more impressive that these episodes are all done in a single take), and the beating that ensues offers a pretty big clue as to what happened. Ryan acts suspiciously in his interview, going so far as to leave the nurse despite his injuries—leading to a climactic chase. The side-story about Bascombe’s son Adam is telling, as we can see that he’s similarly affected by the same kind of social ostracization and cyberbullying that Jaime was. The conversation between him and his father says a lot about the generational gap between them, and it’s a sign of hope that Bascombe is able to convince his son to eat with him after school. Along with the moving conversation between Jade and one of the adults in school she trusts, this episode does an exceptional job of keeping focus on the case while conveying larger social phenomena that are much harder to solve.
1Episode 3
Setting: A youth detention facility
The third entry plunges deeper into Jaime’s mind than any other, making this the most mesmerizing of them all.Forensic psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty) has already seen Jaime a few times, and we’re shown in the beginning of the episode that another psychologist has already finished their assessment of him. This tells us that Ariston is a bit more diligent with her work, and her attention to detail shows. This episode is largely just a conversation that she has with the boy, making it the most restricted setting in the miniseries—but the human psyche can go to so many different places that the viewer is totally engrossed the whole way through. It’s interesting how Ariston packs marshmallows from home to put in his hot chocolate and yet makes a sandwich for him that he doesn’t like.Gauging his responses to getting what he wantsversus what he doesn’t is one subtle but fascinating strategy that repeated viewings reward.
Although this miniseries isn’tbased on a true story, it has so much carefully crafted detail that the viewer believes every word of it. Owen Cooper is especially brilliant, making his character go from friendly and teasing to freaking out in such an aggressive fashion that his character visibly upsets the psychologist. The way his posture volleys between slumped and passive to standing over Ariston as she sits in her chair demonstrates his need to feel powerful, and Jaime’s contempt for the psychologist’s attempt to ask about his father shows that he doesn’t want to see his father in any other way than up on a pedestal. This, among other things, makes that anecdote about the way his father would look away during football outings all the more tragic. The kid’s deep insecure sense of masculinity becomes more apparent throughout the episode, and the way he has to be dragged out while demanding to know what she thinks of him is the perfect way to endan episode that is too complex and disturbing for any piece of writing to truly do it justice.
