Netflix’s newest limited series, “Adolescence,” dares to dissect the gray area of parenting and social media, focusing on incel culture among young men. With a 99 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, the British limited series has garnered critical buzz. Co-written and starring Stephen Graham, the four-episode series holds up a grim mirror to modern society and masculinity.
The series premise is focused around 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper), who is convicted of murdering a classmate. The first episode is jarring, as the audience watches the scenes unfold as Jamie’s parents are brought to the police station. While this show may seem like a crime drama, the series does not focus on the crime or victim itself, but rather the mindset, cultural influence and psychology behind Jamie’s actions. This begs the question: how could a 13-year-old commit such a heinous crime? The show delves into the many aspects and answers that are centered around the modern era of masculinity.
“Adolescence” is not afraid to dive into uneasy waters and even mentions the self-proclaimed “manosphere” community leader, Andrew Tate, by name. As ambitious as the plot seems, perhaps even more ambitious is the filming style and process. Each hour-long episode was shot using one continuous take, meaning that there are no cuts in a single episode. It is unlike any other TV series on the platform, as it forces the audience to live the lives of Jamie and his family, uninterrupted and raw.
This is not a typical television series, and at times, the viewer might become bored with the mundaneness of scenes. This is all by design, to accurately show a day in these character’s lives in real time. The lulls, the silence and the points without dialogue make this show feel brutally real. You can’t look away from the scene unfolding and you can’t speed it up, you have to sit with it and take in the effects Jamie has had on everyone’s lives. You don’t often see the harsh realities of young adulthood on television without being overly dramatized or unrealistic, but “Adolescence” has managed to pull off something truly profound.
Episode three is one of the best episodes of television I’ve ever seen. The unrelenting and continuous dialogue between Jamie and his psychologist is utterly chilling. This episode is when the audience really begins to understand the mindset young Jamie possesses, and who he truly is as a person. His views on women, his own justifications for his actions and his need to be liked provide nuance to Jamie’s character. It’s frightening, it’s disgusting and it’s realistic – which is perhaps the most terrifying part.
Cooper, who acted for the very first time in this limited series, shines in this episode. He is a natural, standout actor who is utterly believable and complex. The discussion between Jamie and the psychologist is an intriguing look into father-son relationships. When asked if his father ever gets angry, Jamie replies “sometimes,” later including a story about his dad ripping a shed down out of anger. The psychologist pushes further, asking if Jamie feels loved by his father, to which Jamie responds that he feels love between a father and son is weird and unmasculine. Of course, this story shows the clear impact of social media and incel culture on young men, but it also shows how parents inevitably shape their children.
Mirroring modern times, there are many people in the show who believe Jamie is innocent. Even with all of the evidence, a videotape and his own admission, people still believe there is no way this young boy could have committed such a crime. What’s even more frightening is the discourse online between real people, unsure that the character Jamie did in fact, commit this crime.
A particularly chilling scene between Jamie’s father and a department store worker showcases the sort of incel mentality we have become so numb to seeing. The worker explains that he knows Jamie is innocent, and a group of men and himself have started a petition to get him out of jail. This is a turning point for Jamie’s father, as he reconciles with the horrific things he knows his son has done.
The final episode, which focuses on Jamie’s family a year after he has been in jail, is heartbreaking. The effect of his crime weighs heavily on his parents who question if they could have done something to prevent it. An incredibly emotional conversation between Jamie’s father and mother leads them to conclude that they should have done more in involving themselves in their son’s life, and that the internet had psychologically changed Jamie’s mind. Blame is equally fractioned between parenting, school and the internet. Each aspect had an irrevocable impact on this young boy, forever changing the lives of the victim and families involved.
This is by no means a light show– it’s not supposed to be. It’s necessary commentary, delving into some of the darker corners of social media, specifically the “Manosphere.” As writer Jack Thorne explains, “This is an ordinary family, and this is an ordinary world and it’s really worrying what’s possible right now.”
This show sparks necessary conversations among parents and children. In the UK, “Adolescence” is being shown in schools to help students understand the lasting impact of the internet and misogyny. Not only is this series increasingly important in modern society, but it is overall an extremely impressive feat in terms of filming. Thorne’s overall takeaway for the viewer, is that “this could happen to anyone.”
Olivia Baier can be reached at [email protected].
