Adolescence
Characters: Stephen Graham (Eddie Miller), Owen Cooper (Jamie Miller), Ashley Walters (DI Luke Bascombe), Faye Marsay (DS Misha Frank), Erin Doherty (Briony Ariston), Christine Tremarco (Manda Miller), Amelie Pease (Lisa Miller), Mark Stanley (Paul Barlow), Kaine Davis (Ryan Kowalska), Amari Bacchus (Adam Bascombe), Fatima Bojang (Jade), Lewis Pemberton (Tommy), Jo Hartley (Mrs. Fenumore)
Director: Philip Baratini
Producer:Jo Johnson
Written and Created By: Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham
Production Companies: Warp Films, It’s All Made Up Productions, Matriarch Productions, Plan B Entertainment, One Shoe Films
Language: English
Platform: Netflix
Release Date: 13th March 2025
Rating: 4.5/5
Adolescence is a limited series addressing a juvenile case of murder rooted in rage stemming from a teenager, Jamie’s feelings of masculine inadequacy. The series, spanning 4 episodes of approx. 51 to 60 minutes each, packs in heavy duty content with each episode taking place in a different setting. Each episode explores the impact the incident has on the individual(Jamie) level, the community level and then at the family level as well in modern day UK.
Episode 1 (Jamie’s house, Police Custody)
The episode gives us a rare and detailed insight on the juvenile custodial process in the UK. The process is detailed, carried out with a clinical detachment by the police personnel behind the desk as they quiz Jamie regarding his breakfast, any allergies or traumas he has faced in the past. Jamie is assigned a preferred adult and a state-appointed solicitor.
When the 13 year old Jamie gets dragged out of his house on suspicion of murder and proceedings involve taking his blood samples, his photo and a full body check up involving him stripping … One does cringe at the system. You suspect foul play and feel for the boy as a young victim, being subjected to harsh treatment.
Till we reach the end of the episode and the line by their appointed solicitor, Paul Barlow rings in your head “ They would have strong compelling evidence to break into the house like that and pick him up.”
Both father and son’s hearts break.
Episode 2 (Jamie’s School)
But a bigger cringe is the system in place at Jamie’s school. Purported safe haven, temple of learning and supposed place free of prejudice turns out to be a place where even teachers are looked down upon and their attempts at defending bullied students are scoffed at. DI Bascombe calls it a holding Pen and his subordinate bemoans the place reeking a stink of vomit and masturbation. Bascombe means well when he blubbers around the school urging anyone to come forward with information or even in need of counseling. But he turns out to be just an adult out of sync with teenage lingo, something his bullied son educates him on which gets them a much needed break through in the case.
Episode 3 (Jamie’s Juvenile Custody)
Perhaps the most hard hitting episode, delivering the answers we anticipate answered from the 1st episode. The forensic psychologist, Bryony Ariston, assigned to Jamie, adopts a slow but effective approach to get to the bottom of Jamie’s provocation. After several visits with some caged conversations disguised as friendly interactions Jamie finally breaks and rages followed by escalated swearing because he knows he has messed up. Broken the cool, calm and collected image he has been working on maintaining for her and the other guy before her.
Knowing, it’s futile to continue to pretend, he does have more instances of rage which break through at different junctures. The shock value we are delivered when Jamie starts recounting his internal monologue does not disappoint. He displays a cunning that was not detected earlier with a skewed logic to navigate the dynamics at school, no doubt developed under the constant repression and judgement he faced at his school.
When he is dragged away, reeking of desperation for some acknowledgement from Briony, it’s not just her that he leaves shaken.
Episode 4 (Jamie’s Family)
The Miller’s try to return to normalcy in the aftermath of the tragedy and Jamie’s relocation to the correctional facility. The episode highlights how sorted the other family members are and still manage to maintain their cool even amidst the unfair prejudice and distance that the community now subjects them to. It also rests the speculation on whether there was some paternal influence in Jamie’s aggression.
What I liked about Adolescence is, it could have been easily a winding 8 episode series with emotional dialogues and drawn out scenes, but, it’s the film making and scripting genius which keeps it detailed, yes, but still concise and limited.
The actors all undoubtedly do a job par excellence and I give full marks to the casting. The writers even manage to build stories around the side characters through small interactions in the limited screen time. The sheer brilliance of adolescence is how it manages to convey a lot in a single instance and almost every instance. A lot is left unsaid with cues for the audience to gauge and read into. And in that, the series demands the complete attention of the viewers at the risk of missing details, because every line delivered is loaded and every reaction can be measured in meaning.
The series documents a well placed judicial system with well meaning individuals placed within , school teachers who mean well but are helpless and even a loving and well balanced family. What led to a bright and sharp boy like Jamie to spiral then? Was it just the toxic school environment?! Jamie’s friends and Bascombe’s son were all students at the lower rung of the social ladder and bullied, though none of them quite lose out to their emotions like Jamie did or are we sitting on a potential bomb just waiting to explode?
The songs, ‘Fragile’ (At the end of episode 2) and ‘Through The Eyes of A Child’ (End of the final episode) especially leaves you haunting.
The series highlights that life does not have all the answers and that Adolescence is a tender bud that pretty much needs nothing to nip it at the core.
