"Adolescence," directed by Philip Barantini, is a limited series recently released on Netflix. This thrilling series features Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, Ashley Walters as detective Luke Bascombe, and Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller. It is full of themes like toxic masculinity and the impact of social media.
This series is about the pressures of teens growing up and how the impact of social media is more powerful than imagined. Jamie Miller is accused of murdering Katie Leonard. Jamie shows a different side of himself and the reasons behind the murder. His family is shown in this series of how this murder affected them. Specifically, his father, Eddie Miller, struggles to understand how he committed such a heinous crime.
Highs
In "Adolescence," Graham's performance as Eddie was emotional and strong. He showed the intense heartbreak he went through when his son was arrested. He wanted to believe his son was good, but that was far from the truth. The amount of care and love he had for his son and family was captured beautifully.
The portrayal of Jamie was impressive, considering he was a 13-year-old boy who committed a murder. He showed different emotions, from sad to downright aggressive, with the therapist. He had multiple personalities; he was evilly taunting his therapist. This provided an insight into the pain he felt inside, making others miserable.
Detective Bascombe was a determined cop who could see the toxiciness that happens in the high school. He wants to get to the bottom of the motive for the crime. The interrogations show how Jamie presented himself on social media. This led to the violent murder that took place.
The themes explored in this series are critical because of the social media aspect of bullying. It emphasizes how social media can affect a child’s brain and its consequences. This is an in-depth emotional series about how adolescents need to be paid attention to.
The episode between Jamie and his therapist, Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty), was captivating. It was a powerful scene that showed Briony trying to help this boy by using techniques that would speak to him as a teenager. This showed all the thoughts that ran through Jamie’s head and how he would completely switch his personality.
Lows
The primary low point was how short the series was. If there were more episodes, it would help to understand every aspect of why the murder happened.
A trial should have occurred, or Jamie should have received the sentencing. The last episode was missing aspects of Jamie’s proceedings. Another low point was the reasoning behind the bullying of why Jamie was a target. This would have helped the audience understand why this led to a highly violent murder.
Verdict
"Adolescence" is worth watching, considering how it explores intense, more prominent themes in modern times. It is an emotional series and rated for a mature audience only.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Mariam Fakhreddine is a film and theater reviewer for The Eastern Echo. She has worked as a news and features reporter for The Echo for two years.
