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Adolescence, the latest effort from one take wonder Philip Barantini (Boiling Point), has been widely lauded as the best drama of the year. A nuanced exploration of toxic masculinity, adolescent vulnerability, and the insidious misogyny pervading the so-called “manosphere,” Adolescence is stoking a vital discussion on the unprecedented cultural realities facing teens (and their parents) today.
Framed around the investigation into the death of a teenaged girl named Katie, Adolescence stands leagues apart from your average whodunnit. For one, there is little question as to the perpetrator. Despite his protestations, the evidence against the sweet-faced Jamie (Owen Cooper) is ironclad. Smartly, Barantini saves this evidence to the very end of the first instalment, rendering the force deployed in his arrest all the more shocking. Along with his family, the audience is blindsided as a full SWAT team descends upon the family home, spiriting Jamie to the station for processing.
The first episode is largely focused on Jamie’s father, Eddie (Stephen Graham), chosen by Jamie instinctively as his adult representative. It is heart wrenching to watch him in these scenes, and Graham does a masterful job of conveying the full range of emotions his character is doing his best to contain. It is difficult to imagine what this man is going through as he watches two grown police officers strip search his son, and nearly impossible to imagine his feelings at watching Jamie brutally stab his classmate on CCTV. In an apt demonstration of the complexity of their relationship, Eddie first recoils from his Jamie, only to then wrap him in a comforting embrace.
One of the central themes of Adolescence is the complicated nature of the relationships between fathers and sons, spilling naturally into the series’ second instalment. When lead investigator Bascombe (Ashley Walters) takes his investigation to the local high school – much to his son Adam’s dismay – he is confronted with his ignorance regarding the modern adolescent experience. Luckily, amidst the din of the series’ most chaotic episode, Adam manages to drill into his dad that he’s got it all wrong. Ignorant of modern emoji-speak, the cops have been labouring under the misapprehension that Jamie and Katie were friends. What Adam reveals is that her comments on Jamie’s Instagram posts, laden with cryptic emojis, are barely coded messages calling Jamie out for being an incel. As the focus shifts to Jamie’s peers, his reality shimmers into focus in a series of fleeting and masterfully realized moments. Whether beating each other to a pulp, bullying each other in the lunchroom, or obsessing over the popularity of strangers, these kids exist in a parallel universe to the adults in their lives, invisible and unprotected from the dangers that surround them.
The third instalment, perhaps the series’ most powerful, is also its most intimate. A two hander between Jamie and psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty), this hour delves deepest into the young killer’s psyche. Cooper is astonishing as he moves effortlessly from childish charm to uncontrolled rage and back again, playing perfectly off the more experienced Doherty’s careful assessment. The exchange is chilling, revealing the sophistication of Cooper’s thought process, his twisted sense of morality, and the terrifying depths of his misogynistic rage. As the instalment concludes, however, with Jamie begging for Briony’s approval and screaming for his father, we are reminded that despite the brutality of his crimes, he is still just a child.
One of the most important revelations of Jamie’s session with Briony is how complicated his relationship with his father really is. While he insists that Eddie is a kind and non-judgmental man, he admits his father can have a difficult time controlling his temper. He is also keenly aware of his father’s shame at his lack of masculinity, despite his best efforts to keep it hidden. The final instalment takes place months later as the family celebrates Eddie’s birthday, the ghost of Jamie looming over them. Throughout the day they reckon with the part they played in Jamie’s story. Did they fail him? Are they ultimately responsible for his crimes? Could they have done better? As Eddie weeps into Jamie’s pillow, he certainly seems to think so.
Adolescence is currently available to stream on Netflix.
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