Entertainment Swindon

2025 | Maturity rating:15 | 1 Season | Drama

When a 13-year-old is accused of the murder of a classmate, his family, therapist and the detective in charge are all left asking: what really happened?

The new drama from Netflix has been hailed by viewers and critics alike as captivating, and flawless. Its possibly one of the most disturbing dramas I’ve ever watched, and I am not one for having any interest in British made TV drama.

Adolescence, was captivating from the opening scene which I had to watch in one sitting, binging on all four episodes. It is released at a time where the misogynistic Andrew Tate has been welcomed into the US by President Trump and the sentencing of crossbow killer Kyle Clifford and Nicolas Prosper who had been planning a mass shooting at his former school who this week received 49years for the murder of his mother, brother and sister.

For a fifty year old who grew up as a kid in an analogue world, so watching Adolescence was a disturbing and unnerving watch. Over the past decade, the regularity of knife crime incidents involving kids has been nothing short of alarming. The disturbing increase of teenagers across the UK has risen by 240%, the popularity and ease to obtain weapons known as Zombie knives, the online culture at every teenagers fingertips promoting misogyny and toxic masculinity by people such as Andrew Tate, the ease of access to teenagers to extreme porn, all linked through the lens of social media has changed life in schools today to be unrecognisable to those of my generation (GenX).

Its early morning in an English town, armed police break down a family home and arrest a 13year old boy named Jamie Miller on suspicion of the grusome murder of a classmate named Katie Leonard. Held in a police station for questioning, Jamie is then sent to a youth psychiatric facility where it comes to light that Jamie had been subject to bullying at school and on social media, centred around incel subculture.

Throughout the four episodes, the series was filmed with just two cameras is genius! drawing in the audience, never leaving the action, building more tension to the drama unfolding on the screen.

This hard hitting drama was the creation of Stephen Graham who also plays the role of Jamies father Eddie Miller and screen writer Jack Thorne, and directed by Philip Barantini.

As the drama unfolds, it shows the impact the arrest of Jamie has on his family, particularly Jamie’s father Eddie, a self-employed plumber. From the very start, Eddie is in total shock and disbelief, protesting his sons innocence, until before his eyes, sat by his son in an interrogation cell, he watches CCTV footage of his son attacking Katie in a carpark.

Jamie Miller, the 13year old boy the story is centred around is played by 15year old Owen Cooper, surprisingly acting in debut acting role is incredible! Switching from a sweet innocent kid that we all feel sorry for, to an angry scary teenager full of rage, often at the flic of a switch.

Outside of the psychiatric facility housing Jamie, his family continue to spiral with nosy neighbours adding to the pressure leading up to kids graffitiing Eddies van which pushes him over the edge.

In the final episode, Jamie calls his parents to tell them he is pleading guilty, shortly after Eddie has a meltdown in a DIY store carpark. The ending sees Eddie in his sons bedroom, wrapped in guilt & regret, an empty shell of his former self. As he lays on his sons bed, he tucks Jamie’s teddy bear in, under the duvet as he apologises, saying “Sorry son, I should’ve done better”.

There are shows and films that do well with open endings, I get the reasoning behind the creators decision to do the same, but for me, my only negative I can put at this phenomenal drama, is that I wanted an ending, yes we all realise Jamie was guilty, I think an ending showing this and where the parents end up would have been more closure.

This cautionary tale, shows that we need to do more about teen culture and their obsession with mobile phones, social media, emojis innuendos and the lack of want to emerge themselves in to real life, in person interaction. It certainly opened my eyes to how kids view the world and how they live it, and for me it’s rather alarming. Todays world has seen people like Andrew Tate seen as mainstream, same with likes of Tommy Robinson, extremism to the left and to the right, a detachment from the real world and common sense.

Adolescence is now showing on Netflix.