‘Adolescence’ is a crime drama involving Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy, who is arrested on the suspicion of murdering his classmate – Katie Leonard.
The British homicide detectives arrest Jamie early in the morning which shocks his parents and elder sister, Lisa. The family protests the boy’s innocence; until they are presented with CCTV footage showing Jamie fatally stabbing Katie. The series follows Jamie and his family through police interrogation on the day of his arrest, the detectives in Jamie’s school interviewing his classmates two days later, Jamie awaiting trial in the psychiatric facility seven months later and finally – a year later – as Jamie decides to plead guilty. The series ends with Jamie’s family, notably his father, coming to terms with the situation. The murder serves as a starting-off point of the narrative, as the focus remains on ‘adolescence’ and the dark form it may assume – especially for boys. This has massive implications for the young adolescent and his family as well as the community.
As the experienced investigators learn the sinister meaning of seemingly harmless emojis on Snapchat, the viewers understand the pressures young boys face from their peers and social media. ‘Adolescence’ shows just how easily boys, like Jamie, may get dangerous messages about their roles in society through social media, especially in the absence of masculine role models. Early into the investigation, the police officers wonder whether Jamie’s father is “all right” assuming that the child’s violent act indicates a violent upbringing. The lead police officer’s relationship with his adolescent son, who is Jamie’s classmate, is also explored. Both the relationships show how sons become alienated from well-meaning fathers due to poor work-life balance.
Jamie’s act of violence is relevant but secondary to the bigger issue of a new kind of masculinity – toxic or fragile – which normalizes online misogyny, which cuts off adolescent boys from reality and damages their ability to differentiate between digital and real life. ‘Adolescence’ sheds light on real and relevant issues affecting boys globally, without offering any easy solutions, as parents continue their fight for safer communities for their children the world over.
Overall, a hard but gripping watch !!
