Generally I do not watch shows such as Adolescence. This bracing, relentlessly unsettling, four-part British drama, however, is so arresting it demands attention. Having recently premiered on Netflix, it is unlike any other police investigation series I’ve ever seen.
Here is what it is about. A police tactical team swarms a suburban house, burst into an upstairs bedroom, and apprehend a 13-year-old boy named Jamie (played by astonishing newcomer Owen Cooper). The frightened kid wets himself, is told to quickly change and is heaved into a police van. His mom Manda Miller (Christine Tremarco), dad Eddie Miller (co-creator and co-writer Stephen Graham), and big sister Lisa (Amélie Pease), freak out — especially when they are told that the lad is accused of murdering a young, female classmate.
Kudos to director Philip Barantini, co-creator and co-writer Jack Thorne, and actor Graham (currently showcased in Canada on Super Channel’s excellent hospital drama Boiling Point). Together they deliberately ratchet up the tension with a suffocating, fly-on-the-wall, one-take approach. You are always in the room, the car, in police custody with these people. There is no way out.
The gaze is suffocating at times, almost daring the viewer, and I mean me, to flip over to hockey, an escapist series from the ’60s on YouTube, or anything even remotely humorous.
It is a strange show for these times when news networks are already scaring the shit out of viewers, especially in Canada. If you’re looking for a distraction from CNN, or CBC News Network, I’m not sure Adolescence is the place you want to shelter in right now. It is even more upsetting and heartbreaking than, well, actual adolescence.
You’ll also learn, by the end of the first episode, that this isn’t a whodunnit, it’s a why-dunnit. Evidence is gathered by intensely-focused detective Luke Bascome (Ashley Walters, a.k.a. British rapper Asher D) and his police partner Misha Frank (Faye Marsay, Game of Thrones). They patrol the second episode, which takes place amidst the traumatized classmates at Jamie’s school.
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Episode Three is a psychological chess game between suspect Jamie and child psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty, The Crown). How Cooper was able to channel such a ferocious character in page after page of searing dialogue is a jaw dropper. Don’t be fooled by Doherty’s schoolmarm demeanor, she is Voldemort. Do all necessary breathing before you lock in for this dark and revealing hour.
The story leaps forward several months in both the third and final hour. The last part is all about a family in crisis. If you have ever raised kids or been a kid or a parent, you will be gutted. One of the most uncompromising hours of scripted television I’ve ever seen.
The performances are all incredible, especially when you consider that everyone seems to be locked into a single, hour-long take. Graham in particular is beyond fearless, his temper erupting in one scene and his very soul crushed in the next. Set on his 50th birthday, the working dad is all but destroyed.
On its whole, Adolescence is a searing look at toxic masculinity, cyber bullying, and a culture and society that has dropped the ball when it comes to raising young men. After you watch, follow this link to a Tudum Explainer article which reveals the lengths to which the creators and producers went to pull off this cautionary tale. One warning however: you will be shaken up by this experience. Even if that leads to enlightenment, make sure you are ready to take it on.
