Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for all episodes of Adolescence.Over a week after its release,Netflix’sAdolescenceisstill drawing global acclaimfor the depth of the miniseries' narrative, and for good reason. Many fans have already pointed out the strength ofAdolescence’s lead performances, the show’s exhilarating cinematography, and the relevance of its pleaagainst toxic masculinity in the digital age, butAdolescencealso deserves praise for the subtlety of its storytelling. Scattered throughoutStephen GrahamandJack Thorne’s stellar collaboration are details which add further depth to the miniseries and make you rethink everything you think you know aboutAdolescence, the most shocking of which can be found as early as Episode 1’s opening scene.
AsAdolescenceviewers know, the series begins with a harrowing early-morning raid by DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and DS Misha Frank (Faye Marsay) into the Miller home. From the moment the police batter down the door,it’s an intense sequence made even more claustrophobicbyAdolescence’s one-shot filming technique, but the drama instantly escalates when Bascombe corners the series' main culprit, Jamie (Owen Cooper), in his childhood bedroom. It’s easy for first-time viewers to be distracted by Jamie’s subsequent arrest for murder as the Millers are dragged down to the station, but if you pay attention,you’re able to actually catch a chilling hint of Jamie’s guilt early in this scene. Specifically, Jamie tries to hide a slash in his wallpaper as Bascombe’s officers arrest him, a slash like the kind that could be made bythe murder weaponAdolescencestill doesn’t uncoverby its ending.
‘Adolescence’s Opening Sequence Hides Jamie’s Guilt in Plain Sight
It’s understandable why you would either not notice or forget about this detail during your first run-through of the series, asthe audience still doesn’t know how Jamie’s alleged victim died at the time of Bascombe’s raidand, therefore, has little reason to dwell on the slashed wallpaper. That said, in a series that quickly does away with allegations to explorethe “why” behind Jamie’s undeniable crime, this opening detail reiterates Jamie’s indisputable guilt and his infantile, ultimately unsuccessful attempts to disguise the part he played in Katie’s (Emilia Holliday) fatal stabbing. This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment also fills in some narrative gapsAdolescenceleaves intentionally open,confirming Jamie likely kept the knife in his bedroom after getting it from Ryan(Kaine Davis) and before murdering Katie.
There’s also a symbolic meaning to the image of Jamie’s mutilated childhood bedroom.In the miniseries’ final scene, the bedroom and its colorful, prepubescent possessions represent Jamie’s former innocence, and Graham’s breakdown as Jamie’s father unfolds as an attempt to both preserve and make peace withthe child symbolized by a bedroom that can no longer apply to the imprisoned murderer. Therefore, this slash in the wallpaper early in Episode 1 symbolizes how Jamie has already literally severed himself from his former, more blameless self. The detail also visualizesan early clue about the corruption that has taken root in the boyhis parents swear by throughout Episode 1, the same toxic influence which gradually reveals itselfthroughout the interview that dominates Episode 3 ofAdolescence.
‘Adolescence’s Opening Detail Draws Attention to the Show’s Other Brutal Ironies
Adolescence’s ability to accomplish so much with such a small momentis undeniably impressive in its own right,but this subtle detail also illustrates how Graham’s dialogue-heavy miniseries wields unspoken subtext just as powerfully, especially whenever Jamie is onscreen. The miniseries’ first installment is littered with moments of tragic irony that can only become apparent once you’ve seen later episodes, and the most telling examples occur when Jamie is being processed and profiled at the police station. After being arrested by Bascombe, Jamie is forced to have his picture taken, strip-searched, and subsequently pierced with a needle, so the police can obtain a blood sample,perfectly mirroring the circumstances which led to Katie’s horrific death.
In a perfect, utterly satisfying instance of comeuppance, the severity of both experiences would match and Jamie would have to endure exactly what he inflicted on his classmate, butAdolescencegoes to great lengths to demonstrate that isn’t the case. While Jamie’s interview in Episode 3 establishes that Katie had nude pictures of her spread around the school before being stabbed seven times by Jamie, Jamie’s time in the police station takes much greater care with both his likeness and physical comfort. In a major twist of irony, the boy who stabbed his classmate to death is afraid of needles. Yet,thepolice and Jamie’s father are encouraging as he gets his blood drawn and respect his boundariesby turning around when his strip search is conducted. In comparison, Katie’s body was treated like a commodity at school, andit’s clear byAdolescence’s endingthat Jamie didn’t care about the horrors he inflicted on Katie.
‘Adolescence’s Young Star Stuns in His Audition Tape For the Acclaimed Netflix Series
Owen Cooper stars as Jamie in the hit Netflix series.
The Parallels Throughout ‘Adolescence’ Highlight the Series’ Central Inequality
If this skillfully woven parallel doesn’t automaticallygive audiences another reason to love the miniseries, then the ironies between Jamie and Katie’s circumstances at least illustrateAdolescence’s deeper message about the unequal treatment of girls and boysthat rings particularly true in today’s society. While Jamie is left to fret over needles and the fleeting shame of being exposed in the same room as a group of adults looking the other way, an atmosphere of socialized misogyny and violent rhetoric towards womencauses Katie to be violated both physically and mentally in more ways than one. Unfortunately,Adolescencedoesn’t reserve the time to really dive into Katie’s perspective, but her voice can be heard on the miniseries' soundtrack, another easily overlooked detail used to establish the girl as a haunting presence who can only ever be remembered, never seen.
Collectively, these hidden details enhanceAdolescence’s storytellingby allowing viewers to put the pieces ofAdolescence’s tragedy together themselves, as well as demonstrating how the injustice dissected in Graham and Thorne’s story is built into the world of the show itself. In a sense, the miniseries' use of so many subtle, cross-episode connections is reminiscent of the kind of world-building you’d expect to find in a fantasy series likeHouse of the DragonorThe Wheel of Time, which only makes it that much scarier that the worldAdolescenceestablishes is a real one thatstill hasn’t resolved the narrative’s central problem. What’s more, this web of subtle connections that runs underAdolescence’s main storyline begins with Jamie trying to cover up the bedroom evidence of his crime, reminding all of us that no matter how horrifying or pervasive a toxic behavior may become, it’s always possible to miss the signs and that the signs are always there.
Watch all ofAdolescenceon Netflix in the U.S.
Adolescence
