Adolescence spoilers follow.
Netflix's new crime drama Adolescence stars Stephen Graham as the father of a teenage boy called Jamie (played by newcomer Owen Cooper), who finds himself accused of killing a girl at his school.
Ashley Walters takes a pivotal role as leading investigator Luke Bascombe, while Erin Doherty is impeccable as a clinical psychologist in her driving role in the third episode – but more on that later.
Jack Thorne's four-part crime drama (which he co-wrote with Graham) has been highly anticipated, thanks to the impressive roster of cast and creatives involved – and we're here to tell you that it exceeds even those high expectations.
Netflix has been on a roll when it comes to producing brilliant UK dramas, with Baby Reindeer, Black Doves and most recently Toxic Town (also written by Jack Thorne) all showing the highs that the streamer is capable of reaching. Adolescence is the latest triumph to be added to that list.
With Boiling Point's Philip Barantini in the director's chair, Adolescence has used the one-shot approach – no mean feat, with each episode (roughly between 50 minutes and an hour long) unfolding in real time, the camera never cutting or closing its eyes to the drama.
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While this might sound like a gimmick, it really does serve the storytelling and allows the audience to stick with its subjects through every emotional beat.
It also adds an ebb and flow to the pacing, which is perfectly illustrated in the opening of episode one. The first sequence follows a group of armed officers as they break down the door of Jamie's family home, force their way up the staircase, and arrest him from his bed. The way the camera takes that journey throws you into the thick of it, squaring up to each family member, who each react to the shock in their own way.
Then, moments later, you're making the slow and tension-filled journey with Jamie to the police station.
On the surface, the story might seem like a traditional whodunnit. Jamie is protesting his innocence to anyone who will listen, and there's a vulnerability there that has you questioning whether he really could have done what he's accused of. But you soon learn, along with his devastated father, of the damning evidence against him – from that moment it's no longer about the "who?", but the "why?" and the "how?".
Over its four episodes, a picture builds. But the beauty of the show is that it never lectures you with a specific narrative. Instead, Adolescence is the opener for a conversation: How do family, peer groups, social media and society all feed into creating an environment where violence against women and girls can permeate?
Episode three in particular is an exceptional standalone piece of television. While much of the rest of the series is on the move, the third instalment basically takes place within the confines of one room, the tense drama unfolding through weighted dialogue.
It centres on a conversation between Jamie and his pre-trial therapist Briony Ariston (Doherty), and it's here that lead actor Owen Cooper really shines in his first breakthrough role, bringing both a tragic innocence and a chilling undercurrent through his commendable performance.
Erin Doherty's measured portrayal is what grounds the high stakes of the scene, also providing an entry point to a deeper understanding for the audience. The result is something you won't be able to tear yourself from, with the episode's runtime passing more quickly than some of the other more action-packed sequences.
Adolescence isn't about focusing blame, but it is commendable in its exploration of the real-world rise in misogynistic culture and what the Met Police has called an "epidemic of violence against women and girls" in the UK.
While a lot of rhetoric puts the responsibility back on us to stay safe, the focus really needs to be on the way society raises boys into men. It's failing them too, after all, if they aren't taught how to recognise, process and express their own emotions; how to handle rejection; how to communicate with family, friends or a romantic partner.
In these ways, Adolescence chooses to keep the focus on the accused. It imagines how any young boy might fall into the trap of being influenced by extreme misogynistic content online. Jamie would lock himself in his room for hours on the computer, after all, and his family didn't think much of it. Surely, if he was at home, he was safe?
Stephen Graham is absolutely at the top of his game in this drama, proving he is one of the finest talents that UK drama has to offer.
Here, his turn as Eddie Miller mirrors the journey of the four-parter itself. At the start, he is a man who struggles to convey his own emotions, processing everything as anger. By the end, he shows his vulnerability after a beautifully crafted conversation with his wife (Christine Tremarco) whereby they each look inward to question whether they could have done something differently.
Eddie talks of his early experiences with his father and expresses his wish to break generational cycles with Jamie. "I just wanted to be better," he said, noting that he never beat his kids the way that his father had him.
But a lack of violence is only one basic step in the right direction. What about emotional safety, too?
The final note ends with Eddie Miller finally allowing himself to cry, tucking his son's teddy into bed and kissing it on the forehead.
"I'm sorry son," he said. "I should have done better."
And with that, the end credits roll, leaving you to sit in the heartbreak and discomfort of what you've just watched.
The very best drama has the power to irrevocably move you and spark conversation, and Adolescence does both.
TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
