Long before Adolescence hit Netflix screens and got the country talking about how our teens can be influenced by what they see online, ITV brought us A Mother’s Son in 2012.
The two-part drama has now been added to Netflix and has been trending throughout the week with its emotive tale of newly remarried mum Rosie, played by Hermione Norris, who discovers that her son Jamie (Alexander Arnold) has murdered a female schoolmate, Lorraine. The series also stars Nicola Walker as the main detective on the case, Sue Upton.
The conclusion to this gripping story previously left viewers divided, but before we delve into that, let’s take a look at what happened at the end of A Mother’s Son.
What happened in A Mother’s Son?
Rosie’s husband Ben (Martin Clunes) was horrified that she had initially kept her fears about Jamie to herself, only to confide in her ex, Paul McGann’s David, before him.
When confronted about the blood on his trainers, Jamie lashed out at Rosie, but later claimed that it was actually fox blood on the shoes. Rosie was desperate to believe him, but Ben secretly had the blood tested, and confirmed it to be 100% human.
Although persuaded not to report Jamie himself, Ben and his own children moved out of Rosie’s home, while Rosie and David told Jamie that they knew the truth.
What to Read Next
With his friend Sean having had sex with Lorraine hours before her death, Jamie finally revealed that he was angry when she later refused his advances.
He couldn’t explain why he had stabbed Lorraine to death, other than pondering that he must be a bad person.
Though devastated, Rosie didn’t give up on her son, and gently helped Jamie acknowledge that he had to be punished for what he did.
A Mother’s Son ended with Jamie taking Rosie’s hand as they walked into the police station together.
Why A Mother’s Son’s ending stands the test of time
Some tuning in to A Mother’s Son during its original run and subsequent transmissions expressed disappointment that there wasn’t a last-minute twist, proving Jamie to be innocent all along.
But looking at the title, the programme was never meant to be a mystery. Much like Adolescence, this was no whodunnit, and A Mother’s Son followed Jamie’s troubling behaviour from the beginning.
We saw Jamie acting suspiciously at home, being aggressive with Ben and concocting ridiculous lies, and it was clear that we were supposed to be looking at the teen from the very first moment.
Not only does the name A Mother’s Son immediately tell us who the culprit is, it also confirms that the story is very much about Rosie’s struggle to come to terms with Jamie’s shocking crime, and grappling with how to handle it.
With so many streaming platforms competing with traditional broadcasters to deliver compelling twists, we’ve already seen plenty of offerings where the killer turns out to be the character we least suspect.
While we often crave that kind of twist with its unpredictable, edge-of-the-seat appeal, we can’t forget that fictional stories like Lorraine’s murder are a more accurate representation of reality.
This is why A Mother’s Son, with its shorter run, faster pace and thoughtful script, was right to scale back on game-changing about-turns and focus on the impact Jamie’s senseless act has on both his family and Lorraine’s.
A Mother's Son is available to watch on Netflix.
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
