‘Adolescence’ review: Stephen Graham’s terrifying warning about toxic masculinity

It’s a peaceful weekday morning and DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) is fielding voice notes from his teenage son asking to skip school. After grumbling about it to his colleague DS Misha Frank (Faye Marsay) in their squad car, the scene of everyday normality is broken when they mobilise an armed raid on a nearby family home.

From that moment on, Adolescence – the new Netflix limited series co-created by Stephen Graham and The Swimmers’ Jack Thorne – is far from mundane. Once the detectives get inside the sleepy house, they apprehend their suspect on murder charges. However Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is not some big, burly brute but an average-looking 13-year-old kid.

Jamie, we soon find out, is accused of killing classmate Katie Leonard by viciously stabbing her seven times in a local car park the night before his rude awakening. The allegation turns his and his family’s lives upside down, from the immediate aftermath of his arrest to the months that follow. Across four episodes, we’re taken deep inside the harrowing investigation and see its devastating impact. The whole thing is uncomfortably intimate thanks to the show being filmed in one continuous take.

At its core, Adolescence is an overdue exploration of how modern society is failing young boys and the ease in which so many are being swayed by peddlers of toxic masculinity. Andrew Tate’s name comes up a few times.

During early episodes, it’s tough to believe the sweet-looking Jamie could have got caught up in that world of misogyny but his mask slips in the gripping third episode after clinical psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty) pays him a visit. His anger and vitriol towards women will make your skin crawl because it feels so terrifyingly real. Graham, who also plays Jamie’s dad Eddie, is heartbreakingly phenomenal as a father trying to support his son while coming to terms with the reality of the situation.

As powerful as the series is, it’s not without flaws. In the second episode, Frank tells Bascombe how often female victims are erased in their own cases, with all the attention laser-focused on the male perpetrators. It’s the perfect set-up for Adolescence to turn its attention to Katie, but she never evolves beyond a tragic plot device. The show’s aim might be to dive into the struggles facing young men but by only showing Jamie’s story, it’s a missed opportunity to show the full consequences of his actions.

While there’s room for improvement, Adolescence is still essential viewing. Its unflinching commitment to the darkest corners of the story will remain with you long after the credits have rolled. These four episodes alone won’t stop the encroachment of the so-called ‘manosphere’ on regular boys’ lives but it has the power to start some much-needed conversations.

‘Adolescence’ is out now on Netflix

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