At only four episodes long, it’s hard to imagine just how much of an impact Netflix’s “Adolescence” has on the viewer.
Each episode of the acclaimd British crime drama miniseries — co-created by and co-starring Stephen Graham, and inspired by real events — lands like a punch to the gut. It’s particularly immersive, since each episode has been filmed in one continuous, unbroken camera shot.
“Adolescence” focuses on 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who in the first moments is arrested for the murder of one of his classmates, Katie Lewis (Emilia Holliday).
Each episode has a different focus: Episode 1 is about Jamie’s arrest and processing; Episode 2 jumps ahead a couple of days and shows police detectives following up an investigation at Jamie’s school; Episode 3 returns to Jamie, months later and still in detention but not convicted, being interviewed by a psychiatrist; Episode 4 takes us to Jamie’s family, dealing with the fallout of his alleged crime (as he still hasn’t gone to court), many months later.
Here’s a rundown of the ending of “Adolescence” and why it leaves no room for easy answers.
Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, in “Adolescence.”Netflix
Did Jamie kill Katie?
Yes, and this gets cleared up fairly early in the series: In Episode 1, CCTV footage shows Jamie and Katie in an altercation. She pushes him, and he pushes her, and then he stabs her repeatedly.
It’s all shown at a distance, without volume, and unless you knew he had a knife on him it might seem that Jamie was punching her.
Jamie’s father Eddie (series co-creator and co-writer Stephen Graham) is shown the footage in that first episode, and believes it — despite Jamie insisting he wasn’t the one who killed the girl.
Why did Jamie kill Katie?
Since we know Jamie is guilty early on, what remains to be discovered in the last three episodes is the “why,” and that’s where things get complicated.
Police bumble their way through coded teen internet speak, discovering that adolescents are aware of phrases like “manosphere” and “incel.”
They also learn quickly that bullying can happen from multiple angles — both online in the real world — that teenagers’ need to be seen and valued by their peers can triumph over everything else they might learn at home or from teachers.
In Episode 3, when we dive deeper into Jamie’s thinking, the series doesn’t let us see a cut-and-dried version of him as either villain or misunderstood victim of bullies. He has a temper, and seems to get pleasure when others are afraid of him. But he can be polite and genuine, unsure exactly of what is going on around him. It’s in this episode where his insistence that he didn’t kill Kate might make some sense in his mind — he doesn’t see himself as the bad guy, or someone who is capable of killing. But his anger showed him differently.
What happens to Jamie at the end of ‘Adolescence’?
Jamie isn’t seen in the last episode, only briefly heard. The final episode looks at an earth-shaking morning in the life of Jamie’s family, with Eddie, his mother Manda (Christine Tremarco) and sister Lisa (Amelie Pease).
While they’re riding in Eddie’s recently-vandalized van, they get a call from Jamie — who announces he’s changing his plea to “guilty” when he goes to court. He doesn’t give a reason why.
Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller in “Adolescence.” Netflix
Back home, Eddie and Manda have a mutual breakdown, wondering where they went wrong. They ask if they should have gotten him a computer, and put few restrictions on his using it. Eddie, who was physically abused as a boy, says he only wanted to do better with his children. How could they have “made” a Jamie? But then they also realize they “made” a Lisa, who by all lights is doing well in school and acts sensibly.
The final scene features Eddy weeping in his son’s bed, surrounded by Jamie’s belongings and toy teddy bear. He gives the bear a small kiss, and tucks it into bed — something he probably won’t be able to do with his own son ever again.
Will there be an ‘Adolescence’ Season 2?
It seems unlikely; the Millers’ story in the miniseries comes to a conclusion of sorts, even if it doesn’t provide pat answers. In theory, “Adolescence” could become an anthology series, with different crimes and different characters, but as of now there’s been no announcement from Netflix that there are plans to replicate the show.
