Summary –
- Adolescence follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, accused of murdering schoolgirl Katie Leonard, and explores toxic masculinity and social alienation.
- Each one-take episode presents real-time tension, with psychological depth and family drama playing a central role.
- The Netflix original examines the aftermath of the crime, its effect on Jamie’s family, and his ultimate confession.
What is Adolescence About?
Adolescence is a four-episode British crime drama that debuted on Netflix on March 13, 2025. Created by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, and directed by Philip Barantini, the series takes a gritty and immersive approach, following the arrest and psychological unraveling of a young boy accused of murder.
Shot in a unique one-take style, each episode places viewers inside the real-time tension of Jamie Miller’s arrest, investigation, and legal process. The show delivers a raw and unsettling portrayal of crime, guilt, and toxic masculinity, making audiences question the real motive behind Jamie’s actions.
The plot follows Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), a 13-year-old boy accused of brutally stabbing his classmate Katie Leonard (Emilia Holliday) seven times. The narrative explores the aftermath of the crime, the effect on Jamie’s family, and how social rejection, incel culture, and online bullying contributed to his mental state. The final episodes provide a harrowing psychological breakdown of Jamie, revealing the deep-seated frustrations that led to the crime.
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How Did Jamie Get Arrested in Adolescence?
The series starts with an intense police raid at the Miller family home in Northern England. At 6:15 a.m., D.I. Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and D.S. Misha Frank (Faye Marsay) storm into the house, arresting a terrified Jamie. His parents, Eddie (Stephen Graham) and Manda (Christine Tremarco), and sister Lisa (Amélie Pease) watch helplessly as the police tear apart their home searching for the murder weapon.
Jamie is taken to the police station, where he is strip-searched, fingerprinted, and interrogated. His assigned solicitor, Paul Barlow, and his father, Eddie, accompany him. When questioned, Jamie denies killing Katie, but damning evidence emerges:
- CCTV footage captures Jamie following Katie through the town.
- The footage ends at a car park, showing a heated argument before Jamie stabs her multiple times.
- Instagram messages show Katie calling Jamie an “incel”, a trigger for his pent-up rage.
The episode ends on a shocking note as Eddie watches the CCTV footage in horror, realizing his son is guilty.
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What Role Did Social Media Play in Jamie’s Crime?
The second episode delves into the online interactions between Jamie and Katie. The police investigate Jamie and Katie’s school, uncovering evidence that reveals:
- Katie’s nude pictures had been leaked among students, leading to her bullying.
- Jamie asked Katie out after her humiliation, hoping to “console” her, but she rejected him.
- Instagram messages show Katie mocking Jamie, calling him an incel through emojis.
- Jamie’s best friend Ryan admits giving him the knife, though he believed Jamie would only “scare her.”
The police fail to recover the murder weapon, but Detective Bascombe believes they have enough to formally charge Jamie.
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What Happens in Jamie’s Psychological Sessions?
The third episode is set seven months later at a mental health facility, where Jamie is detained due to overcrowded youth detention centers. Here, he undergoes mandatory sessions with psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty) to determine his mental state.
Briony attempts to unravel Jamie’s psyche, asking about his relationships, masculinity, and beliefs about women. Jamie becomes hostile and defensive, revealing:
- He idolized his grandfather, a man with traditionalist and misogynistic views.
- He didn’t fit in at school, developing resentment towards girls who rejected him.
- He absorbed online toxic masculinity ideologies, believing “80% of women only want 20% of men”.
- His final trigger was Katie labeling him an incel publicly, reinforcing his humiliation and isolation.
During the final session, Jamie has an explosive outburst, throwing his hot chocolate across the room. He accidentally confesses:
“I had a knife… but I didn’t touch her!”
Briony ends the session shaken, realizing Jamie has no remorse. The episode ends with Jamie being dragged out as he taunts Briony, showcasing his deep-seated rage.
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How Does Jamie’s Family Cope with the Aftermath?
The final episode fast-forwards a year later, showing how Jamie’s family has been destroyed by his crime.
Eddie’s plumbing van is vandalized with the word “nonce”, a British slur for pedophile, reflecting the community’s hatred towards him. Manda pushes for the family to move back to Liverpool, but Eddie refuses, believing they cannot outrun their past.
A store clerk shockingly expresses support for Jamie, showing how some believe he was a victim of circumstances. Meanwhile, Eddie confronts local teenagers mocking his son, revealing his own pent-up rage.
Jamie calls home from detention, telling his father he plans to plead guilty. Eddie is left shattered, realizing their parenting failed to prevent Jamie’s radicalization.
In the final moments, Eddie lies in Jamie’s empty bedroom, holding his childhood teddy bear. He breaks down, whispering:
“I should have done better.”
Over this, Adolescence plays Emilia Holliday’s haunting rendition of “Through the Eyes of a Child”, symbolizing Katie’s lost innocence and Jamie’s lost future.
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