Opening TikTok and seeing “The one show all teens must watch” videos on my For You page quickly grabbed my attention. Adolescence: a show that explores toxic masculinity, red vs. blue pill content, and misogyny, took the internet by storm and was nominated for 13 Emmys, winning 8 of them.
The four-episode English series came out earlier this year, in March, detailing the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who was accused of murdering a female classmate. For those who only saw the synopsis, the excitement of it being a whodunit murder mystery quickly dissipated in the first episode when it turned out to be a why-he-did-it.
At first, watching this show gave off conflicting emotions. On one hand, we were watching a 13-year-old boy being interrogated, confused at what was going on, yet that boy did, in fact, kill his classmate. These subtle messages provided a thought-provoking experience. Jamie constantly said, “I did nothing wrong,” as if to him, murdering the girl was valid because she rejected him.
The show explores the theme of social media’s influence on the minds of young boys. Andrew Tate, for instance, has always been a controversial online persona due to his degrading comments about women and recent charges of sexual assault and trafficking. Watching these YouTubers may not seem harmful, but they have a negative impact on teenagers whose brains are not yet fully developed and are easily influenced. Even in today’s time, young boys make cruel comments directed towards women, such as Taylor Swift. This is because of the content they watch that influences them to say such horrible things when, in reality, they don’t actually believe them.
There was also a heavy underlying tone of arrogance within the series. Jamie felt as if he were superior to everyone else after committing a treacherous act on a girl. He overpowered her, which he liked. In the show, Jamie comes from a well-off family, so it was surprising to see how he turned out. In episode three, he uses tactics such as intense eye contact and belittling comments to inflict fear on his female therapist.
However, he wasn’t scary—he was just a small boy, yet Jamie felt like a man. His twisted mindset made him view his father, Eddie Miller, as a weak individual because he treated his wife well instead of poorly. This part of the show emphasizes the rising issue in preteen boys who are acting tougher and smarter than they really are.
They want to grow up so quickly, disregarding the value of a female voice, even though a woman is the one who gives birth to them and plays a pivotal role in their lives. However, in the series, it was emphasized that the parents were not at fault for the outcome of their child.
The dad was present and hardworking, the mom kind and loving, and the daughter a regular teenage girl. The parents never thought that their little boy could commit such a terrible crime, as they didn’t know that he harbored such resentful feelings toward females.
The final episode featured a hard-hitting scene, where Eddie goes to Jamie’s room to reminisce on his son’s childhood before the tragedy. Here we see his teddy bear, bright blue walls, and space-themed bedroom, emphasizing the innocence that had now disappeared.
Owen Cooper, Jamie’s actor, did an incredible job playing the character and has become the youngest actor to ever win “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.”
Along with Cooper, the show’s lead actor and director, Stephen Graham, won an Emmy for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series.” The show also won the top award for “Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.”
This show uncovered the ugly and uncomfortable truth of how social media can affect adolescents, and how much deeper it goes psychologically.
Watching Adolescence as a teenage girl was a somber feeling, but it was necessary. Seeing how some people view women is disappointing, but this series did, in fact, validate the philosophy of why women pick the bear over a man.
