Film | Adolescence

Hi, it's Andrea! This week I'm writing about a new series that's been very popular this month, for good reason, which is "Adolescence". 
For this article I'd rather not write a review but instead an analysis and run down of the series. This means there will be spoilers!! (It will also include upsetting themes) 

Ep 1

The show opens with the raid of the Miller's house, which symbolically shows how sudden the attack on Katie was and how shocking the events were for Jamie's family. When the police arrive, they immediately wake up Jamie, who has had an accident during these events. This 'accident' is used to show how young and childish he really is. Things like this also connote vulnerability, which could relate to how vulnerable Jamie was on social media and how exposed he was to the red pill content. When Jamie sits up in his bed, he places a hand on the wall, which coincidentally has a rip in the wallpaper. This rip in the wallpaper shows some resemblance to a knife by it's shape; Jamie's hand placement being perfectly lined up to this 'knife' tells the audience from the beginning that he is in fact guilty. 
Whilst leaving the Miller house, Jamie repeatedly calls for his dad and not once for his mum, hinting to his misogynistic mindset which is later fully uncovered. Another thing that Jamie often shouts is not that he didn't 'do anything' but that he 'didn't do anything wrong'. This phrase also relates to Jamie's twisted thoughts and behaviour. Overall, it shows that he's not denying what he's done but simply stating that it was not wrong. 
Once at the police station, Jamie is called for blood tests. When his mother finds out she states that he's 'afraid of needles', this is something that Eddie doesn't remember until after his wife says so. This small interaction does however show that despite everything, Mrs Miller cares for Jamie, even if he doesn't appreciate it. However, despite this, Jamie picks his dad as his trusted adult, further proving his sexist tendencies. When Eddie is picked to represent his son, he admits how afraid he is to their lawyer. This confession implies that Eddie is not the source in which Jamie gets his misogynistic views, which is also proved later on in the series.

At the end of the episode, we see CCTV footage of Katie's murder. Despite this, lots of people after watching episode one still believed that Jamie was innocent. This further proves how deceitful and innocent children can seem, especially in the media. We also see Eddie cry and look away from his son. This small action is mentioned later in episode 3 when Jamie talks about how his dad looks away from him when he's disappointed. The use of this action further proves that Eddie was not the reason why Jamie did what he did, even if at times it seemed like he was. 

Ep 2

In episode 2, we see detectives Bascombe and Frank visit Jamie Miller's school. At the school we see a very accurate depiction of a typical British secondary school. One example of this is the way teachers speak to students, particularly how they speak to each gender. For instance, as the detectives walk through the school, we can hear lots of teachers shouting at students, these teachers are mainly male with short tempers. Although, we do meet Mrs Bailey when talking to Jade. Listening to their conversation, Mrs Bailey seems a lot more interested in what her student has to say and actively attempts to help Jade through the difficult time. This conversation shows off a big contrast between male and female teachers. In addition to this, we see the detectives attempt to talk to both Jade and Ryan at some point in the episode. At the start, both detectives talk to Jade but they go about it in the worst way possible. In fact, it almost seems as though they're trying to put some blame onto Katie and invalidate Jade's feelings; Bascombe even asks why she's 'so angry'. This comment proves that girls' feelings are often set aside, even if anger is a common stage of grief. However, when talking to Ryan, Bascombe is much more friendly and even relaxed with him. This conversation highlights how boys are often treated better than girls, even when they are in the wrong. Another example of women being set aside is when the detectives are being introduced, Ms Fenumore remembers Bascombe's name but not Frank's. Despite how small this comment is, it clearly represents the micro aggression towards women in society. In addition to this, near the end of the episode we see detective Frank put together the story about the red pill content. She also explains how upset she is that Jamie is the part of the case that will be remembered, not the victim (Katie). Frank states that even when something terrible happens to a woman, it always becomes about a man. 

Something else that I found interesting about the episode is the small details throughout that Bascombe's son -Adam- is being bullied. These details are put into the show in addition to his helpfulness to the case for an important reason; Katie's death was not deserved in any way. Many comments on the series were that Jamie was being bullied and felt pressured to put a stop to it. By putting another bullied character in the series, it is probed to the audience that no matter what, you can be a good person. In some ways, Adam and Jamie are two sides of the same coin. Jamie- weak, sexist, impatient, angry, disrespectful. Adam- kind, understanding, helpful, strong. Both characters are bullied but only one of them is a bad person. Instead, Adam helps because he understands what is right and wrong. 

I loved this series so much and because of this I want to do its analysis justice. So, I'm not going to write about episodes 3 and 4 this week. However they will be coming soon. For now, I hope you enjoyed this article. 

I am also excited to announce that I will be releasing an extra special mini post tomorrow (28/03) as a review on 'Brighter Days', Ariana Grande's new deluxe album. 

Hope you come back soon, Andrea. xx