Why Is ‘Adolescence’ So Truly Terrifying?
Adolescence is a new show on Netflix that has taken the top rankings by storm. Currently, the limited series is ranked #1 on the Top 10 shows, with over 24,000,000 views an is #1 in 71 countries at the moment. This number is staggering considering the #2 spot has only 6,000,000 views in comparison.
What is Adolescence about? A 13-year-old boy is apprehended and arrested for the murder of his classmate. The charges against this young boy bring his family and a community to a full stop and stupor about how this could happen and why it is happening. Adolescence was filmed in a one-take style, so each of the four episodes was shot and filmed with just one take for the 40-60 minute duration.
Adolescence is loosely based around the epidemic of knife-relate crime in England and Wales, as knife-related violence climbed 4.4% between 2022/23 to March 2024. 17.3% of those offenses were carried out by teens between the age of 10 to 17. Coupling this knife violence with online bullying and harassment plus the incel culture that has been inspired by the likes of Andrew Tate, it’s a recipe for disaster. Adolescence dives into this culture and brings it to the light of day, inspiring fear and worry in the minds of anyone who has a child on the internet. Adolescence is terrifying and should be paid attention to for many reasons.
Algorithms Reiterate Confirmation Bias
Confirmation Bias is the tendency to recall or seek out information that confirms one’s prior beliefs or feelings. What Adolescence highlights is that the internet, specifically social media sites, can be full of misogynists and sexists whose only intention is to assert power. These individuals typically have no power outside of the four corners of their computer, so they assert dominance where they feel safe. In Jamie’s (Owen Cooper) case, he’s a seemingly normal and harmless boy, but his rage and temper towards women comes out violently in episode three. When he’s speaking to his psychologist, he breaks out in an outburst multiple times, frequently telling her what she can and can’t do, shouting at her, and then later apologizing and repenting for the scene he caused by attempting to gaslight her. Jamie reveals that he wanted to ask out Katie, the girl he murdered, because he saw a nude photo of her and made the assumption that she was “easy” and would go out with him because of that. The rejection that Jamie felt when Katie, who he referred to as a “slag”, caused him to lose control. This mindset of “how could she possibly not want me”, is something that is seen often in these incel/Andrew Tate fan groups where women are viewed as objects to bow to men.
Misogyny Led To Murder
After Jamie is rejected by Katie, his rage takes over and the only thing he could think to do is stab Katie to death. Jamie spoke to the same psychologist and revered Katie as being weak for having nude photos passed around, and he mentions that because she’s weak, she might like him. Jamie diminished Katie to being weak in his eyes and when that reality wasn’t what was presented to him, he couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle that a weak girl wouldn’t want to be with him either, so she served no purpose to his warped mind. Because of the previously mentioned incel culture, there’s a rule that is called the 80/20 rule (according to this terrifying guidebook) that is frequently referenced. This rule states that 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men, which leaves 80% of men to “share” the last 20% of women available. This causes a distorted ownership feel among the 80% of men that are “sharing” the 20% of women because they feel inferior to the 20% of men that have access to a larger pool of women. When the rule is broken down this way, women are just collateral damage to men seeking a mate or seeking to be desired.
The Family Fallout
The one-take style shooting of Adolescence is really unsettling already, as you feel like you are following each character around and in every room with them. What makes the show really unsettling is how Jamie’s family has to deal with everything that has happened to them because of his actions. His parents are in disbelief that this could happen and are constantly questioning what they did for him to have the ability to murder, while their daughter is more well-adjusted. Jamie’s father has to deal with kids in the neighborhood vandalizing his van and they contemplate moving to Liverpool to get away. Their daughter unfortunately points out that even if they move, the news of what Jamie did will follow them, so they just have to stay strong and stay together. There aren’t many shows that show the aftermath of how a family deals with the grief of murder, especially when the killer is a 13-year-old boy.
Adolescence is gripping and truly haunting, as each scene was more unsettling than the next. Adolescence isn’t a bloodbath or a tale of a string of serial killings, but it’s a real and near to us story about how internet bullying and harassment plus a toxic and misogynistic culture can lead to dire consequences. Because, really, how can we know what anyone is saying or doing online?
