Adolescence: Episode 4 Full Reaction
Added 2025-04-18 14:18:06 +0000 UTC
Comments
You said a lot of what I came here to, so I'll just second this comment. This is a very distinctly British show, very naturalistic and down-to-earth; you mentioned This is England, and I'd agree that it's very reminiscent of Shane Meadows' style. If Cass is interested in more English films with a similar dark, human edge, his filmography is a definite recommendation from me.
Jordan McLaren
2025-04-19 20:01:11 +0000 UTCYou made my Easter weekend, Cass! Great reaction, and I did love this show. I think I knew more what to expect going into it, because the writer and director, Jack Thorne and Philip Barantini, are highly respected and known here in the UK within the industry, with Thorne being responsible for a series of films called This is England which, like Adolescence, tackles the 'angry young male seduced by the alt right' problem. They’ve said that the show isn’t a whodunnit, but a whydunnit. I think what I love about this show is that it does have what’s called ‘British brevity’ where even the most beloved sitcoms don’t last too long (the original The Office was, by choice, only two seasons of six episodes and a Christmas special) where it’s a very lean, efficient show and subsequently has a very lean, efficient kind of writing. The characters come first, and we essentially spend as much time in lost confusion as the characters. Episode 4 is probably considered the weakest, and I’d agree, since it’s mostly a denouement to what came before. It’s all about the struggle and ultimate failure to see this coming, and it’s never framed as the fault of the parents who couldn’t have expected it. Really, even if there are more obvious signs, who wants to think it about their own child? The resolution came in Episode 3 when the “why” was essentially answered, after Episode 2 showed what a poor environment the school was for someone like Jamie. It might have been cool to have a Psycho-esque moment from Briony to explain everything, but I like that we’re in the same seat as her and we just have to be as observant as she is. That’s how we learn why Jamie did what he did: he has a misogynistic mindset influenced/emboldened by online culture, he has his own insecurities stemming with his idea of traditional masculinity (unchallenged, unknowingly, by his father), a need to beat back on these securities and protect a fragile ego by seeking ways to hold power (be it through non-consensual naked pictures or wielding a knife to ‘scare’ someone) and the generation gap means that adults will always be a little lost in seeing the signs. So ultimately, he acts on impulse. The fact that he shows little genuine remorse seems to be why Briony more or less gives up on him. Hell, he seems to even forget Katie is dead at times during that episode, which may indicate why he’s in the training centre for the mentally ill rather than the given reason of space, but I might be reading into it too much there. I also know a lot of people would have liked more focus on things like the trial, and there’s lots of valid observations to be made that Katie herself doesn’t get much focus. I personally think that’s the correct decision: the show is about why Jamie did what he did. seeing as they have to choose something to focus in and drill down on and if you try to expand your view to take everything into consideration, the show can end up stretched thin. The show creators have acknowledged this and stated that as men, they didn’t feel they were the right people to tell Katie’s story, which I can understand. I think the show does a good job of showing that Katie was the victim and nothing she did justified what Jamie did, regardless of how much he whines and tries to elicit sympathy. To paraphrase Margaret Atwood, men are afraid women will reject them, but women are afraid men will kill them, and that feels like the thesis of the show but the show is just a little too subtle to say it out loud. I get the desire to see a trial, and I share that desire even though it was probably the right decision for the sake of pacing the show. All in all, a really unique watching experience which is very relevant to what’s happening in the UK (and all over where the alt-right is seeping into young boys brains via the internet); a really fantastic reaction, and a lovely surprise for the long weekend.
Jorgalorg
2025-04-19 17:48:14 +0000 UTCinteresting takeeee! the focus definitely wasn't on what I expected
Cassie
2025-04-18 15:18:49 +0000 UTCthis show was wayyyy too focused on the father and the son while offering no interesting insight on the topic of male violence for me to not find it offensive. you can really tell it was created by two men who maybe had good intentions but have zero valuable insight to contribute to the conversation.
madfem
2025-04-18 14:22:08 +0000 UTC
