Topics: Adolescence, Netflix, Reddit, Social Media, TV And Film, Stephen Graham
A Netflix viewer who claimed they felt 'scammed' after watching Adolescence has sparked quite an interesting debate over the 'real meaning' of the show.
The four-part drama, which stars Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, and Owen Cooper, dropped on the streaming platform last week (13 March) and has since received an avalanche of rave reviews and critical acclaim.
The plot follows a devoted father, Eddie Miller (Graham), whose life is turned upside-down when his 13-year-old son Jamie (Cooper) is arrested for the violent murder of one of his classmates.
The show explores topical subjects like misogyny, incels, and the online 'manosphere'. Check out the official trailer here:
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Amid all the hype and praise online, one Netflix viewer, however, took to Reddit to share their thoughts on the series, writing: "I just finished Adolescence on Netflix and I feel 'scammed'?"
They went on to confess that they felt they 'wasted their time' with the last episode, adding: "I enjoyed the show at first but then it felt like nothing actually happened or that it could’ve been shorter.
"Like, I feel like they touched interesting themes but I kind of felt it like if they just barely scratched the surface. Like if someone wanted to say something simple but for some reason it just used too many words to say it."
The Redditer went on: "I was hoping for them to say that he was innocent or get a more dramatic moment where it confirmed that he, indeed, had done it. (In the first episode, when they showed the video, I thought he was punching her. My bad.)
"I loved the show but at the end I just felt like it could’ve said more or maybe dwell more on the bullying, I just felt everything was too 'light'."
They finished up their post asking the internet: "Does anyone feel something similar?"
A few seemed to feel the same, with one writing: " I thought it was really interesting and good for the most part, but it definitely felt like it could’ve done with more episodes.
"The last episode felt like an hour long epilogue. Obviously we never saw the police side of things after episode 2 or any fallout from the other kids. I feel similar to you, I came out of it thinking I was missing something although I did like it."
Most people, however, pointed out the fact that such viewers 'miss the point' of the series as it is meant to be about the message as a whole rather than your typical 'whodunnit' murder mystery.
"I really enjoyed it," penned a second. "It wasn't an 'Aha! You didn't take into account this!' It was just a real case of 'this kid did a bad thing, it affects everyone in his life, no one is going to be happy from it'."
A third explained: "I think the last episode is important because the whole show is about how a 'normal' teen can become a murderer.
"The last episode is showing that there isn't some simple Freudian explanation, he wasn't abused, there was no toxic masculinity, his dad was a nice, caring guy if a little aloof and with some anger issues (though not violently so). The point is that this isn't a problem that can just be solved in some classic movie final act, it's a complex issue with lots of moving parts."
"I saw the show as moments of a larger story, focusing on small things with the larger story being the setting, rather than the point of it," echoed a fourth.
A fifth praised: "I'm actually glad they didn't do a shock/twisty/ITV crime thriller ending. I thought the final episode was a touching and poignant take on the ramifications of such a traumatic event.
"The family have resigned themselves to the fact that their, whilst their lives have changed dramatically, life still needs to go on."
"Is that not the point though?" asked another. "He's a relatively normal teen, admittedly with violence issues, who's been warped by excessive misogyny and violent pornography."
And a final Reddit user highlighted: "I think people have missed the point of this show because it’s not the usual crime drama we are used to seeing. We’re used to seeing the full police investigation, the trial, the verdict and everything tied up nicely at the end. This wasn’t that.
"This wasn’t about the court case, this was about how his actions affected his parents; his parents lives have been blown completely apart, how they torture themselves every day wondering where they went wrong raising their son, when in fact parents of teens now unfortunately cannot protect their children from what they see and consume on social media.
"The four episodes were a snapshot of a much bigger story, showing that their lives will never be the same and they will spend the rest of their lives living with the ramifications of their son’s actions."
Adolescence is currently available to stream on Netflix.
