Topics: Adolescence, Netflix, Reddit, Social Media, TV And Film, Stephen Graham, Parenting
Adolescence viewers have shared their important theory about the dad during the final episode that people may have missed.
It's only been a handful of days since the four-part drama dropped on Netflix (13 March) and it's since received a heap of five-star reviews, gleaming critical acclaim and a mountain of praise on social media.
The plot of the 'disturbing' series in question, which stars Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, and Owen Cooper, follows a devoted father named 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.
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The show tackles topical subjects like misogyny, incels, the online 'manosphere', and toxic masculinity - the latter of which some fans of the programme reckon is displayed with Graham's father in the fourth and final episode.
Now, the final episode, which is arguably the most telling when it comes to the Miller family dynamic, takes place 13 months after Jamie was first arrested.
It sees Eddie, his wife, and his daughter attempting to celebrate his 50th birthday - all the while his son's upcoming trial looms.
The instalment not only sees the heartbroken dad having to endure a new life filled with disdain from both neighbours and strangers who graffiti'd the word 'nonce' on his work van, but sees Jamie calling the family home to reveal he plans on pleading guilty.
Eddie then walks into into Jamie's old bedroom before breaking down in tears. The series ends with him holding Jamie's teddy bear, and telling it: "I'm sorry, son. I should have done better."
During the episode, we find out a little more about the Miller's domestic life and how the family trio respond to one another in times of hardship. Namely, we see Eddie blow his top as he shouts and swears at his wife, physically attack a teenager who tagged his van, throw an entire can of paint at his van in a public carpark in front of his traumatised wife and daughter, and eventually open up about the guilt he feels in how he raised Jamie.
Meanwhile, mum Manda and daughter Lisa seem to cast their own emotions aside to comfort and placate Eddie, who is able to more freely release his upset and anger.
During Eddie and Manda's conversation about accountability for Jamie's actions, Eddie reveals his own father used to 'batter' him as a child, a habit which he swore he'd never enact on his own children.
He also confesses to feeling some sort of embarrassment when he first started trying to get Jamie into sports, specifically football, only to find he was 'crap'.
Despite being a present father with a tight family dynamic, fans have taken to social media to share their theories that Eddie still exercised some level of toxic masculinity - even if he wasn't aware of it himself.
One Reddit user penned: "I don’t think the daughter or the wife were at all 'normal' - they were totally focussed around trying to minimise the dad's anger and aggression. You could argue that they were trying to do that because it was his birthday, but no - if the dad wasn’t such a hardened example of toxic masculinity he’d never have behaved like that in the first place, despite the horrific family circumstances.
"The mother and daughter accept his behaviour as unpleasant but normal. His behaviour is never really challenged. Instead it’s constantly diffused. Thus the dad (Jamie’s role model) is emotionally incontinent, relying on women to make him feel better. And their roles are to put his emotional needs first at every turn."
They continued: "I felt this episode demonstrated brilliantly how 'normal' toxic masculinity and misogyny are in this culture. Sure, social media played a big role in creating Jamie’s situation, but the background of the culture in which he grew up laid all the foundations for his crime."
A second agreed: "It also makes the point that there's toxic masculinity in that 'normal household'.
"The dad is embarrassed by his son not being good at football and rather drawing instead and - according to Jamie at least - isn't loving towards his kids. Not exactly like he has unpacked his toxic masculinity either, and that's bound to show through in different ways to the women in the family. That doesn't make him a misogynist abuser of course, just a 'normal' man..."
"Dad tried to do better than his own father, but he simply handed his pent up anger to other people (women) to manage, which created the devastating outcome when Jamie’s anger wasn’t diffused by his victim," a third chimed in.
"Jamie’s misogyny was learnt, and then tragically stoked by social media and a bully. A stable balanced child (the detective's son???) is in receipt of bullying and aware of the incel rubbish, but he doesn’t stab his bullies.
"Presumably he does not come from a family with a misogynistic culture. I think it’s a brilliantly written script and fantastically acted."
Adolescence is currently available to stream on Netflix.
