Stephen GrahamandJack Thorne’s hit miniseriesAdolescencehastaken over Netflix’s top 10, appearing for three weeks straight, an impressive feat in an age where media cycles feel shorter than the actual content they cycle through. From the impressive one-shot style to the carefully explored topic of toxic masculinity to learning that this isOwen Cooper’s first acting role, playing thecomplex murderer, Jamie,Adolescenceexcels in every category possible. Out of the four episodes,the most illuminating for Jamie as a character is, without a doubt, the third episode, where a psychologist, Briony (Erin Doherty), meets with him to evaluate him.
For many, including myself, this is also the best episode. Seeing Doherty in the role, it was immediately clear this character would be a force to be reckoned with, as she excels at playing strong women, as seen inChloeand recently inA Thousand Blows. On the surface, this is evident, though when we dig deeper into her interactions with Jamie, we see that every single action of Briony’s, specificallyher use of food and drink, is calculated so that we learn about this young boyand his relationship with women and his self-perception.
The Hot Chocolate Briony Gives Jamie is a Purposeful Act of Service in ‘Adolescence’
The first thing Briony does concerning Jamie is make him a hot chocolate, topping it with marshmallows she brought from home, which is her first gambit. By adding home luxury to a drink made at the facility and presenting it to Jamie, she associates herself not only with comfort but as someone that Jamie can trust. Furthermore, by bringing him a treat during his hour of need, sheplaces herself as amotherly figure, most likely to test how Jamie will react to acts of service from a woman. Will he take it for granted or be respectful? In terms of his immediate reaction, it does settle him and allows the two to pick up their rapport from where they left off, with Jamie only struggling later in the conversation when they get onto the masculine figures in his life.
Later, when he asks for another hot chocolate after throwing the first on the floor, she doesn’t bring it back to see how he responds to authority and being told “no.” With how the show links back to the theme oftoxic masculinityand misogyny, we can read this moment as giving us some clues about his approach to consent. We see that he ignores the lack of a second hot chocolate when Briony talks to him directly about her purpose there and how they need to communicate with each other, hinting that he is more focused on her mere presence than any acts of service. A similar act is then employed when she goes to get him another hot chocolate, whichBriony apologizes for forgetting, placing herself in a seemingly beholden position, only for Jamie to treat her as having the power, begging her to stay.
6 Reasons Why ‘Adolescence’ Is an Absolute Must-Watch
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Briony’s Sandwich Tests Jamie’s Politeness and Reaction to Dissatisfaction in ‘Adolescence’
Briony’s second test for Jamie is one that most likely went over some heads in the episode, as it is so casually presented she almost tricks us as well as him. This would be the sandwich that she offers Jamie, which is that not only was ithalf a sandwich, but the dialogue focuses on the fact that Jamie doesn’t like the filling: cheese and pickles. Most viewers will immediately know it is important, but in theseone-shot episodes, where we move so quickly from one beat to the next, it can be difficult to analyze the sandwich’s significance in the moment.
Through the sandwich, Briony is trying topsychologicallygauge how he will react to getting something he doesn’t want. Will he demand a whole lunch or politely accept only half? Will he not eat any of it because he doesn’t like the filling, or will he use it to please Briony, as he does later in the episode, by taking only a single bite? Therefore,Jamie’s bite can be seen as his passiveness in the face of not getting what he wants, and that feeling of powerlessness, which Jamie puts on himself, explodes outwardly as a rage later on, desperately trying to claw back control, as he may have viewed killing Katie gave him a similar control.
Briony’s Tactics Reveal Jamie’s Desperate Need For Validation in ‘Adolescence’
So, the question becomes, what do we learn about Jamie? Simply put, he craves assurance and validation. This is a key theme in the show’s second episode and a potential explanation for the root of misogyny and bullying, where Bascombe’s (Ashley Walters) detective partner, Misha (Faye Marsay), tells him that “all kids really need is one thing that makes them feel okay about themselves.” Jamie is at an age where he isn’t able to think critically about his responses to these scenarios, and in doing so, he has extreme outbursts that reveal this need for approval, especially from women, though not limited to them.Jamie’s final “Tell my Dad I’m okay!” as he is dragged away reveals how he seeks approval from all figures around him, with his Dad not being abusive but perhaps not giving him enough assurance either.
As previously mentioned, when Briony goes to get him another hot chocolate, he begs her not to go, but his rushed delivery of “I don’t deserve it” makes it seem like he doesn’t care about the morality involved; he cares about her company and wants her to not see him as spoiled. Similarly, with the sandwich, he takes a bite to make Briony like him. He tries to play along in any way he can butdoesn’t realize that the motive behind these actions is clear, making them feel surface-level rather than genuine kindness.
What is so effective about this episode and Briony’s tactics, though we should note she isn’t entirely manipulative and does seem to care about Jamie, is that we see a young boy so desperate for something so simple that comes with time and shouldn’t be forced. As someone who was bullied in school, and I don’t mean a bit of teasing, that struggle to understand why you aren’t liked can be maddening, though it is something you only break free of when you let go of that need, which Jamie can’t. In the end, the heartbreaking final moments of the episode turn the small clues Briony’s use of food and drink give us into the explosive “Why don’t you like me?!” screams from Jamie.He craves validation by any means necessary, but understanding where that comes from or how to fix it is deeply complex, something Briony andAdolescencesmartly avoid answering.
All episodes ofAdolescenceare available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
