Upamanyu Biswas
Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ tells the story of a British family whose lives are upended following the revelation that their youngest son, Jamie Miller, is responsible for the murder of one of his female schoolmates. As the local authorities piece together the entire story, people find themselves trying to come to grips with Jamie’s actions and what it means to the community as a whole. In its first two episodes, the show sets the tone for the intense psychological and emotional battle up ahead through the eyes of those closely linked with the event, particularly DI Luke Bascombe, the man in charge of Jamie’s case. To that end, Jamie and his father, Eddie, form the center of the narrative, offering a raw and intense glimpse into the horrific tragedy. Their parent-child relationship is tested to the limits as the truth emerges behind the extent of Jamie’s crime. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Miller Family Faces the Shock of Their 13-Year-Old Son’s Arrest
Episode 1 kicks into gear with a voice message on DI Luke Bascombe’s phone. His son, Adam, insists that he is sick and unable to go to school. Bascombe briefly talks about it with his partner, DS Misha Frank. Moments later, they break into the Miller family residence with a contingent of armed police officers who arrest 13-year-old teenager Jamie Miller. Jamie’s father, Eddie, berates the police for harassing his family, but their complaints are ignored, and Jamie is taken away in a police van. He arrives at the Heywood Street Police Station, where he is processed and sent into a cell. Meanwhile, his parents are kept in the visitor’s room, where Bascombe greets them and lets them know that Jamie has chosen Eddie as his appropriate adult.
The cops continue to process Jamie as his father is finally allowed to spend some time with him in the cell. The young boy repeatedly pleads his innocence even though the case details are scantly explained to the audience thus far. Meanwhile, a local solicitor named Paul Barlow arrives at the station to represent Jamie in the case. He consults with the Miller family before talking with Bascombe and Frank directly to get more specifics. However, he is told nothing, and Barlow accompanies Eddie to the medical room, where Jamie is brought in for some tests. Everyone waits around as the boy’s headshots, biometrics, and blood samples are taken. Things get complicated when the police announce the need for a strip search. Although Eddie is against it, there is no other option. He watches the cops carry out a strip search on his son.
Barlow takes Eddie and Jamie into a separate room where he teaches the latter the importance of saying “No comment” for questions that feel slightly loaded. He tests Jamie on the concept and sees that he understands it quite well. Not long after, the trio are brought into the interrogation room, where Bascombe and Frank start recording the conversation. The latter questions Jamie about his school life and connection to one individual, Katie Leonard. She was murdered at a local car park, and Jamie is the main suspect. Based on social media records, Bascombe believes that Katie was Jamie’s friend. When Jamie remains unhelpful to the conversation, Bascombe produces CCTV footage of the car park, which clearly shows Jamie stabbing Katie multiple times. The interview ends, and Eddie comes to terms with his son’s heinous crime, embracing him in shock.
Bascombe’s School Visit Turns Into Chaos
After establishing the basic details of the case and the main suspect in the crime, DI Luke Bascombe takes a trip to Bruntwood Academy, the school attended by Jamie, Katie, and his son, Adam. He and DS Misha Frank meet up with school teacher Mrs. Fenumore, who helps them get into the school’s premises to spread the word to different students and also get to the bottom of the missing murder weapon. Bascombe believes that someone from the school might have info on the murder weapon, which is crucial in pinning Jamie to the crime. However, it proves more difficult than he imagines as the chaotic atmosphere of the school interferes with the detectives’ desire to rationally approach the case. This is particularly exacerbated during their talk with Jade, Katie’s best friend in school.
During the exchange, Jade gets annoyed with Bascombe and Frank for asking her obvious questions and storms out of the room. The two detectives then start calling into separate classrooms to announce brief details about the case and the need for help from certain students. Meanwhile, Bascombe skirts around the issue that his son, Adam, also attends the school, albeit two years senior to Jamie and Katie. The detective inspector runs into his son while announcing the case’s details in his classroom, where he sees Adam being heckled by a boy named Fredo. Before any headway can be made into the case, the school alarm goes off mysteriously, and every student is sent out into the yard in an orderly fashion. Bascombe and Frank have no choice but to follow the standard protocol.
Outside, an angry Jade punches Ryan straight in the face and walks away. Ryan and Tommy are two of Jamie’s closest friends, and Jade decides to take out her frustration about her friend’s death on one of them. Ryan is led to the infirmary, which springs Bascombe into action. He and Frank follow the boy to the nurse’s room, where they sit down to talk to him about Jamie. Although his answers remain unhelpful, Bascombe realizes that he may be hiding something important. The mystery remains unanswered as Ryan leaves the room in a haste to rejoin his classes. Meanwhile, school teacher Mrs. Bailey talks with Jade about her angry outburst. Jade reveals that she feels lost now that Katie is dead. However, the young girl does not intend to speak to a social worker and flees again.
Adam Helps His Dad Understand the Case Better
Adam flags DI Luke Bascombe right outside his school classroom. The latter is surprised that his son is not in class. Adam says that there is something important Bascombe must learn, and he is willing to tell him about it privately. Mrs. Fenumore helps father and son find an empty room. Inside, Adam explains that Bascombe and his people are misunderstanding the social media posts linking Jamie and Katie. He states that Katie’s use of specific emojis under some of Jamie’s posts could be linked to incel accusations directed towards the boy. The detective works out that Katie might have been bullying Jamie, which could be the motive for the crime. He asks Adam if his reading is correct, but the latter refuses to confirm or deny it. He simply wants to help point his father in the right direction after watching him “blunder” around.
Bascombe breaks the news to Frank after stepping outside the room while Adam heads back to class. The two detectives then head back to one of their already visited classes with the express intention of questioning Ryan, who they believe is still hiding something. Ryan starts running as soon as Bascombe enters the room. The detective chases him out of the school’s premises until he finally gets his hands on him. He applies more pressure on Ryan until he finally reveals that the knife Jamie used to murder Katie belonged to him. However, he insists that he no longer knows where the knife is. Bascombe and Frank put Ryan under arrest, accusing him of conspiracy to murder as they take him back to the station. The former decides to stay back for a while as he has other matters to attend to.
After a slow walk back to the school grounds, Bascombe flags Adam down, asking him if he is willing to join him for food. Although Adam is hesitant at the start, he softens after hearing his father say that he loves him and wants to spend more time with him. The two get in the car and decide to head to a Chinese restaurant for some chips at Adam’s suggestion. We notice an upset Jade walking away from the school after an emotional day, coming to terms with her friend’s passing. The camera zooms away, hovering over the neighborhood until it reaches the car park where Katie was murdered. People lay down bouquets to show respect for the young girl. A man exits a car to place flowers on the memorial site. The man is Eddie. The camera zooms on his pained expression before he leaves the place.
Read More: Adolescence Episode 3 and 4 Recap: Understanding and Accepting the Pain
