Stephen Graham plays the father of a teenager suspected of a brutal murder in the latest Netflix TV show from Philip Barantini. Here’s our review of Adolescence episode 1.
Early mornings are sacred. They’re meant for getting ready for the day in peace and quiet, preparing for whatever the day holds. And coffee, lots and lots of coffee. So imagine the police forcing their way into your house just after 6am and taking your son on suspicion of murder.
This is exactly the situation Eddie Miller (Stephen Graham) finds himself in during the first episode of Adolescence. His son Jamie (a superb Owen Cooper) is suspected of murdering a local girl the night before, but the lad swears he didn’t do it. In the first episode of Netflix’s new drama, we follow not just Eddie or Jamie through the episode but the arresting detective Bascombe (Ashley Walters) as Jamie is taken away.
Adolescence is the brain child of Graham, Jack Thorne and Philip Barantini, some of the most interesting names currently working in British TV. Adolescence is filmed in the same one-shot format as Barantini’s breakthrough project Boiling Point, which also starred Graham as a rather stressed-out chef. The series later got a film sequel, also on Netflix, and well worth a watch.
But Adolescence is a whole different beast. The first episode takes us through the ins and outs of being arrested and processed at a police station. Barantini immerses us in the confusion experienced by Jamie and Eddie alike; we know just as much as they do and we’re just as clueless as to what happened the night before. The episode’s focus is solely on what happens after the arrest, how scary and disruptive that is, but also how there’s a well-oiled machine working behind the scenes.
The one-shot approach could easily feel like a gimmick. Another recent TV success, Daredevil: Born Again, also uses long takes to great effect, including a superbly choreographed and well-paced fight sequence in its opening episode. However, in Adolescence, like in Boiling Point, it’s used to create a certain sort of rhythm and urgency that pulls the audience into the story and the moment. Once you’re in it, Barantini isn’t likely to let you go, either.
Shooting something in a single take comes with plenty of challenges. Without cuts, there are no breaks for the actors or the crew, but also for the audience. Barantini cleverly creates his pacing and gives his audience a couple of breathers with slightly longer shots following characters from room to room. Each episode of Adolescence clocks in at about an hour, making them even more impressive, just from a technical standpoint.
Without going into too much detail, episode 1 of Adolescence ends on a shocking note. Going into the series, it at first seems like a more ambitious version of your favourite crime procedural; detectives gathering evidence, the accused fighting for their innocence and the family coping with such a huge shock. Adolescence has all of these elements, but the sum of its parts is so much more. It shines a light on some uncomfortable parts of our society and isn’t always a pleasant watch. But with superb writing, acting and direction, it’s undoubtedly an essential one.
Read more: Adolescence episode 2 review | Back to school
All episodes of Adolescence are available on Netflix from 13th March.
