Erin Doherty’s psychologist is assigned to assess Jamie during his detention. Here’s our Adolescence episode 3 review.
If you thought episodes 1 and 2 of Adolescence were tough to watch, brace yourself for this third chapter. Perhaps the best of the lot, episode 3 is particularly harrowing as we’re introduced to Briony, Erin Doherty’s psychologist, who’s tasked with assessing Jamie Miller as he’s being held at a facility awaiting trial. It’s been seven months since Jamie was arrested at his home, and the youngster still insists he’s innocent. Cracks are beginning to show.
Here’s the thing about Adolescence: we know Jamie did it, and we’ve known as much since the end of episode 1. During the third episode, the teen keeps slipping and accidentally implying or admitting he did in fact kill the girl, only to quickly take it back in a panic.
For most of the episode, the camera spins around the table that Jamie and Briony sit at, allowing for their conversation to unfold naturally. In an effort to gain his trust, Briony brings Jamie a sandwich, which lays untouched on the table for most of the episode, and even brings a tub of little marshmallows from home to add to his hot chocolate from the machine, because that’s how he likes his drink.
Parts of episode 3 play out like a horror film. At first, Jamie is welcoming and friendly. You almost forget what he did – almost. He acts like any 13-year-old should act; innocent, sweet and child-like. But here’s where the horror kicks in: as Briony digs deeper into Jamie’s mind, asking him about his opinions of masculinity and women as well as Katie, Jamie begins to crack. Suddenly, he’s quick to scream at Briony, standing up to tower over her, throwing chairs. He even asks Briony if she’s scared of him.
The effect is chilling. Was this what Katie experienced moments before her death? Is Briony safe? An officer is just outside the door, but she’s still visibly shaken as she steps out of the room. Doherty, who recently starred opposite Stephen Graham in A Thousand Blows, is simply magnificent here, as is Owen Cooper. The young actor has no previous experience, but there’s a real mastery to his performance that seems to come naturally to him.
Read more: Adolescence episode 2 review | Back to school
Adolescence, especially episode 3, paints a grim, disturbing picture of contemporary youth. The last episode spoke of Andrew Tate and incels, but episode 3 digs deeper into what drives young men to killing women. Adolescence never asks for your empathy, but writers Jack Thorne and Graham are constantly trying to uncover the secrets under the surface of someone this cruel. No one is born a cold-hearted killer; they’re created through influence, and in the age of the internet and social media, there’s so much to be influenced by. Worse, it’s all so readily available.
There are plenty of moments in Adolescence that have stayed with me long after finishing the series, but episode 3 is the one I can’t seem to shake. Again, it feels almost like a horror film at times, but the terror here is something much more primal than your usual jump scare fest. There’s something genuinely terrifying about the interaction between Briony and Jamie that I’m not sure I’ve seen depicted in a TV show like this before. It’s an impressive feat by director Phillip Barantini and his team to create something this frightening with so little. Bravo.
Read more: Adolescence episode 4 review | An emotional ending to the best TV series of the year
All episodes of Adolescence are available on Netflix on 13th March.
