This show was a bit more kitchen-sinky than shows I’d normally watch - it reminded me a bit of stuff by Ken Loach or Mike Leigh, but I liked Adolescence a lot more than their films (even though I realise that their output is highly regarded).
I’ve seen a fair bit of negativity about it in these kinds of online spaces, so I imagine that I’m going against the grain by saying that I’d recommend it. It’s best to know as little about it as possible beforehand though - not just about the story beats, but also don’t buy into the hype about it and expect too much of it.
Hrm. I was one of those viewers. I didn’t think it was awful, but it wasn’t so strong that I’d recommend it, either.
Totally agree. They made it sound like it was bringing an important topic into the national conversation and that’s the only reason I watched it. I’m very familiar with incel culture and I wanted to know how it dealt with those issues, and honestly, it didn’t. It was barely about the main character, much less a character study of a radicalized young boy. 2/4 episodes don’t even include him. I don’t know why people would watch it, honestly.
Yours is a perfect and concise expression of my main complaints.