Non Threatening Boys*: Adolescence and Other Tv Shows That Do Masculinity Well
Words: Lauren O’Neill
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Like everyone else with a Netflix account, I spent a few nights recently both gripped and horrified by Adolescence, the four-part Netflix drama created by the actor Stephen Graham and the playwright Jack Thorne. The show follows Jamie, a 13-year-old boy who is accused of the violent murder of a female classmate, Katie.
In one episode, we see Jamie’s initial arrest, then we see inside the walls of his school – the environment which, paired terrifyingly with the internet, fostered the feelings which ultimately drove Jamie to kill Katie. In episode three, Jamie is interviewed by a child psychologist who attempts to get to the bottom of his motivations, and finally, in the last episode, we see the impact on Jamie’s mother, father (played by Graham) and sister 13 months on from the crime.
