REVIEW: Adolescence – the trouble with youth

Adolescence was another of those shows I wouldn’t have learned about had it not been for all the praises it has received by about everyone; that also put this at the top of my list.

And I agree with everyone. At least someone else comes in, I can see Owen becoming one of -if not <i>the<i>- youngest actors to win an EMMY. That episode 3 is top tier stuff. Vulnerable yet terrifying, I kept wondering if they would reveal he had double personality or something cause you see him wrestling with himself, like two opposite emotions clashing with each other. Erin Doherty’s (?) performance was also great, especially when she conveys the horror she feels as this tiny kid bursts out with such anger that she feared for her life. Graham is also fantastic as this troubled parent who sees all his life crumbling down as he also is struggling, dealing with guilt and trying to make sense of all of this and questioning his parenthood. The fourth episode is prime stuff. The rest of the cast is great.

Technically speaking, I dug the one take gimmick. Its execution was well done and pretty seamlessly. I do think there was a downside with it. Because it all takes place in real time, you can’t make use of ellipsis; hence, there are plenty of moments of long pauses where it allows for the scenes to breathe and actors take their time, allowing us, the audience, to grasp whatever they are battling with at the moment. Yet there are times where they feel like filler, which makes the series drag. The writing overall is pretty good, especially the last two monologue-driven episodes, which showcase some of the best writing on TV in a very long time. Powerful stuff.

All in all, I can definitely see why many adore Adolescence, It didn’t fully live up to the hype, but it was still a truly great show, particularly those last two episodes, all bolstered by some fantastic, award-winning performances.