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This article contains spoilers for “Adolescence.”
A four-part drama on Netflix has quickly become one of the most talked-about television series of 2025 and one of the best Netflix originals ever released. After beloved British star Stephen Graham dished out his period boxing drama “A Thousand Blows” (a dream watch for “Peaky Blinders” fans), he’s followed it up with “Adolescence” which he both co-wrote and stars in. Graham plays Eddie Miller, the father of 13-year-old Jamie Miller (newcomer Owen Cooper), who is arrested on suspicion of murdering one of his classmates, Katie (Emilia Holliday). An unflinching and continuously heartbreaking tale ensues as the family and the community affected by this brutal case are forced to pick up the pieces after the fallout. Each chapter is filmed in one jaw-dropping single take, earning its rightful place among some of the greatest one-shots in history.
Time jumping through days, weeks, and months, the grief and trauma stemming from the tragedy at the heart of “Adolescence” seeps into the very bones of the town and its inhabitants, with the Miller family forever altered because of it. By the end, all that’s left are tears and parents questioning where it all went wrong, haunted by the wish that they will never be able to take it back. So, how does “Adolescence” conclude, and what creative choices were made to apply the perfectly timed elements woven throughout? To begin, we must first remember that Eddie and Manda Miller (Christine Tremarco) are forced to confront the truth that their seemingly sweet young son is nothing like the boy they believed they were bringing up.
What you need to remember about the plot of Adolescence – Jamie did kill Katie
A subgenre in murder dramas of late, “Adolescence” establishes in its first episode that this is not a “whodunit?” but a “why-done-it?” addressing its first big question within the initial hour. As much as he cries for his parents while being taken away in a police car and as much as he promises his father that he didn’t commit the act that Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) accuses him of, video evidence proves otherwise. Jamie did kill Katie, and there’s nothing he can do now to take it back.
It’s the first in a series of emotional gut punches and a case-closing moment that is the setup for the show, but one that Graham reveals was carefully handled before pulling the rug from under its audience with the help of his young co-star. “That was down to the casting. We wanted the audience to be on Jamie’s side and think, ‘Oh my God, this arrest is terrible. There’s no way he’s done this,'” Graham told Tudum. Of course, video footage shows Jamie brutally stabbing Katie several times, and everyone, including his father, watches in total disbelief. “We wanted the audience to feel the same feelings that Eddie feels when he looks at it and realizes what Jamie did.” It’s one of the first bookends of what is undoubtedly a career-best performance from Graham, with the other being in the show’s final moments with a teddy bear and tears.
What happened at the end of Adolescence?
Episode 4 revisits the Miller family 13 months after Katie’s brutal slaying on Eddie’s birthday, with Jamie’s trial just around the corner. In a house of strained smiles and tears behind closed doors, Eddie, Manda, and their daughter Lisa (Amelie Pease) try to get through the day like any other. It’s an effort that ends in more heartache and struggles when Eddie finds his work van vandalized, and a call from Jamie that casts a wave of silence over the family. After arguing against the accusations from the beginning, the Miller boy accepts his crime and changes his plea to guilty, ensuring that a heavy prison sentence will be headed his way.
From there, all that’s left is for Eddie and Manda to ask each other where everything went wrong. Should they have been more weary of the late hours their son was in front of his computer and the toxic culture he was falling into that consumed him? Could a few more talks between father and son have stopped him from performing his unthinkable act? These are all questions that Eddie knows he’ll never get the answer to, and alone in Jamie’s room, he sobs into his son’s bed for failing to see the signs. Finally, he takes his son’s teddy bear and tucks it into bed, apologizing to it as if it were his own flesh and blood. “I’m sorry, son,” Eddie whispers. “I should’ve done better.” It’s a soul-crushing moment masterfully handled by Graham, which was improved with the help of his own family off-camera.
Stephen Graham got extra help from his own children for the Adolescence finale
Speaking to the Radio Times about the final emotional moments of “Adolescence,” Stephen Graham revealed that even though he might have been alone in the show’s closing scene, his real family was right there with him, giving him emotional support. “The take we actually used was the last take of the whole thing, and on that final take, my wife [Graham’s producing partner, Hannah Walters, who also stars as a teacher in the show] and my two kids were there as well.”
Graham’s family went the extra mile for their acting powerhouse of a Dad by posting messages to the wall that we see him look out of shot, turning up the tear count to such an impressive level. “And so when I go into the bedroom, what they’d done was they put some pictures on the wardrobe, and it said, ‘So proud of you, we love you, Dad.’ And it was pictures of my two kids, Grace and Alfie, who I adore.” There was also the added thought of his on-screen son and star-in-the-making that spurred him on. “So that kind of sparked that last, final scene in that moment as well while I was thinking of him, who I’ve had the most amazing experience with.” It makes for one of the most memorable father-son relationships recently depicted on television, and it could be revisited if Graham applies the same way of working he has in the past.
Will Adolescence season 2 ever happen?
Even though Netflix has made no announcements about giving “Adolescence” a second season, opportunities are tucked away within the cracks of this broken and bleak tale that could allow us to revisit it.
Jamie has changed his plea to guilty, but we still don’t know how harsh his sentencing will be or the further ramifications that will impact his family when his case goes to trial. Will the Millers, who promise each other in the show’s finale that they won’t relocate, stick to their plan despite the ongoing ostracization in the town? How will Eddie, emotionally devastated by the bombshell dropped in his home, manage to hold it together? More importantly, is there a chance that Jamie, finally acknowledging his actions, finds some reprogramming during his time in prison? There’s an obvious argument that none of this needs to be answered, but upon considering some of Graham’s best performances with two of his previous characters, it should be handled just as well.
“This Is England” and “Boiling Point” are two films that house a pair of the actor’s best works, and in both cases, he reprised the respective roles in spin-off television shows. Keeping that in mind, it’s clear that the creative force behind this must-see Netflix original has it in him to return to roles that he has shown a true passion for, refining and molding these fragile souls that he’s brought to life so brilliantly. “Adolescence” could be one worth growing with, as well.
