Adolescence

[Mr+Ripley]

  My partner & I watched all four episodes of Adolescence on Netflix over the weekend & I can honestly say I was blown away by this compelling drama. Without a doubt, one of the most brilliant pieces of TV I have watched in a long while. It stars Stephen Graham who is excellent as always, but the standout here is Owen Cooper in his debut role playing a 13-year-old. He features mostly in episode three, which for me was one of the most astonishing & gripping 50 minutes of TV ever. What makes it even more incredible is that each episode was filmed in one take, ( multiple 50 to 60-minute takes were shot but only one was used ) much like Stephen Graham's restaurant film, Boiling Point, which has the same director as Adolescence. 

  The whole cast is superb as is the cinematography & the writing. This is not a thriller, there aren't any twists, it's a harrowing slice of life that, unfortunately, is all too real in this day and age. Having said that, this needs to be seen, not only in our homes but in schools as well.

[BenJoBanjo]

I agree. Absolutely astonishing television. 

Both this and Toxic Town have shown that Netflix are commissioning some of the finest dramas of recent years. 

[Doc5907]

I'll give it a go tonight thanks 👍

[Mr+Ripley]

  @Doc5907  It's nearly 4 hours long, thought you should know. We watched it over two days.

[AndrewF_UK]

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@BenJoBanjo wrote:

I agree. Absolutely astonishing television. 

Both this and Toxic Town have shown that Netflix are commissioning some of the finest dramas of recent years. 

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Both written and created by Jack Thorne too, talented guy. 

[Mr+Ripley]

  I really meant to add that Adolescence should be watched without any distractions or interruptions if possible so you can fully immerse yourself into it & get the best from it.

[AndrewF_UK]

We finished this last night, brilliant television and very poignant.

[Mr+Ripley]

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@Mr+Ripley wrote:

  My partner & I watched all four episodes of Adolescence on Netflix over the weekend & I can honestly say I was blown away by this compelling drama. Without a doubt, one of the most brilliant pieces of TV I have watched in a long while. It stars Stephen Graham who is excellent as always, but the standout here is Owen Cooper in his debut role playing a 13-year-old. He features mostly in episode three, which for me was one of the most astonishing & gripping 50 minutes of TV ever. What makes it even more incredible is that each episode was filmed in one take, ( multiple 50 to 60-minute takes were shot but only one was used ) much like Stephen Graham's restaurant film, Boiling Point, which has the same director as Adolescence. 

  The whole cast is superb as is the cinematography & the writing. This is not a thriller, there aren't any twists, it's a harrowing slice of life that, unfortunately, is all too real in this day and age. Having said that, this needs to be seen, not only in our homes but in schools as well.

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  Re: The final sentence above in bold - Without wishing to appear I'm blowing my own trumpet, but I said two weeks ago, only a matter of days after Adolescence had dropped on Netflix, that this drama needs to be shown in schools. Thanks to Netflix, this is going to happen.

  This from BBC News:

The prime minister has told the makers of hit Netflix drama Adolescence that it was "really hard to watch" with his teenage children, as he hosted a Downing Street meeting to discuss the influence of toxic material online.

Sir Keir Starmer said the show, about a 13-year-old boy accused of murder, served as "a torch that shines intensely brightly on a combination of issues that many people don't know how to respond to".

But he warned there was not a "silver bullet response" or "some policy lever that can be pulled".

Sir Keir also welcomed a move by Netflix to make the series available to screen for free in secondary schools.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Mr+Ripley wrote:

 as he hosted a Downing Street meeting to discuss the influence of toxic material online

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Can't help thinking that meeting actual subject experts rather than actors and television directors (no matter how many BAFTAs they are deservedly going to get) might be a rather better use of time.

When evaluating nuclear power station safety, would one talk to the IAEA or the production team and cast of 'Chernobyl'?

Of course the real toxic influencers are the platform algorithms, but politicians are scared of tackling those.

[BenJoBanjo]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@Mr+Ripley wrote:

 as he hosted a Downing Street meeting to discuss the influence of toxic material online

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Can't help thinking that meeting actual subject experts rather than actors and television directors (no matter how many BAFTAs they are deservedly going to get) might be a rather better use of time.

When evaluating nuclear power station safety, would one talk to the IAEA or the production team and cast of 'Chernobyl'?

Of course the real toxic influencers are the platform algorithms, but politicians are scared of tackling those.

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Very true, although they did have some more relevant attendees at the meeting. 

It would have been a cheap publicity stunt had any of the actors attended, but it was just the writer and producer, both of whom have carried out extensive research on the subject matter.