Netflix’s Adolescence finale has sparked heated debate among viewers since its release last week, with the four-part crime drama, which has earned a perfect 100 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes, leaving audiences divided over its emotional conclusion.
Some fans expressed disappointment with the ending, claiming it felt incomplete without showing the trial of the 13-year-old murderer, while others have fiercely defended the show, arguing that critics have “missed the point” about its intentional focus on family impact rather than the crime itself.
The drama follows Eddie Miller, played by Stephen Graham, whose life is shattered when his 13-year-old son Jamie (Owen Cooper) is arrested for murdering a classmate.
Ashley Walters stars as Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe, who leads the investigation into the killing, with the series detailing the devastating impact of Jamie’s crime on his family and school community.
Viewers see disturbing CCTV footage captured moments before Jamie killed his schoolmate Katie, and, despite its realistic portrayal, the show isn’t based on a true story but rather explores what Graham described as “an ordinary family’s worst nightmare.”
The emotional final episode takes place 13 months after Jamie’s arrest, as the family attempts to celebrate Eddie’s 50th birthday while awaiting the trial.
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Jamie calls home to reveal he plans to plead guilty, with the series concluding with a heart-wrenching scene where Eddie returns to his son’s bedroom, sits on the bed and breaks down crying as he takes Jamie’s teddy bear and tucks it under the covers.
“I’m sorry, son,” he says to the empty room. “I should have done better.”
The raw emotion of this final moment has become a focal point of viewer discussions, but many viewers took to social media to express their disappointment with the finale.
“Kinda disappointed by the ending of Adolescence, it feels like it’s missing so much of the story, I wish it was perhaps longer or that the ending would show his trial,” one viewer wrote on X.
Another added: “Just finished Adolescence on Netflix. The acting was amazing and a very good storyline, but the ending could’ve been better IMO!”
Someone else expressed: “I binge-watched the whole series in one go because of Stephen Graham but now I feel a void has been left without knowing the outcome of the trial…”
However, defenders were quick to respond. One wrote: “Those of you who say the ending was boring don’t get it. It wasn’t made for entertainment purposes, it was showing how children’s actions have an effect on the family.”
Someone else agreed, adding: “I personally think that was the perfect ending. There was no need to know what happened to Jamie as he it’s pretty obvious. It was more about the lasting effects on his family… I wanna know how they coped after the sentencing.” (sic)
Director Philip Barantini revealed he created an unexpected emotional moment for Graham during the final scene and had production staff print photos of Graham’s real-life family and place them inside the wardrobe on set.
“If you watch the scene closely, he looks over to the right-hand side, and he spots the pictures and the notes. It broke him open,” Barantini told Tudum.
Graham confirmed the impact of this surprise, saying: “They got me to the core. So the taps just opened up.”
The scene was initially meant to show Ellie Miller getting into Jamie’s bed but Barantini chose to use the teddy bear as an emotional stand-in.
