To think Adolescence was a little overblown with sketchy acting?

[Radish81]

I was interested in it and “enjoyed it”

but I thought it was a bit overblown and some of the acting…. Well, a bit shit really.

i feel like the only person on the planet to think this!

I hated the third episode with the psychologist. It dragged on and on and made no sense. At one point I thought she was flirting with him.

My thoughts too.

So chuffed that I have found my people when it comes to this over done drama! All the more made worse by the sense that the actors really felt that this was important

the interviews with some of them since then…. Like they were part of something world defining

This is a really good point and I think you may have shifted my opinion on the show.
It all centres around the parents not having a clue where there son was at. In actual fact, as you say, it's much more likely that these crimes are preceeded by years of family begging for help and being put on a waiting list.
The problem is more structural than the show wants to admit.

But they weren’t loving involved parents. Dad was out working most evenings; mum let him spend hours alone in his room; he was out on the streets at 10.30 pm… Dad struggled with his son enjoying non-masculine activities like drawing and forced him into football and boxing clubs, where the child felt like a failure and was aware his dad was ashamed of him…Dad had a temper - once smashed up the shed…They talk about how good their daughter is: well, she tiptoes around her dad’s temper; lays the table; tries hard to conform to their gendered expectations of her…I thought it showed terrible parenting and how frighteningly easy that is.

I was impressed by the acting actually and wasn’t bored (I am easily bored by tv). I agree it wasn’t hard hitting enough, I don’t think the average family will watch it and really get the message they were trying to portray. They only touched on social media superficially and they didn’t really make their point about ‘why’ it happened. It was more, this happened because he was bullied and that was it but we didn’t get to see glimpses of his childhood, how he handled emotions leading up to the event and what sort micro aggressions he might have had before committing murder. I think this needed to be more obvious.

The idea that this family was somehow reflective of middle England…. Well, it was alien to me.

My two don’t go to an out of control secondary like that
my two (one being almost 15) aren’t allowed out at 10.30pm wondering the streets or meeting up with friends.
my husband (ex now but very amiable) isn’t a tradesmen with a van who has a temper
and I don’t denigrate myself in front of them and my children sure as fuck don’t think that all I’m good at is “cooking a good roast”
oh and I impose screen limits and site limits on my teens phones

You see I agree with you, i could see this in the show but I don’t believe the message was hard hitting enough or obvious for most people to get this. I work in child MH so I get things like this. My husband for example didn’t notice the gender stereotypes or the lax parenting. I think it needed to be more obvious to reach the audience that needs it.

I feel like I must have fallen asleep and missed something. Or maybe it was too subtle for me. Was there a bit that revealed his internet history?

FWIW my teens weren’t impressed. Either at the acting or the supposed realism. They scoffed at the emoji meanings.

@BrandNewHeretic how come the laughing emojis at all my comments? Enlighten us rather than reading and getting yourself worked up that none of us are agreeing with you!

(i dont think this is the thread for you? There’s lots of other threads about the programmes where they wax lyrical about it… might be more appropriate?)

Swinging or threesomes?! 😷

Oh sorry - wrong thread 😉

When the psychologist, Freya or whatever her name was, shuddered at picking up his half eaten sandwich…

was that the programme maker’s sledgehammer subtlety that she was disgusted by him?

I enjoyed episode 1 and thought the series was going to be really interesting. Episode 2 was ok. Episode 3 was good, tense and well-acted. Episode 4 was so boring. It just went on and on and I ended up fast forwarding it to the last 5 minutes once I realized nothing was going to happen and Jamie wasn't going to appear again.
The teddy bear scene was a moving ending.

I haven’t finished it yet but I agree.

whilst the way it was filmed was all very clever I don’t really see what the point in doing it was and to be honest, I think that’s part of the reason it’s not working for me.

I’ve seen other things where they had very long scenes filmed in one take and it worked amazingly. There’s a scene in the Menendez brothers series where one of them is talking in prison to his lawyers and it was incredible, but I feel with this it just stunted the whole thing.

And the acting/character of the woman showing the police around the school is just terrible.

Massively over hyped, too long drawn out and missing key elements.

I'm glad I've read this thread as I thought I was the only person not to like it. I thought it was pretty boring, unrealistic and drawn out. The one take thing was ridiculous imo and the acting was awful. The hype about it is really overdone. I've had to start hiding anything about it on my Facebook feed.
Just to add, I'm not thick, I have teenagers and work within an (awful) secondary school, for those who think we are too stupid to understand the 'message' that was being sent.

They were very easily "good enough" parents. If you think that is poor parenting then you are very sheltered.

My kids lay the table if I ask them, I really didn't find that sinister...

I did like the first episode but by the last it had lost me. Even the teddy bear scene, just thought he was acting badly by then which is a shame as I rated SG.

The van scenes were not good. Just something about the last one really didn’t gel.

I haven't watched it, I just find the subject matter too harrowing.

What is the message? Because it sounds as though the family of the girl murdered are barely featured? If the aim is prompting a national debate about violence against women and girls, should it not have been about the girl's family?

also
The fact that a trained therapist would deliberately talk over a child having a meltdown in a provocative and escalatory fashion is ridiculous.

Makes great drama but people are taking this as how things are.

oh I didn’t like it at all. The scene in the car where they were driving to the paint store went on forever and bored me to tears. The way it was filmed to be taken all in one shot worked well in the first episode but not afterwards. Kept wishing the paint store was closer so it would end. The parents were also quiet irritating “Eat your cornies son”

I do think the message is important but think it’s an over rated television programme.

I was expecting so much more. I wanted a big massive twist in the plot or something, anything unexpected to happen but it just seemed very boring and drawn out and zero excitement what so ever. The wee fella was a terrific actor though!

I thought the scene with the therapist was the worst part. Completely unrealistic and hammy.