New Delhi: Netflix’s new offering, Adolescenceis a bone-chilling four-episode limited series that shows the harsh reality of manhood, boyhood, toxic masculinity, social media hate and the hidden meaning of emojis. The series wastes no time in revealing that the 13-year-old Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper) stabbed his fellow classmate Katie seven times to death.

Each episode of the British crime series was filmed in just one take, making the story incredible and bone-chilling at the same time. The show depicted how the Andrew Tate effect mirrors the world where the self-proclaimed alpha male influences kids and teenagers with his misleading misogynistic ideologies. The show gives a sneak peek into a frightening world, the one which is ruled by the 80-20 rule, the red pill and the meanings of different-coloured heart emojis. Now, let’s explore its thought-provoking and heartbreaking ending.

Adolescence ending explained

While episode three brings shivers down the spine, which is just a conversation between a counsellor and Jamie, it’s episode four of the series that will completely shake you up. Interestingly, it ends in the same room where it all started, 13 months after Jamie’s arrest. The day marks the 50th birthday of Jamie’s dad, Eddie and the family is trying to be as normal as they can. But their plans are destroyed when someone sprays on their van the word “nonce”, a British slang used for a sex offender.

Then comes a phone call, it’s Jamie from the prison. He wishes his dad a happy birthday and tells him about his decision to change his plea to “guilty”. This means, after denying for a year that he has done “nothing wrong”, he has finally reached a place where he has accepted his fate and his crime. Jamie accepting his crime likely means a life sentence, if not more.

Jamie’s parents, Eddie and Manda, talk about how they failed as his parents and how they never accepted that their son became a cold-blooded killer. Eddie, in Jamie’s room, apologises to a teddy bear and sobs uncontrollably.

Jamie changing his plea to guilty is a closure for him, Eddie and Manda. Finally accepting that there is no way out for him, he takes his first step towards rehabilitation. With Eddie apologising to a teddy bear in Jamie’s room, he sinks into deeper sorrow of nothingness, hinting at their acceptance of Jamie’s fate and reflecting a father’s guilt.