Child psychologist reveals all the hidden meanings in Adolescence that you may have missed
If you've already seen Netflix's hit drama Adolescence, and the viewing figures suggest that you probably have, then you'll know what it's all about.
However, there may be some little details snuck into the drama which you didn't pick up on while you were watching.
You were probably so enthralled by the drama that you probably didn't pick up on every detail Adolescence put down, but that's alright, because others have spotted the signs and been talking about them.
Among those discussing the show is child psychologist Dr Sheila Redfern, who went over the hidden moments in the show's third episode in which Jamie (Owen Cooper) talks with psychologist Briony (Erin Doherty) at length and the interaction goes through a number of dramatic revelations.
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She spoke to the Daily Mail to explain the significance behind these moments and decisions which you may or may not have noticed in Adolescence.
The half-sandwich and hot chocolate
One of the first things Briony does upon greeting Jamie is gift him half of her sandwich and a hot chocolate to drink.
The sandwich is cheese and pickle, and the first detail to pick up on here is that Jamie had previously said in the show he doesn't like pickle.
The child psychologist said that these offers humanised Briony to Jamie and helped him relax around her, and since he only got half she was sharing it with him which would make him think she was on his side.
However, she reckons that Briony was 'testing' Jamie to see how he'd react to food with an ingredient he didn't like, and Dr Redfern said she thought it wasn't a great idea, as it could 'jeopardise' the relationship between them.
Fellow psychologist Danielle Haig said that the hot chocolate was a 'comforting, almost maternal offering', while Dr Redfern said that the drink brought out Jamie's more innocent side, but she would never bring a hot drink into a room like that as there's a chance it could be thrown over you.
In Adolescence, Jamie knocks the drink onto the floor which he later comes to regret.
Owen Cooper said that the drink was changed to a 'horrible' alternative so it wouldn't make the floor too sticky for the camera crew once it was spilled, and described the substitute liquid as 'minging'.
Moving chairs
During their major scene Briony starts by sitting across from Jamie but keeps moving her chair closer to him, which the child psychologist says shows that the closer she gets the more he opens up.
She added that once Jamie wasn't forced to make eye contact with her as she was now sitting beside him he opened up to her more.
Mental health expert Janine Mitchell told LADbible that the psychologist moved her chair closer 'to bring him back down' and that steadily coming round to the side was 'a technique to build that rapport and build that relationship with the person'.
Dr Redfern noted that once the psychologist had come round to Jamie's side of the table, he finally took a bite of the sandwich.
Entering and leaving
According to the child psychologist, pretty much everything they do has a lot of thought going into it including what to wear.
Dr Redfern said that the clothes Erin Doherty's character was wearing were meant to convey a professional manner, and that sets the tone right from the moment she enters the room.
The character's choice to leave the room when Jamie has his first outburst is important too, as she gets to watch the CCTV footage of how he reacts when she's not around.
The psychologist said that Jamie's reaction once she had returned to the room, where he was apologetic, showed he'd developed an attachment to her, and her opinion of him matters.
'Do you like me?'
Speaking of Jamie wanting to know Briony's opinion of him, he ends up directly asking her if she actually likes him, and she doesn't end up giving an answer.
Instead, she's left alone with the piece of sandwich she gave him, which she can barely bring herself to touch.
Briony leaving the question unanswered is the part of Adolescence that Dr Redfern said she and her colleagues struggled with most.
In the show, this moment conveys the impartial approach Briony needs to take, but the child psychologist said that she and her colleagues would not leave the question unanswered since it could be 'incredibly damaging' for Jamie.
She did admit it was a difficult position to be in as it would be 'wholly inappropriate' if she said she liked Jamie, but would be 'dangerous' to let Jamie think Briony thinks he's a bad person.
In the episode, Jamie is looking for validation, which mental health expert Janine Mitchell says also explains why he keeps saying he's ugly.
Jamie's denial
Throughout the interview, Jamie keeps denying that he murdered Katie, despite there being clear video evidence of him doing it which we the audience saw in the first episode.
In the final episode, he also changes his plea to guilty, so he really did do it, but for a good while after the crime, he's still denying it to Briony.
Dr Redfern says this comes from 'the sheer shame he's feeling' and that he doesn't want to admit 'he is that sort of person'.
This defence does slip at one point during the episode, but Jamie then returns to his denial and insists it wasn't him before asking Briony if she likes him.
The early clue
Outside of the third episode and the interactions between Jamie and Briony, there are other hidden moments in Adolescence which point towards what happened.
While the end of the first episode appears to make it explicitly clear that Jamie is the killer, the first clue comes right at the beginning of the show.
As police storm into Jamie's room, he puts his hands up and one of them goes to the wall where a bit of wallpaper is torn off, the tear is in the shape of a knife so right from the start Adolescence is showing you he really did do it.
Jamie's favourite subject
Some viewers have been picking up on other little details in the show, such as Jamie saying that his favourite class in school was history.
Several Adolescence fans have pointed out they didn't see girls in the class, the teacher didn't really know who he was, and that he 'almost forgot' to introduce the female detective.
They reckon it's the show providing more signs that a potential role model for Jamie let him down and his favourite class was one that was quite out of control.
The ending
Right at the end of Adolescence, as we're being treated to some tip top acting from Stephen Graham a voice is heard to sing the song 'Through the Eyes of a Child'.
The vocals for this were provided by Emilia Holliday, who played the girl Jamie killed, and it's the only time in the show that we get to hear her.
Adolescence director Philip Barantini said it was to show that 'Katie is a part of the whole series, her presence is always there'.
Topics: Adolescence, Netflix, Owen Cooper
Joe Harker