an honest review of Netflix's new show, Adolescence

Before I start, the Netflix show is nothing short of a technical masterpiece!

Thankfully, I watched Adolescence before seeing all the hype, so I was able to watch it without a biased viewpoint. The show undoubtedly gets a lot of things right, and it is these things for which the production is getting a lot of praise, and rightly so.

However, I have seen a fair few detractors out there with views and opinions that, dare I say, I agree with.

I've been a lover of film and television ever since my dad showed me The Ring when I was like 10 years old. Ever since then, I really haven't had a lot of time for typically "good" films or TV series. And what I mean by that is those shows where, from an artistic or technical standpoint, it's very good. However, from a pure opinion of whether I enjoyed it or not, a lot of these shows and films actually fall a little short.

And not to sound like an uncultured swine, but I can actually get a lot more enjoyment from watching a mindless action movie than a film that is considered a cinematic masterpiece because of its technical aspects.

Now bringing the conversation back to Adolescence, its big claim to fame is the pure fact that every episode is shot in one take. This means there are no cuts; every scene "naturally" leads into the next, and the camera doesn't stop rolling until the episode is done. For those of you who are skeptical about whether it was actually shot in one take (I was one of those people), it really is. Take a watch of some of the behind-the-scenes—it's quite fascinating.

When a show decides to do this, though, you have to ask yourself—why? From watching the series, the fact that it was all shot in one take, I think, hindered the storytelling more than it elevated it. And don't get me wrong, there were points in the show where I felt the one-take approach worked very well, mainly in episode 3. However, the amount of times the continuous take goes against the storytelling is regrettably all the more abundant. Episode 4 is a great example when the family travels to the hardware shop to buy paint.

Because of this, you're left with scenes that inevitably go on for far too long, and you start to lose interest in what is actually happening. Sometimes it is painfully obvious when actors are ad-libbing or trying to fill awkward gaps in between scenes. And because of this, you're left on the edge of your seat trying to catch actors slipping up or botching their lines.

I think there is a story out there where this approach probably makes sense. The story of Adolescence and the time jumps in between episodes prove that this isn't a short tale. The story is an interesting and multifaceted one, but when you dive into an episode and you remember that where you begin is pretty much going to be where you are at the end, it leaves you starved by the episodes conclusion. Essentially, you're literally only getting an hour, and even then, what a conventional format would usually cut, you have to sit through.

If the entire story all took place within a similar small time span, then I think the single-take approach would make a lot more sense and lend itself better to the narrative. The truth is, the story Adolescence tried to tell was way too big for the format it was presented to us in, and at the end, you're left wanting more, not necessarily because you loved it and want to see what happens next, but more because you feel like you've been short-changed.

And one of my biggest pet peeves about these kinds of high-concept pieces of film and television is where people get on their high horse and try to prove that they're a cultured individual who understands all the nuance and meanings behind art, so whenever someone tries to criticize said piece of art, their immediate rebuttal is "Well, you must've not understood it." It is perfectly plausible to completely understand but still not find the TV show or film enjoyable. And actually, sometimes it is because you understand that you don't like it.

Now, please, I don't want to detract from all the amazing aspects of the show. The cinematography and acting are world-class, and for that alone, I would say it's worth a watch. However, if you're expecting some crime thriller with twists and turns, this is not it. Adolescence somewhat presents itself as a crime drama, but halfway through the series, you realize that it is not that at all.

So overall, I'd have to give it 3 stars out of 5. Glad I watched it and can appreciate everything it tried to do, but for me, it just fell flat, and I think the show would've been a much better watch if they abandoned the one-shot approach.