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Adolescence (2025) shocked audiences with a view into the mind of a teenager named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), who gets arrested for murdering his classmate Katie. With each episode recorded in one shot, the show creates a sense of intense tension and unease from the first minute, leaving fans reeling.
By exploring themes like social media, the rise of toxic masculinity, "incel" culture, and emotional development in young men through the eyes of Jamie, the show uncovers a pivotal message about today's world. The audience is privy to this thriller drama's chilling, heartbreaking father-son story.
Adolescence had some memorable, intense, and harsh dialogues that fans resonated with. Here are the top 10.
Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer.
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Some of the best quotes from Jamie, Eddie, Brione, and the cast of Adolescence
1) "What have you done?"- Eddie
By the end of episode 1 of Adolescence, there is clear evidence that Jamie has murdered Katie. The blood on his trainers and the video recording of the incident confirm he did it, which Detective Bascombe relays to Jamie and his dad, Eddie. It is a heartbreaking moment because Bascombe mentions Katie's distraught mother and asks Jamie if he would apologize to her.
Eddie, sobbing, says:
"What have you done? What have you done? Why?"
In this scene, the whole truth hits Eddie (Stephen Graham) like a rock, and the actor embodies the anguish of a parent. He is distraught and wheezes out the dialogue, closing the episode with the heartbreaking question as dad and son sob in an embrace.
2) "You're not getting it. Dad, you're not reading what they're doing."- Adam
Detective Bascombe tries to break through the case, but nothing leads anywhere. His son, with whom he shares a tense relationship, explains that he has no idea what goes on in the lives of teenagers with access to social media. He explains incel culture, the manosphere, and how Katie and so many others were calling Jamie an incel.
"You're not getting it, Dad. You're not reading what they're doing," he says.
This is a critical juncture in Adolescence because it shows just how clueless adults might be about the complicated lives of kids these days. It opens up a new angle in the investigation and offers a peek into the dangerous implications of early exposure to extreme ideologies.
3) "It's crazy what your brain tells you to do when you're a kid"- Eddie
At its core, Adolescence is a show that unveils the psyche of present-day teenagers, online radicalization, and the rise of toxic masculinity influencers. It shows how a father falls apart after his son's actions change his family's life forever.
So when Eddie says:
"It's crazy what your brain tells you to do when you're a kid."
Fans are left shaken because it could mean two things: One, a part of Eddie is in denial, trying to explain this situation away as something that children might randomly do. Two, it begs the bigger question of what children consume, think, and feel about the world and the evil they're capable of.
4) "So I thought when she was, like, that weak, she might... she might like me."- Jamie
In episode 3 of Adolescence, Jamie converses with psychologist Briony Ariston, who is tasked with preparing a report on his mental health and capabilities. While she initially tells him they don't have to discuss the incident, the conversation veers towards it anyway.
It is revealed that Jamie asked Katie out after a topless photo of her was circulated without her consent.
"So I thought when she was, like, that weak, she might... she might like me," he says.
The shocking psyche of a 13-year-old is clear in this dialogue. The convoluted meaning of love is conflated with an act of power over a girl in a vulnerable position, showing the events that led to the murder. Owen Cooper also captures a sense of self-pity and low self-worth in the dialogue.
5) "Her weakness made her more gettable... Was that your theory?"- Briony
Erin Doherty plays psychologist Briony in the intense episode 3 of Adolescence. As she tries to unpack the meaning behind Jamie's confession about asking Katie out at her lowest, she says:
"Her weakness made her more gettable... Was that your theory?"
This dialogue sums up Jamie's mindset, motives, and outlook on women. At 13, this is a deeply disturbing viewpoint, and fans are immediately aware of that because of Briony's bluntness.
6) "So if my dad made me, how did I make that?"-Eddie
In one of the most poignant scenes in Adolescence, Manda and Eddie talk 13 months after the fateful day that changed their lives. They rehash incidents that led up to their son's actions and arrest, and Eddie brings up his father, who would beat him. He mentions how he promised himself to be a better dad than his own, but questions if he actually was.
His monologue highlights the subtle but consistent pressure he put on Jamie to be tougher and more masculine, taking him to boxing and football when all he wanted to do was draw. He says:
"So if my dad made me, how did I make that?"
It hits hard because it shows intergenerational trauma, the pressures of toxic masculinity, and the reminiscence of parental failure all in one.
7) "You're a good dad. A great dad." - Manda
In the same conversation, Manda (Christine Tremarco) and Eddie reassure each other that they were (and are) good parents. They acknowledge that they tried their best, but maybe their best wasn't good enough. Manda mentions that it might be better to accept that they should've done more. She says:
"You're a good dad. A great dad... But we made him."
This conversation eloquently portrays the aftermath of a horrific incident and how those involved have to live with its consequences.
8) "Look at me now!"- Jamie
Owen Cooper's haunting performance as Jamie in Adolescence hits a crescendo in this scene with his psychologist. As he gets increasingly agitated about being shut up in a facility for mentally ill boys, his scared, timid persona peels off, and the audience and Briony see the rage he carries. When she repeatedly asks him to sit down, he shouts:
"I don't f*cking want to sit down! YOU do not tell me when to sit down! YOU do NOT control what I f*cking... LOOK AT ME NOW. You do not control what I do in my life. Get that into that f*cking little head of yours."
This version of Jamie confirms what he is capable of and how he did what he did. It shows his anger constantly bubbling under the surface, waiting to rupture.
9) "Do you like me?"- Jamie
When Briony informs Jamie that she has completed her sessions with him, Jamie grows desperate for closure. He gets increasingly agitated, begging and pleading with her until a guard comes and takes him away. He says:
"Can I ask you something? Do YOU like me? Because I like you. Not fancy you... as a person. Do you like me even a little bit?"
This leaves Briony shaken, who takes a moment to sob, shakily gathers her things, and walks out of the room. The scene is bone-chilling because it exposes another layer of Jamie's psyche in Adolescence: His inherent need to be liked, his rage when he isn't, and his low self-worth. It adds to his complexity and explains much about his actions.
10) "I should've done better."- Eddie
In the heartbreaking final scene of Adolescence, Eddie walks into Jamie's room, pensive and despondent. Reality hits him again when he sees it empty, knowing he has lost his son forever. A haunting song by AURORA with the lyrics "I would rather see the world through the eyes of a child" plays in the background.
Through muffled sobs and with shaking hands, Eddie slowly tucks in Jamie's teddy bear, kisses it softly, and says:
"I'm sorry son... I should've done better."
This dialogue hits hardest in a show about parentage and fathers and sons because there's no going back after an incident like this.
Adolescence gave fans a lot to think about, with dialogues and visuals that carried a heavy impact. Stream all episodes on Netflix.
