Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Adolescence and The Pitt Episode 14.
The Netflix miniseries Adolescence and the new Max original drama The Pitt have proven to be two of the year’s most uncomfortable, thought-provoking shows, and not just because they both examine the aftermath of violent crimes. Both shows examine an ongoing global issue in which young men are manipulated into believing they have to take out their frustrations with the world in violent ways. It’s become evident that a generational divide has occurred, in which young men are not able to fully admit to having mental health struggles to their parents. While Adolescence examines the failings of a family, law enforcement, and psychological counsel, The Pitt depicts the unfortunate burden that has fallen on medical professionals to handle.
In Adolescence, the 13-year-old British student Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested after evidence is discovered that he murdered his classmate, Katie (Emilia Holliday), in a stabbing incident; although his father, Eddie (Stephen Graham), was unaware of his online engagement, it becomes clear that Jamie has had his persona shaped by dangerous digital thought leaders. In The Pitt, Dr. “Robby” Robinavitch (Noah Wyle) must deal with the troubled teenager David Saunders (Jackson Kelly), whose mother, Theresa (Joanna Going), deceives him into coming to the hospital after she discovers a list he has been making of girls at his school. Both Adolescence and The Pitt raise awareness of the disturbing ways that young male trauma can turn dangerous, and offer different perspectives on the way that professionals can step in to make a difference.
‘Adolescence’ Examines Young Men’s Susceptibility To Hate Speech
Adolescence is particularly affecting because it goes to great lengths to show that Jamie is a fairly normal kid, and had not previously shown any signs of anger or sexist rhetoric that his parents would have picked up on. The show’s first episode works perfectly because, through the one continuous shot, Jamie is as vulnerable as he could possibly be as he deals with all the procedures that are inherent to the legal process. This technique is able to examine Eddie’s perspective as well, as he never had any reason to suspect that Jamie could ever be involved in committing a crime; the shock that comes in the episode’s final moment is that Eddie didn’t fully know who his son is, as his desire to protect Jamie did not extend to monitoring the ways in which he interacted with other classmates online. However, Eddie isn’t the only person to blame when it comes to being ignorant of this mental health crisis; when DI Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) investigates Jamie’s school in “Episode 2,” he realizes that there is a whole different language to the ways in which sexual harassment and bullying exists on social media platforms like Instagram.
Adolescence examines the cultural forces that shaped Jamie’s mindset, suggesting that he is one of many young men of his generation who may have been capable of doing the same thing. During his conversations with the psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty) in “Episode 3,” Jamie struggles to define what he is truly looking for in a relationship, and suggests that he is deeply insecure about not being “masculine” enough in the eyes of his father. The most shocking revelation that Briony makes is that Jamie does not fully comprehend what death even means; since his brain is still developing, he is somehow more dangerous because he does not understand the full consequences of what he did.
‘The Pitt’ Shows the Consequences of Poor Mental Health Resources
Meanwhile, The Pitt explores how challenging it can be for medical professionals to deal with potential threats, as bringing in the involvement of serious law enforcement can often exacerbate an issue. Robby and Dr. Cassie McKay (Fiona Dourif) become aware that Theresa has been poisoning herself so that she will be admitted to the hospital, forcing David to accompany her. Although Theresa has come to the ER because she did not know how to deal with her son, both Robby and Cassie make errors in how they chose to approach the situation. Robby decides not to report the crisis due to his desire not to “ruin” David’s life, but doesn’t take enough time to consider the potential threat he poses to the girls he has listed; while Cassie tries to warn the police to avoid a tragedy, this leaves David feeling dejected and infuriated when he reveals that he was ultimately not responsible for the ongoing tragedy at Pittfest.
The Pitt tackles its story through the perspective of doctors and nurses, so the audience is faced with the same questions about David that the characters have to consider. While Theresa is obviously terrified of what could happen, Robby struggles to find a way to get David to open up without escalating the situation. The series shows how hard it can be to reason with young, erratic minds when David flees the hospital, and only returns in order to check in on his mother. While the responsibilities placed on the shoulders of the medical staff are significant, they cannot entirely deal with an issue that should have been addressed at some other point within David’s upbringing.
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David’s situation becomes more uncomfortable to watch, as it shows how much animosity he feels towards receiving any sort of professional help. Although he has not been collaborative with any of the Pitt’s staff, he saves his cruelest insults for Cassie, and while he initially looks to his mother for support, he begins to totally reject anything that she has to say upon realizing that she has been forced to put him under a psychiatric hold. The Pitt goes deeper into this issue, as it recognizes that the identification of a potential threat is less challenging than solving it. Even if David is clearly in a tormented state in which he could be a danger to both himself and others, how he can be helped may be a question left for the second season of The Pitt.
- Release Date
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January 9, 2025
- Network
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Max
- Showrunner
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R. Scott Gemmill
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Noah Wyle
Dr. Michael ‘Robby’ Robinavitch
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Tracy Ifeachor
Uncredited
