Jakarta. Adolescence is a series that feels quietly devastating and that restraint is exactly what has earned it global recognition, including Best Limited Series, TV Movie at the Golden Globes on Sunday.

What makes Adolescence so compelling is its perspective. Instead of centering the story on victims and their families, as is common in youth crime dramas, the series shifts the focus to the family of the suspected perpetrator. The result is deeply unsettling, forcing viewers to confront the collateral damage of one child’s actions on parents, siblings, and the household left behind.

A Question That Haunts Parents, and What Goes Unsaid at Home

The series raises a question that many parents fear but rarely articulate: how can two children grow up in the same home, yet end up on radically different paths? The parents are not portrayed as cruel or negligent, but as ordinary people grappling with confusion, guilt, and self-doubt. The show does not offer easy answers, it allows the question “where did we go wrong?” to linger uncomfortably.

That discomfort is precisely the point. Adolescence serves as a reminder of how vital openness and honest communication are within families. It highlights how emotional distance, unspoken struggles, and the absence of real dialogue between parents and children can quietly escalate into something irreversible. The series suggests that listening, truly listening, matters as much as guidance or discipline.

Addressing the Incel Issue in the UK

Beyond the family dynamic, Adolescence also engages with the issue of incel (involuntary celibacy) culture in the UK, portraying how it has evolved from an online subculture into a broader social concern. The series reflects growing awareness of the influence of the so-called “manosphere” on young men, an issue that has increasingly entered public policy discussions. In response to these concerns, the British government has incorporated material on incel culture and its online ecosystems into mandatory Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE) guidance for secondary schools starting in the 2025/2026 academic year.

Jack Thorne’s Golden Globes Message

The show’s Golden Globes win reinforced its social message rather than overshadowing it. Accepting the award, series writer Jack Thorne stressed that Adolescence was never meant to frame young people as the problem.

“Some think our show is about how we should be frightened of young people. It’s not. It’s about the filth and the debris we have laid in their path,” Thorne said during his acceptance speech.

He went further, calling for accountability across generations: “Removing hate is our generation’s responsibility. It requires thought from the top down. The possibility seems remote right now, but hope is a beautiful thing.”

Thorne also praised the series’ young cast, calling them “proof the world can be better,” a line that neatly encapsulates the show’s refusal to surrender to cynicism.

Ultimately, Adolescence does not seek to comfort its audience. It asks them to reflect, as parents, as children, and as a society navigating the consequences of neglect, silence, and online radicalization. Its Golden Globes victory feels earned not because the series is loud or provocative, but because it is honest, restrained, and painfully relevant.

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