‘A howl of despair’: the affective politics of Netflix’s Adolescence

<p dir="ltr">This essay explores the strong affective appeal of Netflix’s <i>Adolescence</i> for its adult audiences. It investigates the emotional response to the series, arguing that it feeds into wider discontent over the risks of smartphone usage for young people. Examining the significance of universalised white boyhood in <i>Adolescence</i>, the essay interrogates the cultural stakes of the imagined scenario at its heart – of violent, disenfranchised white boys, incapacitated parents/teachers and silenced dead girls. It also explores the relevance of the character of Briony (Erin Doherty), the female psychologist, and how she is aligned with the figure of the dead girl, Katie (Emilia Holliday), in an act of substitution. Finally, the essay suggests that the attempt to explore the ties between misogyny, sexually abusive behaviour among boys, and physical violence gets somewhat lost amidst the paroxysm of paternal adult emotion that bookends the series.</p>