Adolescence, Cornies and a Death-Wish Fry Up
Childhood nostalgia paired with a terrifying tale of modern teenagedom
What to watch tonight: Adolescence (Netflix)
Look, I know the last TV Dinners mailout was on the powerhouse combo of Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty (in A Thousand Blows), so I certainly didn’t expect that the next recommendation from this Substack would also be based around the same duo. But stick with me though, as the four-part Netflix series Adolescence is not only another blinder from the pair, but may be one of the best things you watch on TV this year.
It’s an absolutely staggering piece of work: a mini-series based around a 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller (a barnstorming debut from Owen Cooper) who is arrested for killing a girl from his school called Katie. What gives it its totally captivating quality is the fact each episode is filmed in a single take, and to which setting it all up must have been an immense feat of work to produce in itself. The director has prior experience in this set-up – Philip Barantini used exactly the same device to direct Graham as an angry chef in Boiling Point, in 2021.
The result is that the show feels like an hour of an intimate theatre show; which it is in a way; making it real time, affectingly immediate and urgent. Each of the quartet of episodes focuses in on a different angle or people involved in the case; the first is the arrest, and the introduction to Jamie, his dad Eddie (Graham), Jamie’s mum and sister (Manda and Lisa; played by Christine Tremarco and Amélie Pease, respectively), and the detective leading the case, DI Luke Bascombe (another breakout performance from Ashley Walters, proving he’s more than just a Top Boy). But perhaps the highlight in this series is episode three, featuring a one-on-one between Jamie and Briony Ariston, a psychologist interviewing him to report back to the judge, played by Erin Doherty. I’d read that the writers, Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, were hoping this heated, emotive episode would feel like a David Mamet play – and they’ve totally pulled this off. This particular one-take scene is worthy of the West End in itself.
The series is quick off the mark to reveal that Jamie was indeed the culprit of this shocking murder, then goes on to examine what happened to lead to this child, really, committing such a despicable act. It looks at the pervading rise of toxic misogynistic culture online and how boys are being radicalised and the devastating aftermath the event has on their community.
The acting is incredible – you’ll likely be holding your breath throughout the whole thing – and you’ll be left with an overwhelming sense of discomfort when it ends, as one of the other reasons of its effectiveness is that these are real-life issues going on that society badly needs to confront; but there’s also no doubt as the credits roll that this show will be talked about for a long time to come.
What do they eat and drink in Adolescence?
The series opens with the dawn raid on the Miller’s house, as they take Jamie into custody. As he arrives at the station, he’s offered breakfast: orange juice and cornflakes, which unsurprisingly, he’s not really hungry for.
“Eat your Cornies, son” his dad implores him, which, as someone who abbreviates absolutely every word over one syllable myself (sometimes even one syllable), this did give me a moment’s nervous chuckle amid all the high drama. I asked my southern-Scouse partner if anyone in Liverpool calls them Cornies on the reg and the answer was a resounding “no” – even at the time of writing this, just one solitary person on social media had picked up on this “Eat your cornies” line – so to them I just say: are you my spirit animal?
He doesn’t eat them, so instead it’s left to the psychologist Briony (Doherty) to feed him, bringing him marshmallows in from home so she can make him his hot chocolate how he likes it, and even donating half her lunch sandwich to him. Their episode is a sparring power play, as we see how Jamie, a 13-year-old murderer in prison, still attempts to dominate her, lashing out at her and ridiculing her. And it works: despite her brave face, she’s left physically shaking from their encounter. Briony: the world was behind you, willing you to tell him to fuck off when he asked for that second cup of hot chocolate.
Elsewhere, there’s a special breakfast for dad, Eddie, who has his 50th birthday, 13 months after the arrest. It’s the full, slap-up special from his lovely wife, including black pudding (sorry: no, never) which both remaining family members chide him “that’ll be the death of you”. But as we see, it’s not the cholesterol from the fatty brekkie – including his other fave, fried bread – that’ll kill him, it’s the stress of being forced to live through the heinous actions of his son that see the family condemned to live their own lives like a life sentence themselves.
What should I eat and drink while watching Adolescence?
If we’re taking a trip back to childhood nostalgia – and literal adolescence – then a fitting place to head to for a TV snack can be found from chef Christina Tosi, from Milk Bar, Momofuku in New York. As well as inventing crack pie – which now, understandably, has had the name changed to Milk Bar pie – Tosi had the brainwave of making cereal milk, milk that’s literally had cereal steeping in it for a while, and turning it into a beverage of its own, as well as cereal milk ice cream and cereal milk panna cotta, which is where our giant index finger of recipes points today.
And the cereal in question? Well, it has to be cornies, doesn’t it? For decadent reasons though, we’ll jailbreak the big house breakfast variety, and use Crunchy Nut instead:
Cornies pannacotta
Serves 6
Ingredients
75g Crunchy Nut Cornflakes
625 mls milk (dairy, almond, whatever your preference, though whole organic dairy works best here)
60g light brown sugar
½ tsp of salt
Around 2 leaves of platinum-grade gelatine leaves
You’ll also need ramekins, a baking tray and a fine sieve
Method
Spread out the Crunchy Nut Cornflakes on a lined baking tray and heat in a low-ish oven – set at around 150 degrees fan – and bake for 10 minutes or so, until lightly toasted. Watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn.
Let the flakes cool down. When they are cool to touch, put them and the milk in a big container and let step for no more than 20 minutes.
Strain the cereal and milk mixture through a sieve, and add the sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved.
Heat the milk in a saucepan until warm. Meanwhile, dissolve the 2 sheets of gelatine in a little warm water, and add the gelatine mixture to the milk and mix thoroughly.
Take off the heat, and divide into 4 to 6 ramekin cups. Refrigerate for 3 or 4 hours, or preferably overnight. Serve with a little cornflake dust on top.
Serve with a big mug of tea: you’ll need it for the shock. Nothing that a nice cup of tea can’t fix…
Cheers!