Adolescence Ending Explained

The conclusion of Adolescence, a visually stunning and emotionally gripping miniseries on Netflix, reveals Katie's killer. In Adolescence, Stephen Graham plays Eddie Miller, the distraught father of Jamie Miller, a seemingly normal teenage boy who is accused of killing his classmate Katie by stabbing her. The four-part miniseries was co-created by Graham and Jack Thorne, who also developed the 2023 cuisine thriller series Boiling Point. Adolescence is one of the most highly regarded new series of 2025, with a rare 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Adolescence is masterfully written and unfolds like a theatrical production, with each episode remarkably occurring in a single uncut shot. The most compelling element of the psychological drama is still Adolescence's story, even though the Netflix series' visuals stand alone as a remarkable achievement. Following Jamie's tense arrest and initial interrogation, episode 1 walks him through the police procedure. Episode 2 then examines the school where he and Katie went, and episode 3 returns to the troubled Jamie as he struggles with a psychologist. Episode 4 concludes tragically with a definitive account of what actually transpired, thirteen months after Jamie is charged with Katie's murder.

Jamie's decision to enter a guilty plea is evidence that he killed Katie.

Jamie, who has been held for more than a year awaiting trial, sends Eddie a birthday card because Adolescence episode 4 takes place on Eddie's 50th birthday. The Miller family has moved on from Jamie in some ways, but not in others, as the episode demonstrates. Eddie loses his temper outside a home improvement store and starts a commotion after he deals with some punks who damage his van. Jamie calls Eddie, wishes him a happy birthday, and breaks the bad news that he is entering a guilty plea. This basically demonstrates that Jamie killed Katie by stabbing her seven times, as evidenced by CCTV footage in episode 1.

Why, Despite Seeing Video Evidence, Eddie Didn't Think Jamie Was a Murderer

Jamie's skill at deceiving and manipulating others was among his most intriguing traits. In episode 3, this is clearly demonstrated with his therapist. Eddie was not entirely convinced, despite having seen the indisputable video of Jamie killing Katie by stabbing her.

An explanation of Eddie and Manda's emotional discussion about Jamie

Eddie and Manda have a heartfelt, introspective talk about their son, who will undoubtedly spend years behind bars, after learning of Jamie's shocking plea decision. They accept responsibility and guilt for "making" him, reflecting on their better times while also considering what they could have done differently.

While Manda remembers how Jamie would get home from school, use his computer, and stay up late every night, Eddie claims that he tried to get him interested in sports but that Jamie was uninterested. As Eddie and Manda take responsibility for turning him into a murderer, Lisa, their daughter, shows up to remind them that they are also responsible for her and that they cannot hold themselves accountable for Jamie's darkness.

The Reasons Behind Some Children Spray-Painting Eddie's Van "Nonse"

In the fourth episode of Adolescence, Eddie finds his work van vandalized, with some children spray-painting "Nonse" in yellow for all of Eddie's neighbors to see. A "nonce" is a term used in British slang to describe a sexual offender, especially one who involves children. When Lisa notices this, she tells her mother that she can't decide if it's Jamie or Eddie who is the "nonse." In episode three, Jamie admitted that he was tempted to touch Katie inappropriately but refrained from doing so. However, there's no way to know what Jamie was being truthful about.

Episode 4 also makes clear that Eddie is struggling to deal with Jamie's predicament and his persistent anger management issues. Eddie yells, "Don't make fun of me," when he confronts the teenager who damaged his van. This could be seen as a small admission of guilt, as if he knew the "nonse" was directed at him. Manda might have knowledge of Eddie's past that doesn't necessarily surface by the end of adolescence, but Lisa is clueless about the subject. The teenagers who wrote "nonse" might have heard a rumor that Eddie had molested Jamie. The "nonse" charge against Eddie or Jamie, in any case, doesn't seem credible.

Why Manda Keeps Bringing Up Jenny and What She Is

Throughout her conversation with Eddie, Manda brings up "Jenny" multiple times to remind him of her comments regarding specific actions of his. It is reasonable to assume that Jenny is Eddie's therapist, and she may even serve as a couple's counselor for Eddie and Manda, despite the fact that she does not appear in the series.

Uncontrollable anger is Eddie's most evident flaw; he asks his wife if he "gave" this to Manda, who denies it, but it's actually a bit of an impossible question to answer. Undoubtedly, children who are exposed to concepts of men using violence and rage to establish dominance or control may internalize these ideas into their personalities and perceptions.

The Reason Behind Jamie's Killing of Katie

The writing had been on the wall since the first episode's conclusion, but Jamie made it official in the Adolescence finale. Bascombe discovers through his son's naivete that Katie was subtly bullying Jamie by using specific emojis in comments on his Instagram posts to suggest that she believes he is a "incel." Additionally, the "manosphere" and other tenets of toxic masculinity are discussed, as they are promoted by divisive individuals like Andrew Tate, who is even specifically mentioned in the series.

These factors, along with Jamie's chaotic school, pathological lying, angry family history, and ingrained insecurity, make it easy to see why someone who was bullied and rejected by a girl he liked would use physical force to exact revenge—possibly without understanding the consequences of his actions.

The True Significance of the End of Adolescence

Adolescence does a fantastic job of providing some relevant situations and paths to understanding in addition to posing the issues surrounding actual adolescent stabbings, which served as the inspiration for the series. According to Graham and Thorne, adolescence itself is a mysterious and frequently illogical experience that is being exacerbated by Internet lingo, purported influencers, and ingenious ways to circumvent cyberbullying. Given the whole picture of Jamie's circumstances, it is evident that he struggled with a number of social and personal issues that he was unable to process or communicate to a responsible adult. Then, viewers of Adolescence make the decision to assign blame.

Jamie would have at least been able to work out some of his violent and intense feelings if he had been in therapy before killing Katie. Unquestionably tragic in some ways, Jamie sparks a variety of questions and discussions, including whether he was genuinely born to be a killer and, if so, what conditioned him—his parents, his peers, or the outside (Internet) world? "I should have done better," Eddie's final on-screen statement, conveys his natural grief, but Bascombe's investigation shows that some things were beyond Eddie and Manda's control. Adolescence skillfully provides some sympathetic perspective on such a perplexing and inexplicable topic while initiating a crucial social dialogue.