Everybody's talking about Netflix's "Adolescence" — from Forbes offering three reasons why parents should watch the drama to CNN using it to discuss how "Teenage boys are in crisis." Released earlier this month, the four-episode miniseries created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (who als o stars) explores the consequences of the brutal murder of a 13-year-old girl in a UK town. Director Philip Barantini (Boiling Point) has given the series an unusual and daring format: Each roughly hour-long episode was shot in a single continuous take. The deal On the morning after the stabbing of young Katie Leonard, we follow two homicide detectives (Ashley Walters and Faye Marsay) as they burst into the home of their suspect: the victim's classmate Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper). We watch as the frightened child and his parents go to the police station for processing and an initial interview, including playing surveillance video of the crime. In episode 2, set a few days later, the detectives visit Jamie and Katie's school, hoping for a lead on the murder weapon. More importantly, they learn that cyberbullying was a motivating factor, as a teen "translates" Katie's seemingly innocent emojis into an insult aimed at Jamie's masculinity. The final two episodes take place several months later. In one, we witness an interview between Jamie and a psychologist (Erin Doherty) assigned to assess him. In the other, we learn how Jamie's parents (Graham and Christine Tremarco) and older sister (Amelie Pease) are coping with his absence and their new public notoriety. Will you like it? Don't come to "Adolescence" expecting a murder mystery. The first episode grabs our attention with the startling contrast between the armed cops and their teary, seemingly harmless suspect, but we don't wonder for long whether Jamie killed Katie. The question quickly becomes "whydunit" — and, more importantly, how could such a thing happen? Many viewers are taking "Adolescence" as a shocking indictment of the internet in general and the "manosphere" in particular. While that's true, it's arguably the least fresh element of the series. None of the scant information presented here will surprise anyone who's aware of so-called "red pill culture." (For a crash course from a lefty perspective, check out the "QAnon Anonymous" podcast or the blog We Hunted the Mammoth.) Moreover, those of us old enough to remember 1986's River's Edge know that similar tales were inspiring think pieces about… ...read more read less