Deciphering the Conclusion of ‘Adolescence’: Understanding Jamie’s Motivation for Killing Katie

Adolescence is a popular series on Netflix that has quickly climbed to the No. 1 spot on the platform’s Top 10 shows list, captivating audiences worldwide.

The series follows 13-year-old Jamie (played by Owen Cooper) who is accused of murdering a fellow classmate, shocking his family and community. Jamie goes through the criminal justice system, facing interrogation, being locked up, and undergoing psychological evaluations. The crime sends shockwaves through the small town, causing Jamie’s father (portrayed by Stephen Graham) to question everything he thought he knew about his child. The four episodes build up to the final moments where closure is provided.

The show’s engaging camerawork and realistic storyline have attracted many Netflix viewers, although some have been left with unanswered questions. Apart from wondering about the conclusion and the identity of Katie’s killer, some fans, especially those familiar with the true-story-based U.K. drama Baby Reindeer, are interested in knowing if the series is based on real events.

But if you’re solely focused on finding out if Jamie killed his classmate and why he (or anyone) could have done such a thing, no stress, we’ve got you covered. Here’s what you need to know about the ending of Adolescence.

Yes, Jamie did kill his young classmate, Katie, and that answer is actually provided to the audience in the first episode. During his interrogation with DI Bascombe (Ashley Walters) and DS Frank (Faye Marsay), the detectives show Jamie and his dad the video they have of the 13-year-old boy stabbing his classmate repeatedly. In the footage, after Katie shrugs him off and pushes him to the ground, he retaliates by pulling a knife out of his clothing and going at her. This unfolds on the detective’s laptop as Jamie and his father watch in horror.

Despite being caught on CCTV committing the brutal murder, Jamie repeatedly denies his involvement, calling the video doctored and saying that it is not him. This leaves the audience to wonder if there is any credibility to his denial, but it’s not until the fourth episode that any doubts are laid to rest. In Adolescence Episode 2 and Episode 3, the detectives learn that Jamie had been engaged in right-wing online circles, primarily in the toxic masculinity space. There, he was radicalized to believe that girls had no interest in him and never would. The show specifically calls out self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate as someone who the young boys at Jamie’s school have been listening to for his opinions on the place of men and women in society.

Over the course of the series, particularly in Episode 2 and Episode 3, it is revealed that Jamie was angry and hurt over the rejection and bullying he faced from girls at school, including Katie. This led him to believe that his only answer would be to assert his dominance over Katie. After yet another rejection from his classmate, he became enraged and violent with her, shoving her to the ground and pulling out the knife to kill her.

In Adolescence Episode 4, Jamie’s parents — who have tried to believe their son in spite of the evidence stacked against him — finally come to accept that their son killed Katie. This is assisted by Jamie calling his dad on his 50th birthday, 13 months after Katie’s murder, and telling his family that he intended to change his plea to “guilty.” This gives Eddie, Manda (Christine Tremarco), and Lisa (Amelie Pease) the closure they have been so desperately searching for. While it does give them some sense of reprieve, it doesn’t take away their pain, Jamie’s parents are left to wonder how this could happen and if it could have been stopped.

In that final moment, as Eddie walks around Jamie’s bedroom and takes in his son’s outer space wallpaper and childhood art still on the wall, he understands that this tragedy could happen to anyone, and will happen again if the toxic masculinity culture continues to thrive. It’s a harrowing and heartbreaking realization that asks Eddie to examine his own words and actions in raising Jamie and, in turn, the audience’s culpability in how boys are raised and how the internet can take an innocent child and make them into a monster.

All four episodes of Adolescence are currently streaming on Netflix.