Adolescence: The Series That Exposes a Hidden and Dangerous World

The Netflix series Adolescence has recently caught the attention of the online world. It has achieved what few thought possible: surpassing the ratings of a network television show on a streaming platform. A remarkable achievement, especially considering the presence of three heavyweight creatives: director Philip Barantini, screenwriter Jack Thorne, and actor Stephen Graham.

We could talk about the incredible story they have created or Barantini’s masterful direction, with those episodes filmed in a continuous sequence. It’s no surprise that figures like Nicolas Cage have turned to the world of series, seeing them as a more effective means of expression than cinema. But what truly captivated me about Adolescence was its treatment of a dark topic I wrote about some time ago: incels and toxic masculinity.

The term incel comes from involuntary celibate. It generally refers to young men who struggle to relate to the opposite sex, often leading to deep resentment toward women. Toxic masculinity, on the other hand, consists of cultural norms imposed on men that dictate how they “should” behave: men don’t cry, they can’t be weak, they must be providers, and masculinity is superior to femininity. These ideas come from a past rooted in irrationality, where being a man equated to being strong and dominant. A past that refuses to evolve and doesn’t know how to fit into a constantly changing world.

In the 1990s, with the expansion of the internet, these lonely young men began forming communities and forums where they created their own logic and universe. This led to a conspiracy theory: the red pill, the "truth no one wants to see," which claimed that the world was secretly dominated by women who only chose the top 20% of men—those with “high status.” According to this belief, the other 80% were considered of little or no value, condemned to loneliness, rejection, and despair.

The combination of loneliness and self-loathing is dangerous. It fuels hatred and, in many cases, violence. This is where the alarms go off regarding incels, as their ideas don’t just stay on internet forums. They materialize in acts of misogyny, harassment, aggression, and, in extreme cases, violent attacks against women.

Fifty or a hundred years ago, these norms were the standard. Having a daughter was considered a misfortune. Women were “sold” in economic agreements. Their place was in the home, not in school or a company. Men were never taught to deal with equality, empathy, or respect. For many, masculinity was synonymous with dominance. Even today, some people cannot tolerate the idea of a woman earning a higher salary, driving a more expensive car, or being their boss at work.

This inability to accept change leaves them at a disadvantage in today's world. And that frustration turns into rage. In the past, when a daughter was born, parents would say: “I hope she’s pretty so she can marry quickly. A man will marry, one way or another.” And if she wasn’t attractive, she was condemned to care for her parents. A brutal world for women.

The system has always favored men. They had access to education, the right to inherit family businesses, and the financial power to choose a wife—even if she was still a child. Women had no options or voice. But that has changed. The gap is narrowing, and the world no longer operates under those rules. However, some refuse to accept it.

Incel forums have become a refuge for these young men. But they have also become echo chambers where ideas of despair and hatred are recycled. They are the perfect breeding ground for extremist ideologies that promise “a return to traditional values”—in other words, the same system that stripped women of their autonomy for centuries.

The underground world that Adolescence portrays is still there: hidden, furious, trapped in resentment that consumes it and, in the worst cases, drives it to do harm.