Crime
Adolescence
In Netflix’s Adolescence, 13-year-old Jamie Miller is accused of a violent murder. And the motive behind this alleged crime haunts the people around him.
The Grosse Pointe Garden Society is comprised of charming, seemingly ordinary members. And on the surface, the members’ lives appear to be blossoming with success.
Alice works as a high school English teacher and is married to her husband, Doug. Brett serves as the society’s manager and has two delightful children. Catherine is a thriving real estate agent and the society’s vice president. And the newest member, Birdie, lives a comfortable life as a socialite and bestselling author.
But there are weeds growing in the lives of these society members.
You see, Birdie only joined the society after a reckless driving incident, which legally mandated that she complete community service hours. She’s also trying to reconnect with her biological son, Ford, whose adoptive parents want Birdie completely out of the picture. Meanwhile, Alice discovers that someone shot and killed her missing dog. After Brett divorces his wife for cheating on him, he must compete for his children’s affection with his wife’s new husband, Connor. Catherine, to compensate for her husband’s cold attitude starts an affair with a coworker named Gary—serving as just one of many of the man’s affair partners, she discovers.
Clearly, Alice, Brett, Catherine and Birdie each have a weed in their lives that they need to take care of.
And buried deep beneath the soil of the Gross Pointe Garden, one of these weeds has been, um, taken care of.
The only question: Who?
If you’re familiar with “whodunit” style murder mysteries, you probably know what to expect: Someone finds a battered but recognizable dead body, a detective interviews the potential suspects and finally the murderer is revealed at the end.
But Grosse Pointe Garden Society is a whodunit with a twist.
Battered and anxious, Alice, Brett, Catherine and Birdie heap piles of dirt onto an unidentified dead body in the opening sequence. The series’ detective seems to be in cahoots with one of the murderers. And the audience waits with bated breath for the victim to be revealed.
But there’s more to the show’s twisted nature than its narrative spin.
Characters use profanity, including “b–ch,” d–k,” and “a–” and misuses of God’s name, and several characters indulge in alcohol usage and smoking. Additionally, in the second episode of the series, characters allude to abortion.
Several plot lines feature romantic cheating. Catherine sneaks behind her husband’s back to have the affair with Gary, and until she discovers his other affair partners, she seems entirely unremorseful. Likewise, Brett’s ex-wife seems equally unapologetic about her affair and the resulting divorce, which affects their two young children.
And as you might expect, since the primary protagonists are immediately presented as murderers, Grosse Pointe Garden Society features elements of violence, too. Birdie describes the macabre nature with which her fellow accomplices committed the crime, and the series opens as the crew buries their blood-covered victim. Compared to your average murder mystery, though, NBC’s drama significantly tones down its emphasis on these violent elements.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society certainly has its imperfections. So while its creative spin and colorful characters might be your inspiration to dig in, you might get a little dirty doing it.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out. )
As Grosse Pointe Garden Society members plan their annual fundraiser, Alice, Brett, Catherine and Birdie deal with the dark secrets in their lives. And they fear that their biggest secret—buried beneath the literal soil—will be unearthed.
The episode opens with (and continually flashes back to) a scene in which the series’ protagonists bury a dead body. Although the figure is hidden with a blanket, viewers can clearly see blood seeping through the covering. A woman discovers that her dog was shot and killed, and she later finds the ashes of her dead dog.
Catherine actively and almost unremorsefully cheats on her husband with a coworker named Gary. There are several scenes in which Catherine and a shirtless Gary kiss passionately and undress each other. One scene features Gary completely unclothed—though only his upper body is in the frame. In another scene, Catherine wears only her revealing bra and underwear. Furthermore, there is a flashback in which Brett finds his wife having sex with another man. Although both individuals are fully clothed, their sexual actions are clearly distinguishable. A woman dances provocatively, and characters make sexual innuendos.
A character discovers that her affair partner has other affair partners, who she sees passionately kissing him. Later, she takes revenge on her affair partner.
A character smokes a cigarette, and in one scene, she throws her used cigarette on the ground in a garden. Several characters drink alcohol, and one of them makes a joke about being drunk.
Characters use profanity including three uses of “b–ch,” two uses of “a–,” two uses of “d–k” and misuses of God’s name.
A woman recklessly texts and drives, which results in a car crash. Characters discuss a hazing incident at a high school. A character’s mother-in-law encourages her to abandon her dreams. Brett and his ex-wife quarrel in front of their children.
In Netflix’s Adolescence, 13-year-old Jamie Miller is accused of a violent murder. And the motive behind this alleged crime haunts the people around him.
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