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 Pickles are going to the State Championship. It’s been a wild, hard-fought season, Coach Dan reminds the young softball players, but they’ve earned their shot. “There are no weak links,” he boldly states.
Of course, not everyone feels the same as Coach Dan, namely his daughter Laurie. She hasn’t made a single play all season—not one hit, one catch, one game-winning throw. And she’s starting to believe what everyone is saying: that she’s only there because she’s the coach’s kid.
Laurie isn’t the only one stressing out before the big game, though. Teammates, parents and even the umpires are all facing their own insecurities, anxieties and fears.
But what they’ll all learn soon is, in the game of life, it doesn’t matter who wins or loses: It’s about how you look at it.
Win or Lose is the first original series to come from Disney’s Pixar. But it faced some heavy scrutiny even before it aired: In December 2024, Disney announced that it had pulled a transgender storyline from the series.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” a Disney spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
The character still exists in the show (and is voiced by a trans person), but the verbal cues indicating gender identity have been removed. And given Disney’s proclivity for introducing LGBT storylines (2022’s Lightyear and Strange World both featured gay characters), there’s still a chance other LGBT characters could pop up. (Indeed, the janitor of the Pickles’ school behaves in an effeminate manner that may suggest same-sex leanings to some.)
There are some other heavy topics to be mindful of, as well. Laurie’s parents are divorced and still struggling to find a balance in their co-parenting. Rochelle, Laurie’s teammate, is being raised by single mom Vanessa, who is facing her own insecurities and challenges. And Frank, the umpire, after trying out a dating app, is heartbroken to learn that his ex is now engaged. However, these topics are largely navigable if parents are able to walk their younger viewers through them.
Some potentially less navigable issues include a few misuses of God’s name. Laurie prays to God, asking him for help during a softball game, but we also later see her mom doing a Tarot card reading. Viewers will be exposed to some mild violence (a girl gets walloped by a softball to the face, for instance) and occasional toilet humor.
Win or Lose does do a couple of things well. Parents (ahem) step up to the plate, reassuring their kids and helping them through difficult times. Friends are there for each other. And teammates learn that the most important part of the game isn’t winning or losing; it really is about having fun.
For parents, Win or Lose is far from a home run. Will it round the bases and slide into your home? It’ll be up to you to say whether this lands fair … or foul.
(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.)
Laurie becomes overwhelmed by doubt, wondering if she’s actually good enough to play in the upcoming softball championship or if she’s only on the team because she’s the coach’s kid.
Softball players and fans storm the field in anger; someone throws a hotdog at a guy’s face; one child faints while another sobs hysterically. A teenager dangerously weaves through traffic as her dad teaches her how to drive. Players get hit in the face with softballs, and one sports a nasty bruise afterward.
Laurie prays a few times throughout the episode, asking God to help her play well. However, her fears and doubts still overwhelm her. She imagines them turning into a sentient ball of stress that follows her around, offering bad advice and reminding her of her past failures.
A man asks his daughter if her mother (his ex-wife) is seeing anybody. It’s clear the parents are still working out the boundaries of their divorce. We see a woman with a large amount of cleavage.
A woman does a Tarot card reading and offers to buy her daughter some quartz crystals for good luck. A kid mocks his teammate, posting an embarrassing video of her online. A girl vomits.
God’s name is misused twice. We hear the insult “doofus.” Someone exclaims, “Holy guacamole!
Laurie’s dad repeatedly tells her that softball is about having fun, not winning or losing. Unfortunately, he contradicts himself by putting stickers on the helmets of his best players—and Laurie seems dejected since she has none. However, he eventually realizes that Laurie isn’t enjoying herself and changes his tactics. Rather than tell her she’ll do better next time, he tells her the only thing that matters is that she tries her best every time.
Frank, the softball umpire, allows his personal life to bleed into his professional one after facing a heartbreak.
As the umpire, Frank gets a lot of critique from angry players, coaches and parents. He imagines their words are like lasers and puts on imaginary armor to protect himself from their hatred. One woman dons a ski mask and threatens Frank with a bat that has nails in it, but she keeps her threats verbal, telling him she hopes he’ll “never find human love.” We see that someone has egged Frank’s car. Frank burns his tongue on hot coffee.
When Frank joins a dating app, his avatar initially only has underwear on, and it covers itself in embarrassment. Other dating avatars are sometimes hard to distinguish between male and female. We see a woman with a large amount of cleavage. Frank matches with a woman who has a shot of herself in a bikini as her profile picture. A man kisses a woman on the cheek. Frank reads a book titled “Cosmic Desire,” which features a man and woman embracing on the cover. He imagines himself and his ex-girlfriend as the couple, nearly kissing. The school janitor behaves somewhat effeminately
Flashbacks show Frank and Monica (his ex-girlfriend) on dates, sometimes snuggled up on the couch. Frank admits he broke his own heart by splitting up with her before she could potentially hurt him. When they break up, she leaves his house with her cat in a crate (she carries no other luggage, so it can be presumed they simply shared the pet). Later, Frank learns Monica has moved on and is engaged.
Two girls are caught cheating on a test. They both deny it, and one girl’s mother chooses to believe her instead of the teacher who caught them. A girl is hit with a softball during a game. Adult characters drink wine.
God’s name is misused once.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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