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.
3,402.
That’s the number of confirmed deaths that occurred during what becomes known as Zero Day—the day when, for a single minute, someone managed to hijack and shut off the United States’ computer systems. For one minute, subway cars collided with each other; critical life support turned off; airplanes were left without communications.
And for one minute, everyone’s phone displayed the same haunting message:
This will happen again.
The U.S. government has no leads on who the perpetrators might be. But they’re quick to set up the Zero Day Commission, filled with the best and brightest, to investigate the attack. It’s given powers of surveillance, search and seizure, and “if necessary, even the suspension of habeas corpus.” In other words, the temporary commission is unmatched in its power.
And as both Congress and President Mitchell approve its creation, the question on everyone’s mind is: Who could lead such a thing?
The answer is the former President, George Mullen, liked by most across both parties and able to rally American citizens with moving speeches. And as he accepts the position, he promises to the cameras that they’ll do things by the book and make sure the truth comes to light.
But the political landscape is far different from when George was in office. Even his own daughter worries that it’ll eat him and his patriotic optimism alive. And she’s not so sure that anyone, even the well-liked George, can stay true to his word when given that much power.
And that’s not even mentioning how George may be losing his mind.
Add Zero Day to the growing list of entertainment properties looking to capitalize on America’s divided political sphere. Because at its root, this show dives deep into division.
When Zero Days hits, it’s not long before protestors start throwing out ideas as to who is really responsible: socialists, Russian sympathizers, insurance companies. And, throughout the show, it seems Americans across the political spectrum are all complicit in making a bad situation worse.
And that’s part of the point of Zero Day. No one denies that the attack was devastating. But with no true enemy to blame, it’s not long before people start offering scapegoats—and as all that finger pointing turns to paranoia, it threatens to do more damage to the country than the attack itself ever could.
That’s a fair warning, and it’s a reality George wrestles with in every decision he makes. Because although there’s no doubt that George wants the truth, he’s not so sure that it’s what the country needs. Even if he finds the true perpetrators, down to the name and number, will Americans be ready to accept it and move forward—or will he just be the one granting a whiff of blood to hungry sharks?
While we’re on the topic of blood, viewers should note that there’s a bit of violence here: someone gets tortured, someone is kidnapped and drowned, and a group of people are shot and killed. And as far as other content issues, while we don’t see anything critical, a couple people take off their clothes. And you’re sure to hear a handful of f-words in each episode, too.
On Zero Day, America went dark. It’s George’s job to restore the light—both literally and symbolically. But with those content concerns, you may find that task harder to do than expected.
(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.)
After the United States suffers a devastating cyber-attack, George gets tapped by President Mitchell to lead the Zero Day Commission to find out who orchestrated the attack.
A car carrying two people gets hit by a passing train and explodes. We also see a moment just before two subway trains crash into each other. We also are told that critical life support systems briefly shut down throughout the country. We’re told that many people die in the attack (3,402 people, specifically, as later episodes reveal). We hear a reference to someone’s son, who passed away in an unrelated event.
George kisses his wife.
A man smokes. Someone takes prescription pills.
The f-word is used seven times, and the s-word is used twice. We also hear “a–,” “h—” and “d–n.” God’s name is used in vain once, and Jesus’ name is likewise used in vain twice.
With signs of the attack pointing to Russian interference but not concrete evidence, George tasks the Zero Day Commission with finding the only survivor of a group of recently murdered hackers.
We see the dead bodies of many men, executed by a hitman. We also see someone hit and killed by a garbage truck.
A woman takes off her shirt while facing away from the camera and walks offscreen. There’s an implication that two people had sex.
Someone takes prescription pills. Someone drinks wine.
The f-word is used six times, and the s-word is used three times. We also hear “a–,” “d–n” and “h—.” God’s name is used in vain twice, including one instance with “d–n.”
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
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