The Incredible Cast of 'Adolescence' Breaks Down The Therapy Episode

Adolescence's Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty were thrust into the spotlight when audiences saw the gripping third episode of the series. In it, we see an interrogation between a child who has committed a heinous crime and a court-appointed therapist who is trying to unpack why this happened.It's one of the greatest episodes of television ever, and something I think sticks with you for days after. Let's dive into the episode and talk about what makes it so effective. The Adolescence Therapy Episode In this behind-the-scenes video from Netflix, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty dissect some of their scenes from the therapy episode. Acting is one of those things that always blows my mind because I can't memorize a grocery list. And these people are memorizing a full hour-long episode's worth of dialogue. Each episode of Adolescence is shot as a oner, so they're doing huge chunks at a time while the camera is directly on them. I love how both actors opened up how well they knew their lines, especially with the extensive script they had to memorize.The spideo deals with some really dark things, so they also had to not just memorize the lines, but get over the initial discomfort of filming intense scenes pretty much right after they met one another. The funny thing is that both actors expressed that they liked shooting this way. They value the uninterrupted emotional buildup and the authenticity it brings to their performances. I loved when Cooper described tossing the chair and then coming down from that in character in the scene. That packed a very real emotional impact and he got to authentically bring that to us and deal with it for us. Emotional depth is impossible to fake. You've either written characters with it or not. But when it comes to actors getting it all out in the open, that can be much harder. Especially when they're kids. Cooper talked about the difficulty of balancing the anger and vulnerability in his character, not just to scare people to show them he's able to commit murder, but to evoke empathy from the audience over what happened to him. On the flip side, Doherty explained the complexities of her role as a mental health professional. She has to be the audience's way into this scenario but has to balance personal connection with the character for them as well. All in all, this was such a roller coaster to watch. And it makes episodes like this stick with us forever. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Mar 20, 2025 - 01:48

The Incredible Cast of 'Adolescence' Breaks Down The Therapy Episode

Adolescence's Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty were thrust into the spotlight when audiences saw the gripping third episode of the series.

In it, we see an interrogation between a child who has committed a heinous crime and a court-appointed therapist who is trying to unpack why this happened.

It's one of the greatest episodes of television ever, and something I think sticks with you for days after.

Let's dive into the episode and talk about what makes it so effective.

The Adolescence Therapy Episode

In this behind-the-scenes video from Netflix, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty dissect some of their scenes from the therapy episode.

Acting is one of those things that always blows my mind because I can't memorize a grocery list. And these people are memorizing a full hour-long episode's worth of dialogue.

Each episode of Adolescence is shot as a oner, so they're doing huge chunks at a time while the camera is directly on them. I love how both actors opened up how well they knew their lines, especially with the extensive script they had to memorize.

The spideo deals with some really dark things, so they also had to not just memorize the lines, but get over the initial discomfort of filming intense scenes pretty much right after they met one another.

The funny thing is that both actors expressed that they liked shooting this way.

They value the uninterrupted emotional buildup and the authenticity it brings to their performances. I loved when Cooper described tossing the chair and then coming down from that in character in the scene. That packed a very real emotional impact and he got to authentically bring that to us and deal with it for us.

Emotional depth is impossible to fake. You've either written characters with it or not.

But when it comes to actors getting it all out in the open, that can be much harder. Especially when they're kids.

Cooper talked about the difficulty of balancing the anger and vulnerability in his character, not just to scare people to show them he's able to commit murder, but to evoke empathy from the audience over what happened to him.

On the flip side, Doherty explained the complexities of her role as a mental health professional. She has to be the audience's way into this scenario but has to balance personal connection with the character for them as well.

All in all, this was such a roller coaster to watch. And it makes episodes like this stick with us forever.

Let me know what you think in the comments.