Hot chocolate to missing knife: All the secret meanings and hidden details of Adolescence

Adolescence is the first streaming show to dominate British TV charts and that’s partly down to the brilliant performances of its cast and the secret meanings and hidden details within its stressful four-parts.

In 2025 we have a habit of over analysing every piece of media that comes our way. Though helpful in some shows, in others it serves to shift the focus away from the crucial message producers, directors, and the cast are trying to convey.

But in the case of Netflix’s Adolescence, director Philip Barantini and writer Jack Thorne have not shut up about all the genius messages they hid just below the surface. It’s only made our passion for the TV show stronger, so here are the ones we’ve spotted.

1. The one-take filming technique added to the suspense

Adolescence’s one-take filming approach allowed the four-part series to keep the tension up and suspense boiling over but it was no easy feat. It required weeks of planning and several attempts, with Ashley Walters later revealing how he was left “in bits” after messing up a take.

From the 12 doors the crew used in the first scene to the van that had to be jet-washed after each attempt, the one-take approach was as time-consuming as it was captivating.

“What you can’t do is tell the whole story, you can only tell bits of the story. You can only look one way for an hour, and then you have to stop looking,” writer Jack Thorne told DigitalSpy.

2. Katie’s voice was heard throughout

Despite being the victim of Jamie’s crime, we never actually get to see or learn major things about schoolgirl Katie. That being said, she’s with us for the entire show in the form of music.

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“The voice in the score is Katie’s voice,” director Philip Barantini said. “Katie is a part of the whole series. Her presence is always there.”

In the final heartbreaking scene of the show, Katie’s actress Emilia Holliday sings a version of Aurora’s Through the Eyes of a Child.

3. People think they spotted a major clue to Jamie’s fate

This one’s a bit stupid but people on Twitter and Reddit have pointed out its secret meaning nonetheless. In our first introduction to Jamie in his bedroom, people noticed how he put his hand on a knife-shaped tear on his bedroom wallpaper. They claimed it hinted at his fate at the end of the show.

“This cannot have been an accident. The level of detail in this show made it a masterpiece,” one person said.

4. It wasn’t even hot chocolate in that cup

In episode two, which is largely between Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty’s characters, Owen explained how Jamie’s hot chocolate was “disgusting” and not even hot chocolate.

“That was minging that,” he said. “Yeah, it was horrible. It wasn’t hot chocolate because it had to be changed. It was making the floors sticky for the cameramen.”

Erin added: “Oh yeah, I remember in one of them [takes] it spilt all over the table. I could see people in the cameras that could see into the room quickly trying to clean it up so that by the time we came back in.”

God knows what was actually in the cup.

5. One line was completely improvised

We all love an off-script moment that later becomes an iconic line, and for Netflix’s Adolescence that came during episode three between Owen and Erin.

“In episode three, it was the second take of the day – we do two takes a day, so it was the second take and you know I was tired so a yawn came to me,” he said.

Rather than ignore the yawn or start the take over again, Erin came in with the “amazing” line: “Am I boring you?”

“It made me smile because it wasn’t in the scripts, I wasn’t expecting that at all so it took me back a little bit but it was amazing,” Owen added.

6. The pictures of kids at the end had a hidden meaning

Episode two sparked a lot of conversation online because of the pictures of children that appeared right at the start. It created a lot of confusion but actually had a really sensible meaning behind their inclusion.

“They are childhood photos of the child actors that are featured in each episode. I believe those photos are out in there to show that we are all innocent when we are young, but then when we become teens, the world corrupts us,” someone on Reddit pointed out.

7. The reason Jamie wasn’t in the last episode

Most of Adolescence centred around Jamie and his father, played by Stephen Graham, which is why it was surprising Jamie was left out of the fourth and final episode. As it turned out, this too was a deliberate choice.

“I wanted to eliminate the possibility of thinking Eddie is a violent man,” Stephen Graham said. “Eddie is a hardworking father who goes to work early in the morning, comes back late at night, and puts food on the table. He brings in as much love as he can. He does the best he can.”

8. Um, where did the knife go?

Episode two saw Ashley Walters’ police character attempt to track down the knife that was used to kill Katie, only he never finds it. The knife is then made relatively obsolete in the final episode when Jamie changes his plea to guilty.

“I’m not going to answer [where the knife is] because if I did, then that would spoil it… Stephen and I worked everything out. But the point is that we didn’t have to answer it, and by not answering it, we create a question, and that question hangs on,” writer Jack Thorne explained.

Essentially, the true murder weapon in the show is the toxic incel culture Jamie became entrenched in and the role of social media in his crime. Even if the knife was discovered, the crime could happen again and again because the root of the cause is still there.

Adolescence is on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Featured image credit: Netflix