What Did Jamie Do in Adolescence? Ending Explained

Netflix recently dropped its much-anticipated crime drama series, Adolescence. It focuses on Jamie, a 13-year-old boy accused of killing his schoolmate turning his parents’ lives upside down. Fans have grown curious about the show’s finale, especially the fate of the protagonist. So, was Jamie the killer, and did he turn out to be guilty at the ending of Adolescence?

Here is everything you need to know about the conclusion of the crime drama series as well as what happens with Jamie.

Was Jamie guilty of killing Katie in Adolescence?

Yes, Jamie is guilty of killing Katie in Adolescence.

In the first episode, the police show footage of Jamie brutally stabbing his classmate in the parking lot. Her body is then discovered in the same location, but he continues claiming his innocence. However, Jamie’s crime eventually gets exposed in Episode 3 during his conversation with Briony, a court-appointed psychologist.

Jamie accidentally confesses that he is guilty of Katie’s murder in Adolescence but tries his best to come up with more lies. Furthermore, it is revealed there is another person involved in the murder. It is none other than his friend, Ryan, who reveals that he provided him with a knife. Albeit, he claims he was unaware that Jamie was planning to kill someone.

Why did Jamie kill Katie in Adolescence?

Jamie murders Katie out of his misogynistic views and insecurity.

During the investigation, apart from the fact that he is guilty, Jamie’s insecurity and dehumanizing nature are exposed in Adolescence. It is also revealed how peer pressure led him to get influenced deeply by misogynistic social media influencers and get introduced to “incel culture” online. The young boy tells Briony that Katie sent a topless picture to a schoolmate known as Fidget. However, the latter ended up circulating her image to others, leaving her humiliated.

Following the incident, Jamie misunderstood Katie to be weak and asked her out on a date. However, she rejected him mockingly, leading to him deciding to kill her. Jamie also expressed that he even wanted to sexually assault Katie on the night of the murder, but eventually changed his mind and fatally stabbed her.

What happens to Jamie at the end of Adolescence?

Jamie remains in the secure training center at the end of the series.

In the show’s finale, the teenager calls up his father Eddie, wishing to change his plea from not guilty to guilty of Katie’s murder. Further, following Jamie admitting he is guilty of killing his classmate in Adolescence, he is seen serving his sentence at the training center. This is because juvenile criminals in the United Kingdom are not kept in adult prisons.