Erin Doherty Confronts the Unthinkable in Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ Episode 3

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Mar 22

One continuous take. Two unforgettable performances. And a 13-year-old murder suspect who pushes a psychologist—and the audience—into unsettling territory.

Netflix’s Adolescence has taken bold swings in its four-part format, but Episode 3 stands apart as a masterclass in restraint, tension, and psychological intimacy. Directed by Philip Barantini and executed in a single uninterrupted shot, the episode centers entirely on a pre-trial psychological assessment between a clinical psychologist, Briony (played with searing intensity by Erin Doherty), and her patient, Jamie—a soft-spoken 13-year-old accused of murdering his classmate. What begins as a procedural exercise slowly evolves into something more unshakable: a confrontation not just with the crime, but with the terrifying possibility of inherent evil in a child’s eyes. The chemistry between Doherty and newcomer Owen Cooper, who plays Jamie in his acting debut, is almost unbearable in its rawness. The script, penned by Jack Thorne, doesn’t rely on exposition or flashbacks—instead, it lets silence, shifting body language, and subtle tonal pivots do the work. It’s a psychological knife’s edge, and Doherty walks it brilliantly.

In a recent interview, Doherty described the shoot as one of the most demanding of her career, requiring 11 full takes before the team captured the final version used in the episode. As Briony, Doherty had to internalize not just the professional obligation of evaluating a possible child killer, but also the emotional exhaustion of maintaining therapeutic neutrality in the face of escalating manipulation. According to Doherty, it was Owen Cooper’s nuanced shift from childlike openness to cold, calculating control that made the experience “genuinely scary.” At times, she said she forgot she was acting—and in watching the finished product, it’s easy to understand why. The stillness, the pacing, the calibrated breakdown of Briony’s armor—it’s theater-grade performance brought into the realm of digital storytelling, and Netflix lets it breathe.

The episode’s style and format demanded an intense two-week rehearsal process. Cinematographer Matthew Lewis choreographed every camera movement like a dance, with the cast and crew acting as a single organism. The level of precision and coordination required is hard to overstate. Every prop, every line, every breath had to be perfectly timed. But for Doherty, the preparation went even deeper. She consulted with her own therapist to understand the emotional mechanics of transference, projection, and how real-life mental health professionals protect themselves while navigating such intense subject matter. Her goal wasn’t to perform a caricature of a “stoic therapist,” but rather to embody someone complex and deeply human—someone who carries the emotional residue of her sessions home, and perhaps, never fully puts it down.

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The conversation between Briony and Jamie spirals slowly, intentionally. At first, it’s all subtle misdirection—Jamie speaks in carefully chosen words, seemingly rehearsed truths, and offers just enough compliance to keep the tension alive. Briony listens, prods, tests boundaries. As the scene evolves, micro-movements—the flick of Jamie’s eyes, a sudden yawn—begin to warp the power dynamics. The longer they speak, the more it becomes clear that Jamie may not be a misunderstood child, but something far more chilling. Yet the brilliance of the episode lies in how much it resists easy answers. Is he broken by trauma, or was he always this way? Is Briony getting through to him, or is she being played? And perhaps most importantly—what does it mean to still hope for his redemption?

When the scene ends and Jamie is taken away, it’s Briony—not the viewer—who finally breaks. For Doherty, that was the most cathartic moment to perform. “That was the easiest part,” she told Variety. “I got to breathe.” Holding it together for an hour was the real challenge. Briony only lets herself feel the full weight of the encounter once she’s alone. That emotional unraveling—earned through restraint rather than spectacle—solidifies Adolescence Episode 3 as one of the year’s most haunting pieces of television.