Netflix Adolescence alternate endings exposed as insider delves into axed plots of controversial drama
A Netflix Adolescence insider has revealed details behind several alternative versions of the hard-hitting series’ haunting ending.
Adolescence follows Stephen Graham’s Eddie Miller as he experiences “an ordinary family’s worst nightmare” when their 13-year-old son Jamie is accused of murdering his classmate.
The drama, which saw each episode filmed in a single take, has received near universal critical and fan acclaim for its intense drama, technical mastery, and address of contemporary issues.
One of the most talked about moments of the series is the show’s final shot – a sweeping drone movement that takes off from one the school and then landed seamlessly on a close-up of Graham as he visited the crime scene to lay flowers.
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The shot amazed and baffled fans, including Jeremy Clarkson, in how it was achieved so smoothly.
Adolescence cinematographer Matt Lewis has revealed it very nearly didn’t happen and that the team filmed multiple alternative endings, while speaking with The Rest Is Entertainment podcast.
Instead of the iconic shot, viewers could have alternatively been treated to a much simpler ending with a street-level tracking shot following characters at eye level.
Another version had the drone take off but never land, instead fading out over the city skyline.
A third option placed Stephen Graham’s character near the school rather than at the murder scene, creating a more extravagant conclusion.
Instead, Lewis proposed the more ambitious but risky shot.
“I didn’t know we could do it to be honest,” the cinematographer admitted. “I thought it would be amazing if we could take off and fly away and use the motivation of someone crossing the road to fly us away over the crime scene.”
The weather conditions in Pontefract, where Adolescence was filmed, also presented a significant challenge for the drone shot – with strong winds threatening the entire sequence.
“The coming down was really tricky because a drone when it’s moving really fast can kind of cut through the wind – and Pontefract is a really windy place,” Lewis explained.
The conditions and unbroken take nature of the show also meant they were only able to film the risky final shot at the last possible moment of shooting.
Despite the challenges, the team were able to pull it off with Lewis admitting: “That was when I cried, because I knew we’d got the episode at least!”
Elsewhere, Stephen Graham, who also co-wrote, recently addressed these rumours in an interview with Variety.
“Possibly, let’s see how the figures are,” he said. “But yeah, there’s the possibility of developing another story.”
The four-part drama has already broken records as the most-watched UK title on Netflix ever.
It has also become the first streaming show in history to top the UK’s weekly TV ratings.