We need to talk about Jamie Miller

The third episode sees Jamie being interviewed by Briony Ariston a psychologist whose job it is to determine how mentally fit he is for trial. The young female psychiatrist seems to have a good rapport with Jamie, teasing him and getting him to engage in conversation with him. But it is not long before her questions begin to rile him as she starts to explore his relationships, his understanding of masculinity and his relationship with his father.

It seems ludicrous to be asking a thirteen-year-old about his sexual encounters, let alone for him to have decided that Katie’s rejection of his advances is evidence that he will die a virgin. Yet this is the world to which our young ones are exposed. Jamie’s hatred towards Katie is visceral, as he barely even acknowledges her as a person, just a ‘bitch’ who challenged his masculinity.

Jamie tells Briony that her questions are different from the other psychologist – a man - who asked ‘normal stuff’.  Whether it is caused by her style of questioning, her youth or his misogynistic attitudes, Jamie is soon triggered into an emotional and physical outburst, in which he intimidates her, causing her to end their sessions immediately. As Jamie is dragged from the room by a guard, he is furious and bangs on the windows in an effort to further exert his power. As he is finally pulled away he asks her to tell his dad he’s ‘Ok.’

The final episode clearly shows the impact Jamie’s actions have on his family. Eddie Miller’s van is vandalised by local boys who spray-paint the word ‘nonce’ in big yellow letters. The irony that this makes no sense, as the term applies to neither Jamie nor his father, highlights the lack of intellect or true motivation behind many acts of terrorism. Jamie’s sister, Lisa is a straight A student, quiet, well-behaved and level-headed, raising the old question of whether people are shaped by nature or nurture. Eddie and Manda try to salvage the day – Eddie’s 50^th birthday – by drawing on the advice of their counsellor, despite Eddie’s obvious lack of belief in the process. His encounter with the young vandals reveals a temper like his son, and answers many of Briony’s questions. On the way home Jamie rings his father from prison for his birthday and they engage in an extremely awkward conversation in which neither of them knows what to say. Jamie tells his father that he is going to change his plea to guilty. He is surprised to discover his mother, Manda and sister, Lisa are in the car, but almost dismisses them and returns his attention solely to his father.

Back at the house, Eddie and Manda finally talk about their son and question where they went wrong. Like many parents they thought they were doing the right thing in buying Jamie the computer he wanted. Yet they were clearly oblivious to what he was doing or seeing online. When Lisa wisely counsels her parents that moving will not solve their problems as they will always be connected to Jamie, Eddie asks his wife ‘How did we make her?’ to which she gives the heart-wrenching reply, ‘The same way we made him.’ In the final scene, Eddie goes into Jamie’s room for the first time in the 18 months he has been incarcerated. He holds his son’s teddy and tucks it into the bed, reinforcing the idea that this is the story of how modern society has failed an innocent little boy.