The show also directly points to one real-life influencer. In the second episode, investigators learn Jamie could have been influenced by the preachings of Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist with millions of social media followers.
Tate is among the most high-profile personalities in the “manosphere,” thanks in part to the criminal allegations he and his brother, Tristan Tate, face in Romania. Authorities there have charged them with rape and human trafficking. They have denied any wrongdoing.
Tate has not publicly commented on the show.
For some who work with young people, the show has become an opportunity to connect with parents and educators. Thomas Michael, who works at a British secondary school in a role that ensures the safety and well-being of children, posted on X in an effort to use the show as a chance to teach adults about the manosphere.
He said in an interview that the show should serve as a wake-up call, noting that it’s easy for parents to be unaware of what their children consume online.
“If you’ve got children, they’re gonna know a lot more than you,” said Michael, who has led workshops explaining the manosphere to parents and school staff. “And whether they’re accessing it, whether they’ve been taken in by it, it doesn’t matter. They’re gonna be aware of it. So talk to them about it, be open about it. The main thing is educating yourself and knowing what to look out for.”
While the show offers an unvarnished look at some of the internet’s most toxic corners, it also deals with masculine fragility.
Thorne said that in researching the manosphere for the show, he was shocked to realize how easily his own teenage self could have been drawn toward “incel” culture. The term, short for involuntary celibacy, is defined as “heterosexual men who blame women and society for their lack of romantic success” by the Anti-Defamation League.
“The disturbing sort of thing I found was that I understood the attraction of it, and I could particularly put myself in Jamie’s shoes,” Thorne said. “I could go to a place where, if I heard 80% of women are attracted to 20% of men, that this world is female-centered, and that these women need to be manipulated … I was shocked that I would understand that, and that the logic was as compelling as as it was.”
This topic is broached in the third episode, when Jamie is pressed by a psychologist about his views on masculinity. He oscillates between earnestness and explosive rage, and by the end of the chilling exchange it becomes clear that his views are fueled by his belief that he’s “ugly” and unattractive to girls.
Thorne said he hopes the show will generate conversations on the sofa, in classrooms, perhaps even in legislative bodies.
“How do we help these kids? How do we help these boys? How do we stop boys harming girls?” Thorne said. “Those conversations, it takes all of us to have them. And maybe this show asks the question, and maybe then everyone can take these questions and try and find a collective answer.”
