Immersed in a kaleidoscope of high school life, Sex Education consistently centers its narrative around a fundamental yet impactful idea: Sex and its accompanying anxieties are pivotal in shaping every teenager's sense of self. Led by the insightful yet apprehensive student sex therapist Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), the series delves into increasingly intricate issues, ranging from performance jitters to gender identity complexities, and everything in between. Drawing its stylistic cues from 1980s Hollywood high school comedies, encompassing both the audacious and the romantic, this Netflix production asserted its identity from the outset by wholeheartedly embracing the instructive potential of its premise. Its title stood as a bold pledge: Each episode served as a platform for the series to impart invaluable wisdom about sex, intimacy, sexuality, gender, relationships, and even the merits of therapy itself.
Gone is the familiar Moordale Secondary, making way for a fresh start in a brand-new educational institution: the serene and student-centric haven of Cavendish Sixth Form College. Here, one finds a world of pastel hues, innovative features like sound bowls and slides in place of stairs, bee-keeping classes, and personalized tablets for every student. The prevailing ethos is one of kindness, fostered by a vibrant group of queer students who warmly welcome Otis and friends into their fold. For Sex Education, this setting offers a chance for a reset.
Otis, ever eager, seeks to reestablish his therapeutic practice within the school. Meanwhile, familiar faces like Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Aimee (Aimee Lou Woods), Ruby (Mimi Keene), Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling), Cal (Dua Saleh), and Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) grapple with navigating this fresh environment. The college introduces a lively array of new characters, including rival student sex therapist O (Thaddea Graham), and the carefree couple Abbi and Roman (Anthony Lexa and Felix Mufti).
Maeve (Emma Mackey) adjusts to a semester abroad in the U.S., Jean (Gillian Anderson) learns to navigate single motherhood once again with her newborn Joy, Isaac (George Robinson) forges new connections at Cavendish, and Adam (Connor Swindells) embarks on a path outside of formal education altogether.
In its fourth season, Sex Education encounters its fair share of stumbling blocks, yet ultimately finds its rhythm towards the conclusion. After all, isn't adolescence itself a period of grappling with life's shifts and adjustments? While the last installment may be the series' least robust, it's worth noting that even the weakest episode of Sex Education maintains its charm. The adolescents, as well as the parents and educators, have matured. Thankfully, armed with their newfound expertise in matters of intimacy, they approach their university years with confidence and promise.
