“Sex education” season four comes to a finish
Warning: This article contains spoilers
Sex Education / Netflix
The fourth season of “Sex Education” brought the hilarious comedy full of lustful British teens to a close. The seasons have strung the audience along a sex-filled extravaganza that captures both the ridiculously extreme situation and real-life issues; it’s full of awkwardly relatable moments and heartfelt scenes. We see each character grow into themselves throughout the series, fulfilling the potential that fans of the show have seen since the very beginning. By the finale, we see protagonist Otis Melbourne (Asa Butterfield) go from an introverted virgin to a full-on heartbreaker, and co-star Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) transform from a self-sabotaging loner to an astounding writer and caring friend. Something that the show does beautifully is delve into the flaws and shortcomings of modern teenagers but also highlights how the adults in our lives have room to grow and change with and because of their children. This final season ties a bow on the genuine gift that is “Sex Education”.
Due to an unfortunate series of events in the finale of season three, Moordale Secondary is forced to close because of a lack of funding. This leads to the majority of the cast beginning their senior year at Cavendish Sixth Form College, an overwhelmingly progressive school that the majority of the characters aren’t used to. This change in scenery brings on new challenges and new faces to an already spectacular lineup of characters such as Felix Mufti (playing Roman) and Thaddea Graham (portraying ‘O’).
The final episodes of “Sex Education” served as a turning point for two beloved sidekicks, Aimee Gibbs (Aimee Lou Wood) and Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa).
The endearingly whimsical personality of Aimme’s character makes her a superb match to Maeve's more grunge nature, though Aimee’s character doesn’t get explored until later seasons. However, in Season Two, her seemingly ditzy and unbothered personality is altered when she is sexually assaulted on a bus, causing her character to revert to herself, and affecting her mental health, self-esteem, and personal relationships. In season four, however, we start to see Aimee blossom into her old self through art. She channels the agony and dehumanization she braved into her photography, each photo a declaration and proof that she is healing and growing from what happened to her. Aimee’s story paints an accurate display of not only how sexual assault can affect those afflicted (especially teenagers), but also how recovery is possible, though the process of healing doesn’t have to be linear to be rewarded.
In season four, Eric finds a new group of friends at Cavendish who seem to understand him more than Otis, his right-hand man. This newfound relatability to his friends causes him to reflect on his relationship with God, community and sexuality. Eric’s journey during the final season of“Sex Education” exposed an aspect of being queer that usually isn’t touched upon. Queer religious people are often forced to choose to leave behind the communities that they cherish or be forced to stay in the closet. As pressures for Eric to be baptized rise, Eric grapples with the fact that the more he expresses his gay identity, the more he feels he is betraying God. Throughout the exploration of Eric’s dilemma, the audience is transported into his ethereal visions full of intercorrelated signs from God that appear in his day-to-day that lead him to believe that he shouldn’t have to hide who he is.
The final season seemed to take on a much more serious note, likely due to the sense of finality that this season had compared to seasons prior. Though previous seasons did discuss heavier topics such as abortion and sexual assault, the majority of the conflicts were usually presented in a more light-hearted, digestible manner. With previous seasons featuring alien porn and hysterically inappropriate musical theater performances, the lack of playfulness throughout the season is needed due to the topics this season covers but was sorely missed by the fans. This season was angled more towards the somber truths of where Britain and countries all over the world are faulting at the moment, specifically on issues of transgender rights, suicidal ideation and accessibility (or lack thereof).
“Sex Education” was a priceless experience, it was a joy to watch and will be sorely missed by fans everywhere.