Almost two years after its second season, Sex Education Season 3 finally graced our screens on September 17th and I won’t lie to you; I had finished the series by 4am the next morning. However, if you have approached the series at a slower pace, then congratulations! You have self-control! But do save this review for later reading if you haven’t finished it yet as this will contain SPOILERS!
Along with the majority of the show’s viewers, I have been following the stories of Otis, Maeve and their friends at Moordale since the series first began and have ignored the complete inaccuracy of British schooling to appreciate the characters and their plot lines.Â
So in line with the name of this review, let’s get on with analysing this season, from the good to the bad to the beautiful.
The good
For me, Adam and Eric’s relationship sat at the centre of my attention from the beginning to the end of this series. Considering the explosive nature of the beginning of their relationship, it wasn’t a surprise that the writers would focus on them heavily and in no way did I resent this choice. From awkward double dates with other seemingly mismatched pairs to a heart-meltingly beautiful discussion about sex where Adam learns that he has to find ways to let himself open up in order to keep the person he is with from being hurt, their relationship was written delicately and with an empathetic perspective on cheating, a behaviour that can often be portrayed with too much bias and usually ends up being a singularly villainising action. Don’t get me wrong – I screamed at Eric as much as I expect you may have as he got closer to his fling in Nigeria – but the writers didn’t then go on to cancel his character completely, nor to try and explain his behaviour by villainising Adam’s hesitation to come out to his mother and whilst the overall situation still brings sadness to my soul, I don’t feel robbed of any emotions involved in the relationship and its breakdown, nor do I feel as though the events themselves seemed unrealistic and forced.Â
The bad
However, across the town of Moordale, I found that the writers had not been as cautious with Otis’ character, essentially confirming the dislike I’d found for him after his relationship with Ola. Not only did their progression to step-siblings make his relationship with her feel very Gossip Girl-esque, but the repetition of his “why do I keep hurting people?” moments after every mistake both bored me and removed the scraps of sympathy I had for him. Initially, Otis’ character was a portrayal of a teenager making mistakes and learning how to get past the innate selfishness that comes with adolescence and now… Well. Now he just sounds a bit like a self-obsessed twat. Somehow, I found parts of his plot line to be forced, only there to provide obstacles in the way of his union with Maeve and this left me feeling like his dorkish charm from season 1 had been lost and was never to be found again. Whilst Maeve had many poignant scenes with her sister and even a few with her mother, her overall plot line felt pretty similar. Watching her flit between Otis and Isaac felt completely unlike the Maeve we met a few years before; decisive and bold became conforming and confused. Again, it felt like lazy writing and a lack of organic character development, both sacrificed for the overall plot.
The Beautiful
Despite the fact that I no longer have a burning fire for Otis nor Maeve’s characters, the series definitely didn’t feel lost. Along with the beauty that lay with Adam and Eric’s relationship, I would now also lay my life down to protect the hearts of Ruby and Aimee as well as being more than a little excited to see where Cal’s character goes and how it interacts with the ever-confused Jackson and his road to understanding his values (which took a disappointing back seat during this season).
I’d love to draw particular attention back to Adam and his friendship with Rahim, which culminated in the only poem that has ever held my heart in its hands and crushed it. The friendship, or perhaps you could label it a frenemy relationship, was the definition of beautiful, without romance or any larger plotline (yet!) to be seen.Â
Overall, despite losing my initial favourite characters, none of this season felt like a waste of time. Instead, I found new characters and new situations to relate to and despite the slight lack in sexscapades and humorous moments, I am not any less likely to recommend the show than I was after each of the previous series.Â