**Spoilers ahead**
Sex Education is a quirky coming of age series that is possibly the best thing to come to Netflix in a while. It has a mix of humour and sensitivity that is rivaled by few shows that are out today. The show responsibly covers the topics of sexuality, virginity, and family life in a way that feels effortless. Sex Education shows high school sex and relationships as they are, awkward and scary. In an age where porn is ever present, shows like this are important to show how people have sex, so young people (especially women and LGBT+ folk) realize that there is no “right” way to be sexual.
Sex Education focuses on Otis, the son of a sex therapist. By accident, despite being a sex-anxious virgin himself, Otis discovers he has a gift for helping his fellow students with their sex and relationship problems. With his friend Maeve handling the money and booking, Otis starts setting up appointments to help his classmates in need.
Eric is an incredibly important character in terms of LGBT representation in television, especially regarding shows targeted at young people. Simply seeing a straight-gay best friendship between men is incredibly uncommon in the media. At the beginning of the series, Otis and Eric are inseparable. Their relationship is never cheapened by the writer’s making Eric develop feelings for Otis. This dynamic is a model to show teenage guys that they don’t need to be afraid of losing any “masculinity points” by being emotionally intimate with another male.
The two friends are not without their problems. In episode five we see a brilliantly made yet heart-wrenching portrayal of homophobia through Eric’s eyes. For Eric’s birthday, he and Otis have a tradition of dressing up in drag to see “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”, an iconic queer cult film. Otis plans on meeting Eric at their bus stop on the way to the film, but ends up ditching him to be with Maeve for their therapy business. Alone and in drag at night, Eric gets beat up in a tragic scene of homophobic violence. Though it’s hard to watch, this episode shows the reality of hate that still exists in the world. Otis, being straight, didn’t even think about the possibility of violence. Eric, on the other hand, understood that he was not safe alone. This episode flawlessly showed the disproportionate amount of violence against the LGBT community, and how some people are forced to live in fear.
Sex Education is affirming to so many people struggling to understand their bodies and sexuality. The show doesn’t shy away from discussions of sexual conditions and pleasure. Through Otis’ lack of judgement of his patients’ issues, the viewer can relate to them and not feel so unusual. Whether he’s dealing with a client with general body insecurities or not knowing what they want in bed, it’s apparent that no one has all the answers. As a viewer it’s cathartic to see that any concern you have about your sexuality is something that someone else deals with. No one is perfect at sex and everyone has their insecurities. Sex Education comes to this topic with an empathetic yet comical standpoint. Once you start watching you’ll understand why it’s one of the most important shows out right now.