Netflix’s brilliantly bold and infectiously funny series, Sex Education, is back and just as good as ever. As promised, this show is still the fiercest and most authentic representation of the crazy up and downs of teenage relationships and sex.
The show stars a quirky 16 year-old, Otis (Asa Butterfield), who along with the help of his cool and clever, but often misunderstood friend, Meave (Emma Mackey) landed the unexpected role of being his high school’s bootleg sex therapist. Otis has learned everything he’s knows from his real sex therapist mother, played by the incredibile Gillian Anderson, however it is clear that Otis still has a lot to learn about managing his own relationships.
The end of the first season left the status of each relationship unclear, and we got our answers in the beginning of Season 2… at least for a little while, so buckle up and let’s dive into Season 2. P.s. there will be some spoilers.
Season 2 kicks off with, well, Otis finally being able to get himself off (if you know what I mean). While this is certainly an uncovinetial way to start off the show, thats exactly what Sex Education is all about, they ask and address all the complexities about sex and relationships among teenagers, even the awakward bits like not being able to mastirbuate. This scene also demonstrates how far Otis has come in being comfortable with his own body, which we can credit a lot of this success to his then girlfriend, Ola (Patricia Allison).
We also finally see Meave having confidence in her abilities and demanding she be readmitted into Moordale Secondary School, which she was wrongfully kicked out of in Season 1. Of course, that didn’t go as smoothly as one might have hoped, but with a little arm twisting, we got our Meave back. Things between Ola and Ottis and Ottis and Meave definitely got a little complicated with her coming back, but I definitely wouldn’t put the blame all on her.
While most of Season 2 is binge worthy, there are times where you just can’t help but close your eyes and plug your ears. This is largely due to the fact that the return of Meave along with a few other factors forced Otis to face his own realities about love, initmacy, and sex. And frankly, sometimes Otis acts like a real ass about his situation (pardon my French). Throughout the season Otis’s behavior deviates more and more from that of the mature teen who somehow, albeit clumsy at times, gave his peers solid advice about their romantic relationships in Season 1. Leading the audience right to an excruciatingly painful, public and drunken display of Otis being a jerk and hurting a few of his close relationships in the process. Personally, I wasn’t completely satisfied with the way this scene played out because I think it played too closely to the stereotypes high schoolers are usually associated with, but I can see why the writers felt this move was necessary when building the story.
Luckily, Season 2 has other stories unfolding to help compensate: including a fabulous musical written and directed by the wonderfully geeky Lily (Tanya Reynolds), which certainly puts an original spin on Shakespeare, a thrilling adventure of finding love for Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), and the character development we’ve wished for Adam (Connor Swindells) since the first season. Adam’s journey from notorious bully and major screwup to where he is now, open to accepting himself and accepting love is truly heartbreaking, but leaves you inspired.
In my opinion, no discussion about Season 2 of Sex Education is complete with out acknoledgeing the incredibly important conversation about sexual harrsement and assult Aimee Lou Wood’s character, Aimee, presents. Throughout the season, Aimee struggles to cope with the aftermath of her sexual assault, which leads to a heartwarming and powerful display of support, when the lead girls of the show put asside their differences to help Aimee take her first steps towards recovering from this traumtic event. ‘Sex Ed’ has never shyed away from taking on difficult subject matter, but it is truly refresshing to see how well it depicts Aimee’s journey to healing and the important messages it leaves behind.
By the end of the season, the audience is once again left stupefied, charmed, and already curious about what the future holds for these beautifully developed characters. I am now happy to report that as of last week Netlfix officially anncoued that Sex Education will be having a Season 3!
This show is not for the faint of heart, but if you can get past a couple of cringey scenes between some horny and confused teenagers, then you’ll see how captivating and necessary this series really is.
