If you haven’t watched Sex Education yet, I need you to stop reading this article and go watch…NOW. Truly, though, beware as spoilers do occur in this article.
Sex Education is a Netflix original series that, in my opinion, has close to zero flaws. Hands down, it is the best Netflix original… sorry, Outer Banks and You. The first and second seasons of Sex Education were great, but this third season was phenomenal and what really pushed me to write this article. Now, let’s go through the reasons why it truly is the greatest show to ever exist.
Let’s start with a little comparison of what the general topic of this show is and the real-life sex education most North American students receive in school. Both my elementary and high school sex education was the least informative education I’ve ever received. All I learned was to:
A) Not have sex until marriage unless you want to be a teen mom or catch an STI; and
B) If you do have sex, wear a condom.
Then, of course, the infamous condom demonstration and the shoe box questionnaire. It definitely left everyone in the room feeling safe and ready to have a healthy sex life… NOT. A representation of this ignorant sex education is even demonstrated in the show to expose just how awful school systems teach their students about this subject. The show, even when not in a sex education class, does have a lot of valuable teachings on its own, and I mean A LOT. The show provides insight into many INCREDIBLY important topics that are lacking from schools’ sex education. Some of these topics include consent, LGBTQ+ sex, identity, sexual harassment, masturbation, experimentation, intimacy, masculinity, femininity, shame and vulnerability, to name only a few. I learned so, so, so much from this show and I’m sure many others can agree.
Not only is it informative for sex education, but also for the different kinds of topics that are taboo and not often discussed in such detail by the film industry. Some examples include addiction, the loss of a parent, divorce, identity crisis, disabilities, racial and gender injustice, navigating adulthood and parenthood, navigating youth and academic pressures. It’s the first show I’ve ever watched where I believe every viewer can relate to at least one character in one way or another.
The open conversations around these topics are something I’ve never seen before in a television series or movie. In other series, these taboo topics are usually reserved for the “token characters” in order to demonstrate that the series has a progressive and diverse outlook, however, this can come off extremely negative with their intentions. Sex Education is not like this, as they have such a diverse cast without making a big deal about certain examples. For instance, one of the main teen characters has two moms, and instead of making this a huge deal, it’s introduced with ease and normalcy. None of these situations feel fake or over-dramatized and are talked about naturally and normally, providing insight to those who know nothing about these kinds of situations. The actors/actresses’ abilities to talk about these real-life circumstances are raw, authentic and honest, which tie the show together.
In addition to talking about taboo topics, the show has an extraordinary way of teaching empathy. Pretty much every single character in the show has a backstory. This allows us as viewers to go through a sort of process of learning to empathize with characters, even the assholes. A strong example of this is shown through a character named Adam Groff. In season one we all hated Adam because he was a bully, and bullied Eric for being gay. He was a bland, angry teenager that viewers immediately didn’t like. Throughout seasons two and three we see scenes of his home life including a relationship with his parents that’s broken and difficult. As viewers, we also see him go through his journey of coming to terms with his sexuality. We also learn the reason why he bullied Eric was because he had feelings for him (still doesn’t make it okay). We also see how he navigates his broken relationship with his dad. Stories like this continue throughout the season with practically every character, showing us there’s more to what meets the eye with someone’s behaviour.
Lastly, the show itself is so real and truthful in every scene, which is something you often don’t see on television. Sex Education doesn’t try to glamourize ANYTHING, as many other movies and series do. These acts of glamourizing sexual experiences and traumas can be extremely problematic and cause false expectations for viewers. Instead, Sex Education shows the ugliness, the rawness and the truth to every issue and experience. The realism demonstrated within the show displays the uncut truth of sexual experiences with all its awkwardness, anxiety, beauty and flaws.
Sex Education is a comedic, informative, chaotic, real and raw show. It teaches a spectrum of lessons, not just for youth, but for adults as well. It truly is a fantastic show with so many admirable qualities. If you haven’t started watching the show, I couldn’t recommend it enough. So please, go start watching this masterpiece of a show…RIGHT NOW.