Words by The Urban Journal
The final season of the hit Netflix show brings us orgasms, family reunions, and the best of Eric Effiong.
Netflix has a long list of original shows. Some good, some okay, and some pure garbage. Sex Education is firmly in the good camp – the very good camp, even. It’s entertaining and educational, shocking, and satirically brilliant. It’s genuinely binge-worthy – which, trust me, is a big compliment. In the modern-era of streaming, TV shows come and go, with few managing to make any sort of impact. It’s either that or they go on for too long, season after pointless season. Getting started is important – knowing when to wrap up is even more important.
Point is, Sex Education got it right. They’re saying their goodbyes with a fourth season, keeping it sweet and short. For those unaware of the show (how?), a quick flick through previous seasons before reading this might be a good idea. For those well aware of the ups and downs of the kids at Moordale High, here’s my verdict of the final season: it’s pretty good.
For this season, they’re no longer at Moordale.The old school site has been sold to developers, and the characters – Otis, Eric, Adam, Maeve, Aimee, Ruby, Jackson and co. – are all leading different lives. Maeve’s started a writing course in the US, Adam’s trying his hand at the local stables, and the rest of the crew find themselves starting their A-levels at Cavendish College, a school which prides itself on its wokeness, student-led activism, and a general disdain for societal rules and norms.
Sex has always played a central role in the show (duh), and the final season is no different (albeit in a slightly different way). In the first two seasons, for example, the laundry bill must’ve been very high. Every other scene involved someone having sex, talking about sex, or teaching someone how to have sex. The kids at Moordale are one horny bunch – but in the final season, they’re a lot less hornier. They care less about casual shags and orgies, and more about meaningful connections, self-discovery, and family reunions.
A good chunk of the season follows Otis’ battle against ‘O’ – another student who he swears illegitimately claimed his spot as the go-to school sex therapist. Although entertaining at first, that particular storyline quickly becomes boring, often interrupting what is otherwise a very good show.
If Otis’ battle with O is the sideshow, the ups and downs of his relationship with Eric Effiong (played by Ncuti Gatwa) take centre stage. In the series finale, their on-screen chemistry is as good as ever. It all feels a little bit more serious, with conversations surrounding race, depression, privilege and sexuality.
Maeve goes through grief, coming to discover the importance of friends and forgiveness; Adam and his father try the whole bonding thing again; Jackson tries to discover his past; and Dr. Millburn realises that for once, she doesn’t have all the answers.
There’s so much going on, but season 4 never feels out of control. That has a lot to do with smart, funny writing – but it also has a lot to do with the cast. It’s young acting talent at its best, guided by industry heavyweights such as Gillian Anderson.
All that makes for authentic on-screen moments – even if some of these moments involve exposed genitals and never-ending references to balls. It’s a neat production that manages to tell us a lot about ourselves and how we relate to each other. This final season is good. Not because it’s more of the same, but because it reminds us of an age-old truth: sex is cool – but looking after each other is way cooler.
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