Spoiler warning: This review contains spoilers for the fourth and final season of Netfix’s Sex Education.

Sara Baalla

When Sex Education first aired on Netflix back in 2019, no one quite anticipated how big it would become. The candid nature of the British teen comedy-drama garnered millions of fans worldwide. As we say goodbye to the sex-crazed students of Moordale School, it’s even more apparent just how pivotal this show has been for television.

Praised for its trademark humour and well-rounded characters, Sex Education was bound to succeed. From the fabulously effervescent Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) to the reformed bully turned softie Adam (Connor Swindells), not forgetting beloved baking enthusiast Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), the characters alone make the show worth the four-season investment. With a rare ability to hold onto the past with its 80s clothes and decor, while remaining in touch with the present, this show is a warm hug made best for watching with a hot drink.

A LASTING LEGACY

The television and film industries have won in more ways than one as a result of the release of Sex Education. The show has launched the careers of a number of its stars — namely Ncuti Gatwa, who will be the next Doctor, and Emma Mackey, who has made appearances in Death on the Nile, Emily and Barbie, since her breakout performance as trailblazer Maeve Wiley. After the cliffhanger ending of season three, where the halls of Moordale are shockingly shut down, there’s a lot of catching up to do.

As the students enter their final year of sixth form, we are introduced to a new, liberal Cavendish College. This is a “student-led” institution where things are run very differently. There are a lot of storylines to keep track of. The revolving door of narratives sadly does result in arcs being left by the wayside, but they are mainly nicely tied up by the final episode.

“Their blossoming sibling dynamic helps further the importance of Jean’s postnatal depression diagnosis”

Some of the story-lines this season include: Otis (Asa Butterfield) coming toe-to-toe with Cavendish’s already established student sex therapist O (Thaddea Graham) and Ruby (Mimi Keene) struggling with the loss of her Queen Bee status.  Jackson’s (Kedar Williams-Stirling) story-line follows a health scare, sending him on a search for his sperm donor, while Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) deals with an abusive relationship and non-binary student Cal (Dua Saleh) struggles with their inability to afford top-surgery.

The introduction of Jean’s (Gillian Anderson) sister Joanna (Lisa McGrillis) was a brilliant one. Their blossoming sibling dynamic helps further the importance of Jean’s postnatal depression diagnosis, following the birth of her daughter Joy last season.

TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEYS

Eric and Aimee in particular are led on a magnificent journey through the final season. With Adam leaving school to work on a farm and Otis prioritising his feud with O, Eric finds solace in the company of Cavendish’s popular group. Trans couple Abbi (Anthony Lexa) and Roman (Felix Mufti), as well as deaf student Aisha (Alexandra James), are a welcome representation of demographics not previously touched on by the show. It’s their friendship, and a cameo appearance from Jodie Turner-Smith as God herself, that lead Eric to realise his desire to become a pastor.

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Since Aimee’s sexual assault on the bus in season two, she has been on a beautiful journey to regain her strength and find a way of expressing herself through art. Striking an unlikely closeness to Isaac (George Robinson) in the final season, Aimee’s transformation throughout the show is one to behold.

Following on from her decision to move to America to study writing at a prestigious college, Maeve begins the fourth season finding her feet trying to impress uptight professor Mr. Molloy (Dan Levy, in an all too brief appearance). Maeve’s distance from the rest of the main cast is a missed opportunity and is largely felt throughout the season.

MAEVE AND ERIC RETURN TO THE SPOTLIGHT

Eric’s religious realisation, paired with Gatwa’s hilarious and heartwarming approach, makes him a character for the ages. Maeve is no different. The sardonic feminist begins season one as a confessed loner, whose sarcasm and quick-witted humour instantly made her a fan favourite. But it’s her growth throughout the seasons that lands her as the star of Sex Education, and season four is the perfect continuation of her meaningful journey.

I, along with many others, couldn’t hide my disappointment at the lack of Maeve and Aimee scenes this season. The real-life best friends portray one of the show’s most meaningful relationships. Yet, it’s only in episode five, when Maeve returns to Moordale after the unexpected death of her drug-addict mother Erin (Anne-Marie Duff), that we first get a glimpse of the pair’s untouchable bond.

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FAN HIGHLIGHTS

Fans and critics alike have openly said that the final season doesn’t compare to the previous. While there is some truth in this, there is one episode that will forever stand firmly in the show’s history. It is without a doubt that episode six — which entirely focuses on Erin’s funeral — is the highlight of the season. One of the only moments in which the original main cast is together, this is a touching and powerful tribute to experiencing the loss of a parent.

“This is a remarkable feat for the actress, whose first professional acting role was playing the Moordale teenager.”

“It’s the theme of showing people that an ending is OK, and that actually an ending in a lot of ways will lead to a new beginning,” said the show’s director Alyssa McClelland to The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s about sitting in the ending and feeling it, not running away from it,” she continued a testament that is perfectly encapsulated in this episode. Emma Mackey can portray Maeve’s emotions with a pure heart and a rare sensitivity that is unmatched. This is a remarkable feat for the actress, whose first professional acting role was playing the Moordale teenager.

Sex Education has well and truly graduated, and with flying colours no less. But it’s the group of lovable teens, and each of their transformative journeys, that will forever keep the halls of Moordale Secondary alive.

Sex Education is available to stream now on Netflix.

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Featured image courtesy of Taras Chernus on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

Sara is a Sports Editor at Empoword and an entertainment news reporter based in London. An avid knitter and bookworm, in her spare time you'll almost always find her curled up in front of the telly rewatching New Girl or Brooklyn 99.

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