Don’t worry, you’re not the only one who is left in shambles with this hybrid between American High School and British comedy ending. After three successful seasons, tons of breakups, a lot of emotions, and the other thing, the beloved show is ending with its fourth and final season. The series has been hard to get past (if you know what we mean), taking us on a rollercoaster ride with some incredible characters and some really memorable scenes. Coming of age never felt more embarrassing or exciting at the same time. The series stars childhood superstar Asa Butterfield as the protagonist and sex therapist at Moordale High. Not only is he the most socially awkward kid in town, but he’s also the son of a therapist who passed down her unique genes to her sweet boy. Otis goes from nobody to somebody in about 5 minutes, and just like that, 3 seasons have passed, with many things changing, people growing up, and a lot of positivity thrown our way. Let’s quickly recap some of the important things that happened through the years in Sex Education.
Spoilers Ahead
Otis and Jean
Otis lives with his mom, a “love” therapist named Jean Milburn, and she’s just given birth to a second child at the end of season 3. Do you all remember when Otis discovered a book about his failures? Good thing they got over that in season 1. In season 2, because of a chlamydia outbreak, Jean was called to school for professional sex education, leaving Maeve and Otis’ clinic on the benches. Ironically, Jean has her own love problems because she doesn’t know how to be committed, and when Jakob shows her what it’s like to be in a lovely committed relationship, she breaks his trust and kisses Otis’ father. Already, Otis feels like an outcast because of the work his mother does and because he has a single mom, but this adds another mess to this dynamic. Otis is close to his mom, but he’s also a growing boy who is in desperate need of a father figure in his life. He got one in the form of Ola’s father Jakob, but Jean and he broke up. They get back together when Jean is heavily pregnant and go to couples therapy. Jakob doesn’t really believe in therapy, leaving Jean upset because that’s literally her job. He also demands a paternity test for the baby, but when things are working out for them and Jean has just given birth, she receives the test results, which leaves her more than shocked.
Eric
Otis’ best friend is Ghanaian-Nigerian Eric, who also happens to be gay. Eric has been in many messes over the seasons. Eric’s love story was a classic tale of bullies to babies (yikes!), and he went from being shoved into lockers in violence to, you know, how it goes. Adam is actually quite sweet with Eric, but he has his own problems; after all, he did start off by bullying the guy he had a massive crush on. Adam is the son of the ex-headmaster, who was a massive bully himself, proving why Adam turned out the way he did. Eric and Adam’s relationship has its own problems because Eric has been out so long, but Adam can’t be as open as him. When Eric visits Nigeria, he ends up kissing another man and confessing to Adam when he returns. Adam forgives him, but Eric breaks up anyway. Previously, Eric had also been with Rahim, the new kid in school, but their brief encounter broke off with Adam returning from the military after being thrown out for possession of drugs (they were planted).
Adam and Rahim get close when Adam asks Rahim for help to be more in tune with his own sexuality.
Maeve
AKA Otis’ forever crush. No, but if you had to ask where one can witness more pining, Sex Education or Bridgerton season 2, we might say the former because of how many seasons have passed with these two just not being each other’s soul mates. Maeve is the reason Otis is able to become the school sex therapist so that she can use that money to actually lead a decent life. Moordale’s own Charlotte Bronte has a lot on her plate, and all she wants to do is bury herself in books and write. Maeve has a difficult relationship with her drug-addict mother, who is still the only decent family she has. But the good news is that even with Maeve leaving the country to go to America, she and Otis finally got together at the end of season 3, despite all of the ups and downs.
Ruby, the unexpected
The Untouchables at Moordale are basically the mean girls of the school. They’re led by Ruby (Mimi Keene), who is actually much kinder than one can imagine. Ruby shows Otis her true colors when she reveals her home life. She takes care of her bedridden father, whom she cares for very much. Their summer fling turns into much more, but when Ruby tells Otis she loves him, he leaves her hanging and can’t say it back, ending their relationship.
Aimee and the bus
Aimee is the chocolate doughnut with sprinkles of Sex Education. Otis helps her learn to love herself and put herself first when it comes to her relationships. In season 2, Aimee ends up getting assaulted on the bus, and she doesn’t realize what’s happened to her until she spends some time ruminating on the situation. Ultimately, it’s when she talks to the other girls about what she’s really going through and gets on the bus with all of their support and them coming together for her that Aimee is able to stop fearing the mode of transport. It’s a moment for sisterhood, for her support, and this feminine energy will always be passed on from this show! In season 3, Aimee gets therapy from Jean, and to get better herself, she breaks up with her loving boyfriend Steve and gives herself time.
That Romeo and Juliet performance
At the end of season 2, we were attacked by a highly charged production of “Romeo & Juliet” directed by Lily, the resident alien erotica writer. That should be enough information to remember its existence, but it is the reason Adam’s father, headmaster Groff, has a meltdown and gets suspended (a win, if you ask us). But this also allows Adam to confess his true feelings for Eric in front of the whole school, and Eric accepts them.
Hope Haddon
Season 3 brought in the new headmistress, Hope Haddon, who is like a dictator who thinks repression is the way to go. Unfortunately, we know how that works, and with her over-implemented rules, Hope ends up making the kids explode and rebel. They accept their title as “sex school” and create a mockery of it, leading to Hope being fired. In truth, Hope too has her own issues, and she’s upset because she can’t conceive children of her own. Otis gives her the perfect advice she needs, which is overheard by Jean, who is very proud of her son, although a school therapist is a no-no.
Ola & Lily
Ola discovers a little while after her relationship with Otis that she’s actually pansexual and is in love with her pal Lily. They get together, and things are great until Hope, the new headmistress, arrives and shows everyone that Lily is messed up in the head because of her rather unique fantasies and graphic novels. Ola ends up accidentally hurting Lily’s feelings by dismissing her passion, but Otis saves the day.
Jackson and Viv
Jackson, the swimming champ who was pressurized by his mothers and dated Maeve for a little, ended up being saved by Viv, who is now his best friend. Viv told his mothers that Jackson needed help, and so Jackson was able to get therapy. On the other hand, Hope made Viv the head girl, and she ended up taking the job too seriously.
Cal
Cal is the non-binary new entry in Moordale. They happen to join when Hope decides to give the school uniforms (take away the Americanness, you know?). Cal and Jackson end up getting close when they fight the system together, causing a big crack in Viv and Jackson’s relationship. Cal and Jackson end up having romantic feelings for each other, but because Cal doesn’t feel female and Jackson identifies as straight, they go back to being friends.
The voice mail
So in season 2, there was Isaac, another guy who was in love with Maeve. Isaac, who was paraplegic, was jealous of Otis and ended up deleting his heartfelt love confession to Maeve at the end of season 2. This left Otis hurt because he didn’t know Maeve had never received the message. Isaac and Maeve got together for a little bit until he felt guilty and told Maeve the truth. They too remain friends, and Isaac is a good influence on Maeve, making her reconcile with her mother.
With Otis and Ruby broken up because he was still in love with Maeve, they can finally be together, and they share the kiss of the century (you know what we mean). The school’s going to be all different; there are a couple of new characters and a lot of changes coming into the final season. One thing is for certain: we’re going to keep our tissues ready. We don’t really know about Maeve’s return. Additionally, a lot of people are convinced that Ruby is the right one for Otis, so what if they become the ultimate couple? We’ll find out in the last season of Sex Education.
