It goes without saying, but major, major spoilers for ‘Sex Education’ ahead.
If you are like me, you have already binge-watched all eight episodes of Netflix's latest British coming-of-age dramedy 'Sex Education.' With a very realistic portrayal of teenage years and an unglorified yet non-judgmental depiction of the human body in its various forms of beauty, this little show, starring Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, and Connor Swindells, is the brightest gem that Netflix has to offer this month.
Remember that time when Netflix released a surprisingly intrusive data about the 53 people who compulsively watched 'Christmas Prince' via a cheeky tweet? If they were to do something similar now, it would just be sub-tweet for me asking what childhood trauma is causing me to watch the episode 8 from 23-minute marker to 36.54 minutes marker upwards of 20 times. But I am getting ahead of myself.
'Sex Education,' as the name suggests, is mostly about teenagers learning about sex - the catch being, their counselor is a virginal teenager himself, who has never masturbated. Portrayed masterfully by Butterfield, Otis is the son of two sex therapists who finds the idea of masturbation disgusting but understands why it is natural, can be beautiful and could be essential in a young individual's life. He offers his sage advice to his peers for a nominal amount, which he then splits with his business partner Maeve (Mackey), whose character profile is inspiringly brilliant on its own.
As Alistair Petrie aka the school principal Mr G puts it, "It’s about young people trying to figure s**t out. Themselves, each other, their sex lives, what they want, who they like, why they like them - basically who they are." While Otis and Maeve flag off a great service to the troubled students and better their life while pocketing a little profit, Otis' best friend Eric Gatwa) feels left out and goes on his own path of self-discovery. A flamboyantly gay man, Eric goes through some very tough times, which leads to introspection, before he is able to live loudly and proudly as the androgynous beauty that he is.
It is his story that touched me the most in 'Sex Education,' and throughout the show I kept seeing - what I assumed were - invisible sparks flying between him and his bully Adam (Swindells). While I kept wanting them to hook up, I realized it was pointless to ship them. However, I could not ignore everything that remained unsaid between them. As a "woke millennial" I did not want to romanticize the idea of bullying someone in the name of love. That being said, Eric was the first person to actually see Adam; it made him question why he was a bully - "Were you born a bully or is it because your dad is a bully?"
Adam was born into this identity that did not fit him, and so was Eric. While the former was expected to live up to a legacy and stand out for excellence in academics, the latter was expected to blend in, fit in and stay out of trouble. They are two superficially different peas in a pod. The longing looks from Adam, specifically when he forgets to pretend that he despises Eric, were a huge giveaway for me, but I chalked it up to queerbaiting or a foreboding for season 2.
Imagine my surprise come the finale episode when they hook up. It is one of the most beautiful portrayals of gay, teenage sexual encounter and 'Sex Education' deserves a standing ovation just for that scene. Despite their status quo in the school, the two silently decide to explore what is budding between them and we are all for it. However, their very brief romance is cut short when Adam gets shipped off to a military school.
Eric and Adam sharing a longing look as the latter enters the car is one of the most understated yet heartbreaking scenes of the show. Their story barely began and they got separated, and one can only hope that the showrunners would find a way to bring Adam back or find a way for him to explore his budding relationship with Eric. The possibilities for these two characters are infinite, considering the very unique backgrounds they have.
How will Principal Groff respond to his son's bisexuality? Eric's parents have only just accepted his choice of presenting androgynous, how will they react to him dating a boy, a bad boy nonetheless? Will Adam's bullying tendencies continue while they date, or will he finally be able to let his guard down and be a kind and gentle boyfriend? Netflix absolutely needs to renew this show for season 2 and ensure that these questions are answered.
