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Sex Education Season 4 concluded with a splash on September 22, 2023, on Netflix. It provided answers to many of our questions, but did it meet our expectations? Yes, but the ending was somewhat less satisfying than anticipated. There are several reasons behind this disappointment, with a significant one being the unequal distribution of screen time among the main cast.
Sex Education Season 4 is the final installment in the Sex Education series franchise. The series focuses on Moordale stars trying to fit in well at Cavendish College.
This season, we discussed more about long-distance relationships, postpartum depression, and young adult business rivalry. New characters named 'O', Abbi, Roman, and Aisha are introduced.
Aimee Lou Woods, who plays Aimee Gibb's character in Sex Education Season 4, says:
"The characters feel like they’re in very new territory because they literally are. They’re at a new school. A lot of our feeling slightly off-center is actually also just because of what is happening in the story, which is that they are [at] a new school."
Now, let's delve deeper into why Sex Education Season 4 failed to capture hearts.
Review of Sex Education Season 4: Where did it fall short?
In Season 4, Otis, Eric, and other Moordale students transferred to Cavendish College. This introduced many new characters, adding vibrancy to the story, but it also meant that screen time was divided among them.
As devoted fans of the series, with only 8 episodes for the final season, Otis, Maeve, Eric, Ruby, and other main characters from the beginning deserved more focus.
Another issue is that even the new characters did not receive enough development compared to the original characters, who had 4 seasons to tell their stories, while the newcomers only had 8 episodes.
Even the writer, Laurie Nunn, admitted on BBC that she didn't initially realize Sex Education season 4 would be the final one:
"The more I delved into the scripting, the more I realized these storylines were naturally reaching their conclusion. All the characters were left in a place that I felt really good about, and I felt hopeful for their future."
Another aspect that felt off was the abrupt shift in tone from serious situations to moments of humor.
For example, in episode 1 of season 4, Otis's scandalous picture gets published by him when he tries to give a presentation. As it created tension at first, the scene got into humor mode as Eric helped him click a better picture than that.
Superficially, it worked, but it created an emotional rollercoaster for the audience. When exploring the new characters at Cavendish, other newcomers like Maeve's English professor and Jean's new radio station boss had limited depth.
These flaws somewhat marred the show's otherwise perfect ending.
How does Sex Education Season 4 conclude?
Despite these flaws being noticeable and causing some viewer dissatisfaction, Sex Education Season 4 concluded in its own unique way. It blended humor seamlessly and reminded us why there's no better show than Sex Education.
The series expertly balanced all emotions, particularly in a funeral episode where Maeve's mother dies because of a substance overdose. Otis leaves all his work and comes for Maeve, which finally brings Otis and Maeve together.
Supporting characters like Eric and Aime played their parts perfectly, contributing to the show's heartwarming conclusion. The show embraced queerness even more, showcasing what a queer-positive learning environment could look like when Cavendish College shows us more LGBTQ-friendly aspects.
More about Sex Education Season 4
Sex Education Season 1, released in 2019, was a genre-defining series at the time of its release. It garnered widespread love, especially from young adults.
Created by Laurie Nunn, the story revolves around a teenager named Otis who secretly provides sex therapy to his fellow students at his school.
The main cast includes Asa Butterfield as Otis Milburn, Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effiong, and Emma Mackey as Maeve Wiley.
Writer Laurie Nunn hinted at the possibility of a Sex Education spin-off:
"I love writing for TV, so hopefully, I'll get the chance to do it again in the future."
So, let's continue enjoying this amazing series on Netflix.
