Sex Education Series Finale Review: Let it Be

Saying goodbye to a show like Sex Education is never easy.

Many teen dramas take the easy way out, with all of the couples finding happiness as they navigate life post-high school.

Sex Education Season 4 Episode 8 took a more realistic approach by repairing the friendships that buckled under the pressure of the issues everyone faced throughout the final season.

That wasn’t an easy task by any stretch of the imagination.

Sex Education has always dealt with a massive cast, probably why the episodes have always been stuffed with content.

The series rarely wasted a scene, and it went out on a bittersweet note, leaving us to ponder what will become of everyone.

Maeve’s letter to Otis seemed very final, which leads me to believe there’s a high chance they won’t cross paths again, which is a difficult pill to swallow.

Dear Otis. You know I hate soppy romantic stuff. So don’t get your hopes up. This isn’t a love letter. When we first met, I didn’t trust anyone. I thought if I kept everybody out, I’d stop myself from being hurt or let down, which is what I was used to. Then we set the clinic up together, and I realized that most of the people who came to us for help really just needed connection. And maybe I wasn’t so different. You have the rare ability to make people feel truly seen. And you did the same for me. It was this and your relentless optimism about human beings that gave me the courage to start opening myself up to other people. For the first time in my life, I didn’t feel alone, which allowed me to imagine something bigger for myself. I want you to know that however much it fսcking hurts that we can’t be together, I won’t ever close myself off again. Meeting you cracked my heart open, and now it’s forever changed. And because of that, I will carry a part of you with me wherever I go. I think what I’m trying to say is thanks for everything, dickhead.

Maeve

It’s sad knowing that’s a possibility, but with Maeve back in the U.S. and killing it, what else could we really hope for?

If the early episodes of Sex Education Season 4 proved anything, they’re not cut out for a long-distance romance, and trying to make it work would cause more harm than good.

Maeve’s realization that without Otis, she probably wouldn’t have been able to open her heart to anyone was one of the most emotionally charged moments of the series.

Maeve is an excellent writer, and her final letter to Otis was infused with imagery, perfectly nailing her persona.

Knowing they helped each other is enough, alleviating some of the pain that they weren’t endgame.

People need to grow with the show, and there comes a point in life where you need to grow beyond who you’ve become. Sometimes, that means you outgrow the people you thought would always be by your side.

Maeve shows incredible growth by returning to college, telling Thomas he wouldn’t be serving as a gatekeeper as she enters the industry, and just generally putting him in his place. It was one of her best moments.

Thomas destroyed Maeve with his words on Sex Education Season 4 Episode 3 because he was so fragile about anyone else breaking into the industry and becoming the next best thing.

Someone of his caliber should be empowering students to make their voices heard. It’s hard not to think about all the writers he’s silenced in the past.

Without a voice, there is no writer. The beauty of being a writer and reading other writers’s work is that you can generally recognize someone’s voice without looking at the author.

Maeve is one of those writers, so it’s exciting that Ellen sent Southport to an author she worked with and that it’s getting the buzz it deserves.

It’s a shame we didn’t see where Maeve ended up, but something tells me she has a bright future ahead of her and will become a significant voice in the publishing world. 

At one point, she wanted to forget Moordale because of the pain of her past, but I hope that writing her novel will be therapeutic, giving her the closure she needs to be at peace with returning.

Otis also impressed me very much, which, if you’ve been reading my Sex Education reviews, you know has not been easy this season.

Owning up to his mistakes and fixing things with Eric, his mother, and even Ruby was the progression I was looking for from him.

There were concerns the series would end with him being a significant jackass, so I appreciate that he was made more self-aware of how his actions affect others.

Fixing things with Eric was a must. All the way back to Sex Education Season 1, their initial bond was one of the highlights.

Asa Butterfield and Ncuti Gatwa have a lot of fun filming, which was evident throughout their final scenes together.

Eric’s realization that he didn’t want to be baptized couldn’t have happened at a better time for him.

He’s been struggling with his faith in a church that he didn’t believe supported who he was, so it was a big ask to ask him to pledge his allegiance and vow never to sin again.

Eric took a stand to find out whether he would be accepted, and sadly, the only person who stood up for him was his mother.

Another sticking point for him was the church not accepting the fundraiser because they didn’t agree with Cavendish’s values or whatever.

Eric’s questions about his faith have driven his arc throughout Sex Education Season 4, so having Jodie Turner-Smith take on the role of God to help him through this last hurdle was chef’s kiss.

These meetings with God have been campy, unbelievable, and a lot of fun. They’ve added a very different element to the series’ final episodes; I’m very thankful for that.

Instead of having Eric come to this epiphany off-screen, we’ve witnessed his thought process, and it’s been highly effective.

Now that he’s secure that he wants to help people and become Pastor Effiong, he can conquer the world.

Who knew his calling would lead him to help Cal in their time of need?

The signs were peppered throughout Sex Education Season 4 Episode 6, but it was difficult to put them together until it played out on-screen.

Cal’s struggle has been difficult to watch. They’ve been desperately looking for people they can connect with, but it’s proven difficult.

Aside from Aisha, no one has taken an interest in their life recently, which has affected their mental health.

It’s a shame it took Cal to go missing for them to feel the love, but at least they’re now fully aware of the lengths people went to to find them.

I’m not sure where Cal goes from here, and truthfully, I don’t think they should give Jackson a second chance too quickly.

Yes, Jackson’s been through the mill searching for answers about his father, but had he been more open to Cal, they could have worked through these things as friends.

Jackson showing up at Jerome’s door, expecting things to be all fine and dandy, was sad because it was apparent that wouldn’t be the case.

Hearing the truth about Roz having an affair with a married man must have hurt, but this should be a lesson in always being open and honest.

Had Jackson known about this when Roz tried to shut it down, he wouldn’t have bent over backward to prove her wrong.

Now that he knows Jerome wants nothing to do with him, he can move on, even if he still has some qualms about his mother’s lies.

When I think back to Jackson’s arc on Sex Education Season 3, the series has run out of things to do with the character, which explains the straight-up character assassination this season.

Even when he was there for Viv, it didn’t seem like he was really there. He was picking up on all of the red flags with Beau, but he could have acted on them sooner.

Thankfully, Viv realized she had to nip that relationship in the bud, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. 

Beau was terrifying. He first appeared as this beacon of hope for her, but he quickly became possessive and jealous whenever Viv spoke to anyone else.

Viv: Oh, he’s here again. Beau: Can we please talk? Viv: Okay. Okay, um, Beau, we’ve spoken about this already, but you don’t seem to be listening, so I’m gonna be really clear. I don’t wanna talk to you. I don’t wanna see you. I don’t wanna hear from you. I don’t know what made you like this, and it’s probably something really sad, and I hope you seek out some therapy, but if you keep on trying to contact me, I will report you. Do you hear me? Beau: Yeah.

That’s worrying, and you could tell she was DONE with him when he showed up after sending all of the messages to her.

There’s no telling where he will end up, but hopefully, he gets the message and stays away from her.

June finding peace with Joanna and telling Dan the truth about being the father to Joy wasn’t on my bingo card, but it should have happened much sooner.

Joanna was still trying to process what happened to her when she was 12, but despite Jean’s best efforts, Joanna was struggling.

She put on this happy persona to mask that she was hurting, which wasn’t doing her relationship with her sister any favors.

Calling into the radio show and speaking up about the incident was her way of letting Jean know she was ready to confront it and accept help, and you could tell Jean believed it was a huge breakthrough.

It’s unclear how long she’ll be with Jean, but they’re in a good place for the first time in a long time. That’s all I could ask for at this stage.

I do believe there’s a chance Joanna will wind up in a relationship with Dan, which will make for awkward family dinners, assuming he’s interested in being a part of Joy’s life.

Dan was vocal about wanting a family on Sex Education Season 4 Episode 2, so I believe he’ll be there every step of the way.

Ruby and O’s endings intersecting was another surprise because they seemed so fiercely against one another earlier in the season.

But Ruby couldn’t process her hurt at the hands of O all those years ago until O apologized. An apology can go a long way, and it was enough for Ruby to declare her former nemesis deserved another chance.

Otis: I know I kind of messed you around recently. I hope we can still be friends. Ruby: I’ve actually got enough friends now, Otis.

On Sex Education Season 4 Episode 1, Ruby struggled to get her bearings at Cavendish, with Otis serving as her only friend.

Now, her status has elevated somewhat, and hearing her tell Otis she has enough friends now was the perfect way to stick the middle finger up at the man who stamped on her heart continually.

The series could have put them together because Maeve was out of the equation, but Ruby’s realization that she no longer needed Otis was both satisfying and empowering.

Aimee and Isaac remain one of the season’s most surprising and out-of-the-blue pairings, but they understand each other very well, which should keep them together.

Aimee’s arc has been one of the better written in the final season, but there hasn’t been enough interaction with other characters.

I would have loved a meeting between her and Adam where they acknowledged each other because, let’s face it, they were the original couple on Sex Education Season 1.

Adam’s breakthrough with his father was a significant achievement. At the end of Sex Education Season 4 Episode 7, it seemed their relationship was forever broken.

Michael: Adam. Adam: What are you doing here?Michael: I’ve been worried. Adam: Why are you worried? Michael: Because you’re not talking to me. And a student has gone missing at college. It made me think about what I’d do if anything happened to you while you still thought that… that I don’t like you. Adam: You don’t like me. Michael: No. Adam, I do like you very much. I love you. You’re my son. I just don’t like myself. And I’ve made you feel small because of that, and I deeply regret it. And I know we can never get that time back, but I am trying to change. Adam: Do you wanna hug a horse?Michael: Pardon? Adam: Hugging a horse makes things feel better. Michael: Oh, uh… Uh, no, I’m okay. Thank you. But I’d quite like to hug you.

But for the first time, Michael realized the gravity of his words and how hating himself has brushed off on his son.

I never thought we’d see Adam teaching a horse-riding class. Better yet, he is teaching his father.

But it’s a satisfying way to bring this storyline full circle. It’s a shame we didn’t get more Adam and Eric this season, but it seems that Adam is ready to move on from the boy who broke his heart.

That’s all I got, Sex Education fanatics.

What are your thoughts on the series finale?

Do you think it worked?

Hit the comments.

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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.