It seems like all good things must come to an end as all the glory built up in the fourth season of “Sex Education” begins to slowly diminish in the fourth and fifth episodes of the series’ final season.
The two episodes primarily center on Maeve’s return to the United Kingdom after receiving the news that her mother has been admitted to the hospital. Alongside the return of her brother Sean into the series, the sibling duo are soon reckoned by the revelation that their mother did not survive a drug overdose.
Maeve’s storyline, which focuses on the emotional toll a parent’s death can place on a neglected child, is easily the season’s best arc. The two episodes offer a refreshing emotional pull and highlight the neglect Maeve and her siblings underwent in their mother’s care by exploring the conflicting reactions to their mother’s death from Maeve and Sean. The reactions also provide highly believable performances from Emma Mackey (Maeve) and Edward Bluemel (Sean) in their roles.
The return of Maeve also changes Otis' storyline to accommodate the return of his unlabeled girlfriend. Before Maeve returned, his arc primarily focused on the sex counselor election against O and the “rekindling” connection with Ruby. However, once Maeve is back into the picture, it seems like the writers decided to make him revert to his uncommunicative ways.
Instead of being honest with Ruby and Eric about his whereabouts during episode four, he decides to ghost his two closest friends. It’s a frustrating character decision from Otis, even despite the redemption he seemingly receives in the following episode.
Regardless, the uneventful storyline of the election manages to provide some excitement in episode five. During a debate between O and Otis, the two make petty jabs at one another. O rips Otis’ dad apart for being involved with anti-feminist groups while Otis exposes O’s ghosting of her previous relationships (which seems relatively hypocritical) with the help of Ruby. However, Otis’ attempt to win over the audience fails once O admits her commitment issues were due to her struggles with her asexual identity. It’s a relatively tender moment in one of the season’s weaker episodes and makes the audience feel a bit closer to O.
The worst aspect of the fifth episode comes directly before the credits, as the first official meeting of Maeve and Jean Milburn occurs onscreen. It’s a weak, lackluster showing for one of the show’s most pivotal moments and comes after an incredibly awkward attempt at sex in the old Moordale pool. It is one of the first major signs of pacing issues this season that showcases itself in other storylines.
One of those storylines happens to involve Viv and her new “boyfriend” Beau. It is nice to finally see Viv in another healthy connection apart from Jackson, but the writing has failed any emotional attempts for the couple. Everything about the two’s relationship feels incredibly rushed. Even the attempts at showcasing Beau’s possessive nature and rush to get into a relationship hold little emotional bearing because we get to spend so little time seeing their relationship progress.
The connection between Cal and Aisha suffers the same fate. It is amazing to see the show tackle disability issues for Aisha, who is deaf, and see someone advocate for her like Cal does. However, the romance also fails to connect with me because it feels like the show wants to continue the Jackson and Cal storyline on top of rushing this one.
The show’s emphasis on so many storylines is great for fans of these side characters, yet the writing and pacing do not allow for each plot to fully resonate among viewers — especially in episode five. It is unclear if it will get resolved with only three episodes remaining, but I am trying to be hopeful.
On the flipside, Aimee, Adam and Eric continue to be the highlights of the show. Aimee and Isaac develop a realistic connection in the two episodes, and I wholeheartedly root for them, despite Maeve’s hesitation and my previous feelings toward Isaac in season two. Isaac’s assistance in helping Aimee find her artistic voice is refreshing and seems to be a unique approach for her to process her trauma.
Adam’s storyline manages to culminate in him hugging a horse in an emotional moment. His father has been working on bettering himself throughout the season, and it results in him getting back with his ex-wife at the end of episode four. It’s a poignant moment that feels as if it was meant to be.
Eric and his struggles with religion take the cake as the season’s best recurring plotline. He is seemingly receiving messages from God in an excellent revert to the roots of prior seasons and he begins to discover how faith is guiding him toward helping his church’s soup kitchen. In episode four, the powers of faith result in him discovering that the kitchen will shut down because of a lack of funding. However, the following episode sees Pastor Samuel agreeing to take the money raised from Cavendish’s fundraiser to pay for the food assistance program.
The episode also sees a mesmerizing moment of Eric becoming encompassed by the rays of light emitting through the church glasses as his head bops to the gospel tunes at his church’s choir practice.
Unfortunately, the fourth and fifth episodes of “Sex Education” season four pale in comparison to its strong start. Tune in next week to, hopefully, see a return to form in episodes six and seven.
Episode 4 Rating: 4/5
Episode 5 Rating: 3.5/5
