Sex Education Season 4 ending explained

❘ Published: 2023-10-21T15:11:06

Netflix

Alas, the fourth and final season of Sex Education has been and gone. With all episodes available on Netflix now, here’s everything you need to know about the Season 4 ending.

As the gang moves from Moordale Secondary School to Cavendish College, there’s plenty of change afoot in Sex Education Season 4.

However, this doesn’t mean that all the change is a good thing. Alongside adjusting to their new school, Otis (Asa Butterfield), Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), and the group all have a ton of personal issues on their plates – and that’s without what goes on at the sex clinic.

But does the Netflix season finale leave fans with more questions than it does answers? Here’s the Sex Education Season 4 ending explained.

Sex Education Season 4 ending: Do Maeve and Otis end up together?

No, during the Season 4 finale, Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Otis amicably decide to call things quits as Maeve returns to America.

With the season starting off on the rockier side for the pair, long-distance quickly gets the better of both Maeve and Otis. Otis becomes jealous of Tyrone, who Maeve is spending a lot of time with on her course, while Maeve is struggling to stay connected to Otis while getting to grips with a new environment.

Halfway through this series, Maeve is brought back to Moordale by a family death. Though she’s rightly preoccupied by her grief, it also gives the couple the chance to properly spend time with each other. However, things quickly fall apart when Otis reveals he slept in the same bed as his former girlfriend Ruby (Mimi Keene) while Maeve was away.

From there, intimacy is a huge issue for Otis in particular, struggling to move past his former issues. In the season finale, Jean (Gillian Anderson) and Otis fight one more time, as Jean explains she was instrumental in Maeve’s decision to head back to the US after doubting her own abilities. However, the pair eventually agree that breaking up is what’s best for both of them, having one night of passion before Maeve leaves.

In the closing shots, Otis finds a letter from Maeve on his bed, stating that she’ll always have a piece of him in her heart.

Who is Joy’s father?

Jean’s new baby Joy has Dan (Daniel Ings), a local banker, as her father.

At first glance, Dan doesn’t seem like someone who would ruffle any feathers. Initially, he’s introduced to Season 4 as a romantic interest for Jean’s younger sister, Joanna (Lisa McGrillis). The pair go on a few dates, where Dan expresses an interest in settling down sooner rather than later. With no other childcare options, Joanna eventually brings Joy to one of their dates, leaving Dan immediately infatuated with her.

It’s not until Joanna and Jean see Dan in public that the complication becomes clear. While Jean hides, Joanna tries to say hello, explaining to Jean that Dan is the guy she’s been seeing. Jean replies that Dan is Joy’s father, though she’s only about 95% sure that she’s right. Jean makes Joanna promise not to see Dan again, with Joanna eventually rebelling and sleeping with him.

This all comes to a head in the season finale, with Jean and Joanna finally getting along now that all of their misunderstandings are out of the way. Joanna explains that she’s been put off of Dan because of his strange feet, with Dan later turning up to spend time with Joy and Jean properly.

Does Eric get baptized?

No. Eric’s baptism is supposed to happen in the season finale, but he doesn’t go through with it.

Eric’s journey in Season 4 is dedicated to his struggles with religion. His family continues to put pressure on him to be baptized, leaving Eric with a need to please and an ongoing moral dilemma.

Two-thirds of the way through the series, Eric makes up his mind in favor of going through with it. However, this changes in the penultimate episode when his church informs him that they are unwilling to accept money from a fundraiser he is co-running in order to save the food kitchen.

In the season finale, Eric stands up to address the congregation before he is due to be baptized. He explains that he wants to live his life as his authentic self – which is as both a Christian and openly gay man. No one in the church accepts him apart from his mom, who says that she loves him for who he is.

Later, members of the church arrive at the fundraiser to try and make amends, stating that they want to create an open dialogue about how they can be more inclusive. As the night goes on, it leads to the revelation that Eric wants to be a pastor.

What happens to the rest of Cavendish College?

While Otis and his family are settling into their newly-found comfortable dysfunction, the same can be said for Adam (Connor Swindells), as his parents Michael (Alistair Petrie) and Maureen (Samantha Spiro) get back together. O (Thaddea Graham) finally makes amends with Ruby and takes back up her position as the school sex therapist after coming out as asexual. Ruby finally makes friends with the Coven during the fundraiser.

Instead of funding the soup kitchen, all proceeds go to Cal’s (Dua Saleh) top surgery, after they go missing for the first half of the season finale. Cal explains to Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) how isolated they feel, with Jackson and Eric assuring them that things will change for the better.

Jackson finally finds out the truth about his dad, growing closer to his mums in the process. He also helps Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) out of her coercive relationship with Beau (Reda Elazouar), with Viv telling him to never contact her again.

Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) and Isaac (George Robinson) begin pursuing a romantic relationship after getting Maeve’s approval. At the same time, Aimee manages to move past the trauma of the sexual assault through her newfound passion for photography.

Roman (Felix Mufti) and Abbi (Anthony Lexa) rekindle their sexual relationship, while Aisha (Alexandra James) is able to get support from BSL interpreters firmly instated at Cavendish.

Sex Education is streaming on Netflix now. Check out our other coverage below: