Sex Education Season 4 review: A heartfelt & horny goodbye

❘ Published: 2023-09-21T07:02:00

Netflix

Sadly, the time to say goodbye to Moordale has finally arrived. With their hearts and unmatched horniness, the cast of Sex Education Season 4 has given their goodbye their all.

When it was announced by creator Laurie Nunn that Season 4 would indeed be the show’s final hurrah, fans didn’t take the news easily. On the plus side, Sex Education has been able to give its farewell the time and attention it deserves, balancing between providing powerful drama and not getting too ahead of itself.

Oths (Asa Butterfield), Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Maeve (Emma Mackey), and the gang are all back for one last ride, with a host of new challenges waiting in the wings to be overcome. The adults of Sex Education aren’t having an overly easy ride either, with Jean (Gillian Anderson) and Michael (Alistair Petrie) going through some serious life changes.

With so many sub-plots to balance, it’s not surprising that some details lose their clarity along the way. Even so, Sex Education Season 4 manages to hit the highs it needs to bow out in style. Warning – minor spoilers for Season 4 ahead!

The move to Cavendish College changes everything

The biggest change for the Sex Education gang is that their old stomping ground, Moordale Secondary School, was permanently shut down at the end of Season 3. This time around, the heart of learning is the nearby Cavendish College. It’s here that we meet a bunch of new and intriguing students who fit seamlessly into the existing story, unlike a school swap befitting Waterloo Road. Together, they navigate the peaks and pits of a student-led campus that often results in not-so-healthy competition.

For two Moordale students, the move doesn’t matter too much. Maeve is exploring education in the US, while Adam (Connor Swindells) gives up on classrooms altogether to pursue an apprenticeship on a farm. Considering that neither character fits with the main school storyline for the bulk of the episodes, Season 4 does an incredibly good job of making everyone feel included.

True to the show’s style, this later extends to ableism, religious homophobia, and emotional coercion. No issue is left unresolved, no blind eyes are turned to the smallest of details that could be troubling someone. It might seem like a distant fantasy for most in reality, but Cavendish College gives viewers a chance to see alternative education being implemented in the right way.

Maeve and Otis aren’t everything

Ever since Season 3, Otis and Maeve’s relationship has been a will-they-won’t-they situation. With Maeve announcing that she was leaving for America as the season drew to a close, all was left to play for as the pair attempted long distance. Season 4 remains authentic in the issues any couple in an LDR would face, with communication frequently being blown out of proportion. As a result, Maeve and Otis leave their lasting affection for each other in a healthier place as the season progresses. They clearly make decisions that are right for both of them; in short – the pair grow from kids to adults in front of our eyes.

At the same time, Maeve arguably wasn’t the relationship in Otis’ life that he needed to rectify the most. Season 4 puts a strain on Otis’ friendship with Eric, as the pair drift apart when new friends are on the horizon. On top of that, Eric has his own personal crisis in the form of his relationship with religion, fighting his mother at every corner about being baptized by the church. Jean is also stringent with Otis as she juggles being a single mom for baby Joy. By the season finale, all is well with the two most important people in Otis’ life, highlighting the beginnings that can bloom from ugly change.

If anything, the platonic relationships are the most interesting part of a show that focuses heavily on sex. Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) and Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) are there for each other through some incredibly bleak times, while popular clique The Coven pushes their emphasis back on being kind rather than catty. It’s a refreshing change from the world of Mean Girls gone by, and it works.

Moordale’s drama gets serious

While it’s always a fun time to watch horny and awkward teens get to grips with their feelings and experience in the bedroom, Sex Education Season 4 has a dark side that becomes a lot more sobering.

Cal (Dua Saleh) continues to struggle with their transition to the point of putting themselves in danger, while Jackson finds himself in the middle of a medical scare. Both scenarios are handled with total tact and compassion, not omitting the patronizing feelings of being misunderstood that often come with both issues. At the same time, elements of their storylines get lost in the background, with reasons why they are making particular choices not easily clear to follow.

Adam and Michael are also having a tough time getting to know each other from scratch, while another student suffers from a fatal family change that pushes them in a direction that don’t want to visit. It’s arguably Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) who has the biggest adult glow-up, dealing with her sexual assault trauma in an affirming, healthy, and artistic way.

Sex Education Season 4 review score: 4/5

In the end, Sex Education Season 4 stayed true to its advertising – they all came together, even if they didn’t necessarily leave together.

The show is surprisingly cozy and comforting to watch, even while it’s in the thick of dealing with the pits of humanity. The world and character building from the past 3 seasons don’t get lost in the new surroundings, even when details slip by the by.

While it’s disappointing to make a final farewell to the town of Moordale, Sex Education has consciously chosen to leave things in the healthiest possible place – and what is a better message for the show than that?

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