Like many others, I'm sure, I binge-watched Netflix throughout my break from school. I first came across "Sex Education" on Twitter, and after watching the trailer I was immediately excited for the release of the actual show. The show is composed of eight episodes, about an hour each, and I finished it in two days. Eight hours of tv is a bit much, I know, but "Sex Education" is addicting, and despite its comedic name it's a commentary on how it feels to be young that will make you both laugh and cry.
The story follows Otis, a straight boy nearing the end of high school. Otis is the son of a sex therapist, a fact he tries desperately to hide from his peers at school. His best friend Eric, however, knows the truth. Otis and Eric are inseparable, and while Otis struggles with his fear of sex and his overly sexual, prying mother, Eric is openly gay and attempting to figure out who he wants to be. The two become close with Maeve, the "bad" girl of the school, unfairly labeled as a "slut" since a young age and struggling to pay rent for her trailer park space. Otis is odd and at times painfully awkward, but Maeve recognizes an ability in him to deal with the sexual and emotional problems of other students. She hatches a plan: a sex clinic where Otis can therapize the students that she schedules for him.
The show is hilarious, everything from Otis' mother's attempts to therapize her sexually repressed son, to Eric's constant silliness and quick wit, to fellow student Adam's nude appearance in the cafeteria, will have you cracking up. "Sex Education" talks plainly about sex, as one would expect from its name, but it also explores the not so sexy, uncomfortable, embarrassing aspects of sex. It discusses the taboo and makes the tricky questions laughable and easy to talk about. It's a show I wish I could've watched in high-school because it makes it known that sex, and relationships, are not perfect, and that it's hard for a lot of people to figure them out.
Otis goes through the ups and downs of the relationships of his clients, and of his own relationships. He's kind, funny, and surprisingly in-tune with the difficulties of connecting with another person for a boy who can't handle any kind of sexual encounter without experiencing failure or intense anxiety. There's almost nothing "Sex Education" doesn't touch on and its most admirable attribute is that it does not portray anyone's experience in a judgmental light. As a viewer, you feel empathetic to all the characters despite what any of them do.
"Sex Education" is weird, funny, sweet, sad, and it's incredibly relatable for any young person, even if you think you've already got it all figured out. It portrays overlooked struggles as real issues, and although it utilizes some tired cliches, it touches your heart. So for anyone looking for something to binge, as I was, I hope you have Netflix and about eight hours to spare because the story of Otis and his friends is worth it.
