Normally I like Sex Education. They talk about sex in a way that is informative and relatable in the setting of a teen drama.

Despite it being a teen drama they have covered topics that I’m sure adults have benefitted from.

Also, the storylines are interesting and funny at times. It has a good blend.

However, season three was not it for me.

I probably should have written this straight away after I watched the season so that I could give my fresh thoughts but alas procrastination hit and I didn’t.

I watched it with friends, we binged the whole thing together and honestly that is the best way to watch the show. You get to laugh together, cringe together and scream at the screen together… which happened a lot.

So I’m going to start with the negatives and end with the positives as that is my preferred format (I’m speaking like a computer today).

So negative number one, I hated the poo scene. This is probably just a me thing but I hated it! What was the point?! Normally, the show’s raunchy or toilet humour makes sense or it fits the narrative… this one felt like it could have easily been replaced by something else.

So you needed Adam and Rahim to bond… was that really your only option? In France? That was your only option for the French character?

No.

Hated it.

Number two, I do feel they rushed Ruby and Otis’ breakup. Do I think they should have been endgame? No. However, they were a nice change and I would have liked at least two more episodes and a better break up storyline.

Her love confession was so abrupt and whilst I didn’t agree with everything Otis did this season he had a point with Ruby. They were very much in the beginning why did he have to say ‘I love you’? She could have waited.

However, I did like that Ruby got to develop as a character and open herself up more. Even though she basically got side lined after her Otis romance was done…

Number three, Hope. She was an exaggerated villain. The show is supposed to be set in Britain and half the things she did they could have had her done for. Even if it was set in America, she still can’t treat children that way.

But my problem wasn’t so much the character but how they defeated her. Viv recorded her words… why didn’t they do something with that? The way she treated Cal, why didn’t they go to the media that was constantly lurking around? The public shaming and made to wear a sign around school…! Come on now! It’s so easy, all you need is someone to take a video and that could have been the presentation and would have shamed the board as well. Two birds… one stone.

But they decided to do a video presentation on being the sex school and how cool that was.

I get what they were trying to go for but it felt like the laziest option, writing wise. They are a school that celebrates being open about sex education but that is not their only positive quality. They seem to have forgotten that this season.  

They had her! They had Hope!

She locked Cal in a room!

She was being discriminatory!

Like… they could have done so much with all of that but they wasted it.

Which leads me to number four. This season was too sexual and there were no boundaries. You’re probably thinking, “Isn’t that the point of the show?” I say, “No”.

In the first two seasons they were able to show the different kinds of sexual identity. They had Florence, an asexual character, have her own storyline. They talked about safe sex for all kinds of sexual orientations. They talked about the emotional aspect of sex and the psychological aspects not just the physical.

This season did have good moments like with Isaac and Maeve, that scene was very well done and romantic. Also, the contrast between bad sex education and good sex education that they showed. Those were good moments.

However, they were only that, moments.

They only showcased one kind of teenager, the overly sexual one. Sexual teens and adults exist but so do demisexual ones, asexual ones and people who are sexual but just don’t want to have sex in secondary school or people who are late bloomers.

When I was in school there were people who had had sex and people who hadn’t had their first kiss yet.

I didn’t see that variety on the show.

It irked me that they even had a demisexual character, Steve, but that was never explored it was just a throw away at the end of the presentation. Honestly, it was a blink and you miss it moment. I’m surprised I caught it.

Also, boundaries. How is it ok for a teacher to direct a choir to sing a very sexually explicit song? There are rules in place for teachers where they have to be careful so that their actions won’t be taken the wrong way. I feel like this could be taken the wrong way by one parent.

Or even Lily. What happened to her was awful and should have been the reason Hope got taken down because of how cruel it was. Who does that and gets away with it? Not one teacher reported her?

Anyway, that was awful and Lily’s stories are written well and there is a market for her. However, in some publications it’s not suitable, especially in a school one. Normally, the publication will let you know what they accept and what they don’t.

It would have been nice if they’d shown someone just being honest with her and giving her options. No one helped her to understand their point of view (when it came to her writing) and yet expected her to understand all the rules.

If you don’t explain something how are people supposed to understand?

So yeah, those were my negatives. I also got bored of Maeve and Otis but it didn’t bother me as much as it bothered my friends. They made good points, that they should either get them together or break them up for good.

I actually liked Eric and Adam’s storyline (side note: what happened to Eric’s dad?) because it made sense. They’re in two very different places. It was never going to work and Adam needs to find himself.

Also, a lot of people pointed out how their relationship began and how they’re sick of that troupe and that put me off the pair.

I’ve already mentioned one thing I liked, the Maeve and Isaac relationship. It was not as sinister as the season two finale led me to believe it would be.

I really enjoyed the adult’s storylines. In particular Mr Groff’s storyline. It really fleshed him out and I love that he actually had an arc and saw the error of his ways and sort to change himself or to rediscover himself.

It shows that people aren’t cardboard cut out evil and there’s usually a reason behind their actions.

I thought Aimee’s storyline was well done. They didn’t just brush her sexual assault aside. It had lasting damage and I like that they showed her getting help from Jean.

I also liked Jean’s storyline. She’s messy and entertaining, peak adult. Honestly, she’s the perfect representation of what being an adult is. Sure you can have a career and responsibilities but you still have problems and you still make mistakes and you still learn in your grown age.

I was most invested in her storyline. When she almost bled out I was shocked! I did briefly think she would die. Then I thought that was it for dramatic storylines and then we were hit with the cliff-hanger!

Man.

I said she should keep the results to herself but my friends said she should tell him. To take the moral high ground, I’ll go with my friends.

But… it’s going to be so bad! Ola! Jakob!

This is only going to end badly.

I have to say, I’m not looking forward to season four. Even though I enjoyed Jean’s and Michael’s storylines… and Adam’s actually, they’re not the main characters (well Adam is) and the main storyline this season… was disappointing. It just didn’t feel as rich as it usually does.

So yeah… those are my thoughts.