Greetings, reader!
Netflix's hit comedy-drama Sex Education (2019-2023) recently aired its fourth and final season. Praised as much for its authentic attitude concerning diversity and representation as for its dynamite cast and realistic, well-written characters, this sex-positive and honestly educational series has found its way into many hearts. These are my favorite episodes!
Oh, and spoiler alert: as the list is aimed at people who have watched the series, there will be spoilers for seasons 1-4.
Here are my honorable mentions: Episode 1 (Season 1 Episode 1), Episode 8 (Season 1 Episode 8), Episode 6 (Season 2 Episode 6), Episode 8 (Season 3 Episode 8), Episode 4 (Season 4 Episode 4).
10. Episode 3 (Season 1 Episode 3)
The first two episodes of the series are quite light - more serious themes are toyed with, hinting that the series might occasionally swim in deeper waters, but mostly it's masturbation problems and other mundane things played for laughs amidst the life lessons.
Then the third episode comes along and says, 'We're talking about abortion'. That's a good thing, and it makes for a hell of an episode.
The scenes set in the abortion clinic are great in terms of dialogue and overall tone. The script handles the themes with grace, and details like the pro-life protestors outside the clinic harassing Maeve (Emma Mackey) really hit the nail on the coffin in terms of overall emotional impact.
9. Episode 8 (Season 4 Episode 8)
The series finale has its flaws, but it still makes it onto the list. Remember that the series only ever aired 32 episodes, so the last-ever episode being at #9 means that it's not even in the best quarter. Still, I had to put it this high - while the ending could've been better and didn't stick every possible landing, it has an abundance of positives nonetheless, as most major characters get poetic endings and there are many individual moments that had me choking up.
Let's get the negatives out of the way first, because I like to end with the positives (why would I write this blog, if not to put smiles on the faces of fellow cinema-and-TV enthusiasts?). There are parts where the finale doesn't feel like genuine closure but rather a slightly mechanical, checking-boxes mentality of giving every character some ending and doing things every series finale should do. Also, it pisses me off that pretty much every character gets a decent ending except for Otis (Asa Butterfield), the main character. Yes, I get that his whole thing was helping others and he gets to do a lot of that in the last episodes, but it would've been nice to see him getting his own special ending instead of sitting alone and knowing that at least he helped a bunch of people.
Then for the positives. It was touching to follow how the Cavendish students rallied together to search for Cal (Dua Saleh), when they went missing (and THANK GOD that they were okay - that storyline really had me worried there for a moment). The Groff boys (Connor Swindells & Alistair Petrie), my favorite emotionally stunted men, also get a precious ending after growing so much over the last seasons and really nailing the show's idea that problematic behavior doesn't come from nowhere, and even a major asshole can learn if they seek help, deal with their issues and are willing to grow.
And then there's Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) - as I mentioned, many characters got nice endings, but his takes the cake as my favorite. The proud and energetic Gay Black Christian fellow we know and love always had amazing storylines regarding his cultural identity, and his direction in the final episode is pure fire. Eric's speech to his church is incredibly powerful (and something everyone who uses religion as a means of spreading hatred should hear), and his decision to become a pastor spreading the message of inclusion feels as right as it does heart-warming. Man, we need pastors like Eric Effiong in real life.
8. Episode 1 (Season 3 Episode 1)
Season 3 is hands-down my favorite season of the show - after season 2 let me down by focusing less on lessons and thematics and more on a zillion overdone love triangles, season 3 put us right on track with what kind of show this was always meant to be. The season's fresh feel kicks off right with its first episode.
New headmaster Hope (Jemima Kirke) arrives, and while she would turn out to be the most despicable character in the show (arguably the only major character not worthy of a redemption arch), the ever-smart writers don't show this right away. In this episode, she seems fresh and likable, which lays some expert groundwork for how dark it feels when she slowly starts to show her true nature in the following episodes.
Also, the storyline of Otis and Ruby's (Mimi Keene) secret hook-ups is as entertaining as it is important for the character development of both individuals.
7. Episode 3 (Season 3 Episode 3)
Ah, more season 3 greatness! This episode doesn't focus on any one spectacular event or hold any larger-than-life moments like many top-10-worthy episodes - it's just a remarkably fine piece of the puzzle, with pretty much every storyline progressing in an engaging fashion.
We get to know Cal, season 3's cool new character who grew into one of my favorites, better as they bond with Jackson. We follow Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) on her road to recovery from the assault she experienced in season 2 (one of the show's most gripping and eye-opening storylines) in an emotional fashion. And, as Otis and Ruby's fling turns into actual dating, the series does a brilliant job humanizing Ruby, who previously seemed cold and not very likable, by showing just enough of her background and personal life to make any viewer with a heart care about her all of the sudden.
6. Episode 7 (Season 1 Episode 7)
Sex Education has a habit of each season having excellent penultimate episodes, followed by season finales that fall just a bit flat. In every season, the second-last episode is better than the last (in my opinion, as well as IMDB's), and every episode 7 of the four eight-episode seasons made it all the way into my top six, while the only episode 8 to make it into the top 10 was the series finale sitting at #9. Uh, sorry for the math homework.
Anyways, even the least-good penultimate episode is quite a banger. Eric's entrance to the school dance in full drag is fabulous, and seeing him make up with Otis after their fight is a fantastic testament to the endurance of true friendship. Then there's the scene where a student threatens to hurt himself, and Otis talks him out of it with a passionate and empathetic speech, really driving home what a great protagonist he is for this particular series.
5. Episode 7 (Season 4 Episode 7)
The second-last episode of the series is a gripping but ultimately wholesome powerhouse - while there are other important storylines at play as well, the main focus is on the Cavendish students taking a stand against ableism in a protest filled with empathy and unity. The first act, where Isaac (George Robinson) can't get to his exam because the lift is broken again, is frustrating - but when this starts a chain event of all present students refusing to take the exam until something is done, things become heartwarming.
As someone raised by a disabled father, I've witnessed time and time again how our society has made things frustratingly difficult for the differently abled, so this episode was an emotional viewing experience. Also, hats off to Robinson's acting performance - the character had been so cynical and emotionally wary throughout the series (for very understandable reasons), that it caused an instant flow of tears in this viewer when we got to the part where Isaac looks around at all the people standing up for him and sports a genuine, baffled smile.
4. Episode 5 (Season 3 Episode 5)
Sex Education is built on a combination of wholesome and informative themes, humor ranging from silly to elegant, and character relationships that forge real-feeling drama into the setting. And all of these three major elements are at their peak in season 3's infamos field trip episode.
For the themes, we have all sorts of moments with larger points to make, like Adam showcasing his character growth by taking the fall for Rahim (Sami Outalbali) and the Moordale students having important conversations about the growing problems with headmaster Hope's abstinence policies. For the humor, we have the 'who caused the poop accident' plot that somehow works with the larger story despite its ridiculous nature. And for the character relationships, that kiss between Otis and Maeve is one for the ages.
3. Episode 6 (Season 4 Episode 6)
The best episode of the newest season reads like one emotional gut punch after another. Things are quite sentimental from the start, as we follow the funeral of Maeve's mother.
The episode finds itself being pretty much every possible genre of emotional: grim and hard to watch (Maeve's brother (Edward Bluemel) going off the deep end in his bitter, drug-fueled eulogy), wholesome and heartfelt (Aimee countering Maeve's loneliness by inviting everyone from the school to attend the funeral), and larger-than-life (my favorite dude Colin (Jim Howick) seriously returned for a show-stopping cameo, as he performs a beautiful rendition of U2's With or Without You in a deeply touching context). Tear-jerking stuff.
2. Episode 7 (Season 3 Episode 7)
A sublime example for all the writers and storytellers out there on how to construct a payoff. Things in Moordale Secondary School had looked bleaker and bleaker throughout the third season, with headmaster Hope going full Umbridge and taking her ridiculous abstinence policies further and further in a way that would feel downright unrealistic in its villainy if it weren't for the upsetting fact that many people in this society have that exact worldview.
And after things have gotten more and more dire, this is the episode where goodness prevails. After Hope pulls the last straw by literally locking poor Cal in a room for Open Day so that they wouldn't disrupt things, the students pull off a downright epic protest that had me pumping my fist all the way through. Ruby, Jackson, Eric and many others show their most badass sides as the 'let's be proud of ourselves and not ashamed; let's talk about sex instead of repressing' thematics of the show just hit so hard. Watching the protest unfold in a cathartic, revolutionary manner is as entertaining as it is powerful.
1. Episode 7 (Season 2 Episode 7)
Funny how season 2 is easily the overall worst season of the series (at some point, the overlapping triangle dramas just started to give me headaches), but the one episode from there that makes it into my top 10 is the best individual episode of the whole series. And while there is plenty that the episode does right with other storylines, the main reason is that the storyline of various female characters coming together to help Aimee deal with her trauma is the best individual thing the series ever did.
After multiple episodes of Aimee being traumatized after being sexually assaulted on the bus, she finds herself in detention with many other Moordale girls - and when the subject comes up, they all share their own experiences of dealing with unwanted sexual advances. It's a heartbreaking and important scene, bound to resonate with female viewers and teach a thing or two to male viewers like myself.
Later on, Aimee (who has stopped taking the bus ever since the incident) is walking to school, when she finds her detention buddies waiting for her on the bus stop, announcing that they will all take the bus together. Aimee Lou Wood's acting performance is brilliant, as you can read the level of touching safety and comfort from her facial expression, and the scene plays out as a deeply moving testament to friendship, healing and female empowerment. Many Sex Education episodes moved me to tears, but this is definitely the one that had me bawling the most.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I celebrate the approaching Halloween by ranking every Halloween Heist from Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013-2021).
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