The New Season of “Sex Education” Fails to Live Up to Expectations

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   The second season of the hit Netflix original, Sex Education came out Jan. 17th. This new season takes a different course than the original plot, leaving audiences feeling confused.

   Although the 1st season ended with a bang as Maeve was expelled from Moordale high school and Otis began to date Ola, the second season failed to live up to the groundwork that was left by its predecessor.

    The 1st season focused on the sex clinic that Otis and Maeve set up at Moordale Secondary School, which was a plot that was concise and easy to follow. The plot of the second season jumps all over the place as each character follows their own path.

    While this story-telling method would work if there were only three or four characters, there are over six characters that the show attempts to follow and weave together. 

   Each scene jumps from one character to the next and fails to help the viewers follow the complex plots of each character.

   For example, in episode 4, Maeve is left to take care of Elsie (her little sister) while her mother goes to a job interview. Maeve also competes with The Quiz Heads for the first time and then gets kicked off of the team after winning the competition for them. During all of this, Otis is tasked with watching Elsie for Maeve and has an appointment for the sex clinic. And, on a side plot, Otis’ father shows up for a surprise visit at his house and meets Jakob, Jean’s boyfriend. Then, Otis loses Elsie, searches for her with Maeve, Maeve reveals her feelings for Otis, and Otis almost loses his virginity to Ola. 

   While this may seem like a lot for the audience to process, it all happens within the first half of episode 4, leaving viewers out of breath and struggling to catch up with what happens next.

   The show struggles to keep a concise and simple plot that viewers can follow but continues to introduce new characters with new plot lines.

   New characters in this season include Rahim, Erin (Maeve’s mother), Mr. Hendricks, Elsie (Maeve’s sister), and Viv. Each of these characters play pivotal roles in the character arcs of each character of the show. But, the show also attempts to give these characters their own plotlines that get confused with the main characters’ plots. 

    Overall, the season is confusing and unorganized as it tries to fit too many plot-lines into eight episodes.