“Look around: everybody’s either thinking about shagging, about to shag, or actually shagging” -Eric
I just finished watching this new Netflix teenage-romantic series. When the two first episodes seemed so full of annoying, unevolving stereotypes-the rebellious yet intelligent girl whose greasy hair is half pink, that is dating the popular, athletic guy, or the “nerds” vs. the popular bullies, etc- , the third one had me shook and made me change my mind. Why? Because, in spite of many stereotypes, a combo of all 20th century’s teenager’s problems have just been thrown in my face, and because for the first time, cinema is giving a rather positive new glance at young adults‘ sexuality.
Maeve, the complex female lead
First of all, there’s Maeve, the typical complex female character, whose family is composed of a junkie mom, and an absent brother. She's the one that gives everyone a hard time, yet underneath she is truly resilient and brilliant. Living in a caravan, she has a slutty reputation at school and seems to easily bare the numerous rumors by raising the middle finger, throwing an aggressive glare or a few mean words to be left alone. She scares people off, yet mysteriously attracts them. Her sense of style – her pretty face surrounded by pink tainted hair is hidden behind heavy makeup, she wears skirts and (very cool) leather jackets- is catchy and part of the character’s aura that we feel instinctively drawn to. Yet, she isn’t like those heartless/ brainless girls characters introduced to us in typical American teen series and movies like Mean Girls (Regina George and the "plastics"), American Pie (pretty much all the girls that the boys fancy) or Skins (Effie or Cassie, which are indeed more complex characters, are still very stereotyped).
But when I thought the character was disappointing and just a vulgar, well-known stereotype of edgy teenage girls, the third episode made me change my mind. In this episode, she goes into a clinic to get an abortion -yes, stereotype scenario again: she has to get knocked up, just because she’s the foolish, care-free girl that sleeps with a lot of people etc. But: her behavior in the hospital is truly moving and sincere, adding a little of depth to the character itself.
In the waiting room, she meets a rather loud woman, who craves for attention (we sense it’s not her first time in the clinic). This woman sits next to Maeve and after a few minutes before entering the surgery aisle, this woman kindly reaches out to her and another young girl, holding their hands, silently saying: we’re all here for the same thing, but it’s going to be alright and we’ll walk out of here stronger. When they wake up from their surgery, a genuine, simple act of kindness will give the two women a chance to talk during a heart-felt conversation. We get that the two women are, underneath their strong personalities, extremely sensitive and kind.
This hospital scene, as well as their goodbyes, is tender and heart-breaking. I found this encounter revealing of Maeve’s emotional depth despite her looks and nonchalant acting. The rest of the show and her growing feelings for Otis will also have this effect.
Nevertheless, having brought up abortion is a bold, unexpected and unconventional choice for a romantic teen series like Sex Education, yet it led to a moving and intense episode, distinguishing itself from the usual cliché romantic plots that are usually seen on screen.
Otis, the virgin sex guru
Otis is the typical nerdy boy. He doesn’t have many friends, is very awkward with girls – and is still a virgin, which is a big deal for him. After all, sexuality and virginity are at the centre of the show. He’s kind, caring and has a developing crush on Maeve at this point, which is once again, expected in this series who likes playing with common stereotypes of teenagers. He’s a virgin, but unlike other shows, his goal in life isn’t to sleep with someone as soon as he can. Since his mum is a sex therapist, we would have thought things would have been quite easy for him – he knows a lot from eavesdropping on his mum's appointments, but on the contrary: he's afraid to masturbate and gets panic attacks if he tries to or gets close to intercourse.
This paradox is quite interesting, since Otis finds himself in an unprecedented situation at school. In fact, Maeve and Ottis start a clandestine sex advice cabinet that starts to attract many customers on this third episode. His relationship with his mum Jean (Gillian Anderson) is also relatable, since she's the typical embarrassing, intrusive parent almost every teenager has to live with. Most of the time, she adresses him like she would talk to a patient, which seems to drive the two characters further and further appart. Nevertheless, it is thanks to the knowledge his mum unconsciously gave him on sexuality, that he ends up helping dozens of students at school.
Moreover, his best friend's journey of self-discovery is touching and offers a modern perspective on how teens deal with their sexual orientation, while parting from degrading clichés.
Conclusion on the show
I must admit to have finished the show in two days (thank you winter break). Made up of eight 50 minutes episodes, the series is perfectly binge-watchable and is a great 2019 discovery. It is, for sure, playing with clichés and irritating stereotypes of youth. But it eventually - after a lot of nudity and sex in the first two episodes (I don't recommend watching with parent :), focuses on spreading important messages on serious, modern problems teens often have to face -sexual orientation, first relationships, etc.
While some characters seems trapped in stereotypes (like Ruby), others manage to break from them: Maeve's best friend Aimee, for instance, at first seems superficial, obsessed with her (numerous) boyfriend's sex performances and hanging out with the school's bullies. But throughout the show, we get how sweet, kind and generous she really is.
However, the show's also comforting and refreshing to watch, since we can relate to the characters in many ways, but also because of its nice color frames, setting and tasteful 80's tracks including Generation X's "Dancing with Myself".
In a nutshell, Sex Education is definitively worth watching, let me know if you do !
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o308rJlWKUc
Thanks for reading :)
(All pictures are screenshots)
