Given the high volume of content on Netflix, searching for a good show to watch can be daunting and almost overwhelming. In 2018 alone, the streaming service provided approximately 700 original shows. Some shows like the sci-fi horror "Stranger Things" (2016–) or adult cartoon "BoJack Horseman" (2014–) have become major hits. Others fell flat and proved to be controversial, such as the teen drama "Insatiable" (2018). One of Netflix’s most recent releases, "Sex Education," stands apart from other shows. The sex-positive teen dramedy is a refreshing contribution to the genre that lacks the two dimensionality and cringe-inducing cheesiness of so many other modern teen shows.
The show is centered around 16-year-old Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), the socially awkward child of couth sex therapist Dr. Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson), who teams up with the punk hidden genius Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) to create a sex therapy clinic for their high school. Their patient’s woes range from everyday struggles with body image or unrequited love to more colorful (for instance, one girl’s struggle to fulfill her alien fetish) and agonizingly relevant problems. For example, in the fifth episode, a patient enlists the two to track down a person who is threatening to leak a nude photo of her. One of the show's strongest suits is that it tackles every patient’s storyline with thought, care and respect, and the anxieties of the characters are masterfully rooted in the universal anxieties of growing up and exploring one’s sexuality. Because the show encapsulates the adolescent experience in a holistic way, viewers are able to both laugh at and sympathize with the characters.
Another particular triumph of the show is the characters' complexity. At first, they all seem to be the fatigued archetypes of the young-adult genre: there’s the awkward nerd, the cool girl who’s way too out of his league, the airhead blonde and the dim-witted bully. However, this impression fades quickly; each character has unique, well thought-out motivations and emotions, and their actions never feel out of place or like they're solely for cheap laughs, something that can be somewhat lacking in modern teen media. One strikingly well-developed, lovable character is Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa), Otis’s best friend, who struggles with his identity as gay in the context of his hyper-religious African family. He is boisterous, raunchy and fashion-loving; however, his sexuality is never reduced to a stereotype, and he doesn’t get reduced to comic relief. Instead, he is one of the most complex characters in the series. While he is gay and Otis's best friend, he doesn’t get shoved into the tired archetype of the Gay Best Friend. Towards the latter end of the season, he has a phenomenal multi-episodic narrative independent of Otis where he explores his identity and searches for where exactly he belongs. Both touching and humorous, Eric’s development is one of the greatest successes of the show, and Ncuti Gatwa’s portrayal is nothing short of exceptional.
One cannot discuss the strengths of "Sex Education" without bringing up Gillian Anderson’s portrayal of Dr. Jean Milburn. The X-Files alumna nails the role of accidentally overbearing sex therapist, and without her perfectly executed performance, the show wouldn’t be nearly as much of a success as it is. Her character is charming and poised, yet occasionally tactless and muddled, and Anderson captures the nuances of this character almost effortlessly.
In all, "Sex Education" is a genuine, progressive and honest portrayal of the strife of adolescence, while capturing both the utter laughability of this stage of life and the genuine anguish of growing up. In a sea of teen shows that paint a sensationalized, unrelatable picture of youth, "Sex Education" is a show that just gets it.
'Sex Education:' a raucous, thoughtful glimpse into the awkwardness of adolescence
