Most, if not all of us, long for the feeling of being seen. “Sex Education,” a Netflix Original show, comes to an end in its fourth season with a familiar and emotionally impactful ending, making its viewers feel validated and understood, just like its beloved characters. In recent years, I haven’t felt like a show has finished at a proper stopping point, and it has been a while since I have been satisfied with the ending of a beloved show. The series finale does justice to the reputation that the show has built and goes down, in my opinion, as one of the best Netflix original productions to date.
The fourth season did something completely unusual for such a well established show: it placed its characters in a completely foreign environment, removing them from our well-known Moordale Secondary from previous seasons. Despite the change of scenery, the essence of the show remains untouched, bringing a perfect balance between comedy and drama.
Through the course of eight episodes, I caught myself laughing at the screen multiple times, especially when Eric and Aimee–portrayed by Ncuti Gatwa and Aimee Lou Wood respectively–were on screen. Every character is great in their own way, making their audience feel represented through their own little quirks and issues, but those two really stand out on the comedic side of the show. On the dramatic end, Maeve, Adam, Mr. Groff and Jean Milburn–brought to life by Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Alistair Petrie and Gillian Anderson–make the audience empathize with their reality and help us put ourselves in their shoes. A lot of us know what it is like to watch our parents get divorced and figure out how to navigate that on our own, or how it feels to get our hearts broken. Seeing these characters go through relatable experiences made me feel like I am not alone and like my feelings are valid. From someone that has similar experiences to some of the characters in the show, it is extremely comforting to see it being portrayed in such a gentle, yet realistic manner.
Unlike many shows, “Sex Education” perfectly addresses all sorts of important issues; ranging from sexual identities to loss, struggles with mental health and faith, the show doesn’t force any of them onto audiences, and that aspect is done exceptionally well in this last season. It does an outstanding job of shining light on many important topics, but most of all, it focuses on friendship and how pivotal our friends and family are in our lives. We have seen these characters grow, their relationships change and people come and go from their lives, and I would be lying if I said that I did not feel like I have not changed with them over the years. Their growth and experiences are real and genuine; in some way, I feel like I know them, and because of that, the ending feels bittersweet.
Despite the sad feeling of saying goodbye to some of my favorite characters, the show takes its time to close each individual character arc that it meticulously built throughout the years and leaves us with a feeling of closure. It emphasizes once more the everlasting lesson that we are constantly growing and that things don’t always go the way we want them to, but that is just how life goes, and that is okay. With that being said, I give the fourth season of “Sex Education” five out of five goats.
