Who among us hasn't had a therapy session in a bathroom? This series made me remember all the awkward times we've all probably had as a teen and how maybe we could've benefited from (sex) therapy. Sex Education is about Otis, played by Asa Butterfield, who is an insecure, socially awkward teenager who can't seem to make it to the finish line. That's to say, he can't successfully masturbate. Yeah, you read that right. It also doesn't help that his mom Dr. Jean, played by the brilliant Gillian Anderson, is a world-renowned sex therapist who is incredibly open to having those conversations about sex with a parent. His home could double as a sex museum in terms of decorations and therapy manuals lurking around everywhere. However, Otis is not that proficient at sex (I mean the kid can't even have an orgasm which is so tragic). His home life gets exposed at school and rather than let it embarrass him - Otis attempts to use it to his advantage. He teams up with his gay best friend Eric, played by Ncuti Gatwa, and bad-girl Maeve, played by Emma Mackey, to do secret sex therapy sessions to deal with the weird sex problems the kids at their school keep having. First off, I'll be open enough to say I wish I had a show like this when I was a teenager. The frank conversations about sex were refreshing. These 'problems' that Otis kept hearing weren't seen as problems - rather it was an aspect of your health to be knowledgable about how your body works. Who you're interested in, what turns you on, or when you did the deed was never seen as things to be fixed about a person. Not only that, but the topics approached were actual sex things teens dealt with. Hooking up with classmates, pregnancy scares, abortion, questioning one's sexuality, learning to be comfortable with yourself and your partner, consent, STDs, and so much more are just the tip of the iceberg of what was touched on in this show. It was refreshing that these sex-crazed teenagers didn't already know everything - they were just as clueless about sex as Otis was. Also, I loved the diversity in this show. Eric wasn't just the token Black, gay best friend that often gets shoved to the side and ignored. There were no two girls who looked the same or had the same body type. People had unique interests and sex problems for them since sex is not the same for everyone. Not only that, but Dr. Jean seemed to have sex problems herself, so it isn't just a teen thing.
In case you were wondering, yes, this post still finished before Otis did.
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