Sex Education Season 4 Review – A “Bittersweet Goodbye”

Alice Patterson weighs into the hotly contested debate surrounding Netflix’s final season of Sex Education with their review:

After waiting two very long years, it’s back to Moordale for Sex Education’s fourth and final season – except with a twist. Our characters (the returning ones, anyway) have migrated to Cavendish, a high-tech and hyper-progressive sixth-form college.

While I’d argue this season is the series’ weakest, for long-time fans of the show it’s still worth watching. The appeal comes less from the series’ well-known comedic timing and more from the gratification of saying a bittersweet goodbye to the characters we’ve become so attached to. One of, if not the most touching of these, was for Adam Groff (played by Connor Swindells) and his family. After years of watching them break down and come back together, their conclusion is a beautiful testament to the show’s message that people truly can grow and change.

Fan favourite Eric also gets the spotlight this season wrestling with his evolving relationship with sexuality and religion. While he proves wildly popular at Cavendish, he spends a lot of the season dealing with pressure from his church and family, unsure whether to commit himself to an institution that may not accept his full identity. Eric has always been one of the brightest lights in Sex Education’s band of characters, and his religious journey encapsulates this. Ncuti Gatwa gives a heartwarming, brilliant performance as usual – and just ahead of his premiere as the new face of Doctor Who this Autumn. Few actors could be as deserving of such a role as him.

Several token characters haven’t returned this season – Ola, Lilly, and Olivia to name a few – but have been replaced with Cavendish’s resident students. Felix Mufti and Anthony Lexa play Roman and Abbi, the school’s ‘it’ couple. Thaddea Graham plays O, Otis’ rival and Cavendish’s resident sex therapist. While all these new faces give entertaining performances and serve to flesh out the cast, it’s hard to help but feel that some this season are there for the sake of representation, rather than their actual inclusion in the series.

One of Sex Education’s best qualities is its ability to create complex, humbling characters who are able to simultaneously remain individuals while helping each other to evolve. The unfortunate downside to giving everyone the spotlight is that several stories are left underdeveloped and forgotten. They’ve always prioritised diversity – but there are times this season when it feels more like a box to tick off than a real effort to shed light on untold stories. However, their focus on disabled representation provokes one of the most memorable and powerful quotes of the series: 

“I wish people understood that our problems come from barriers in society, not from our disabilities.”

Maeve’s presence is also slightly reduced this season – no surprise considering Emma Mackey’s rapidly growing success with other projects (think Barbie). Starting out in America, Maeve juggles her passion for writing and long-distance relationship with Otis, But sudden tragedy pulls a tender, gut-wrenching performance from Mackey this season. We say goodbye to Maeve with a sense of confidence and openness she deserved from the beginning. Best friend and fan favourite Aimee (played by Aimee Lou Wood) also has a heartfelt conclusion – one of the most emotive of the show’s plotlines – to give her the space to heal from her assault on the bus in season 2, channelling her trauma through creative expression.

While I’m sure all of us are emotional saying goodbye to Moordale, I can’t help but feel left with the undeniable sentiment that the series has imparted its culture of openness and acceptance to its viewers. Sex Education spent four years teaching us to communicate, listen, and love, and that’s what I’ll remember it for.

The latest, and final, season of Sex Education dropped on Netflix on 21 September and is streaming now.