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Film Probe

Is Sex Education Netflix's Best Series? Season Four (2023) | Review

Otis along with the other Moordale High transfers try to navigate their way through a new school environment. Otis attempts to establish his own sex therapy clinic whilst Maeve handles being away in America.


Netflix's Sex Education is one of the most refreshing shows you can watch today, with an overwhelming amount of representation and some hilariously cringe-worthy moments. This series has taken the world by storm and for very good reason. Season 4 will be the last we see of Otis and his friends, although sad to see it come to an end this series has definitely exceeded all expectations as a whole. Sadly though, this season definitely delivered a stand-alone tone in comparisons to its predecessors.


Previous seasons have focused on sex, love and relationships along with all the positives and negatives which go along with it. Sex Education was always approached with humour, yes through the lens of education but ultimately humour. Season four presented less comedy than previous seasons, instead we were hit with topical and political outbreaks of information. Rather than approaching societal issues with grace and charm, these moments often felt very clunky and stood out like a sore thumb.


The characters who were lucky enough to make it to the new school were obviously the fan favourites and I was pleased to expand their personal stories and learn more about them. Sadly, this was not the case. Although Otis is the core character of the series, he had a very messy fourth season and didn't develop as a character and simply dragged all the other characters to his level. As this is the final season of Sex Education, I expected a huge resolution at the end, friends making up and seeing how these characters might continue into the future. Instead, we were met with a very lacklustre end which simply said nothing... we were left after eight episodes with a very disappointing finale.


Sex Education has been a truly fascinating show which I have thoroughly enjoyed each season but season four felt different. Of course the literal location change and new character introductions caused a slight change, overall the writing felt different. The writing only had a handful of laugh out loud moments and instead concentrated on the heavier subject matters which I don't think was necessary for a teen comedy series. Addressing issues you believe in and showing inclusivity is one thing, which I agree with but hitting your audience with continuous preaches of opinion is a little... unasked-fore.


Nonetheless, I did thoroughly enjoy Season 4 and was pleased to see it just as vibrant and unapologetic as usual. With some episodes having me in stitches and others crying, I truly went on an emotional rollercoaster. It was interesting to see new characters and narratives cloud the series, Sex Education always had the capacity to tackle hard hitting issues and genuinely educated its audience simultaneously. Season 4 shined a light on modern issues and withheld a political stance on gender and acceptance. I love this show. It’s as simple as that, I am sad to see it finish but I am also pleased it has ended here. If the story is going to change too much, let's stop whilst we are ahead.

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