Idiot Boxing: Sex Education, seasons 1 and 2 (2019-2020)

Left to right: Maeve, Otis, and Eric. The story
usually revolves around these three, but many
of the other characters are given the spotlight.
And this never feels like wasted story time.

I've never watched a ton of high school romantic comedy shows or movies, but of the ones that I've seen, Sex Education may be the very best to date.

To be clear, I'm a pretty typical Northern European-descended male in his mid-forties. I'm not a great fan of "young people" drama or romantic films or TV shows. But while Sex Education is all of those things, I quickly grew to love it and looked forward to watching another episode nearly every night with my wife as we "binged" through the first two seasons.

The show takes place in a fictional, wondrously beautiful town somewhere in England. We mostly follow Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), a 16-year old boy whose divorced mother Jean (Gillian Anderson) is a noted sex therapist. Despite his mother's profession, Otis is concerned about some of his own sexual hangups; however, this doesn't stop him from eventually starting to give out sexual advice to some of his classmates at school, for a fee. This idea is the brainchild of a glaring, standoffish classmate, Maeve (Emma Mackey), who needs the money to support herself due to absentee parents. Highly amused by the entire operation is Otis's best friend, Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), the son of parents who immigrated to England from Africa, and who is openly gay. Otis, Maeve, and Eric quickly discover just how many of their classmates have questions and concerns about their sexual activity (or non-activity, as it were), and just how complicated it can all make everyone's lives and relationships with each other.

I wish this show, or something very much like it, had existed back when I was in high school.

Sex Education is an eye-pleasing, well-acted, and well-rounded look at sexuality. Most of it is teen-centric, but the adults are certainly not immune to having their sexual foibles and hangups examined, either. Taking place in a wonderfully picturesque, unnamed, fictional town in England, the show's primary premise is that nearly all teens are either sexually active or want to be, and that very few of them are able to handle the psychological or emotional demands that go along with the physical act of sex. In the show, this is where Otis and his better-than-nothing advisory role comes in. While Otis actually has some decent, thoughtful advice, the idea of an inexperienced virgin doling out tips about sex is inherently funny. But the show's humor goes well beyond Otis's hustle as an amateur sex counselor. The writing is often hilarious all around, involving nearly every other character. It's no surprise that much of the humor is based around sex, but it is hardly ever of the raunchy variety. Rather, it embraces the notion that sex is, essentially, a rather silly and funny act most of the time, and there are a ton of practical-yet-embarrassing questions that we all have about it. Yes, it carries deeper emotional significance at times as well, but the simple mechanics and vulnerability of it all puts people in weird and comical positions, both literally and figuratively. Sex Education has plenty of fun with these facts.

The main quartet of "rich, mean kids" at the school. Like many
of the characters, they don't evoke much sympathy most of the
time, but we get to see certain vulnerabilities and insecurities
in each and every one of them over the course of the show.

The acting is top-notch, perhaps most notably with Gillian Anderson, best known to most audiences from her turn as Agent Dana Scully in The X-Files TV show. Her character, Doctor Jean Anderson, initially seems like a self-possessed, progressive person in nearly every way. But it isn't long before we see that she, like everyone else in the show, is flawed in ways that have negative consequences for her and those around her. This is just one area where the show gets its other half right - the dramatic aspects. Though the drama is often of a "high school teen" variety, with breakups, makeups, and the testing of friendships, it often goes beyond simple, romantic tropes. The intelligent, standoffish Maeve is eventually revealed to be dealing with serious family issues and near poverty. Otis's best friend Eric is forced to deal with violent homophobia. And in perhaps the subtlest and most quietly fascinating example, the school headmaster's son Adam - an alpha male bully - is gradually shown to be dealing with as much inner turmoil as anyone else in the school, if not more. Almost every character is, over the course of the first two seasons, shown to have layers that go beyond the familiar teen show archetypes, and many of them have to deal with very serious modern issues around gender and sexual orientation.

Regarding my statement about wishing a show like Sex Education had existed during my high school years: I have to admit being envious of younger generations in this regard. Our culture has, to a degree, loosened up its attitudes towards these things, which is of immense help to anyone who has questions about sex. And let's face it - nearly every teenager has infinite questions about it, stemming from hormonal overloads that very few teens can manage effectively. I was no exception, and I was constantly in fear of seeming uncool or inexperienced, with nowhere easy to turn. In hindsight, my issues were fairly garden-variety, but the crippling anxiety that most teens have prevented my seeking out any useful knowledge from qualified adults, or even talking about them with friends or family. Had a show like Sex Education existed and been popular, I think plenty of people like me and my friends would have had a medium through which to open up countless constructive conversations.

A third season has been confirmed, which excited me. I have to think that this show may only have another season left in it, at least with the current cast playing the high schoolers. But it will be great to see most of the main players finish out their senior year and see what other topics the show addresses. Highly recommended, as long as one is comfortable with close looks at sexuality.