In the final season of “Sex Education,” not everyone ends up happy, but everyone gets a heartfelt goodbye.
Spoiler alert! This article reveals all the plots concluding Sex Education. If you have not seen the series or the season 4 finale, we recommend that you do not read any further.
That’s it, Sex Education has definitively closed the doors of its high school. The Netflix series bowed out with a fourth and final season that was quite busy and completed most of the main storylines started in the previous seasons. Despite the massive departure of the actors at the end of season 3, the British series wanted to do things well so that fans could say goodbye in due form to Otis, Maeve, Eric, Adam, Aimee, Isaac and all other Moordale alumni.
This final season offers a significant change: the students of Moordale find themselves in a new establishment, Cavendish College, while Maeve continues her studies in the United States at a prestigious university.
In the eighth and final episode of season 4 of Sex Education, Otis agrees to end his relationship with Maeve after the latter decides to continue her writing program in the United States. As for Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), he faces his own dilemma, which has plagued him throughout the season.
Meanwhile, Cavendish College is on high alert after Cal (Dua Saleh) disappears following a complicated personal quest. Jean (Gillian Anderson), for her part, faces her family problems with her sister Joanna. And to manage all this chaos, Netflix is giving the Sex Education finale a longer duration to tackle these many stories.
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Maeve and Otis break up
From the beginning, Sex Education did everything to make us believe that Maeve (Emma Mackey) and Otis (Asa Butterfield) were meant to be together. Season 4 is its last chance to deliver on that promise, and that’s exactly what it does for most of its runtime. However, at the end of the season, the couple decide to separate.
Maeve’s decision to return to the United States reinforces her desire to leave Moordale permanently, while on the contrary, Otis is perfectly happy in their small hometown. They spend their first and last night together before Maeve leaves the country for good. The series ends with Otis reading the letter Maeve wrote to him, effectively closing the door on any potential romance between them in the future. (But it’s a pretty letter!)
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Eric decides to become a pastor
Throughout season 4, Eric struggles with his religion and his sexuality. Being at a more liberal school like Cavendish allows him to express himself more freely. But despite finding a new group of friends who understand and support him, he struggles internally with being baptized into his church. During his final encounter with God (played by Jodie Turner-Smith), Eric learns that his destiny is to “let everyone know that [Dieu] love him for what he is“. This motivates him to embrace his calling and become a more inclusive pastor.
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Otis and Eric reconcile
This episode is also an opportunity to repair the friendship between Eric and Otis. Their friendship has always been a central axis of the series. So it was difficult to watch them come into conflict in Season 4. Amid a series of miscommunications and individual problems, their problem emerged: Otis’ indifference to Eric’s struggles as a a person of color, queer, and from a middle-class family.
It’s true that Sex Education could have explored this plotline more, but it ends with a promise that Otis will do better in the future at engaging in difficult conversations with his best friend.
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Otis’ future
Aside from his relationship issues with Maeve, Otis’ main arc in Season 4 revolves around having a competing sex therapist in Cavendish with O (Thaddea Graham). The rivalry between the two takes up a lot of time in the final season of the series, especially when it is revealed that O has an ugly dispute with Ruby that dates back several years.
In the finale, however, Otis and O reconcile and realize that they can both be good sexologists who would work as a duo to provide sex therapy at school. This is wishful thinking, but it’s unclear if they will actually team up.
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Adam and his father repair their relationship
Although largely separate from the rest of what happens in the rest of Season 4, the Netflix series is still able to provide a satisfying farewell to the Groffs, father and films. After years of a rocky relationship, Adam (Connor Swindells) and Mr. Groff (Alistair Petrie) finally begin to repair their relationship.
And it starts with Mr. Groff finally deciding to deal with his personal problems. This unlikely duo undoubtedly has one of the most touching scenes of season 4, when Mr. Groff confesses to his son that he loves him. A big hug followed which warmed our hearts.
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Jean reconciles with his sister
Season 4 of Sex Education introduces Jean’s sister, Joanna (Lisa McGrillis), which leads to the revelation of their difficult relationship with their own mother. Although they are friends, it is clear that there is tension between the sisters, but this is ultimately resolved at the end of the series, after a series of arguments which conclude with another emotional sequence where Joanna confides her childhood trauma on Jean’s radio show.
Finally, the season 3 mystery regarding Baby Joy’s father is also resolved when it is revealed that it is Dan, a rather random recurring supporting character in the series. Regardless of her biological ties to the newborn, however, Jean decides to raise her daughter alone, with the help of Joanna and Otis.
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Aimee and Isaac as a couple
Before wrapping up its plot, the series introduces a new unexpected love story involving Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) and Isaac (George Robinson). The duo spend more and more time with each other when they both start dating Cavendish, and this leads them to fall for each other.
However, their relationship is not without difficulties. First, they need to get the blessing of Maeve, who previously dated Isaac. Next, and perhaps most importantly, Aimee must finally overcome the trauma of being sexually assaulted. And it is thanks to Isaac’s patience and understanding that she finally finds the desire and the confidence to start a new romantic relationship.
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Ruby draws a line under Otis
The best character of this season 4 is undoubtedly Ruby (Mimi Keene). She completes her redemption arc by being a force for good in the final season. Which path ! Netflix also delved into her story, including her past with O. At the end of Sex Education, she finally makes real friends after becoming sincerely involved in the search to find Cal. Seeing her surrounded by people who truly see her value is the perfect ending to her arc, especially since it means she has a growing social circle beyond Otis.
Not everyone leaves Sex Education with a smug smile plastered on their face, but everyone stays true to their truth. It may not be flamboyant, but sometimes it’s better than an artificially happy ending.