The best evolutions witnessed on Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’

Mark your dates, as Netflix’s all set to give you the ultimate masterclass with its final season of Sex Education set to air on September 21. The show has given us memorable characters such as Otis, Maeve, Eric, Adam, Ruby, and Otis’s mother Jean, and we have loved to see them come a long way (no pun intended) in the spheres of love, sex, parenthood, and so on. 

With the series nearing an end soo, it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and see how they started and where they are today.  

Otis Milburn

One of the show's protagonists, Otis Milburn is like any other teenager—independent, confident, and clueless about many things. The 'sex wizard' is trying to find himself and figure what he truly wants. He is usually the person who comes to everyone’s rescue and solves their sexual troubles, but he is far from consistent in practicing what he preaches. 

Otis’s love life has had its fair share of ups and downs. In the first season, he was smitten by Maeve, but never gathered the courage to confess his feelings to her. In the second season, he dates new student, Ola but breaks up with her as he’s still not over Maeve. The lack of clarity in his relationships is very evident in season 3 as he enters into a no-strings-attached relationship with Ruby. And as most people could see it from a mile away, he’s unable to feel the same way as Ruby because he’s still not over Maeve (yet). 

Having watched him closely over three seasons, one wonders how much importance do love and relationships hold for Otis. After all, he’s considered to be a master in solving other's problems, but the way he conducts himself when it comes to his life, we aren't too sure where it will lead to. Maybe that’s something we’ll get to see in the final season. 

Maeve Wiley

If you see Maeve as a mere love interest on the show, you must know she is absolutely marvellous as the strong, witty, and rebellious girl at Moordale. Though she comes across as cold at times, we know she’s got her heart in the right place as she is always there for her friends and stands up for those who have done her wrong. 

The baggage that she carries from her relationship with her mother and brother has impacted the way she looks at love and intimacy. The only time we see her be vulnerable and true to herself is when her bond with Otis deepens, and she pours her heart out when he betrays her. In season three, we witness a remarkable transformation in Maeve as she realises that she’s not alone and becomes more receptive in accepting help. After doing everything she could (and more) to keep her family together, she decides to work on herself and gets into an educational programme for a better and brighter future. More power to you Maeve!

Eric Effiong

Despite the show being centred around Otis, Maeve, and their sex clinic at the start, Eric's character went on to become one of my favourites on the show. The reason? It steers clear from all the stereotypes associated with gays. We loved him in every frame, and are in awe of his confidence.

We see Eric take one step forward but two steps back when it comes to his relationship with Adam (who bullied him in season 1 only for the two to develop feelings for each other). Come season three, Eric, who’s spent a long time building himself from the ground up, can’t seem to deal with the pace at which Adam is growing and trying to fully embrace his sexuality. And that’s who Eric is, at the end of the day, a star in his own eyes who won’t stop for anyone, especially if they’re stunting his growth. This is why he feels absolutely zero regret or remorse when he cheats on Adam. We truly hope that in the final season, he realises that his actions will lead to severe consequences and should avoid finding himself falling into making the same mistakes again. We do want him to grow but on the right path. 

Adam Groff

Actually, I retract my sentence. Eric isn't my favourite character, Adam is. We love the remarkable character arc—from being the school bully, and a student who is constantly berated by the school headmaster, who happens to be his father. Adam was brought up to be uptight and wasn't given any opportunity to explore his sexuality or be open about it. It’s no surprise, then, to see Adam have a tough time dealing with his emotions. One of the qualities that make Adam stand out from the rest is that he realises he is far from perfect and won’t stop at trying to do better. And after having his heart broken by Eric, we see the pain bring out the best in him. 

Ruby Matthews

We love the characters of Sex Education because they’re far from being stereotypical, whether it is the school bully or the most popular girl in school. Ruby Mattews is the mean, popular, and the untouchable queen bee at Moordale, and just like everyone else on the show, she shatters stereotypes in style. She may be rude, but you know she’s genuine when she cares. The otherwise private girl, only opens up to Otis about her personal life. It's Ruby's selflessness that urges them to give, what started as a fling, the relationship a shot. But we were heartbroken to see Otis not reciprocating her feelings, but we can’t blame him for being that way. It just made us fall in love with Ruby even more, the girl who always wanted to be in love and be loved. 

Watch the trailer here