Netflix Hidden Gem: Sex Education

Ok, so Netflix’s newest comedy series Sex Education might not be a hidden gem, but it doesn’t seem to have captured the zeitgeist like House of Cards or Orange is the New Black did upon their arrival on the site, so I’m going to assume that the series hasn’t reached the masses at Bird Box-level numbers. Which is to say: This show is utterly charming, incredibly well written and acted, and you should be making plans right now to binge its great first season.

Shows dealing with adolescent and teenage sexuality are popping up all over television these days, with Netflix already having the excellent Big Mouth exploring how the middle school set struggles with puberty, while Hulu has the upcoming Pen15 that will do the same (albeit with live actors rather than cartoons). Sex Education is a worthy companion piece to Big Mouth, unafraid to delve into potentially uncomfortable topics, while doing so with grace and care.

The series centers on Otis (played by Asa Butterfield with just the right amount of awkward fear and teenage bravado), a high school student with only one friend and zero social status, whose mother (Gillian Anderson, who is absolutely brilliant in the role) happens to be a sex therapist (who, naturally, can help everyone else find intimacy in their lives but cannot do the same in her own). When the school bully (Adam, played by Connor Swindells with a depth I didn’t expect) has a problem in his love life, Otis inadvertently offers advice that ends up working. So, conned into working as the official unofficial school sex therapist by Maeve, the school’s bad girl (Emma Mackey, who crushes the role), Otis starts dispensing advice to his classmates – despite being a virgin who can’t even manage to masturbate (the reason behind that particular mental impasse is revealed late in the season).

So, a kid has his own Love Line operation in his high school. What’s so special about that? Well, what’s special is in the show’s writing (from showrunner Laurie Nunn and her writing staff) and performances. Otis tackles a number of problems throughout the season, from acting as a Cyrano to the school golden boy to helping the school’s only lesbian couple figure out their sexual compatibility issues, but every issue is treated as important and worthy of his attention. Never once is a joke made by the show at the expense of the character who needs Otis’s help. And, it goes without saying, the series is very sex positive. No one is shamed for their particular quirk or question, and everyone gets the chance to explore just why this issue has popped up. It’s, quite frankly, refreshing.

While the series appears to be set in a modern British high school, the clothing is a mishmash of various eras and tends to evoke elements of American high schools (the school’s golden boy athlete wears his letterman jacket consistently around the school, the kids wear street clothes rather than uniforms, etc.), leading to an “everyman” feel to the series – these issues happen to everyone, everywhere, so don’t feel like you’re alone if you’ve dealt with the same things the characters are working through. The dialogue and situations are as modern as they come, blending in with the more anachronistic elements of the show. It’s different, but it works.

And then there’s the performances. Man, there’s some great work happening on this show. Butterfield anchors the series, pulling off the multi-faceted elements of Otis with seeming ease. While dispensing advice, Otis is the most put together teen you could ever hope to meet, but get him alone with his mum or with a girl he likes and he crumbles into an insecure boy. It’s pretty incredible to watch happen in real time on screen. Anderson also provides the bulk of the laughs, as a woman who has the outward appearance of a put together, sexually open, modern woman, but when she’s in a scene alone, we see the damage her divorce has taken on her confidence, which she masks with sexual freedom and bravado. Again, not an easy character to get a hold of, and Anderson is very much up for the challenge.

But the emotional heart of the series belongs to Eric, played by Ncuti Gatwa, Otis’s gay best friend. Eric deals with some of the traditional coming out story arcs, complete with a gay bashing, but Eric is more than just a token gay character. There are many romantic relationships explored throughout the first season of Sex Education, but it is the friendship between Otis and Eric that is the true love story of the series so far. Nothing is more traumatic than feeling a deep friendship begin to fray, and that pain is deeply explored through their relationship. While everyone might not have had a high school love affair, everyone has dealt with a friendship that buckled under the strain of new interests, new friends, and failure on the part of one half of it to uphold their promises. Watching Gatwa navigate Eric’s feelings of abandonment and loss as he feels Otis moving further away from their friendship was the most gutting part of the season.

But it isn’t all deep emotional cuts. Sex Education has plenty of laughs (mostly courtesy of Anderson and Swindells), and generally heartwarming moments of personal connection between characters. While a lot happens throughout the first season of the series, the central theme is exploring how we’re all more alike than we think. And, in times like these, exploring our similarities is a nice change from fighting over our differences. If you’re looking for a smart, fun, and well-produced comedy to binge, Sex Education is well worth your time.