The Netflix original series Sex Education Season 4 was released on the streaming service on September 21. What began as a little awkward and humorous teenage show has finally ended with the fourth installment of the series. Though most characters didn’t behave anything like 16-year-olds, the show managed to educate and fascinate the audience with relatable drama and well ‘sex education’. Sex Education revolves around the lives of Moordale Secondary School students. For three seasons the show encompassed topics of sex, sexuality, STIs, mental health, teen and adult struggles, self-discovery, and more. The fourth and final season certainly made the show legendary. Here are the top 10 characters of Sex Education 4 and the final standings of each character for the series overall.
10. Ruby (Mimi Keene)
I loved Ruby Matthews from the very beginning. I couldn’t wait to see the mask crack, which happened when she fell in love with Otis. Though she got rejected as Otis was in love with Maeve, we can still witness the soft spot she has for him in Season 4. Throughout the season she tries her best to fit in into the new setting of Cavendish College with zero friends to rely on. A different story from her childhood came into view through O (Thaddea Graham). O was her friend in primary school who later became the reason why she got bullied. We had the privilege to witness Ruby’s sassy queen bee energy trying to get back at O and ruining her reputation as a student sex therapist. However, in the end, she accepts O’s apology and asks Cavendish college students to give her a second chance.
9. Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood)
Popular school girl Aimee played a dual role in Season 1. On one hand, she was Maeve’s sweet friend; on the other, she was with the mean group. Her character soon becomes complex in Season 2 after she experiences assault on a bus. We see her healing from this trauma in Season 4. Forging a new friendship and ‘more’ with Isaac (George Robinson), she finds her healing in photography. Aimee realizes she wants women and fear to be her photography subjects. Her friendship with Maeve stole my heart AGAIN. When she confesses the mutual connection between Isaac and her, Maeve says she can’t deal with it right now. Understanding Maeve’s recent loss of her mother, Aimee doesn’t take a second and agrees to be just friends with Isaac. In the end, however, Maeve blesses their newly formed relationship.
8. Abbi (Anthony Lexa)
Abbi is one of the new characters of Season 4. Initially, her over-optimistic nature was perplexing but as the story unfolded I understood her better. She plays the role of a transgender who has been abandoned by her family. Otis being busy with Maeve and the sex therapist election, Eric found a new friend in Abbi. Abbi misses her church and this is where she connects with Eric. Eric’s character intricately struggles with faith and religion in this season. Abbi visiting the soup kitchen without notice to help out Eric was extremely endearing. We see her having a no-gossip rule as she believes negativity is draining. However, in the last episode, Otis and O help Abbi, Roman (her boyfriend, played by Felix Mufti), and Aisha (Alexandra James) to express their thoughts.
7. Adam (Connor Swindells)
What a story! In my opinion, Maeve, Eric, and Adam had the best storyline. You can certainly disagree or add more to the list. From being Eric’s bully to his partner, all the while being an embarrassment for his father, Mr. Groff, he has suffered a lot throughout Sex Education. Adam’s character showed the trauma an emotionally repressed and strict father can cause. We see him trying to move on from Eric, dropping out of school and joining a farm. In Season 1, Adam grabbed his father’s collar and said “I hate you.” And, the series ends with Mr. Groff saying, “I love you. You’re my son.” Trust me, I didn’t cry (I did).
6. Otis (Asa Butterfield)
In Season 4, Otis deals with the things he dealt with in Season 1, and understands himself better. He realizes his phobia of sex stems from abandonment issues as he witnessed his mum suffering after her divorce. The credit goes to the student sex therapist of Cavendish College, Sarah ‘O’ Owen. He fights an election against O, and in the process realizes O is better than him. Though they tried to maintain a long-distance relationship, Maeve and his relationship didn’t work out as Maeve went back to America to complete her education. The series ends with him reading Maeve’s letter – “You have the rare ability to make people feel truly seen. And you did the same for me.” The ending draws a parallel with the last episode of Season 1 when Maeve read Otis’ letter – “You saw something in me when no one else did.”
5. Cal (Dua Saleh)
A massive part of this season was about Cal (playing a non-binary character). Introduced in Season 3 as a transfer student, Cal hit it off immediately with Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling). They had a mutual interest however, Cal’s gender caused Jackson to question his orientation. We see this tension between them in Season 4. Cal is struggling with his transition process. They explore a bond with Aisha in this season. The beauty of this show is unity and we get to witness it when Cal disappears. An emotional conversation with Eric makes them realize that they shouldn’t give up trying as “people like us aren’t going anywhere.” Cavendish students raise money for Cal’s top surgery.
4. Michael Groff (Alistair Petrie)
The character growth of Headmaster Groff was one of the most fascinating aspects of this season. An emotionally constipated, uptight headmaster who doesn’t know how to communicate with his wife Maureen (Samantha Spiro) and son Adam, finally begins to work on himself in season 4. The separation from his family makes him understand the aspects he needs to work on. Mr. Groff is now a teacher at Cavendish. He tries to prove he is virile by hooking up with another teacher from Cavendish, however, it doesn’t work. He realizes he hasn’t moved on from his wife and calls Jean on her radio show as Martin to express it. Maureen gets back with Michael, but, keeps it a secret from Adam. Through driving lessons, Michael gets closer to Adam and finally says, “I’d quite like to hug you.” Adam also teaches his father how to ride a horse and the series ends with the Groff family watching TV together.
3. Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson)
For the previous three seasons, we have seen Jean giving sex advice to Moordale and struggling with her partners. Season 4 offers us more about her past and childhood with the help of her younger sister Joanna (Lisa McGrillis). She is struggling with her eight-month-old baby Joy and her newfound job on the radio. O becomes her co-host and helps her understand the ways to communicate in the Sexology radio show. Yeah, O is everywhere! Jean decides to quit the job and just be a mother for a while but soon she changes her mind.
2. Eric (Ncuti Gatwa)
Eric Effiong is the sunshine of every season. In season 4, we see Eric as a new person discovering himself rather than his sexuality. Clad in colorful outfits and his positive nature, Eric suffers from the dilemma of faith. He instantly becomes friends with popular Cavendish students, a student-led queer-friendly college. His new friend Abbi understands him and we see a drift between his friendship with Otis, which later works out. In the disguise of a homeless woman (Jodie Turner-Smith), season 4 includes god, a surrealist perspective to help Eric understand god doesn’t want him to change who he is, but rather evolve and fathom his purpose in life. In the end, Eric admits to Otis that he wants to be a pastor.
1. Maeve (Emma Mackey)
In Season 2, Moordale’s English teacher Ms. Sands (Rakhee Thakrar) told Maeve, “You can have more expansive dreams than four chairs and some windows.” And, that’s what she did. In season 4, we see her studying a special writing program and trying to get an internship under the supervision of Thomas Molloy (Dan Levy). Maeve goes through a lot in this season, especially her mum’s demise. In episode 6, we see some characters from the previous season including Ms. Sands and Mr. Hendricks (Jim Howick) attending her mum’s funeral.
She suffers from severe low self-esteem due to the recent loss and having heard from Professor Molloy that she is not adequate to be a writer. Jean helps her understand why she wants to drop out and why it’s normal to have low self-esteem when one has not experienced a healthy parental relationship. Maeve goes back to America and her relationship with Otis doesn’t work out. Thanks to her roommate Ellen (Marie Reuther) she sends Maeve’s piece Southchester from the trash bin to a publishing house. Maeve gets a call from the publishing house asking for new chapters. I will miss this potential novelist.
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