Content Warning: This list contains mentions of sexual assault and self-harm.
While there are certainly plenty of reasons that audiences have fallen in love with Sex Education, the biggest strength of the show might be the characters. These are complex, flawed, and well-developed people who are dealing with growing up, sexuality, love, drama at home, and more.
Each of these people, whether teenagers in school or adults trying to raise them, has a distinct personality. Due to their many layers, most of them are hard to sum up in a single sentence but they all have memorable quotes that explain a bit more about who they actualy are at their core.
Lily Iglehart
"Human Boys Are So Fragile."
At the start of the series, Lily Iglehart (Tanya Reynolds) is desperate to lose her virginity, offering to sleep with both Otis and Eric. Ultimately, this never happens and she ends up not wanting either of the boys before ending up as the girlfriend of Ola Nyman.
This quote comes from Lily talking about the feelings of the guys around her and it's fitting. She doesn't seem that interested in boys anymore and the "human" part is key because this is a girl who is basically obsessed with all things aliens. In her imagination, things are much better than the reality around her.
Ola Nyman
"It's my LGBTQIA+ badge. It's important to me"
Ola Nyman (Patricia Allison) is someone who is known to buck trends, evidenced as far back as her first date with Otis where she wore a tuxedo to the dance. Always happy to accept people for who they are no matter what, Ola came to understand that she was pansexual in season 2.
It lined up for her because she's attracted to a person's personality, not their gender. Being a good person is what matters most to Ola and her being pansexual makes her a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. In season 3, she drops this line when asked to remove her pin, explaining that being part of that community means the world to her.
Jackson Marchetti
"You've Gotta Let Me Figure Out Who I Am And What Else I Like To Do On My Own."
Most of the story surrounding Jackson Marchetti (Kedar Williams-Stirling) through two seasons had to do with the pressures he faces. As Head Boy and a star swimmer, he is expected to be great and also sees himself as the thing keeping the marriage between his moms together.
This leads to Jackson having panic attacks and self-harming before he finally opens up to his parents about it all. While talking to his mother Sofia, he says this, detailing that he needs to learn more about himself and what he wants, which plays a huge part in his arc from the back half of season 2 onward.
Ruby Matthews
"I'm A Teenage Girl Otis, I'm Always Sad."
Viewers were shocked to learn that Otis had sex with the school's most popular girl, Ruby Matthews (Mimi Keene). When they spent the day together afterward, Ruby said that she likes to make out with nerdy boys whenever she's sad.
As they hooked up again in the summer, Otis asked what she was sad about this time and this is Ruby's response. It plays into a lot of Ruby's storyline as she puts on this tough, mean girl front but she's actually deeply sad inside. Her rough home life regarding her dad's illness and her inability to open up to even her closest friends all play a role in this.
Aimee Gibbs
"I Just Wanna Be The Old Me Again."
The tale of Aimee Gibbs (Aimee Lou Wood) is one of the saddest on Sex Education. Throughout season 1, Aimee is a bubbly girl who sees the good in Maeve before most other people do and she ends up learning to stand up for herself. Unfortunately, things go poorly in season 2.
While riding the bus to school, Aimee is sexually assaulted and though she brushes it off as no big deal, it deeply affects her. While talking with Jean about the assault, Aimee mentions that she just wants to go back to being her old self. Jean says that might not happen but assures her that it's okay and Aimee continues to try and move on.
Adam Groff
"I Wish I Could Be A Normal Kid With A Normal Dad And A Normal D**k."
This line is uttered during the show's first episode. Adam Groff (Connor Swindells) says it to Otis and Maeve as he is their first unofficial sex therapy patient when takes too many Viagara pills and is stuck with an erection for hours.
Adam's line details the pressure that he's under. His father is the headmaster and is always disappointed in everything he does, while the fact that everyone knows he has a large penis puts pressure on him sexually. Adam wants nothing more than to just be himself without worrying about everything else.
Eric Effiong
"I'll Be Hurt Either Way. Isn't It Better To Be Who I Am?"
Although he's not around in later seasons, Mr. Effiong plays a big part in season 1. At first, he seems as if he doesn't want his son to be gay but he's actually just deeply concerned with the prospect of Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) getting hurt by homophobic people.
When Eric chooses to go to the school dance as out and proud as he can, his father questions why he has to be "so much." Eric responds with this, explaining that he knows the world will be cruel regardless, so it's best to be himself while that happens. Eric spends the next two seasons becoming more comfortable and proud with who he is.
Jean Milburn
"It's A Fine Balance, Listening To People Without Inserting Yourself Into Their Reality."
When it comes to her career, Jean Milburn (Gillian Anderson) is as professional as it gets. There are many Sex Education scenes that display her compassion from the way she expertly handles talking to Aimee about her assault to the way she reassures an asexual student that she isn't broken.
As she tells Otis here, doing her job as a therapist is difficult because you have to hear problems and not get personally involved. Jean is great at that at work but it is something she struggles with in her personal life, often inserting herself into Otis's antics to his annoyance.
Maeve Wiley
"Prom Is An Appropriated American Tradition That Celebrates Sexism And Peddles An Unrealistic Portrayal Of Romantic Love."
It took only a few short episodes before Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) became a feminist TV icon. Maeve is tough, strong-willed, opinionated, and brilliant as they come. She also is known to look at things from a pessimist's point of view.
When discussing possibly attending the school dance, Maeve has this answer ready. It shows that she isn't going to be someone who falls in line with tired traditions that she disagrees with. Maeve is going to do what she wants and what she believes in while being a bit of a pessimist along the way.
Otis Milburn
"I Was So Caught Up In Trying To Do The Right Thing, I Lost Track Of What That Actually Is."
There's a constant internal battle going on within Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield). You can tell that at his core, Otis is a good person but he continues to make poor choices and hurts people that he cares about. He did it with Ola, Maeve, Ruby, and even his mother and Eric at points.
At the end of season 2, Ola tells him something that matches up with this line he once said. Otis is so concerned with trying to do what's right and be good that he ends up messing up and doing the wrong thing. He's so concerned with not turning into his father that he ends up messing up badly.