On Sex Education season 2, the students of Moordale Secondary, the faculty and their nearest and dearest have returned, and they have a lot to learn about sex and more importantly, love.
Season 1 of the series ended with a few cliffhangers, including the love triangle between Otis, Ola and Maeve as well as the beginning of an unexpected romance between Adam and Eric. But like in real life, the characters' lives go on and while some chapters end, others inevitably begin. Here are five questions Sex Education season 2 answers and five we have about season 3.
Question Answered: Does Maeve Tell Otis How She Feels?
Maeve puts her love life on hold at the start of season 2 and concentrates on getting back into school. Maeve becomes less scary and more vulnerable as she tries to fit in and be a team player.
Maeve does take a big leap by finally admitting her feelings to Otis, and it's everything we and he could have hoped it would be. When a character puts themselves out there with a big romantic gesture, it's supposed to pay off. We know Otis is still in love with Maeve, so when he learns she's on the same page, they should be together. But the course of true love doesn't run smoothly for these two, and it doesn't help that Otis isn't his best self for almost the entirety of season 2. Otis is a much nicer guy when he doesn't have sex on the brain.
Season 3 Question: Will Isaac Succeed In Keeping Otis and Maeve Apart?
It's very disappointing that a character as likable as Isaac turns out to be so duplicitous. He and Maeve were both brought up and quickly abandoned by addict parents. Isaac makes Maeve laugh which is no easy feat, and they have great chemistry -- as friends. Isaac may fill some of the void left by Otis, but he's darker and tougher, possibly a bit too dark even for Maeve. It's no secret Isaac is crushing on Maeve early on, but deleting Otis' phone message is pretty low. Why must the men in Maeve's life constantly let her down?
Sex Education introduces some very compelling pairings (who doesn't love Lily and Ola?), but the one everyone is still rooting for is Maeve and Otis. Another season of watching them remain out of step feels potentially agonizing.
Question Answered: What Happens With Adam And Eric?
During season 1, Adam goes from being just a jerk to a jerk with some depth just because it turns out he's the kid on the playground who hits the boys/girls he likes. At the end of the season, Adam is shipped off to military school, leaving a very confused Eric behind.
Adam doesn't bring much more to the table season 2. He's mostly taciturn and an unknowing architect of his unhappiness. Rahim is everything Adam isn't: smart, self-aware, kind, charming, confident and open. When Eric finally calls Adam out for his past behavior, refusing to settle for being a sidepiece for someone afraid to come out of the closet, we want to stand up and cheer.
Season 3 Question: Can Adam And Eric Make It Work?
The least satisfying love story of the season is the one between Adam and Eric. Adam comes out, but what has he done to earn redemption? Trains a dog? Refrains from physical violence? Decides he wants to do something with his life? There's an abusive undertone to Eric and Adam's relationship that still lingers, and Eric's attraction to Adam is inexplicable. Rahim's warning foreshadows trouble ahead for this odd couple. "Be careful. He can hold your hand, but I'm not sure he can catch you."
Question Answered: Is Jean Ready For A Committed Relationship?
During season 1, a humble Swedish plumber captures Jean's attention and her heart, but as viewers quickly learn, this doesn't guarantee a happy ending. Season 2 brings the day-to-day annoyances that inevitably follow infatuation. Further complicating matters is the burgeoning romance between Otis and Ola. Throw in the return of Jean's dreaded ex, and it's the final straw for the commitment-phobe.
Before Jakob, Jean's flings provide sexual gratification, but since she picks inappropriate partners, there's no risk and no reward. Having been on her own for so long, Jean is also fiercely independent, and she confuses compromise with co-dependence. Knowing Jakob isn't going anywhere, she sabotages the relationship. Jean keeps things on such an even keel, it's shocking to discover how much she grieves the relationship after it ends.
Season 3 Question: What Will Happen Between Jakob And Jean Now That She's Pregnant?
Jean suffers some serious crisis of confidence throughout season 2. She questions her parenting, her past choices, her competence as a therapist and even her sanity. The best twist of the season is Jean realizing she doesn't have it all figured out even though it's her job to make people believe she does.
Will Jean tell Jakob she's pregnant or that it's his baby? Will he want to come back? Will Jean want him if she believes a baby is the only thing keeping them together? As unpopular as this option may be: will Jean even keep the baby? If so, it's going to a whole new normal for Otis who will no longer be the apple of mum's eye. He proves that while Jean's affection can be smothering, he's not a big fan of sharing her with someone else.
Question Answered: Does Otis Overcome His Sexual Hangups?
Yes, well, sort of. Otis immediately discovers the highs and lows of self-gratification to an almost nauseating degree. But when it comes to introducing another person into the equation, he's as lost as ever. Otis trudges through the sexual landscape like a guy wearing gravity boots in a swamp but what he struggles to learn is that he's not so great when it comes to the emotional stuff either, and until he gets his head and heart together, the other bits won't fall into place.
Season 3 Question: Is Otis Destined To Become Like His Dad?
Season 1 reveals part of Otis' stunted sexual maturity can be blamed on his philandering father, Remi. The extent of just how much dad has messed up Otis' head is explored during season 2. Jean looks so defeated as she uncovers more of Otis' secrets and must reconcile that her son isn't so great. Otis does a lot of reprehensible things season 2, and like Remi, he's big on excuses instead of accountability. He's so preoccupied with the biological aspect of manhood that he drops the ball when it comes to the stuff that counts.
So Otis has a sit down with dad who can hand out some genuinely good advice, shockingly. Otis is ready to clean up his messes, but the consequences of his actions will last longer than his first time with Ruby.
Question Answered: Will The Clinic Be Open For Business?
Yes! And with a chlamydia outbreak, business is booming. Otis wants to put his Dr. Ruth days behind him, but his frantic classmates (and one confused faculty member) seem to need him more than ever. But when the school brings in Otis' mom to deal with sex education, Otis and Maeve find themselves short on clients. Otis is so preoccupied trying to hide his true self and true feelings from just about everybody, he doesn't have the time or the focus to guide anyone else in the right direction.
Season 3 Question: Can Maeve Bounce Back From Her Latest Mama Drama?
The most heartbreaking storyline of season 2 is the return of Maeve's mother, Erin. Even when Erin is clean and sober, Maeve keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop. When she allows herself to hope for a different outcome, Isaac lays it out there: once an addict, always an addict.
Maeve constantly has something to prove or to overcome which makes her victories sweeter, but her defeats always cast a shadow over them. Will Erin return, and is it better if she doesn't? Maeve deserves love which is why what Isaac does to her, in the end, is so incredibly tragic because now she has to wait even longer to get it.