Sex Education: Season 4/ Episode 5 – Recap and Review

As Maeve struggles with all she left behind in the UK, O and Otis debate, and Eric seems to have renewed his faith in a notable way.

General Information

This section Includes information about the Director, Writer, and Cast.

Release Date (Netflix)	September 21, 2023
Director(s)	Michelle Savill
Writer(s)	Ethan Harvey
Newly Noted Characters and Cast
PK	Juliette Alexandra
Pastor Samuel	Gbolahan Obisesan
Previously Noted Characters and Cast
Adam	Connor Swindells
Maureen	Samantha Spiro
Mr. Groff	Alistair Petrie
Jem	Bella Maclean
Eric	Ncuti Gatwa
Cal	Dua Saleh
Aisha	Alexandra James
O	Thaddea Graham
Otis	Asa Butterfield
Ruby	Mimi Keene
Aisha	Alexandra James
Jean	Gillian Anderson
Celia	Hannah Gadsby
Joanna	Lisa McGrillis
Maeve	Emma Mackey
Beau	Reda Elazouar
Viv	Chinenye Ezeudu
Jackson	Kedar Williams-Stirling
Aimee	Aimee Lou Wood
Adedeyo	Shak Benjamin

Plot Recap

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The Right Time and Right Place – Adam, Maureen, Mr. Groff, Jem, Eric, Cal, Aisha, Pastor Samuel

As Mr. Groff and Maureen continue to rekindle their relationship and sex life, in secret, Adam might have something burgeoning with Jem. There isn’t any definitive sign they may end up a couple, but she is asking him personal questions, revealing she has dyslexia, and giving Adam the space he needs to be vulnerable and open up about his feelings regarding his father.

As this is done, Eric continues to wrestle with his feelings regarding religion, but with Pastor Samuel open to him doing a fundraiser for the soup kitchen, it seems Eric is starting to realize, whether it is tolerance or acceptance, maybe Pastor Samuel’s church, or church in general, isn’t as bad as he has been drumming up in his head?

Which leaves Cal and Aisha. Their first date goes well, but Cal, wanting to be an advocate for Aisha, does bring up why she didn’t ask for the subtitle device on the movie date. The answer? She doesn’t want to cause a fuss, for she knows she needs to pick and choose her battles, as Cal gets, since they are having issues with their mom over their gender identity.

You’ll Have To Try Harder Than That – O, Otis, Ruby, PK, Aisha, Celia, Jean

O and Otis’ debate is a disaster for him. Thanks to Aisha and PK, we learn O has the tendency to ghost people, which he calls them out on, only for her to reverse uno that and make it seem Otis forced her to come out as Asexual. Add in, she brings up Otis’ father being a men’s advocate in a way that puts down women, and even Ruby can’t figure a way to spin this – sans exposing her own trauma.

Though to make matters worse for Otis, Celia’s bosses love Jean and O playing off one another and decide to make them being a duo permanent.

Love Is A Troublesome Thing – Jean, Joanna, Maeve, Otis, Beau, Viv, Jackson, Aimee

While Cal and Aisha were on a movie date, so were Beau and Viv, Otis and Maeve, and Joanna was supposed to be on one as well, but she got stood up. Because of this, when she spots her nephew and Maeve, she instantly decides to guilt them into allowing her to become a third wheel, to Otis’ chagrin. Now, as for how Maeve feels? Well, being that Joanna is down to sneak a drink with her and is quite comical, she enjoys Otis’ aunt – even when she gets them kicked out of the theater.

Switching to Beau and Viv, Jackson, with not getting the support he needs from his moms regarding finding his father, ends up crashing Beau and Viv’s date, and Beau doesn’t like it. He feels like a third wheel and that maybe Viv has feelings for Jackson, so he excuses himself in a slightly dramatic fashion. Viv goes after him, and she doesn’t come back for the sake of the relationship.

Getting us back to Otis and Maeve, with Maeve’s mother passing, then Aimee revealing she has feelings for Isaac, she needed Otis to be solid, just have sex with her at the Moordale pool, and be something to take her mind off things. But, with his guilt pushing out he platonically slept with Ruby, so does the fun end and because security catches Maeve and Otis.

Naturally, just as Maeve has a lot going on, so does Jean, so on top of dealing with Joanna, who is in debt, having to work with a teenager at her new job, and battling post-natal depression, she now has to worry about her son breaking and entering.

New Character Description(s)

PK

PK is Aisha’s partner whom she has an ethically non-monogamous relationship with.

Pastor Samuel

Pastor Samuel is the religious leader of Eric’s family church.

Review

Notable Performances or Moments

O Is Such A Good Villain

While I can recognize O is just trying to maintain her social status, especially as an Asian woman in a predominately White country, this doesn’t make her any less of a villain – never mind a good one. Heck, just showing a person, never mind a woman of color as a villain feels notable. For O operates on manipulation and smear campaigns, while feigning this idea that she is a good person.

Using Otis’ dad, making it appear he forced her to come out, hell, even working with his mom and making it so she can really get in his head? I damn near want to see her win since she is more compelling than Otis.

Highlights

Eric Finding His Place

When it comes to Eric, a part of me wonders if the issue is that he isn’t meant to follow but lead and his discomfort in the church is from the culture he assumes exists across the board rather than maybe a few vocal members presenting the idea he isn’t welcome as his true self. But, as he sticks around to hear his crush Adeyayo sing, it seems his preconceptions are melting away, and he is being reminded about what he loves about church.

Heck, I even think, alongside Adeyayo, Abbi, and others, he can live up to the Shug Avery quote:

[…] tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me, And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God.
– Shug – The Color Purple – Page 193

Adam Opening Up And Talking

Because of who Adam is and the trauma he has experienced, expressing himself has long been a challenge. So him opening up to someone who reciprocates the ability to be vulnerable and doesn’t leave him feeling alone? It is quite notable.

Now, do we know if this may evolve into something romantic or not? We don’t. However, as shown, Adam doesn’t really have friends, so just having someone to talk to beyond his mother and father is a blessing.

On The Fence

Joanna Being A Hot Mess

Joanna’s value to the show remains questionable. Yes, she is Jean’s sister, and with Jean having no friends, similar to Adam, she needs someone to advocate for her, challenge her, and bring her out of her comfort zone. Yet, at the same time, Joanna isn’t purely attached to Jean and her needs, she has her own, and there is the problem.

Joanna, as an individual, feels like fat on this show, which is unnecessary as we have a whole new location with many students. So, when it comes to Joanna, as much as we appreciate what she can do for Jean, she feels a tad unnecessary.

Maeve’s Grief

One of the growing problems for us regarding “Sex Education” might just be that there are so many storylines going on that any that don’t feel underrepresented irks us a bit. Maeve’s grief is valid and understandable, but with characters like Abbi, Roman, Aisha, Cal, and others who we know aren’t going to be showcased like this anytime soon, while we can always, with ease, find another Maeve, it makes watching her go through her issues frustrating.

Yet, at the same time, seeing her issues with Sean does something for us. So we’re torn between wanting more screen time allocated to those we know we won’t be able to easily find storylines similar to, yet also wanting to see this Maeve thing through since we’ve spent three whole seasons with her.

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