facebook icon facebook icon facebook icon
  • About
  • ADS
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Submission
  • Subscribe
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
      Contract ratified by Wellesley’s Maintenance and Service Employees Union
    • News in Brief
      News in Brief
    • Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
      Wellesley adapts to end of race conscious admissions
    • Senate Report
    • News in Brief
  • Features
    • Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
      Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed
    • Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
      Spotlight: New Professor Kathryn Winner
    • Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
      Spotlight: New Professor Lucia Nhamo ’11
    • Humans of Wellesley
    • Archives
  • Opinions
    • France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
      France’s Abaya Ban Unveils Its Own Misogyny
    • Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
      Editorial: In defense of affirmative action
    • I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
      I am an NCAA champion: we should end college recruiting
    • Editorials
    • Letters to Editors
  • Arts
    • The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
      The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?
    • Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
      Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss
    • Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
      Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall
  • Sports
    • Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
      Gauff and Richardson Shatter Expectations
    • Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
      Student Athlete of the Month: Kennedy Mayo
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
  • Multimedia
    • Photo of the Week
      Photo of the Week
    • “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
      “Stronger Together” Rally with Chelsea Clinton
    • College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
      College Government Vice President 2016 End of the Year Report
    • Podcasts
    • The Wellesley Snooze
  • Projects
      • The News in Conversation
    • About
      • Contact
      • Join the News
      • Masthead
      • Editorial Board
    By Ria Goveas Arts, ReviewsOctober 17, 2021

    Everything to Love (And What to Hate) in Season 3 of Sex Education

    Season 3 of "Sex Education" is now streaming on Netflix (image courtesy of Netflix)

    Warning: Spoilers!

    A little over a week after season 3 of “Sex Education” premiered, Netflix announced that season 4 was on its way. Season 3 introduced many new and dynamic characters — Cal, Hope, Layla and Peter, shifting the focus of the story away from Maeve and Otis and onto the secondary characters. This shift does help the story move along; their relationship seems to be getting stale as we wait for the screenwriters to decide whether they will end up together or not. 

    Cal’s character especially was explored in-depth and thoughtfully. Actor Dua Saleh does an amazing job of showing Cal discovering themself. As a queer BIPOC actor who identifies fully with the role, Saleh is able to draw from their personal experiences. From nonchalantly correcting Jackson’s usage of their pronouns, to confidently speaking up against Hope when she labelled Layla a “good” non-binary person and Cal a “bad” one, to warmly helping Layla find a safe binder, Cal has moments that are vulnerable but also ones that show how secure they are in their identity. By giving them an entire arc in the story rather than a single episode, Sex Education does well with their representation of non-binary people on Netflix. 

    Other notable character transformations are those of Adam Groff and his father, Michael. Both of them started out in the series as stoic, inexpressive characters. Towards the end of season 3, we see both of them become more receptive, empathetic and make efforts to communicate. Adam learns to vocalize his emotions, finds healthy coping mechanisms and finds a support system to rely on. Michael goes on a journey of self-discovery too after his divorce. He was introduced as an emerging villain in season 2, but learning his backstory and seeing his attempt to win back Maureen explains his thought process a little more. While that does not excuse his drastic actions in season 2, it provides a sort of explanation. The only thing lacking is the fact that Michael hasn’t apologized to Adam yet. Seeing two characters that are so similar but don’t realize that is a trope that always will be painful, and until Michael finds a way to repair the damage he has done he will not be a completely changed character. 

    Hope’s character, however, had some highly problematic scenes. While her story of not being able to get pregnant was an attempt to humanize her, it doesn’t negate the fact that she was abusing her power as head teacher in many ways. She is eerily similar to Dolores Umbridge, with unreasonable punishments and authoritarian values, and is a terrifying antagonist mainly because there are people like her in real life. However, the scene where she physically assaulted Ruby and the ones where she made students wear signs with their perceived misdemeanors are over the top for the 21st century and a court case waiting to happen. Hopefully season 4 addresses those shortcomings.

    Overall, season 3 was a success. While it did have some unrealistic events, like the explicit (but in character) sex song at a school assembly, Sex Education continues to have open, honest conversations about sex and gender identity that are commendable. The ending left Moordale Academy and the futures of all the main characters hanging in the balance. But this isn’t a goodbye, as Maeve Wiley told Otis — “It’s a ‘see you soon,’” and hopefully we continue to see them thriving in season 4.

    Share on

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    • Google +
    • LinkedIn
    • Email
    Previous articleHow “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is a Good-Bad Romantic Comedy
    Next articleThe romcom trope anthology of your dreams (Books Before Boys review)

    You may also like

    The SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strikes: What’s happening in Hollywood?

    Digging into Hozier’s Unreal Unearth: “De Selby (Part 1)” and the Population of Loss

    Summer Releases to Help Usher in Fall

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    The Wellesley News

      SECTIONS

    • News
    • Features
    • Opinions
    • Arts
    • Sports
    • Multimedia
    • Projects
    • About

      ABOUT

    • Contact
    • Join the News
    • Masthead
    • Editorial Board

      RESOURCES

    • Advertising
    • Submission
    • Subscribe

      CONTACT US

    • Contact
    COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS