Netflix's Sex Education quickly became known for being one of the sweetest, heartfelt, yet still somewhat raunchy, teen comedies when it debuted on the streamer in early 2019. The story of Otis (Asa Butterfield), his sex therapist mom, Jean (Gillian Anderson), his friends Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) and Maeve (Emma Mackey), and many of their classmates as they tried to figure out sex, relationships, and how to navigate life in general was a big hit right out of the gate, and much of that had to do with the way the show was able to blend drama and some frequently wacky comedy with pretty honest portrayals of young love, coming-of-age trials and some surprising romantic twists.
None of that changed for Season 2, and as we quickly approach the premiere of Sex Education Season 3, now seems like a good time to revisit what happened in the second season so that we're all fully prepared for the new set of episodes. There are plenty of SPOILERS AHEAD, so be sure to catch up before diving in!
Otis Had Sex... With Ruby!
I don't think any Sex Education fan would have ever guessed that when Otis finally lost his virginity, it would be with popular mean girl, Ruby (Mimi Keene). The two barely spoke to one another during Season 1, and that continued with the second season... until Otis threw a party that turned into quite the rager, he and Ruby both had a lot to drink, and they ended up doing the deed.
While generally over-it Ruby was pretty blase the next morning, Otis was actually shocked, and became even more so when she revealed that she couldn't locate their condom. This led the duo to journey to a drug store so that Ruby could get the morning after pill as a precaution, and some sweet bonding between them, which included her talking to Otis about her dad's multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and informing him that "you weren't great, but you weren't terrible," at "the sex bit," and that was good enough for Otis.
Otis Declared His Love For Maeve!
The show doesn't make much of a deal out of Otis having sex for the first time, which may be because it didn't happen with his first (and pretty quickly former) girlfriend, Ola (Patricia Allison) or Maeve. It was clear in Season 1 that Maeve and Otis had grown to have feelings for each other, but when she decided to tell him about her feelings, she found that he'd started dating Ola and was happy with her. The Season 2 finale saw Otis finally admit to Maeve that "it's always been you," and say that he loves her.
But! Otis chose to do this in a voicemail message as he watched her participate in the quiz championship on TV, and when he goes to talk to her in person later, she's gone, and someone gets in the way of his declaration to an extreme degree...
Isaac Is A Ruiner!
Yeah, so the person who stands between Otis and Maeve is, obviously, Isaac, her new neighbor at the trailer park. It was obvious soon after we met Isaac that he was into Maeve as more than a friend, but also that she appreciated his sarcasm and the fact that he'd also dealt with parents with substance abuse issues, two things they had in common.
Isaac could have been open with Maeve about how he felt, but he seemed to see that she and Otis also shared more than friendly feelings, which led his jealousy to come out. Toward the end of the finale, when Otis is looking for Maeve, he asks Isaac to tell her to listen to her messages. Maeve has actually left her phone behind to run to the store, so Isaac listens to the message himself, and promptly deletes it, likely hoping that Otis won't have the guts to tell Maeve face to face without her first hearing his declaration. And, with those two, it's possible that he's right.
Eric Chose Adam Over Rahim!
This is a tough one, y'all! Eric finally seemed to find someone he could be happy with during Sex Education Season 2, when he met new student Rahim (Sami Outalbali), who was instantly attracted to everyone's favorite French horn player. But, after what went down in detention between Eric and Adam toward the end of Season 1, it's pretty clear that they both have feelings for one another. When Adam returns from military school after getting kicked out, he and Eric begin heading out at night to smash things at the train tracks, and Eric and his former bully begin to bond.
There were some clues of trouble brewing between Eric and Rahim (the latter is atheist, and Eric's mom tells him "he doesn't make you sparkle"), but they both said I love you. When Adam interrupted the school play to announce to everyone that he wanted to be with Eric, his plea was accepted, and Eric essentially broke up with Rahim in front of everyone, to be with the guy who'd bullied him for years.
Jackson Is Getting Help For His Anxiety, Thanks To Viv!
I'm still not entirely sure that Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling) and Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu) don't have some subtle romantic feelings for each other, but we can see that their friendship is very genuine. We saw swimming star and head boy Jackson deal with some incredibly intense performance anxiety and other fears in Season 1, and those really started boiling over in Season 2. He was so frustrated by and burdened with the high expectations to perform as an athlete that he intentionally hurt himself to get a break.
Unfortunately, when Jackson finally healed up, his panic attacks started to return, and he was on the verge of hurting himself again at Otis' party when Viv walked in and realized he was in crisis. She managed to calm him down, but when he refused to tell his parents, Viv stepped in and did it for him. He was angry, but they made up in the Season 2 finale, hugging and holding hands as they walked away.
Jean Is Pregnant!
I don't even know what to say about this one, guys, except that I really feel for Jean. She'd been feeling tired and off for much of Season 2, and had pushed Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt) away by kissing her ex-husband, meaning that she was already sad about that. After she goes to her doctor to see whether or not she might be in perimenopause, Jean finds out that she is, but she's also pregnant, probably with Jakob's baby (despite his vasectomy). From the character posters that were released for the new season, it seems like Jean will keep her bundle of surprise joy, so that will definitely make things interesting for her and her ex-boyfriend.
These are the big bombshells fans should remember before watching Sex Education Season 3, and if you need more to watch before the premiere, be sure to check out all the 2021 Netflix TV series you can catch up on!
