It’s the most talked-about binge-worthy TV show on Netflix, so Charlotte Lloyd finally sits down to find out what all the fuss is actually about.

Somehow after much convincing and recommendations hitting me left right and centre, I managed to jump on the ‘Sex Education’ bandwagon. All I can say is: ‘Why haven’t I watched it sooner?’ It is easily one of the best and funniest TV shows I have seen in a long time. I am highly aware that you might be reading this and thinking it is long overdue – and I hear you loud and clear. While watching it (and okay, even beforehand) I was sure that everyone I knew had seen it, and then the people who saw me watching it would comment, sit down, and watch it with me just to relive all the goodness that it holds.

Let’s pause right here – if you don’t want spoilers, then stop reading right now, hop onto Netflix, and binge-watch this show until you are well and truly informed on all things about the series. If you’re chill with spoilers, or you’re like me (possibly one of the biggest fangirls or guys of this show), then keep on reading!

Aside from being all too relatable, there are so many things about this TV show that is unlike any other I’ve seen before. From Margot Robbie’s doppelgänger, to how embarrassingly awkward Otis is, and how even though his mum crosses boundary after boundary and line after line, she is still so funny and I still somehow love her. One of my all-time standouts and storylines of the show (aside from of course the premise that is setting up slightly illegal and uniformed sex therapy sessions at school) has to be the character of Eric Effoing. The intertwining storylines of school friends and what’s happening with everyone’s lives apart from Otis means that this show covers lots of different and real things that happen to a variety of people, including ourselves to be quite frank.

The series from the get-go draws you in. Each episode starts with new people and new problems, yet ones that are still related to all that is going on within the show. There are serious topics that are touched upon, from sexual assault to parental problems that for some would sit all too close home, but are also conversations that need to be had more often. We see characters facing many issues in varying degrees and personalities. The struggles of growing up with peer pressure, curiosity, and everything in between is what makes this show so honest and raw in its representation. There has been much confusion surrounding the time in which it is set. It is bright and loud, the costumes suggest the 80’s, and it will honestly leave u speechless, however. there are many nods to the series being set in the present. I am saying this as a pre-warning, but don’t let this put you off. See this only heightens the show more.

Some of the highlights of this show (and I say some light because it is almost the whole show if I’m being honest) include the following. Otis’ mother (as said previously) could be held in a controversial light, but all mistakes are made in good faith and her character development from being with Jakob, and moving from living only for herself to having to consider relationships and the good and tough times that come along with this. And despite being a qualified sex therapist, she was almost completely closed off to any real intimacy, with the exception of her son, of course, in her role as mother. Another pure and such enjoyable character development is Eric Effoing. Going through the many ups and downs that life throws at him, from being pushed to the limits with people like Adam, to losing and finding himself within his religion and his family. Knowing how to be himself in a highly religious environment and learning that the only way to truly live can only be who he is or nothing at all. A few others that I want to touch on lightly are people like Amy, Ola, Maeve, Lily, and of course, Otis, as the centre of everything.

The humour within the series is unmatched and is almost always either embarrassing or just laugh out loud funny. Watching this with friends, or hey, even with family if a sex scene here and there can get you by without the fear of embarrassment getting in your way. And if the two seasons didn’t draw you in, by the very last episode of Season 2 you’re sure to have a laugh and be on the edge of your seat waiting for Season 3 (which shouldn’t be too far away). I’ve tried my hardest to rave about a show that not only got me through summer uni break, but also opened my eyes about the realities and thoughts that we all go through as we grow up. Give it a chance, and if you haven’t seen it, I’ll drop the Season 1 trailer below as an incentive.

Feature Image: Dainis Graveris via Unsplash, no changes made.