Sex Education works so well as a teen show because it makes you feel good
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"It’s been one of my favorite shows on television since it premiered in 2019, and I think has been underrated and under-discussed," says Kevin Fallon. "It’s definitely the best series on Netflix right now, and probably the best season of TV to premiere this month. Maybe the title scared some people off, or made them think that it was something that it’s not. It’s not preachy, didactic, or patronizing about sex and sexual health. It’s not trolling and out to shock you with horror stories about what teens these days are doing (a la Euphoria), or meant to titillate you in a sort-of perverse way (like the Gossip Girl reboot). It’s heartfelt and it’s humorous, both heightened and real. It acknowledges the harsh truths and pains of growing up amidst modern sensibilities—which is to say, hysteria and confusion—about identity, sex, and sexuality. But for all the ugliness it unearths about the human condition, the series somehow still manages to make you feel good." Fallon adds: "Obviously, sex is a major element of the show. But it’s subversive, not horny or salacious. It’s about how anxieties, misconceptions, and, to riff on the title, bad education can be irreparably damaging, particularly in such formative years. Practically since TV began, whenever there was a teenage-focused show that involved sex in any frank or, lately, gratuitous manner, there is a wave of celebration and excitement, and then the counterblast of condemnation, pearl-clutching, and moaning about the decline of decency. Sex Education pierces through both sides of the argument by being, in a way that is almost rather cheeky, about the birds and the bees conversation more so than the sex itself. It’s inquisitive, curious, and a little rebellious about it, because that’s what teenagers are. But it’s also informative, progressive, and empathetic, because that’s what they need. Truthfully, what we all need."
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TOPICS: Sex Education, Netflix, Aimee Lou Wood, Jemima Kirke
