Masturbation turns out to be Otis' secret talent, but can he master his unruly desires for Ola? A chlamydia outbreak distracts the student body.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the season premiere of Netflix's Sex Education.
"Episode 1" was written by Laurie Nunn and directed by Ben Taylor
The sex clinic is no longer in business at the start of the second season. Otis' priorities are elsewhere as well. He has unlocked the ability to masturbate and is doing that constantly. Plus, he has a girlfriend in Ola to whom he wants to give all of his attention. And yet, the students at Moordale need his expertise now more than ever before. In fact, it's outrageous to see just how extreme the show takes the chlamydia outbreak premise. Otis and Eric arrive at school and people are acting as if it is the end of the world. An apocalyptic contagion has been released and people have to guard themselves from its vicious destruction. It's ultimately nothing more than chlamydia but people are so ill-informed that they have no idea how to contract the disease or how to react upon receiving a positive diagnosis. This school is absolutely vicious when it comes to casting blame as well. It's easier to turn against one's friends instead of having the willingness to be honest about the mistakes made and the diseases transmitted. People have felt comfortable coming to Otis with their problems because they saw him as some sexual expert who could bring clarity to their lives. And yet, he too is prone to insane thoughts because of how clueless he is about sex and personal relationships. He believes that he can't rise to the occasion with Ola because he has been masturbating too frequently by himself. Eric is having a grand time laughing at his best friend's expense throughout all of this as well. And yes, things continually seem to be going wrong for Otis. His peers keep approaching him for sex advice because of their fears about chlamydia. Eric proves that he doesn't have the same skills that Maeve did when it came to running the clinic. Everyone seems at a loss. Otis remains furious at his mother as well because she is dating his girlfriend's father, Jakob. It's all so complicated. It's personally embarrassing and troubling for Otis. He feels as if his life can never be normal. And yet, he found something he was good at in giving sex advice to his peers. Sure, it has caused a fair amount of destruction in his social circle as well. Ola may forever fear that something more is going on between Otis and Maeve. Meanwhile, Jackson is distraught after realizing that Maeve never truly wanted to commit to their relationship. Of course, she has a lot more going on. As such, prioritizing personal romances may not be a top concern for her. Instead, she has to deal with the unfortunate reality of her problematic family members continuing to show up unexpectedly in her life. She doesn't want to see them again. And yet, her mother is at her new job ready to disrupt her life once more. Of course, it's a major victory when Maeve finds a way to get back into Moordale. Mr. Groff was adamant about expelling her. He no longer wanted her at his school. But now, he feels backed into a corner because the pressure is on him to perform in his role otherwise he'll be fired soon. In fact, it's almost staggering that he remains as headmaster by the end of this premiere. He seems to keep making mistakes. He has no satisfactory answers to any of the questions at the meeting for concerned parents that he called. He doesn't know how to handle the details of his job. He just wants to be a strict disciplinarian who exerts his power on those who can't challenge him. When that dynamic is reversed, he is even more flustered than before. That is further compounded when he learns about Jackson's injury. That proves that everyone was interested in and encouraging of Jackson because of his prowess in swimming. Without that, people may no longer be concerned about him. They absolutely should be though because of the depressing headspace he is in that led to this moment of self-harm. That's concerning. But it means that all of these characters are once again bound to collide in explosive ways this season as they continue to grow both in school and in their sexual lives. Otis wants to explore more with Ola but doesn't quite know how. But he still has the steady support from the sex clinic which is up and running once more by the conclusion of this hour with Maeve assuming her role as scheduler. Of course, he'll still find numerous moments driven by embarrassment especially with how frank his mother is about sex and her new role at Moordale trying to better inform the student body about such topics.
