Sex Education season 2, episode 2 recap – the clock technique

This recap of Netflix Series Sex Education Season 2, Episode 2 contains significant spoilers.

• Read the Season 2 review.
• Read the recap of Episode 3.
• Read the recap of the previous episode (1).
• Access the archive of all the episode recaps.

Episode 2 of Season 2 was our characters making new discoveries and learning about each other’s needs. It opens up with the two teachers, Emily and Colin, having sex — Emily asks Colin to talk dirty to her, but he is terrible at it. When I say terrible I mean he called her a “lovely female dog”. We are also finally introduced to Adam Groff who is training in the army — he needs to make some improvements to the rifle holding technique.

You’d think most men would watch porn or ask a friend, but not Otis (Asa Butterfield). In Episode 2 he googles “how to finger your girlfriend” — Eric thinks Otis is overthinking it but Otis has a plan to use the “Clock Technique”. Otis is also not happy with his mother joining the school to provide sex education.

At school, Eric wonders why the new French student Rahim is staring at him. Otis tells Maeve that she looks more “clean”, which is frankly the worst compliment ever. I think what he means is, “you are brunette and you do not have random dye in your hair”. Otis tells Maeve he is going to the fair despite not liking those events. Maeve sees Otis kissing Ola and she looks jealous.

In the school assembly, Rahim wants to sit next to Eric. Jean delivers her sex education speech but underestimates teenagers. She ends up singing “let’s talk about sex baby” but the student audience ends up mocking Jean, calling her a “courgette w—er”. Otis looks visibly upset. Rahim shakes Eric’s hand before walking off.

Episode 2 confirms that Jackson and Maeve are still figuring out their lives; Headmaster Groff tells Jackson that he needs to improve in class now that he isn’t a star swimmer. In Emily’s class, Maeve hides her essay away regarding her future and tells Emily she did not write anything. Meanwhile, Jackson introduces himself to super-nerd Vivienne and asks her to be his new tutor so he can improve until the Headmaster is off his back.

Episode 2 starts the “Maeve versus Ola” storyline. Maeve tells a couple of friends that she does not like Ola, claiming that she is smug. On the other side of the school grounds, Ola tells Lila that Maeve is not her type of person. Lily raises the fact that it is weird that Otis and Maeve run a sex clinic together. Ola admits to Lily that she is sexually frustrated. Back in the army training, Luke and Eli show Adam how to hold a gun.

The moment arrives and it defines the lack of experience younger teens can have when sex first arrives; Otis tries to finger Ola for the first time. He tries the “Clock Technique” but takes it literally, memorizing the clock as he navigates. Ola pretends to enjoy it; Ola tells Lily at the fair that his technique was really bad; Otis tells Eric that he was amazing, giving himself the title “Fingertron”.

Maeve bumps into Ola at the fair and the two partake in a game with the BB guns — it’s tense between them and to make matters worse, Ola wins. Maeve gives Emily her essay at the fair — she describes how she wants to have a proper house when she gets older and fears to be lonely.

Jackson shows up at the fair with his tutor; Vivienne tells Jackson that school athletes are more likely to get menial jobs and that he should learn additional schools. Meanwhile, Adam, another outsider in the story, is told he’s made a marked improvement in training. In the middle of the night, he sneaks out with Luke and Eli for a smoke and a chat.

Otis’s sex advice has reached the far corners of the school; Colin pulls Otis aside for advice; he admits he cannot do dirty talk. Otis advises he writes a script for himself. Afterward, Ola tries to tell Otis about his fingering but she cannot get the words out. Lily tells Otis the truth instead when Ola walks off.

Colin immediately heads to Emily’s house — he tells her he is ready to talk dirty but when she notices that he has written it down on his hand she tells Colin that their relationship is not working.

Otis is now down in the weeds and he needs advice himself; he talks to a girl at school about his experiences with Ola and how he has failed at fingering her. He uses an orange to demonstrate how he did it. The girl advises that “there’s no magic technique that works with all women” and that he should ask Ola what her needs are. In the next scene, Adam catchers Luke and Eli giving each other handjobs — he tells them both that he will not tell anyone.

To boost her confidence, Emily makes Maeve the new Quiz Head for upcoming tournaments. Her celebrations are doused somewhat when she admits to Aimee that she is not over Otis.

I guess this is probably the opportune moment to tell everyone that at this moment in time I’m heavily leaning on #TeamMaeve.

An excited Otis tells Colin to ask Emily what her needs are before cycling to Ola’s house. He admits to Ola that he is bad at fingering, so Ola offers to show Otis what she likes. Meanwhile, Colin visits Emily’s home again and he asks her to explain why she likes dirty talk — “When I’m at home I want to escape // I want to feel sexy”. Colin understands that it’s not what he’s saying it’s how he says it and begins spouting random words, which weirdly enough works.

Sex Education Season 1, Episode 2 closes with Adam returning to his dorm and the sergeant finds drugs in his bed — Luke and Eli clearly planted it. Adam tries to explain that they planted it because he found out they were gay but the sergeant explains it is too late. Adam’s parents pick him up and his father is immediately on his case — “If you put one foot out of line, you won’t have a roof over your head”.

Index Cards

• Jackson tells his mother he might start a new hobby. Lily gives him an acting audition leaflet.
• Otis is irritated that Jakob is always around in the house.
• When Maeve tries speaking to Jackson, he is not interested in the small talk.
• Aimee tells Maeve she wants to be a baker.
• Rahim joins Eric on the Ferris wheel. Rahim tells Eric about a poem.
• Jean attends the SRE class to see how Colin handles it. Rahim asks about gay sex and wants a recommendation of lubricant for anal sex. Jean takes over the class and gives out worthwhile advice.