Summary
Sex Education Season 2, Episode 4 is a brilliant middle-of-the-series chapter with a couple of turning points for the rest of season.
This recap of Netflix Series Sex Education Season 2, Episode 4 contains significant spoilers.
- Read the Season 2 review.
- Read the recap of Episode 5.
- Read the recap of the previous episode (3).
- Access the archive of all the episode recaps.
The writers of Sex Education have an idea of how to time a series well with specific plot points. Episode 4 is a brilliant middle chapter paving the way for the rest of the second season. There’s clear planning involved for their characters and it is great to see for a Netflix series.
Episode 4 opens up with Otis (Asa Butterfield) experiencing his most anxious moment yet. He and Ola are playing video games and she says, “Maybe we should go all the way”. Ola is ready for sex, to lose their virginities. But she meant right now, at that moment, but Otis wants it planned, so Ola suggests the following night. Meanwhile, Otis’s mother Jean wakes up to a snoring Jakob; you can tell she’s a little irritated with him and she asks him to take some of the stuff home that he keeps lying around.
As for Maeve in Episode 4; her mother Erin is getting ready for a job interview. Maeve keeps intentionally calling her mother Erin rather than “mother” and her daughter “half-sister” rather than sister. As for Adam, he decides to confront Adam about what happened.
Otis tells Eric that he’s losing his virginity and Eric is super pumped about it. There’s a slight hesitation in Otis though; he states he always imagined being in love when he lost his virginity. Of course, the story is signaling towards Maeve. As for Jackson, his first rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet do not go well, and Florence, who is playing Juliet tells him to get his act together — she has issues of her own though.
Jean and Maureen finally have that session together; Maureen opens up about her husband Michael Groff — how he hasn’t touched her properly for years. Jean explains that it is possible to reignite that passion. A nosey Michael tries to listen in.
The “Ola versus Maeve” story continues; As Ola offers to buy the condoms for Otis for their anticipated night, Maeve interrupts them both and tells Otis that he has an appointment for the sex clinic at 3.45 pm. Otis also learns that Maeve’s mother has returned and he wonders why she never told him. Maeve makes a sly comment that he is always with his girlfriend so she never has time to tell him anything anymore.
Ouch.
Maeve’s life is topsy turvy in Episode 4 and she continues to rely on Otis; she asks him to look after her half-sister so she can participate in the Quiz Competition with her team. He’s worried about the sex clinic and Ola — he says yes but with hesitancy.
Back to Jean and her ex-husband Remi shows up unexpectedly. Jakob introduces himself and asks him if he’d like to stay for dinner. Jean needs to pour herself another glass of wine.
In the quiz competition, Maeve is smashing it for her team “Quiz Heads”. Meanwhile, Otis runs his clinic while looking after Maeve’s half-sister. Florence asks Otis for advice on sex because she’s never shown interest in it and does not want everyone to think she is a freak. Otis suspects that Florence believes she is worried about it affecting her performance.
Otis is struggling to multi-task and loses Maeve’s half-sister who was just nestled in the pram. Maeve’s quick team wins the first round of the competition but Vivienne and the rest of the team tell Emily that they want Maeve out of the team — she’s not a team player apparently. With Maeve’s day getting worse, Otis tells her he has lost her 3-year old sister. Maeve is fuming — “Everyone always lets me down”. They, fortunately, find her half-sister in the Headmaster’s office diving into chocolate.
At the midway point of Sex Education Season 2, Episode 4 we are presented with a pivotal moment for Maeve and Otis; a relieved Otis tells Maeve he’s off to see Ola. As he walks off she says, “I messed it up with you”. Maeve spills the beans and describes how hard it is seeing Otis with Ola every day. Otis is angry and upset, explaining that it isn’t fair and confesses to really liking her too — “I made myself get over you, Maeve”.
This scene was simple and sweet; that’s all it needed to be.
Back to Jean and she starts having dinner with Jakob and Remi. When they get on to the discussion of Jakob’s job and business life. Jakob gets up, kisses Jean and leaves. I believe he was slightly offended that Jean started bigging him up to be more of a plumber. When Jakob leaves, Remi suggests that they continue drinking.
The big moment arrives; Otis and Ola start hooking up but Otis gets frustrated at the semantics of undressing Ola. Ola assures Otis that they do not need to have sex right now and that they can wait, but Otis insists that he wants to. As Ola starts unzipping his pants, Maeve texts him and he checks his phone. Ola is offended that he looked at this phone and checks who text him. She sees Maeve’s name with the text — “I’m sorry I feel like an idiot”. Ola asks if something is going on with him and Maeve before ending their plans to have sex.
When Maeve returns home, her mother asks her how long she’s going to punish her. Maeve tells her she is waiting for her to let her down again. Meanwhile, Remi and Jean get super drunk. Remi tells Jean that she always was full of ideas and never had self-belief. Jean calls Remi a self-entitled pr–k and they start kissing. This was an unfortunate move in the story that shows Jean self-jeopardising her life due to her ex-husband’s judgments. They do not take it further because Otis returns home and Remi welcomes him.
Episode 4 was very silent on the Eric/Adam/Rahim story until now; Eric invites Adam out in the middle of the night. The pair smash up random objects with a baseball bat for fun. Eric is glad Adam is back but calls it a strange night — they kiss.
Vivienne asks Jackson for help to make her friend into a potential boyfriend and in return, she’ll help him act. Meanwhile, Florence tells Jean that she doesn’t want to have sex — she has no connection to it. Jean suggests that Florence is asexual but Florence claims she still wants to fall in love. Jean explains that “sexuality is fluid // sex doesn’t make us whole, so how could you ever be broken”. Florence feels satisfied with her appointment with Jean and tells Otis that his advice was rubbish. Otis sees the long queue to his mother’s office. His business is dwindling.
Sex Education Season 2, Episode 4 closes with Ola telling Otis that in order for them to be together, he cannot be friends with Maeve anymore. I find this to be a common plot point in stories involving teenagers, and one that never works for the requestor. Rahim also asks Eric to be his boyfriend.
It’s getting extremely complicated for Otis and Eric as we reach the halfway stage of Season 2.
Index Cards
- Ola introduces herself to Adam while buying condoms. She drops the bombshell that Eric is dating Rahim.
- When Lily and Ola hug, there’s a slight tension between them.
- Aimee has to gear herself to get on the bus. She sees her attacker and walks off but it wasn’t her attacker.
- Maureen tries to entice her husband Michael by asking him to come to bed and hug. He rejects the idea and says he will be upstairs soon.
- Maeve hears a disturbance outside in the middle of the night and thinks Joe is stealing a gas canister. Isaac says he needed heat, he was so cold. When Cynthia sympathizes she offers Isaac a free canister. Isaac says “sucker” to Maeve when everyone walks off.
