Summary
The story is getting serious in Sex Education season 3 as the new headteacher Hope turns the screw on the students.
This recap of Netflix’s Sex Education season 3, episode 6 contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
Things are getting super serious in Sex Education season 3. The writers are slowly teasing the story out, and with future seasons rumored to be on the horizon, we cannot expect everything to be resolved.
Sex Education season 3, episode 6 recap
Episode 6 opens with a younger Lily reading an alien erotic story to her friend. A teacher catches her, and she’s in trouble. In the present day, an alien sex story by Lily is published in the local newspaper, and students at school are laughing at her. It’s not a good moment for Lily, who also has relationship problems with Ola, who has made her feel weird regarding her sexual desires.
After exploring her feelings with Otis on the school trip, Maeve is quiet around Isaac, and he senses it. However, they cannot speak about the silence as Maeve soon learns that she has been accepted for the Gifted and Talented Program in the USA. At the same time, Otis texts her about wanting to talk. At school, she tells Otis that the moment between them was unexpected, and she firmly raises how she likes Isaac. Argh, what a frustrating storyline.
Aimee has another therapy session with Jean, and she brings up her problems with Maeve and discusses the sexual assault. Jean reminds her that it was not her fault that she was assaulted, and she needs time to heal. Aimee then drops the bombshell that Maeve and Otis love each other — she completely forgot she was talking to Otis’s mother.
The true form of the new headteacher Hope takes center stage in episode 6. She’s not making changes with half-measures, and her authoritarian desires reveal themselves. Cal asks Hope if they can have gender-neutral bathrooms, but Hope reminds her about using the uniform correctly first. Hope is under a lot of pressure as papers suggest the school hasn’t changed, and the school board is considering taking away funds. Maeve enters Hope’s office to tell her about the program, but Hope tells her funds are no longer available. This is a massive blow to Maeve — Hope was the one that insisted that she applied.
And then a daunting school assembly arrives. Hope announces that the school will be renamed Sparkside Academy and that the “sex school” is in the past. She then invites Cal, Adam, and Lily to the stage. She gets Cal to stand up and admit they are a trouble maker, Lily to admit that she brings dirty and disgusting words, and Adam to admit he is unhygienic. Eric stands up to defend Adam, but then he’s immediately suspended by Hope. The headteacher places signs on the three students and tells the assembly that no one is allowed to talk to these three students. This story got serious and horrifying quickly.
And the drama keeps arriving; social services believe Elsie has been kidnapped by her mother, and they need Maeve’s help. Otis gives Maeve a lift on his bike. Isaac is immediately irked that Otis is helping out, and the love triangle begins as the two boys end up arguing. Maeve is obviously more bothered about her sister and calms both of them down while the police ask questions. Eventually, Isaac senses that something happened between Otis and Maeve, and he’s hurt. He leaves. Maeve is incredibly unhappy by how Otis has behaved, and she asks him to leave as well.
Hope’s prospects of facing a rebellion look likely. She asks Viv to present to the press because she’s a person of color, so it will make the school look progressive. She also has a horrible view of the students when talking about the Student Forum. Viv records the entire conversation and sends it to all students. Expect more drama in future episodes!
The ending
Episode 6 ends with Eric’s time in Nigeria. His family keeps putting pressure on him to get a “good Christian woman.” The photographer at a wedding named Oba introduces himself to Eric and reveals he is gay, which surprises him. Eric decides to spend the night with Oba, going to a gay nightclub scene in Nigeria. Eric ends up cheating on Adam and hooking up with Oba.
The next day, a frustrated Eric asks his mother why she always lies to her family, and he states he doesn’t want to lie anymore. As Eric leaves to go home, his mother encourages him to talk to his grandmother about his partner. He tells his grandmother about Adam, but she assumes it is his girlfriend. But, Eric did cheat on Adam, so what does that mean for their relationship?
Additional points
- Michael Groff returns the notebook to Jean — he admits to making photocopies last term, and he’s ashamed of his behavior. It turns into a therapy session — he admits his father abused him and that he doesn’t feel joy. Jean tells him to find something that makes him happy.
- With romantic tensions high, Jean tries to talk to Otis about Maeve. Otis gets angry and calls his mother the most unethical woman in the world. He claims she sucks at relationships, and he’s made the right assumption that it’s over between her and Jakob.
- Adam visits Rahim as he feels bad that he got suspended. He’s also writing a poem for Eric and wants Rahim to read it. Rahim tells Adam to write from the heart and find something he likes, which is similar to advice given to his father from Jean.
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