Sex Education – Season 4 Episode 5 Recap & Review

Old Times

Episode 5 of Sex Education Season 4 begins with Celia trying to get it on but she cannot find any lube. She accidentally uses chilli oil and struggles with the burn.

Aimee and Otis play around while making breakfast to cheer up Maeve. It’s been 3 days since they skipped Cavendish. Maeve has to go to the funeral home and tells them to go to college. She also asks Otis out on a date and he makes sure she is okay. Eric checks in with him and he says Maeve hasn’t cried yet.

Beau walks Viv to college and Jackson is excited for her. She asks about his health and he says he wants to find the sperm donor. He doesn’t want to tell his moms but she tells him he should. Eric tells Abbi he wants to have a fundraiser for the soup kitchen and she is excited to help.

Otis finally shows up to college and Eric catches up with him. He apologises for disinviting him and Otis is fine with it. He asks about Queer Night but before Eric can get into it, Otis is distracted by O and runs to find Ruby. Eric is annoyed as he sarcastically thanks Otis for listening. Similarly, Ruby is annoyed with Otis for ghosting her for 3 days. He apologises and tells her about Maeve’s mom. She is apologetic and is ready to help him again.

Meanwhile, the lift is broken again and Isaac asks Aimee to help him set up a temp art class on the ground floor. She asks about the negatives and he helps her develop them in the dark room. Aimee doesn’t know what to say with her photos and he tells her not to think too much about it. They lock eyes and declare that they like each other. But both feel odd and Aimee decides to tell Maeve about it.

Meanwhile, Maeve and Sean can’t seem to agree on how to have a funeral as it costs a lot and their mom didn’t have any friends. He is also pretty unserious while she wants to give a proper send-off. He heads out for a second and she is furious on learning that he is using again.

Jean and Joanna go to the doctor for Joy’s check-up. Joanna ends up spilling that Jean is a wreck. The doctor says postnatal depression is normal especially since Jean has a history. She simply laughs it off and is angry at Joanna for embarrassing her.

At college, PK and Aisha approach Ruby and give her the dirt Otis needs on O. During the debate, O uses Remi Milburn’s meninist books to paint Otis as a misogynist like his father. He refuses and once he gets an in, he uses the dirt by saying she ghosts her ex and all of them including PK call her out. But it backfires as the crowd cheers for O when she reveals she is asexual and struggles with her feelings which is why she ghosted her exes which she regrets.

Celia calls Jean in for a meeting and ends up talking about the chilli-lube fiasco. They talk about the stigma of menopause and feeling embarrassed for wanting help. Celia feels better after Jean comforts her and casually counsels her but regretfully reveals that her boss is hiring O as a full-time co-host.

Meanwhile, Joanna’s card declines after a Brazilian waxing session and she is forced to call Jean to pay. Elsewhere, Jem and Adam bond as they both are school dropouts and she sympathises about his dad giving him a hard time. She tells him to hug the horse, Midnight and they both feel calm and relaxed.

As for his parents, they are hooking up but Maureen rejects the idea of getting back together as she feels like she is betraying Adam. She tells Michael that he needs to work harder to earn Adam’s trust.

Meanwhile, Otis is cancelled for being a woman-hater but he decides to forget about it and get ready for his date with Maeve. He gives Jean the cold shoulder for working with O and when she is confused, he says she hasn’t paid attention to him since Joy was born. He understands the pressures of being a single mother but he too needs his mom. He storms off and Jean breaks down as she finally calls her doctor.

Maeve’s spirits are dampened as well, as Aimee shows up while she is getting ready and tells her about Isaac. Maeve feels confused and says it is complicated, asking Aimee to talk about it later. Upset by the whole day, she steals a tequila bottle. Jackson has a fight with his parents as he tells them he wants to find his biological father. Roz is upset and forbids him while confessing that she is not ready when he leaves.

Eric stops by the church to tell Pastor Samuel about the fundraiser who is delighted but asks about baptism class. He is quiet as Eric says he doesn’t want to get baptised anymore. However, Eric stays back when he comes across the guy from Queer Night who tells him to attend their choir practice.

At the theatre, pairs of Cavendish students meet up for a date. Jackson crashes Beau and Viv’s date as he is upset. He comes across Cal who is with Aisha and says he doesn’t need to avoid them as they have moved on. Dan stands up Joanna and she joins Otis and Maeve.

Jackson and Viv keep having fun which makes Beau jealous and he leaves. Viv follows Beau out and he says he really likes her and they kiss. Alone, Jackson keeps staring at Cal. Aisha has trouble as there are no subtitles but she stops Cal from making a fuss. Joanna and Maeve get drunk and make a ruckus, throwing popcorn at other theatregoers till the ushers kick them out.

While walking home, Cal asks about asking for what they need and Aisha says she doesn’t want to spend her life making awkward arguments with non-disabled people who don’t understand her. Cal feels the same way as they are tired of explaining their identity to their mother to whom they just don’t speak anymore. Aisha changes the topic to stars and Cal laughs as they kiss.

Joanna drunkenly makes her way home and tearfully professes her love to Jean while puking. Jean is amused which immediately changes to frustration when Joanna ends up revealing that she has amassed a huge debt.

Otis tries to take care of Maeve but she just drags him to the abandoned Moordale School. They start making out in the empty swimming pool and she says she wants to have sex. He tries to stop her as she is drunk but another thought goes in his head. He finally pushes her off and says he slept with Ruby. He clarifies that they just slept in the bed and Maeve is pissed. However, the guards catch them and call Jean.


The Episode Review

Did Otis really use Maeve’s mum as an excuse to smooth out things with Eric and Ruby? The worst part is that he doesn’t even realise he is being self-centred, he just leads on Ruby and Eric, giving them false hope and then taking off behind Maeve.

Well, it was a thing in season 1, and unsurprisingly, Otis is consistent. Hopefully, he will grow by the time we reach the finale. He is definitely the hero of our show and likeable, but he can also be an annoying teenager. 

Episode 5 of Sex Education Season 4 also does a good job of carving out a space for the other characters. Even though Maeve likes Otis she feels confused about Aimee and Isaac. There is also more to O’s story than being the fake therapist influencer. It seems that she genuinely cares about counselling. All of the different side couples are also finally progressing but there is definitely going to be a hitch that will be coming along soon. 

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You can read our season 4 review of Sex Education here!

  • Episode Rating
    (4.5)
4.5

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