Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’ is a teen comedy-drama that focuses on the life of teenagers at Moordale Secondary. Over the course of four seasons, we watch all the characters in the show embark on individual journeys to explore their sexual identity while also figuring out who they are and what they want. The story of this awakening, sexual or otherwise, begins with Otis and Maeve, who open a sex clinic in the school to advise their schoolmates on their sexual and relationship problems.
While helping others, Maeve and Otis develop a connection that soon turns into love. However, the timing never seems to be on their side. When Otis is single, Maeve is in a relationship; when she is single, he is with someone else. There is also a stroke of miscommunication that takes them an entire season to clear out. SPOILERS AHEAD
Maeve and Otis Receive a Bittersweet Ending in Season 4
By the end of Season 3, Maeve and Otis have confessed their feelings to each other and even kissed. But they are torn apart when Maeve gets the opportunity to go to America to attend a gifted writers program. At first, she thinks about staying back and exploring what she has with Otis. But Aimee and her mother encourage her to go to America and focus on what she wants rather than holding herself back because she is in love with a boy.
At the beginning of Season 4, Otis is still in Moordale, while Maeve is in America, ready to turn over a new leaf. The distance doesn’t mean that they are done with each other. They try to keep things alive between them through texts and calls. Even though they are not next to each other, they like each other enough to try and give a long-distance relationship a chance. However, they can’t deny that it takes a toll on them.
Otis becomes concerned about a boy that Maeve always hangs out with and wonders if she will leave him to be with the new guy who looks much better than Otis. It isn’t until she reveals that her friend is gay that Otis calms down. Meanwhile, things heat up for Otis when he discovers that his new school already has a sex clinic. He teams up with Ruby, who agrees to be his campaign manager. As they spend time with each other, old feelings threaten to resurface. Otis and Ruby sleep next to each other, which makes him feel as if he cheated on Maeve.
Maeve eventually returns to Moordale when her mother falls sick and dies. Dealing with the grief of losing her mother so suddenly, Maeve also feels bad about her brother, who seems stuck in the cycle that will lead him down the same road. She also starts wondering if she should return to America because the last time she talked to her teacher, she was told that she was not as talented as she thought. She doesn’t realize that this might be the teacher’s way of lashing out at her because of his own jealousy.
Being in each other’s vicinity allows Maeve and Otis to explore their relationship, and Maeve decides not to return to America. She is about to apply for admission at Cavendish, where Otis and the others go now, but is distracted and leaves when she receives a call. Otis is happy with Maeve’s decision because this is what he wanted all along. He is delighted when his mother invites Maeve to dinner to get to know her better.
On the day they are supposed to have dinner, Eric gets trapped in the elevator at the school. Meanwhile, Maeve comes to his house and meets his mother, Jean. They have a heart-to-heart where Meave talks about her insecurities and what her teacher said to her. Jean encourages her not to think so low of herself. She counters her doubts with the fact that Maeve already proved her potential when she was chosen for this elite program. She shouldn’t let a teacher decide the course of her life now that she has the opportunity to do something she loves.
Jean’s words make an impact on Maeve, and she decides to go back to America. Otis is heartbroken by it, but he understands her position. When Maeve mentions that she is not planning to return in the foreseeable future, Otis realizes this is goodbye for them. The last time Meave left, at least Otis knew she intended to come back. This time, however, Maeve is focused on exploring all that her time in America has to offer, and she wishes to expand her writing skills and work for the future she dreams of.
She tells Otis that he’ll always be a part of her because she couldn’t have gotten her if it wasn’t for him, but she needs to move forward, and so does he. When she leaves, Otis says they should take a break from talking and give each other space to process the distance between them. They might talk in the future. They might cross paths again, and perhaps, the timing will be on their side someday. Or, perhaps, they will remain friends but end up with someone else. The future is full of endless possibilities, with or without them being by each other’s side.
Read More: Do Aimee and Isaac End Up Together?
