Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’ ends its run with the fourth season, bringing the stories of the teenagers of Moordale Secondary to an end. The final season resolves many things, like relationships left in the lurch and the search for a purpose and meaning. No matter how the season ends, for every character in the show, it is the start of something new. It all started with Otis Milburn and Maeve Wiley starting a clinic in their school to advise their fellow teenagers on their sexual problems. With every season, Otis, Maeve, and everyone around them evolved, exploring themselves and discovering what they wanted from life. Here’s a look at all that happens at the end of ‘Sex Education’ and what it means for the characters. SPOILERS AHEAD
Sex Education Season 4 Plot Synopsis
The fourth season of ‘Sex Education’ lands the students of Moordale Secondary in uncharted waters. With the school closed, they move on to Cavendish College, which turns out to be much different than they are used to. Eric is glad to have come here because this place is much more open and inclusive, and he quickly makes friends. Ruby, on the other hand, struggles to connect with people and discovers that the popularity factor she enjoyed in her previous school won’t stand here.
Otis is delighted to start his sex clinic but discovers that there is already another student who has taken the job of being the student counselor. Meanwhile, Maeve starts her writing program in America and discovers things are not what she hoped. While everyone is busy figuring out things in their new schools, Adam decides to ditch it and find something he truly loves. Things also change between him and his father as Mr. Groff works on being a better father and person.
Sex Education Season 4 Ending: The Student Elections Have an Unexpected Winner
Otis and O wanted a monopoly over the sex clinic and couldn’t allow the other person to do their own thing. Otis, primarily, couldn’t settle with the fact that someone else was good at what he thought set him apart. When they cannot resolve their differences, they leave the answer of who should run the clinic to other students. At first, Otis gets help from Ruby, who also has a vendetta against O from way back when. But things are complicated between them.
While working on the campaign, Ruby and Otis spend a lot of time with each other. They end up sleeping next to each other, which feels wrong to Otis because he is in a relationship with Maeve. It feels like cheating, so he cuts off the connection with Ruby, especially when Maeve unexpectedly returns home. Ruby doesn’t take well to being ignored, especially when she discovers Otis is ignoring her because Maeve is back in town. She decides not to be Otis’ campaign manager anymore. However, she still wants to beat O.
To ruin O’s chances of winning, Ruby brings another horse to the race. She finds a student named Connor, who declares himself as another contestant. Ruby also ruins O’s chances by releasing the video from years ago when O ruined Ruby’s reputation. The students already hated Otis by this point, but now, they also hate O because she was outed for bullying. As expected, on the night the results are announced, Connor comes out as the clear winner.
Winning the election means Connor is the only one who can open a sex clinic in the college now. However, he reveals that he only wanted to do it because he wanted to be on a radio show with Otis’s mother, whom he finds very attractive. But talking to the students and hearing about their problems, Connor realized that it wasn’t worth the effort. So, he passes on the opportunity of running a clinic and gives it to Otis.
Ideally, Otis would have rejoiced, but too much has happened by now. He knows O much better now and has also realized that his insecurities were behind this whole ruckus. He has also learned that O might actually be better than him at this job and gives it up in her favor. He believes that Cavendish College is already in the hands of a good person. Later, however, O approaches Otis with the idea of running the clinic together. She thinks that they complement each other and would work rather well together. Otis accepts her offer, which means they can both be the sex therapists the college needs.
What is the Fund Raising Money Used For?
Apart from the elections, the night’s main event is the fundraiser. It is arranged by Abbi, Roman, Aisha, and Eric, and they give a lot of thought to where the money should go. Eric came up with the idea of giving the money to his church after discovering they were closing the soup kitchen because its funding had been cut. He thought it would be a good thing because the soup kitchen helps feed people and would also serve as an olive branch for the LGBTQ+ community to create a dialog between them.
At first, the group is unsure whether the church would accept their donation, but they are ecstatic when the pastor reveals that they would be glad to. However, on the day of the fundraiser, the pastor reveals that the church looked into the college and doesn’t agree with the student groups organizing the fundraiser. There is a clash of ideologies, and the church won’t budge, even if it means getting funding for a good cause.
As Eric and the group start to think about their options again, they discover that Cal has gone missing. The entire school comes together to find them. After tracing their steps, Jackson realizes where Cal might be. Meanwhile, Eric takes a journey of his own and finds Cal at the end of it. Both Jackson and Eric talk to Cal, who reveals how difficult it has been for them lately. Eric assures them that there are people who are willing and happy to help them, and while it won’t be an easy road ahead, Cal is not alone.
When Cal comes back home, Aisha visits them. She proposes that the fundraiser money go to Cal for their top surgery. She knows that Cal has been wanting it for a long time, and this was one of the reasons they’d been so anxious lately. Aisha offers the money to them as a gesture of goodwill from their friends and classmates, who want to let Cal know that they care for them and stand in solidarity with Cal. They want to use the money for something good, and what’s better than helping their friend!
Why Does Eric Decide to Become a Pastor?
While sex and relationships take up most of the plot of ‘Sex Education,’ the show also focuses on the characters’ individual journeys. The character that has undoubtedly had one of the best arcs in the show is Eric. His exploration of self and search for a purpose continues to be an important theme of the final season, and he eventually realizes what he is meant to do.
When Eric comes to Cavendish, he is delighted to discover that he can be completely himself without inhibitions or shame. He doesn’t have to hide who he is but rather celebrate it. Finding his community fills his heart, and it also puts him on a path that leads him to pull down the barriers that have been holding him back all this while. While Eric had come out to his friends and family, he was still forced to hold back his identity as a proud gay man in the church. This was a thorn that Eric couldn’t pull out because he knew that he wouldn’t be accepted by his church, and he didn’t want to abandon his faith.
The tug of war inside Eric’s heart strengthens as the conversation about his baptism reignites. He wants to be baptized because he is a Christian, but he is unsure because it would mean he has to continue lying to people around him. Worse, he will have to keep lying to himself. Just when Eric thinks about abandoning the church and his faith altogether, some weird things start to happen. He has strange dreams and thinks he’s getting a sign from God.
Eric tries to mend the gap with the church through the fundraising money, but when they refuse to take it, he is forced to reconsider his decision. On the day of the baptism, the pastor talks about leaving behind their sins and being born anew, but Eric cannot stop thinking about how it will further repress him, how the thing that is supposed to make him free has been binding him and others like him in chains. He decides not to go through with the baptism and also comes out to the churchgoers, saying that he cannot hide who he is anymore.
After leaving the church, Eric feels freer than he’d ever before. As he takes a walk through the woods, God shows up again. It was the woman he’d seen before, who’d also appeared in his dreams. When Eric says he cannot in good conscience go forward with the baptism because it’d mean compromising with his true self, God tells him that this is what she wanted him to do all along. She wanted him to speak out and not hide himself anymore because only then could he help others.
Eric realizes God’s plan for him is to speak on her behalf. Instead of running away from the church, he should become a part of it and help in reforming it so that no one else ever has to compromise between their faith and identity. His thoughts are reaffirmed when, in the evening, following the fundraiser, the pastor shows up with Eric’s family. He offers Eric an olive branch, saying that the church is ready to have conversations and discussions. Eric says they need much more than that, but having discussions is a good start. This shows him that there is scope for change, and he can also be a part of it. So, he decides to be a pastor.
Read More: Do Maeve and Otis End Up Together?
