Dhruv Trivedi
Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’ takes the discussion of sex positivity to new heights when sixth-form students Otis Milburn and Maeve Wiley start an underground “sex clinic” to advise their classmates. The show centers around Otis, who gets much of his wisdom from his mother, Jean, a sex and relationship counselor who seems to embody her profession completely.
Apart from constantly mortifying Otis with her open discussions about his sex life, Jean also enjoys a commitment-free existence that results in many an awkward breakfast the morning after. Therefore, when she finds out she’s pregnant at the end of season 2, her partner Jakob has some questions. Could someone apart from him be the father of Jean’s child? Let’s take a look.
Who is the Father of Jean’s Child?
Jean is confident that Jakob is the father of her child. Despite her long list of partners in the past, it initially appears that Jean has only slept with Jakob since the two began an intimate relationship. However, there are two reasons why Jakob is doubtful about the child’s biological father. First, he has a painful history with his previous wife (Ola’s mother), who he was sure was having an affair and who died before they could resolve their issues.
This left him with no time to grieve about his failed marriage, and Jakob, through his admission, seems to have brought those feelings into his relationship with Jean. It also doesn’t help that Jean’s commitment-free nature keeps bubbling up, making Jakob’s fears all the more potent. This initially happens in season 2 when Otis’ father Remi visits, and after an evening of heavy drinking, Jean kisses him.
When she admits the same to Jakob, he essentially breaks things off with Jean, and the two go their separate ways until he finds out about Jean’s pregnancy. The two then decide to co-parent the child, which eventually leads to Jean and Jakob getting back together. Late into her pregnancy, during a doctor’s visit, Jean runs into a past lover who, seeing her state, awkwardly asks whether the child is his, which Jean denies.
However, this again brings up feelings of doubt and insecurity into Jakob’s mind, and he insists on getting a paternity test, leaving Jean feeling hurt and heartbroken. When Jean finally goes into labor and then suffers life-threatening complications right after giving birth, it seems like Jakob has completely left behind all doubts about fathering Jean’s baby daughter Joy.
Jakob no longer cares about who the biological father might be. When Otis, fearing for his mother’s life, blurts out that he doesn’t want to go live with his father, Jakob hints that should the worse happen, he will be there to take care of Otis as well. At this point, we see Jakob’s not often seen fatherly side, and it is clear that he considers not just baby Joy but also Otis as his family.
However, it wouldn’t be ‘Sex Education’ if it didn’t leave a little twist at the end, and while recovering in the hospital, Jean receives the paternity test results. We don’t get to see who Joy’s father is, but from Jean’s reaction, it certainly looks like it’s not Jakob. Therefore, from what we know, Joy’s father is likely the 30-something-year-old boyish former lover named Dan that Jean ran into at the clinic.
Read More: Do Maeve and Otis Get Together in Sex Education Season 3?
