Netflix's teen dramedy Sex Education is now back for a second season, packing sexuality exploration and the fragility of adolescents in a hilarious but informative manner.
Sex Education follows the life of 16-year-old Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) and his school mates, as well as the adults in their lives. In Season 1, the awkward Otis -- whose mother is a sex therapist -- runs an unsanctioned sex clinic at school to offer paid advice to students, with varying degrees of success and comedic results while also struggling with his own issues. Some of the story arcs in the first season included homosexuality, abortion, sexting and bullying. There were also scenes featuring full frontal nudity and sex between teens.
The series had a successful debut last year, becoming a hit among audiences and critics alike across the globe. At the same time, conservatives in certain countries -- Thailand, for example -- threw a fit over its raunchiness and even the promotional materials put up around the city, saying it would encourage sexual urges among teenagers. Others argue that the show opens up a much-needed space for dialogue on sex-related topics that are rarely discussed freely, especially among the young. The issues presented also expand beyond the context of straight white people, as often found in films and series of a similar kind, but reach into the experiences of LGBTI and people of colour as well.
"I think everyone who's watched the show hopefully comes out a little bit more comfortable talking about sex because it's normal. It's a part of life. It's not something you should be ashamed of or should be hiding away," said Asa Butterfield in a recent conversation with Life.
Several cast members said they didn't quite anticipate the level of success the show got from Season 1. With the return of the second season, they're more than excited to come back with new developments and also new characters that either enrich or complicate their lives.
Season 2 opens with a bang. There is lots of masturbation and the school is in chaos over chlamydia and catfights. As we progress through its eight binge-worthy episodes, the show continues to explore themes such as fetish, different types of sexuality, parental relationships and sexual assault.
We see Otis becoming more impulsive, connecting with his sexual needs, and "not terrified of it anymore", according to Butterfield. Otis now dates Ola, whose father is getting intimate with Otis' mum (played by Gillian Anderson). Meanwhile, there's also his crush from Season 1, the school's bad girl Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey), with whom Otis ran the sex clinic. His best friend, Eric Effiong (Ncuti Gatwa), is caught in a love triangle with a new hot boy at school and his ex-bully who was shipped off to military school last season.
"It's quite an interesting dynamic and I had a lot of fun playing with those different relationships," Butterfield said.
As audiences follow Otis, the story also delves into the lives of different characters around him. Sex Education brings quite a sex-positive attitude and empowerment to its onscreen female characters. While they may have their own issues, they form a united front when one of them is in trouble. Last season, after a picture of a vagina went viral in school, female (and male) students stood up to claim it was theirs to prevent the actual person from being identified and shamed.
"We definitely built on a lot of scenes that were touched on in the first season," said Gatwa, who plays Eric. He described the onscreen unity between female characters as really strong this season.
"Maeve and all the rest of the girls came together onscreen for something really powerful, and that's something I'm personally very excited to see," he added.
Speaking of female representation, Mackey (who portrays Maeve) said the show has been a "massive help" in putting forth a variety of young women that audiences can relate to.
"This show and the writing means that a lot of young girls will feel less lonely, and will feel more empowered to just own their own narratives and be more resilient and braver and not feel ashamed about anything, because that's what we're doing here: to try and help people. We try to get people to talk, to just exist in a healthy way and be able to talk about things without feeling pressure or weight," Mackey said.
Maeve herself goes through quite a lot this season. She has been more of a lone wolf, and this time she's figuring out her place in a family unit when her dysfunctional mother returns. As a silver lining, Maeve finds a kind adult female figure in her teacher, Ms Sands, who is giving her a chance to realise her talent and rise above her own uncalled-for bad reputation.
"I find [the relationship] really moving," said Mackey. "I think a relationship with Ms Sands is a way for Maeve to break down a lot of defence mechanisms that she has been putting up. She allows herself to just be a bit more free and learns to be part of the team thanks to Ms Sands."
Out of the trio, Eric's character seems to be enjoying a more laid-back season compared to the others. In the first season, Eric was already openly and flamboyantly gay. He's also from a religious family. A homophobic attack left him scared and trying to mask his own queerness before he overcame it. He eventually went to the school dance in full drag.
In Season 2, Eric returns with more confidence and less of a "people pleaser", said Gatwa.
"I think it's really cool to have a black gay character being unapologetic on the screen."
Eric's character is by no means the only LGBTI storyline we get in Sex Education. Even more so in Season 2, the show broadens its narrative on queer visibility among young characters, and also touches on different sexual orientations, including asexuality and pansexuality.
"We're privileged in a sense that we get to play out these characters and these storylines," said Gatwa, commending the show's wide variety of narratives and its writing.
"I think this year we kind of delved a bit deeper. We expanded our LGBT spectrum to allow more spaces to come through. And I think that's really exciting -- to tell new sides of that particular narrative."
