Sex Education Season 4 Send-Off: The Good, the Bad and the Misplaced.

Sex Education returned to our screens on the 21st with its final fourth season. After a two-year wait, the Moordale crew returned in all their glory, starting at the new, liberal arts lookalike college of Cavendish College after the shutdown of Moordale Secondary at the end of last season. 

The season begins with everyone picking up shortly after we left: Maeve (Emma Mackey) jetted off to America, Jean (Jillian Anderson) gave birth, Adam (Connor Swindells) and Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) broke up and well, more. 

Season 4 episode 1 also begins with a myriad of new characters naturally with the introduction of the weird and wonderful new college. The new characters each have their own subplots: Aisha (Alexandra James) is a part of the 'popular' group the Coven Cavendish and is a fun-loving deaf girl who can make friends with anyone. Abbi (Anthony Lexa) is an overly optimistic, self-confessed leader of the group who everyone aspires to be. Roman (Felix Mufti) is a confident trans man who is the boyfriend of Abbi. Of course, there has to be a conflict with rival sex therapist turned influencer, Sarah 'O' Owen, (Thaddea Graham). Last but not least, Joanna is Jean's chaotic, free-spirited sister who visits after Otis calls her in a desperate attempt to help out his overwhelmed mother with his newborn sister, Joy.

While the new characters are all very colourful and each adds a little something to the show, this is where the problems of overcrowding and plot development start. For instance, Roman is for me the standout of the Coven group, yet he has little development or background. Mufti is wasted here, as his one-liners and portrayal of Roman was thoroughly enjoyable to watch.  Yet we never hear much about his past, other than that he had had his surgery and maybe that's the point since the show is trying to show that his transition and gender presentation aren't a big deal, but it seems kind of weird to introduce these characters so late on the show. 

The same problem occurs with Aisha. We know she's deaf and loves astrology, but that's about it. Her one redeeming and interesting moment was her speaking up about finding it hard to ask for accommodations at college, and how she felt subsequently ignored by others because she could not hear like them.

But she has a very brief, weirdly mismatched relationship with Cal (Dua Saleh) which comes out of nowhere. The two have no chemistry, and it just seems like an attempt to attach someone else to Cal and disregard the relationship again, in the same way the writers did with Cal and Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling). There is no closure, and there is one seemingly genuine moment between Aisha and Cal where they choose to raise money for Cal's top surgery.

That aside, the moments referencing Cal's gender dysphoria feel genuine and you can feel their struggle, even if they choose not to talk. This is one of many moments to have the other characters interact with the old ones. Cal could've spoken more openly with Abbi or Roman about their gender dysphoria, yet it only seems to be one scene. Then, when Cal decides to pull a disappearing act, we are supposed to believe that they are best friends with everyone all of a sudden.

Even then, it seems like everything has to be making a bigger point this season. While the general plots of our main core characters are great, the overcrowding of new and recurring characters makes the plots feel less interesting simply because there are too many people to watch.

Cavendish is evidently meant to be an extremely aggressively progressive college, yet it just falls short. The attempt at diversity seems cheap and just like a people-pleasing decision to make sure everyone feels included. If done in the right way, then I might've felt something for Abi or Roman, but honestly, together they just amount to nothing more than being symbols of progressiveness and a beacon of hope for characters like Eric and Cal in the future to be their open and unapologetic selves. 

This aside, the show still manages to explore diverse topics and conflicts among characters without it seeming forced.

Adam's arc this season is one of the best, watching him come to terms with who he is as a bisexual man and finally resolving the tension between him and his father. What's sad is that one of the most significant relationships for three seasons, the relationship between Adam and Eric is left to die without proper closure. The same goes for Jackson and Viv (Chinenye Edeuzu)

Adam's storyline this season is wholesome and greats a great arc for his character. Most things seem resolved, his tense relationship with his dad, his