Asa Butterfield stars as Otis Milburn, a
British teen whose mother Jean (Gillian Anderson) is a sex therapist. Though both single and a virgin at the
beginning of the series, he becomes known as “sex kid” at his school and
begins, with the help of his classmate Maeve (Emma Mackey) charging his
classmates for sex advice. Over the
course of the two seasons, he helps his classmates navigate their relationships
while beginning to explore his own. We
also get a look at Jean’s love life as she, after years of eschewing
relationships in favor of one night stands (who Otis has gotten used to running
into in the bathroom in his mother’s yellow bathrobe), begins an unlikely
romance with a plumber named Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt).
I don’t know if teens really are having as
much sex as the teens on this show are.
I do know that these particular teens seem incredibly responsible and
mature about sex, being vigilant about condom use and seeking help on and
working through issues that would make even some adults call it quits. The relationships—both the teens’ and the
adults’—are so real that it is painful to watch at times. Jean confesses to Jakob that she kissed her
ex-husband, and they break up. When she
later asks forgiveness, he tells her that she isn’t ready for the type of
intimacy he needs. She cries as soon as
she is out the door. Your heart breaks
for her. Sometimes, there is drama the
likes of which is rarely seen in real life; people make drunken speeches where
they tell people what they REALLY think of them and jump onstage during plays to
make declarations. Sometimes it’s too
much like real life; sometimes it’s how you wish real life was. It always is compelling, interesting
television where you genuinely feel for most of the characters.
One particularly interesting storyline
comes when Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) experiences a sexual assault on a bus. A man masturbates and ejaculates on the leg
of her jeans; she is upset enough to get off of the bus and walk the rest of
the way to school. She seems flippant
about the encounter when she tells her friend Maeve about it, primarily
concerned that her jeans might be ruined.
Maeve has to explain to her that what she has experienced was a sexual
assault and that she needs to report it to the police. Though Aimee doesn’t understand the
experience as sexual assault and is initially resistant to the idea of
reporting it, she is nonetheless traumatized by it, avoiding the bus; thinking
that she sees the man everywhere; and finding herself unable to enjoy sex with
her boyfriend. It provides a compelling
look at the ways in which women are inclined to brush off such experiences as
no big deal even as they have a serious impact on their ability to conduct
their daily lives.
As a whole, it is both an entertaining and
thought-provoking show. A third season
has been announced for 2021; I don’t think I’m the only one who can’t wait.
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