Sex Education season 4 recap and ending explained

Sex Education season 4 is the most satisfying final season of a Netflix show that I can remember. And the Sex Education season 4 ending? Nails, absolute nails. It’s perfect in nearly every way possible, and it doesn’t just throw a bunch of finite endings at viewers. It methodically works its way through all of these complex relationships in a way that just makes sense.

We shared a recap of the major plot points of season 4, followed by the Sex Education season 4 ending and answered questions about what happened in the final episode.

Sex Education season 4 recap

In Sex Education season 4, there’s a lot going on! Moordale closed down, and many of the students moved on to Cavendish College, an inclusive, progressive university in Moordale. Otis (Asa Butterfield), Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), Ruby (Mimi Keene), Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood), Isaac (George Robinson), Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling), Cal (Dua Saleh), Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu), and others from Moordale. They meet and interact with a whole host of new characters at Cavendish, and it’s great to see so many of these characters grow and change from when we first met them at Moordale.

We broke up each of the main character’s journeys in season 4, starting with Otis.

Otis

Overall, most of the season revolves around this feud between Otis and a new therapist at Cavendish, O (Thaddea Graham). Otis and O decide that this college ain’t big enough for the both of ’em and the Cavendish resident sex therapist must be decided via school election. It’s hilarious, but Otis is clearly overmatched by O’d charm and savvy. He enlists the help of Ruby, who is struggling to fit in and make friends at the new school. Eventually, we learn that she has a history with O, so it’s also a little bit about revenge. It brings Otis and Ruby closer over the course of the season, but Otis is with Maeve. During a fight with Maeve (Emma Mackey), Otis accidentally stays the night at Ruby’s house (and in her bed), but nothing happens between them, although it seems clear there is still feelings on both sides, and even more so on Ruby’s side.

Aimee

Speaking of feelings, we also see Aimee hit things off with Maeve’s former crush and neighbor, Isaac, at the new college. Isaac helps Aimee dive into her art and creative side, but they put their feelings on hold when Maeve asks Aimee not to continue in a romantic relationship with Isaac. Throughout the season, Aimee struggles to find meaning in her art. Eventually, she begins to open up and embrace her creativity and use pain from her past to make meaningful statements in her pieces.

Maeve

Maeve begins university at Wallace University in the United States where she’s honing her craft as a writer. Things are really tough for Maeve and Otis with the long-distance relationship. Maeve is also struggling as a writer because her new teacher, Mr. Molloy (Dan Levy), is a jerk. He tells Maeve that she’s not cut out to be a writer, which crushes her spirit. Shortly after, Maeve finds out her mother overdosed, and she leaves college to return to Moordale. When she arrives, Maeve learns her mother died. She plans a funeral for her mother, which despite her brother’s best interference, turns out to be really nice, and we see a lot of familiar faces from Maeve’s past return to honor her mother and support Maeve. Over the course of the season, she battles her emotions, and she tries to figure out what to do about her future, including if Otis is in it or not. It all hits rock bottom when Otis and Maeve sneak back into Moordale Secondary School and are caught in the empty swimming pool by security.

Eric

Eric is also dealing with some pretty big feelings in Sex Education season 4. After Eric stops going to church as often and battles with whether or not to get baptized or not, Eric begins seeing signs from God, he believes, to come back to the church. Eric eventually goes back, after helping at the soup kitchen and realizing that the church can’t continue to help feed people without a major donation. Luckily, Eric is in the power group at Cavendish College, which consists of Aisha (Alexandra James), Abbi (Anthony Lexa), and Roman (Felix Mufti). They decide to give Eric’s church the proceeds from the school fundraiser, which happens in the season finale. Prior to the fundraiser, Eric’s pastor informs Eric that members of the church are uncomfortable accepting a donation from a progressive institution like Cavendish. During Eric’s baptism, he asks the members of the church to accept him for who he is or he won’t follow through with the baptism. When Eric’s mother is the only one to show support, Eric leaves the church behind.

Adam

Eric also reconnects with Adam (Connor Swindells) during Maeve’s mother’s funeral. They hadn’t seen each other in a while, but they were able to have a moment that satisfied that part of the story. Adam has been working at a horse farm over the summer, while also dealing with feelings of hatred and anger toward his father. Eventually, Adam’s parents begin seeing each other again, which throws Adam into another mental and emotional loop in season 4.

Jackson and Viv

Jackson and Viv’s storylines are quite intertwined throughout the season. Jackson wants to learn who his birth father is, but he’s also found a lump on his testicle, and he’s worried it’s cancer. He confides in Viv, and she helps him through it. Viv also has a new boyfriend, who seems great at first, but in time, he becomes clingy, jealous, and even aggressive. Viv breaks things off with him.

Cal

Cal is also having a very rough time this season as they begin taking testosterone and wait for top surgery. Cal goes missing near the end of the season when things become too much. Eric and Jackson find Cal all alone on a cliff’s edge near the end of the season. They walk Cal home, but Cal doesn’t attend the fundraiser at the end of the season.

Jean and Joanna

Jean (Gillian Anderson) is battling postpartum depression in Sex Education season 4 after the birth of Joy. Jean’s sister, Joanna (Lisa McGrillis), arrives in Moordale to help out, but she also brings some chaotic energy as she deals with past trauma. Jean scores a new talk show gig on the radio, but she has to share the space with O, Otis’s rival therapist at Cavendish. Eventually, Jean begins to take medication, which helps with her depression and begins to make strides in her personal and professional life.

Sex Education season 4 ending

Okay, so it all goes down in the Sex Education season 4 finale. Let’s start at the most important part, the relationship that lasts for four seasons.

Do Otis and Maeve end up together? Maeve and Otis finally hook up in the season 4 finale, but they decide to go their separate ways for now. They agree to not speak to each other for a time to let each other settle into their new lives without each other. It’s heartbreaking in some respects, but Maeve leaves Otis a note thanking him for helping her open up her heart and pursue her dreams. The series ends with Otis, in Moordale, and Maeve, in America, staring at the sky, probably looking at the moon, but as Andy Dwyer pointed out, not the same moon, obviously, that’s impossible.

At Cavendish’s fundraiser, Otis also loses the election to become Cavendish’s therapist, but he gives up the position to O, who also doesn’t accept the position after it was revealed that she used to bully Ruby. Ruby, then, takes the stage and forces O to take the position and forgives her.

In America, Maeve returns to school, and she finds out that a publisher is interested in her book, “Southchester,” after her roommate asks them to read a sample of it. Maeve also tells off Mr. Molloy for trying to crush her dream and spirit, but she’s not going to walk away that easily.

Eric and Otis, who had to take a break from their friendship because Otis was a major emotional drain for like four seasons, rekindle their friendship at the fundraiser. Eric’s pastor also arrives with Eric’s family and some other church members. They offer to be more supportive, open, and accepting to Eric and others. Otis and Eric spend the night at Eric’s playing Super Smash Bros. It’s like nothing changed, but everything has changed.

Back at home, Otis finds Jean, Joy, and Joanna. Jean and Joanna, despite falling out, also resolve their issues after Joanna calls Jean’s show and confesses that she was abused by a relative with she was 12 years old. Joanna asks for Jean’s advice, and Jean says she should lean on family and friends, which means that she’s asking Joanna to stay. Dan (Daniel Ings), who is Jean’s former lover and whom Joanna started to have a thing with in season 4, arrives at the Milburn house. Jean tells Dan that he’s the father of her baby.

During the fundraiser, Aimee and Isaac share a kiss in the photo lab at Cavendish. It looks like their relationship is getting off to a good start. Otis also apologizes to Ruby for leading her on a bit in season 4. She then ditches him to hang out with the cool kids of Cavendish, finally accepted. Otis is also invited by O to join her as a therapist at Cavendish. It looks like they’ll be working together from here on out.

Speaking of acceptance, Adam’s dad, Michael (Alistair Petrie), takes a horse riding class from Adam. It’s clear that Michael has taken Adam’s criticism and is trying to make things right. At the end of the season, Adam invites his father in to watch TV with his mom, Maureen (Samantha Spiro), and him. It looks like their family is getting back on track.

Jackson, on the other hand, was left hurt by his parents’ actions. They lied to him about his biological father. It’s revealed that Jackson’s mother, Roz (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), had an affair with a married man before meeting Sofia (Hannah Waddingham). She got pregnant with Jackson, and when she shared the news with Jackson’s father, he didn’t want anything to do with them. It’s heartbreaking to see Jackson so hurt that his dad never wanted to know him, but Roz and Sofia support him.

So, that’s how Sex Education season 4 ended. We hope you enjoyed this great Netflix series as much as we did. Unfortunately, Sex Education season 5 is not going to happen.