It is the last session for the ex-Moordale kids with the end of the semester and the series ‘Sex Education.’ The Netflix series became a pioneer in more than one way. It was the first series to employ an intimacy coordinator on the sets. The show propelled the representation of various sexual orientations, ethnicities, and genders. The cast members like Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, and others got wide recognition.
‘Sex Education’ encapsulates the teen turmoil that the kids go through while discovering desires, love, and sex in the midst of navigating life. The last season of the series left some questions answered and raised some new ones. Is Jakob not the father of Jean Milburn’s child? What is ahead of Adam and Eric after their breakup? How will Moordale kids navigate the new semester at the new Cavendish College? Like every season, the creator, Laurie Nunn, wanted to push the envelope. So, when she proposed the idea of intertwining church and the sexual orientation of Nctuti’s character, Eric Effiong, the writers’ room of “Sex Education’ felt volatile.
‘Sex Education’ Creator Laurie Nunn Wanted To Explore The Relationship Between Church And Sexual Orientation
The Netflix original series ‘Sex Education’ has opened the floodgates to some of the most important conversations of our time. It highlighted the importance of being sensitive while disseminating sex education, intersectionality being a significant part of storytelling, etc. This intersectionality was seen in Ncuti Gatwa‘s queer character, Eric Effiong.
Eric is the son of an immigrant parent from Nigeria. The family is very supportive of Eric, but they want him to be cautious about being proudly out about his sexual orientation and his gender expression. Eric’s family is a church-going one, but he does not believe in God. However, when he gets physically assaulted on his birthday for cross-dressing, things change for him. He finds refuge in the church, and it helps to reaffirm his identity.
During an interview with The Guardian, Laurie Nunn, the creator of ‘Sex Education’, talked about how the discourse of assimilating sexual orientation and religion caused an uproar in the writers’ room. She said, “We just really wanted to honor people who are LGBTQ but also have faith – those people exist, and they shouldn’t be looked down on, they should be celebrated.”
Laurie continued, “It definitely brought up some very interesting conversations in the writers’ room – during conversations we had about the church, things got more tense than they’ve ever been in a Sex Ed writers’ room, which excited me in a way where I was like: ‘This is a bit of storytelling we don’t see that often and we should put in the show.’ “
In Case You Missed: ‘Sex Education’: Top 10 Best Moments
The Creator Wanted To Highlight Trans And Non-Binary Characters In The Fourth Season
The fourth and final season will see some new additions to the cast. It includes ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Dan Levy playing Maeve’s writing instructor. The other characters include Felix Lufti’s Roman, Alexandra James’ Aisha, Lisa McGrillis’ Joanna, and others. As per Laurie, she wanted to focus more on trans and non-binary characters. In the third season, she introduced Cal, a non-binary person, played by Dua Saleh.
During the interview, Laurie Nunn admitted to being sleep-deprived to ethically create these characters. She said, “I’m definitely not the right person to be a spokesperson for the issues we touch on, which is why I felt like it was so important that we centered those trans voices.”
Laurie added, “We had conversations [with the trans actors] like, ‘Well, what kind of story would you want to see?’ Because I think that’s just what’s so desperately missing from all the discourse, and all the toxic hysteria. It makes me very upset.”
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