Sex Education Season 4 Review: Despite its pacing issues, the final season is a decent sendoff to this Netflix series

The final season of one of Netflix's biggest hits is finally out and in this season, we see Otis and his friends find themselves adjusting to life at their school.

Unlike Moordale Secondary School, the new school is a progressive place, Otis is trying to start his sex therapy but faces competition from Sarah “O” Owen played by an excellent Thaddea Graham, who is one of the new additions to the cast.

Meanwhile, Maeve is in the US working on her writing course and trying to make her long-distance relationship with Otis work.

Otis' best friend Eric finds himself a member of the popular kids at the new school, causing a rift between the two.

As for Otis' mother Jean, she is trying to find a balance between taking care of her newborn baby and her new career as the host of a radio show.

So it's clear from the first step that the final season will have a lot of loose ends to tie up and it is fair to say that the show does do mostly a good job at this.

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The first three episodes of season 4 are solid with some great performances from the cast, the new cast members also hold their own and it never feels like their storyline is forced.

It is in the fourth and fifth episodes that the show feels bloated, these episodes deal with Maeve returning from the US after a personal tragedy, and while the elements are there for a strong story arc, it does not blend well with the other plotlines these episodes explore.

This makes these episodes feel like a drag and also gives the impression that the showrunners probably had a two-season arc but were forced to cram it all into one season.

With the recent revelations we know, thanks to the WGA and SAG strikes of how studios cancel shows or rebrand them to avoid paying the cast and crew more money, it wouldn't be surprising if this was the case.

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Thankfully the show finds its footing in the fifth episode, in which Emma Mackey gives a moving and vulnerable performance that will remind fans why her character is beloved.

The whole cast of this show gave solid performances throughout this season, even in the weaker episodes but the standouts have to be Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, and Dua Saleh.

In fact, Dua Saleh's story arc is one of the best things this season has to offer and did make me wish it was explored a bit more.

It is still amazing how this show manages to depict tough issues like abuse, gender identity, and bullying with sincerity and humor, and it never comes off as preachy or insensitive.

So the final season of Sex Education is not perfect but still enjoyable if you are a fan of the series and is a great conclusion to one of the best comedy shows on Netflix.