All Your Questions About That Surprising ‘Sex Education’ Season Finale, Answered

Absolutely. And I would have to assume that Jean and Jakob took the paternity test, and the results are what we see Jean opening in the finale, right?

Yes.

Okay. So…

It is a cliff-hanger.

That it is! Based on Jean’s reaction, should viewers definitely assume that Jakob is not the father? 

Yes. I think that Jakob is not the father. And as I said, let’s really hope for series four so we can unpack that.

Wow. Okay, so do you already know who the father is, or have you not planned that far ahead? 

Yeah, I mean, I have always known where that storyline is going, so I do have answers.

Okay, say no more! We just need a renewal so we can find out who it is. Meanwhile, what can you say about Maeve and Otis going forward now that she’s going to the United States to continue her education?

I think what’s really lovely about writing the Otis and Maeve romance is that underneath it they are also really good friends who have a lot of respect for each other. I liked writing that scene and getting Otis to a place where he was able to put his emotions aside and just say, “I am really proud of you, and obviously we will work out whatever we are, but right now you just need to pursue your goals and ambitions.” I think that shows a lot of growth in him as a character, but also in their relationship. No matter what happens for them in the future, they’ve got that real grounding of respect and friendship underneath it and it was really nice to kind of get them back to that place because it’s been a bit tumultuous.

I also would love for you to talk about that very emotionally intimate and physical scene with Isaac and Maeve. I thought it was so smartly done, and I appreciated how they really respected each other’s comfort levels and asked the right questions. 

Oh, I’m really glad. I really wanted to dig deeper into Maeve and Isaac’s relationship. For me, these characters are cut from the same cloth and have a genuine connection with each other because they share similar childhood experiences of abandonment. Once Isaac was able to fully apologize to Maeve and regain her trust, I wanted to explore sex and disability through their relationship. This was the natural next step for these characters but also is an important bit of representation for the show. Nineteen percent of the working population in the U.K. have a disability, yet we so rarely see intimacy and sex with disabled characters represented onscreen. We worked with various disability consultants and charities to make sure this scene felt authentic, sexy, and joyful.