*THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 OF SEX EDUCATION*
When Sex Education first dropped on Netflix in 2019, it was met with widespread praise from both critics and casual viewers alike. It boasts a talented and diverse cast, incredibly well rounded and complex characters (no manic pixie dream girls to be seen) and storylines that tackled issues like living in poverty as a teenager, how body dysmorphia can affect sex, being gay in a traditional African family and sexual blackmail, just to name a few.
The second season of Sex Education was released on Netflix last week and it did not disappoint. If anything, the second season only reaffirmed the quality of the show, with no shortage of emotionally taxing moments that are so effective because of how relatable they are. This season did an amazing job of expanding upon the backstories of side characters like Jackson Marchetti, diving into his depression and self-harm, Maureen Groff, who chooses to divorce her husband and re-enter the world after being a stay-at-home mom for years, but the most notable arc this season came from an unexpected character: Aimee Gibbs
Aimee is easily one of the most lovable characters in Sex Education. Though definitely not as bright as her best friend Maeve Wiley or her boyfriend Steve, Aimee’s infectious kindness and loyalty make her stand out among some of the more cynical characters. The third episode starts off no different for Aimee, with her getting on the bus to go to school with a cake that she made for Maeve’s birthday. But things take a sharp turn when, after smiling at the man behind her, she notices that he is masturbating onto her leg. Clearly shaken, she runs forward and asks for the driver to let her off.
Upon arriving at school and explaining to Maeve what happened, Aimee tries to make light of the situation by joking that she hopes her jeans won’t stain. Maeve isn’t amused though, and tries to explain to Aimee that she was assaulted. Again, Aimee tries to downplay what happened by making excuses for the man. Even when Maeve gets her to reluctantly agree to go to the police, it’s obvious that Aimee still doesn’t want to “make a fuss” out of it.
Over the next few hours, Aimee is interrogated by the police, repeatedly apologizes for “wasting their time” and continues to deflect the conversation away from the fact that she was sexually assaulted. Even though the cops continuously validate that she did the right thing and that what happened to her was serious. It isn’t until the end of the episode, in the privacy of her own room, that the gravity of the situation seems to hit her and she breaks down.For the rest of the season, Aimee struggles more with what happened to her. What begins as a fear of getting onto the bus quickly escalates into a fear of intimacy with her boyfriend and hallucinations of the man that assaulted her. She becomes more unhinged throughout the season until she finally breaks down in front of a group of girls during their shared detention and admits what happened to her. In one of the best sequences the show has done, the other girls in the room all talk about their own experiences with sexual assault, from being groped on public transportation to being followed home from work.
What is so well done about this scene is that many girls who are sexually assaulted are like Aimee: they don’t see what happened to them as anything serious. A lot of women don’t consider it to be sexual assault unless they are raped, and in most TV shows, rape is typically how sexual assault is depicted if the writers even make the decision to address sexual assault at all. The less extreme but no-less traumatic forms of sexual assault, like what Aimee experiences, are rarely depicted in movies and television. All of these girls sharing their stories to help Aimee through her trauma validate millions of girls all over the world who have been in similar situations. Aimee’s storyline tells them that no, sexual assault is never okay, it is always a big deal, and you are not alone.
At the end of the episode, the six girls go to an old junkyard together and take out their anger by smashing a car in a gleeful and cathartic scene. Aimee shouts “I’m angry that a horrible man ruined my best jeans and nobody did anything, and now I can’t get on the fucking bus” as she smashes through a window to the cheers of her friends, and it seems like she has finally found the closure she needed. The next morning, Aimee arrives at the bus stop to find that the other girls are waiting for her. As Olivia, Ola, Lily and Viv get on, Maeve turns to Aimee and reminds her “It’s just a stupid bus.” After taking a moment, Aimee is finally able to board the bus again, surrounded by a group of supportive women who understand what she went through and who are there to make her feel safe again.