#Sex Education Season 3 Episode 6 Review: Sparkside Academy

Hope needs to go.

The new head teacher’s actions have been inhumane thus far, and on Sex Education Season 3 Episode 6, she passed the point of no return.

Changing the name of the school wasn’t a surprise, but forcing three children to wear labels that seemed written by a group of bullies, well, that was just cruel.

Lily has been open and honest about who she is from the beginning, and the flashback to her younger years solidified as much.

She was using her writing as a means to convey her feelings on certain things, and while the subject matter of the competition wasn’t for everyone, she did very well.

It was inevitable the story would have severe ramifications for the school in the media, but it didn’t warrant what happened.

Labeling Adam unhygienic was another gross negligence on Hope’s part. Don’t even get me started on what she did to Cal.

These students are supposed to feel safe in the school environment, but Hope ridiculing and admonishing anyone that speaks to them shows more about her character than anything else.

She’s not improved the school’s reputation in the time she’s been there, and that’s because she wants everyone to feel like she’s the boss.

That may be the case while they are on school property, but there are many ways she could have approached repairing the establishment’s reputation.

Viv has been this power-hungry character, but she does have a heart of gold, so I cheered when she recorded Hope’s outburst about the students.

I don’t know what she has planned for it, but it’s going to be good. The students may well have Hope right where they want her to get her fired.

What will that mean for the long-term future of the school, though? Will anyone even want to try to save it if Hope gets the boot?

The media attention is one thing, but the students are not going to react positively to another new face after the stunts Hope’s pulled.

Hope’s takedown needs to be epic to make all of this worthwhile. She’s lorded her power over everyone too much, and revenge is a dish best served sweet!

Maeve getting into the internship was such a positive moment. She felt she could accomplish anything, so it was painful to watch Hope tell her there wouldn’t be any funds to help with the move.

This was the same person who told Maeve she had to apply for it. Seriously, how does this woman sleep at night?

Love triangles are not my thing, and this Otis-Maeve-Isaac scenario is starting to get a little frustrating.

There was an urgency when Elsie went missing, and Maeve needed someone to be in her corner, not two teenage boys bitching at one another about who should or should not be there.

Isaac knows he stands no chance if Otis is in the picture, but there was a time and place for the argument, and it was not the day Maeve’s sister was kidnapped.

The sooner this love triangle ends, the better.

Otis arguing with his mother overstepping came out of nowhere, but it was clearly driven by his confusion over everything going on with Maeve and Isaac.

Aimee revealing that Otis and Maeve love each other to Jean was a typical Aimee move. She’s harmless, but when she talks, she spills everything.

I’ve been enjoying Aimee’s scenes with Jean. Aimee is such a pivotal character, and it was good to see Jean help her make sense of her feelings after what happened to her on the bus.

Eric’s time in Nigeria was an eye-opening experience.

He’s spent so long believing that he can’t be himself when he’s there, and that’s largely down to his mother.

He wants to live his authentic self, and the trip to the gay bar showed him that there are more people like him in Nigeria.

I was concerned the story was going to take a dark turn when the Oba got out of the car and left Eric, but the intent of the scene was to highlight the precautions patrons of the bar have to check. 

Cheating on Adam with Oba was a shocker. The show is starting to test all of the relationships in ways I did not expect, but it will all come down to whether the relationships will stand the test of time.

Michael’s revelations to Jean about his upbringing were expected.

His actions towards his son throughout the first two seasons were horrid, and maybe now they’ll be able to forge a bond.

Sex Education has never been a show to take seriously, but many of the developments throughout this installment felt too dissociated from reality to take seriously.

The show excels when it lets the stories breathe. This sixth episode felt a little too convoluted for my liking.

What are your thoughts on Hope’s plan?

Are you surprised the school changed names?

What’s your take on the drama between Otis, Maeve, and Isaac?

Hit the comments.

Catch the full three seasons on Netflix.

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.