#maybe a good comparison would be the new college that elle gets into in heartstopper

[billpottsismygf]

I know Sex Education has always been a bit bright and not quite real in its setting, but series 4 has really taken that to the extreme. This new college is just not believable as a real learning environment for teenagers and it's completely taking me out of the show.

Like, yes the diversity and commitment to being green is great, but it's just not real. The holier than thou attitude also seriously rubs me up the wrong way (using paper is ILLEGAL unless apparently you're in art class; if you don't cycle to school, you clearly just need to be told that your car is bad for the environment).

Where are the teachers? Where's the adult oversight? Where are the classrooms? How does this place afford tablets for every pupil and seemingly unlimited space for all these special rooms? This is a fantasy setting, not a real college. Moordale, while heightened, at least felt like a real environment.

It seems like a silly thing to take issue with, especially since I wouldn't have such an issue with a new school-set show that worked like this, but with such an established show, it throws me right out of the expected tone and rules of the world as they've been built until now.

Weirdly, and I don't think this was all the new setting's fault, I also just… didn't care about what was hapenning? I'm literally one episode in and I found it a slog to finish it. Season 3 I ended up binge-watching despite my better judgement because it was such compulsive viewing. This one just felt contrived and unreal.

I know it's setting up plot threads for later (Will Ruby get in with the cool crowd? Will Maeve come back? Will Eric get baptised? Will Adam get a job?), but I don't even feel compelled to find out the answers. I probably will keep watching, but I'm so disappointed so far.