Quite a few different threads going on here. It doesn’t all necessarily fit together neatly, but most of the individual parts are compelling to watch. Ncuti Gatwa/Eric has a fun plot going on.
Jean has set up shop at the school, ready to hear what the students want in their new sex ed curriculum. Otis is mortified about this for all the ordinary reasons, and he’s also completely freaked that she’ll find out about his own unlicensed sex therapy practice. It’s Maeve’s birthday but she hates celebrating (because of course she does,) but the day takes an unexpected turn when she steps forward to help Aimee with a difficult situation. Eric is both thrilled and panicked when Rahim asks him out, not least of which because it falls to him to figure out what makes for a fun date in their sleepy little town. Jackson, whose swimming career is on hold due to an injury, is casting about for something else to make of himself, and he finds that he’s drawn to the auditions for the school play.
Otis is really in his feelings about everything this episode, which can get tiresome (and I’d say Ola agrees,) but it’s really interesting to watch Jean at the school. Last week, she was basically a thorn in the headmaster and sex ed teacher’s sides, plaguing them with her quiet competence and disapproving looks, but here, we see how she’s not as effective as she could be. Maybe it’s because she’s used to working with adults, not teens—goodness knows she’s had a difficult time relating to Otis—or maybe it’s because she’s in curriculum-research mode, not therapist mode. Either way, she calls kids’ sexual fears “fascinating” as she takes notes on them and neglects to notice when she’s making a mess of things.
Maeve and Aimee’s plot is really well done. I like how they handle Aimee’s situation, which deals with her being assaulted by a guy masturbating on the bus. In the moment, she’s completely freaked out, but as soon as it’s over, she tries to minimize it, arguing with Maeve that there’s no need to go to the police. I love the moment where a female officer tells Aimee, firmly and quietly, “You’re not wasting anyone’s time.” At the same time, we see how painful and impersonal the experience of reporting an assault like that can be.
“Jock secretly discovers he’s good at acting” isn’t the most original plotline out there, but the show, and Jackson, do well with it. Since his injury, Jackson has been working with Viv, a tutor, on his schoolwork—his grades had been fine for a swimming star, not so much for someone who might no longer be able to get an athletic scholarship—and when he takes an interest in the play, he turns to her for help. The scene between them discussing the audition is great. Is it entirely believable how fast Jackson progresses for someone who starts out “not getting” Shakespeare? Nah, but I love the advice Viv gives him, little things that instantly elevate his performance.
And then we’ve got Eric. Last week, he was utterly perplexed by Rahim, but this time around, Rahim is perfectly unambiguous: he wants a date. And since he’s new in town and doesn’t know what’s cool, Eric can plan it. Ncuti Gatwa nicely plays Eric’s mix of omg-it’s-really-happening excitement and oh-shit-what-do-I-do-now indecision. I love when he shouts at Otis, “I don’t have time for this conversation. I have to go home and try on everything I own!” Oddly, Eric trying to plan a date is a little like Otis’s first official crack at sex therapy back in season 1: he gets in his head too much and tries too hard. He’s capable of a lot more than he thinks if he can just relax.
One thing I like about Eric, and how Ncuti Gatwa plays him, is that this is a kid who’s never really had it together. I’ve since plenty of media depictions of gay boys who present themselves as poised, confident, and knowledgeable in their day-to-day lives, but as soon as they get the prospect of a real live boyfriend, their inexperience bubbles to the surface and they flail. And Eric definitely flails here, but it’s not a major turn for him. He’s always been at least a little bit of a mess, and while he often projects confidence, we’ve seen many times when that’s clearly a veneer and he’s just trying to make it up as he goes. If he sometimes plays the part of the street-smart sex/relationship expert to Otis’s book smarts, it’s mainly because Otis is even more of a mess than he is. With Gatwa’s performance, you never lose sight of how young Eric is, or the way his insecurities creep through no matter how valiantly he tries to mask them.
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