Other Doctor Lives: Sex Education: Season 3, Episode 8 (2021)

*Spoilers from episodes 6 and 7.*

All the major plots today involve big things that happened in the last episode, so I will be spoiling some of those events today, but I’ll avoid spoilers for the actual season finale. I was mixed on this episode, which has been kind of a refrain for me this season. There are parts of it I really like, but other aspects of it are underwhelming.

Okay, so much happened in episode 7, which spills over into this one. Otis and Maeve finally got together after three seasons of feelings tag, at which point Otis was immediately called to the hospital with the news that Jean went into labor and then suffered a hemorrhage. We open the finale on him anxiously waiting to hear if his mom is going to pull through. Eric and Adam aren’t speaking after Eric admitted that he kissed another guy in Nigeria, and Eric thinks long and hard about what he wants. After circling around Cal most of the season, Jackson has to consider what a relationship with them would actually mean. And all the students learn about the consequences of their sex-positive protest at yesterday’s open day.

We’ll start with a scattershot of the great points. I love the way Cal beams and shouts, “Holy fuck!” when they appear to have at last beaten Hope, and they later have a couple of nice nonbinary bonding scenes with Layla. Asa Butterfield’s acting during the hospital scenes is topnotch throughout. While most of Eric and Adam’s plots are down to relationship stuff, we also get some lovely moments between Adam and his mom. And Ola, who’s been dealt a lot of emotional difficulty this season, finally gets taken care of a little by the most important people to her.

On the other hand, I’m not really impressed with how most of the romantic plotlines resolve. I’m neutral on Otis/Maeve, but otherwise, it’s a lot of, “Huh, really?” and, “Well, that happened.” (Familial relationships and friendships definitely get the better narrative deal in this episode.) Also, it’s a little cliched that Otis, Jakob, and Ola all have angst in the hospital about conflicts they had with Jean shortly before she experienced a health crisis. And I like Hannah Waddingham too—season 3 of Ted Lasso when???—but while she has some good scenes in this episode, her appearance made me wonder if we’ve ever seen a scene specifically between Jackson and his Black mom, and I couldn’t answer that to my satisfaction.

When they’re in a good place, Otis and Eric’s friendship is one of the best things about this show, and with Otis going through such a hard time, it means we get absolutely terrific interactions between the two of them here. I like that Eric is there for Otis in every way possible, warm and encouraging but also fiercely protective when he needs to be. Even funny at times—after he gives a stranger hell for rudely interrupting an emotional moment between them, the timing with which Ncuti Gatwa throws up his hands and exclaims, “Unbelievable!” is just superb.

And for all that, Otis is there for Eric too. He at first asks about Eric’s Adam drama to distract himself from his fears about Jean, but he quickly lends a kind and nonjudgmental ear to Eric, assuring him that he’s not a bad person for having kissed someone else.

As far as the actual Eric/Adam stuff goes, I wouldn’t say the resolution of this story is altogether satisfying, but there are parts of it that are excellent. What I most appreciate is that, as it goes on, it’s clear that this really is about Eric: his desires, his choices, himself as a person. For much of the season, his stories have often felt in service to Adam, but he’s nicely centered here, and Gatwa of course plays it wonderfully.

There’s a fourth season of Sex Education on the way, but there’s no word yet on when it’s coming out, so I’ll do my wrap-up thoughts now.

Recommend?

In General – I probably would, as long as you’re okay with lots and lots of storylines about teens and sex. The quality can be up and down, but I think it comes down on the side of good more often than not.

Ncuti Gatwa – For sure. Even though it’s a supporting role, Gatwa plays it for all he’s worth, infusing his scenes with life, humor, and emotion. Seeing his work here, I’m even more excited to see him as the Doctor.

Warnings

Copious sexual content (much of it involving teens,) language (including sexist and homophobic slurs,) scenes of violence (including sexual assault,) drinking/smoking/drug use, and thematic elements.

Tár (2022, R)

*Premise spoilers.*

This is the sort of film that can sometimes feel designed in a lab to garner Oscar nominations, an intense character piece revolving around a big-name star, at once artistic and grounded. When the gambit doesn’t pay off, the effect falls flat, but when all the elements come together, it definitely makes for compelling cinema.

Lydia Tár is at the top of her game professionally. The conductor for the Berlin Philharmonic, she’s preparing for the final symphony in her Mahler series, which is set to be televised to great acclaim. But just as she seems to be on the brink of greater heights than ever, she finds her actions with a former protégé threatening to catch up with her.

At first glance, Lydia might appear to be a triumphant win for inclusion. She’s the first female conductor of a major German orchestra, and she’s a lesbian besides. But we quickly see that she’s every bit as problematic as the parade of straight white men who came before her. Whether she’s mockingly baiting a student over their difficulty in separating the art from the artist, swiping her partner’s meds, or pursuing dangerously unequal “relationships” with subordinates, she is almost unrelentingly awful. Even when she does something seemingly good, trying to help her daughter out with a bully, she does that by threatening a child and then taunting her that no one will believe her if she tells.

In other words, she is A Problem. The film, thankfully, takes a stab at trying to understand her actions without ever justifying them, and as we watch her try to stay ahead of the consequences of her own actions, it’s interesting to see how she navigates things without rooting for her to actually win.

At the start of my review, I described the film as compelling, which is accurate. Compelling. Engrossing. Fascinating. Due to the subject matter and the nature of the lead character, it doesn’t exactly make for a pleasant or enjoyable watch, but it’s hard to pull your eyes away from the slow-motion trainwreck that is Lydia Tár, even as you hope various people in her life will manage to escape her orbit.

This Best Picture nominee is up for six Oscars in all. Todd Field was recognized for both his direction and his original screenplay, which work together to create an almost oppressive sense of tension and slow unraveling. On the technical level, the film also received nominations for Cinematography and Film Editing.

But of course, it’s Cate Blanchett’s Lead Actress nomination that’s the real driving force here. Though I continue to back the exquisite Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Blanchett’s is, again, utterly compelling in this performance. By turns an incandescent genius, an unnerving narcissist, and a sly predator, she’s certainly giving her all. Other than brief appearances from Mark Strong and Julian Glover and a vocal cameo from Alec Baldwin, I’m not familiar with the rest of the cast, but everyone turns in strong work that jibes with the creeping dread of the piece.

Warnings

Strong thematic elements (including sexual harassment and coercion,) language, drinking/drug use, brief nudity, and disturbing imagery.

Doctor Who: Series 7, Episodes 12-18 – “The Ambassadors of Death” (1970)

*Some spoilers.*

I actually really enjoy the Third Doctor’s whole first season, even if the seven-part serials definitely drag in places (more on that later.)  Of its stories, though, I think this one might be my favorite.  It has an inventive story with some good twists, and the chief characters acquit themselves wonderfully well—what’s not to like?

When radio contact is lost with the returning Mars Probe 7, UNIT is called to help with the problem.  However, as the Third Doctor and Liz soon realize, something far more severe than a mechanical fault or atmospheric disturbance is in play here.  There’s an even greater mystery surrounding the returning astronauts, one that takes the Doctor from Earth into space (although without the help of the TARDIS) and forces Liz to be quite brilliant in a high-pressure situation.

There’s so much cool stuff going on here.  The initial recovery of the probe is great, I love the whole plot with the astronauts and the secret plan to use them for nefarious purposes, and the twist with the ambassadors is awesome.  It’s a well-drawn plot with a lot of moving parts to it, but they all fit together to make a satisfying whole.  The story has mystery, scares, surprises, and humor, not to mention our heroes getting the job done.

As I said, the seven-episode stories can get long, and this one is no exception.  In particular, the race between UNIT and the bad guys to recover the capsule, while not as long as the endless chase scene in “Planet of the Spiders,” still drags on too much (even if I get a kick out of the nifty trick the Doctor pulls with Bessie.)  But really, the story fills seven episodes better than most—there’s enough going on that it never gets too repetitive.

And team TARDIS is awesome here, the main reason I like it so much.  Three is Bond and Q rolled into one in this story, simultaneously brainy and action-man.  He recognizes a lot of important clues early on to help figure out just how wrong things have gone, and he mocks up neat devices that do cool things (including secret additional devices when the baddies think he’s making something else.)

Then there’s my wonderful, badass Liz Shaw.  Even when she’s kidnapped by the villains, she’s tears it up.  She’s completely proactive the entire time, coming up with plan after plan to escape or give word as to her whereabouts while at the same time trying to thwart the evil scheme.  And in the presence of some genuinely tough customers, she doesn’t bat an eyelash.  I’ve mentioned this scene before, but when a nasty henchman warns her, “Don’t try anything,” she replies, simply and coolly, “It’s all right.  I won’t hurt you.”  How cool is that?