Why Maeve And Otis' Break-Up Makes Sense In Sex Education Season 4

As a hardcore Sex Education fangirl, I was upset that Maeve Wiley and Otis Milburn’s relationship didn’t even receive a chance when Maeve decided to move to America at the end of season 3. So, when Season 4 was announced, I was hoping to see the couple together, although it would be a long-distance relationship.

However, season 4 not only marked the end of the series but also ended Maeve and Otis’s relationship. But sitting on it, there doesn't seem to be any possibility of making the relationship work. Doing that would have been in conflict with the very theme of the series, for Sex Education also promotes healthy relationships. And let me tell you why I feel that way.

Maeve And Otis As A Couple In Season 4

Coming to Season 4, fans, including me, were eager to see how Maeve and Otis’s relationship was going to pan out. Despite being in a long-distance relationship, the couple tried their best to make it work through constant communication. However, the set-up was challenging for them, and just when they were on the verge of taking a break, Maeve's mother's death brought her back to Moordale.

The series finally showed Maeve and Otis as a proper couple despite the tough circumstances, given that Maeve’s mother just passed. However, they had to end their relationship as Maeve decided to return to America, and this time she didn’t really have the idea of coming back.

Why Maeve And Otis Break Up Makes Sense

Although it was tough after years of rooting for Maeve and Otis, from being partners at work to becoming friends and finally becoming a couple, it was for the best. Maeve and Otis can always be great friends, but as a couple, were they ever really compatible? Maeve, ever since childhood, has had big dreams; she has always wanted to get out of Moordale, explore the bigger world, and achieve great things.

But with an unstable mother, an unreliable brother, and a little sister in tow, she had a really tough childhood and had always had to take care of herself. She never had the luxury of living life like a normal kid or teenager. Yet, nothing deterred her from dreaming big and working hard to achieve it. Despite everything, she managed to get into an esteemed writing course in America. Although her professor did tell her that she wasn't cut out to become an author, she did want to explore the world rather than be stuck in the little town of Moordale.

Otis, on the other hand, did have his own share of issues in witnessing the breakdown of his parents marriage and growing up with a single mother; he seemed pretty content with living in Moordale. Throughout the series, there’s no mention of him wanting to get out of Moordale and explore the bigger world. Maybe he is comfortable living in the little town because his mother, Jean, is a renowned sex therapist; they are financially stable and live a comfortable life. So, it would make sense if he just wanted to find his calling right there in Moordale.

Basically, Maeve and Otis have different ambitions, and their future plans seemed to be poles apart. After having lived in America for a bit, Maeve clearly knew she didn’t want to settle in her hometown. But she was happy with Otis and proposed they try to make long-distance work this time. However, knowing that he didn’t really share the same ambitions, Otis knew that he would only be holding her back from achieving greater things, and that’s surely not what a healthy relationship does.

And so, after expressing their love for each other, spending a romantic night together, and Maeve writing to Otis about how much he meant in her life, the couple ended their relationship with a proper closure.

Suggested Reading: Sex Education S4 Trailer: Will Otis And Maeve Finally Be Together?

Views expressed by the author are their own