Netflix's British comedy Sex Education is set in the fictional town of Moordale, which is home to plenty of well-rounded characters, including a few sex therapists. Moordale Secondary seems to host many unusually clever students, with the Moordale Quiz Heads taking out the National Quiz Championships final.
The show sheds a light on how lacking the sex education curriculum is within the school system. But the show isn't just about sex. It has a lot of heart, following each of its many characters in their various ventures. Each character feels like a real person, even the secondary characters.
Adam Groff
Even though he's the heaster's son, Adam Groff isn't the brightest of the bunch. In fact, this is actually something he feels quite bad about, and part of the reason he has some troubles in the first episode.
Adam doesn't try in any of his classes, often showing up late, and purposefully self-sabotaging his exams and assignments. He also makes a few dumb mistakes with substance abuse, though as he grows into himself throughout the seasons, he matures and starts to respect himself a bit more.
Aimee Gibbs
Aimee also isn't the brightest of the bunch, but she takes great care of herself and seems really proud of who she is. Even though she doesn't know the difference between banker and baker, she still has dreams and aspirations for her future.
She may not be academically intelligent, but she knows her way around social situations and is best friends with one of the smartest students in the school. She can sometimes offer Maeve decent advice, but not always.
Eric Effiong
Eric is Otis's hilarious best friend. He's much more socially adept than Otis is, but he's also clueless and insensitive about other things. He doesn't always think things through, which sometimes causes pain for everyone involved.
Still, Eric is very in tune with his identity and sexuality, and he knows exactly what he wants and what he deserves. He's not dumb by any stretch, but he's just not the smartest character in Sex Education, either.
Otis Milburn
As a sex therapist, Otis knows a lot about people's emotions and the psychological effects of their upbringing. However, for a therapist, he's surprisingly insensitive and blunt.
On the other hand, he's intuitive enough to know that Adam's essay is really Maeve's, and he takes the time to figure out why people are struggling with certain issues - including himself. He also makes some good points about his mother's relationships with men.
Rahim
Rahim is wise beyond his years. He is first introduced as a French exchange student in season 2, but it seems that he'll be sticking around for a while. He has a brief relationship with Eric and is deeply upset when it ends.
Before the two get together, Rahim gifts Eric a book of poems and he often quotes other writers, such as Pablo Neruda and Friedrich Nietzsche. Everything about Rahim suggests that he is well-read, knowledgable, and clever.
Lily Iglehart
Lily is a strange but lovable character who enjoys writing comics about aliens and other creatures. She is one of Otis's first clients, and one of his only "friends". She later begins a relationship with Ola.
The two girls are pretty much matched in their intellect, which is why they're such great friends and partners. Lily is part of the Moordale Aptitude Scheme, which means she's one of the smartest students in her year. She also proves her cleverness when she directs the school's stage production of Romeo and Juliet, a truly unique and postmodern approach, as Mr. Groff puts it.
Ola Nyman
Like Lily, Ola is also part of the Moordale Aptitude Scheme, and she has a fiery academic rivalry with Maeve. Ola is extraordinarily mature and level-headed, even when she's with Otis, who is quite a frustrating person to be around.
Ola is wise, calm, and knows a lot about herself and others. She's the one to help Otis realize that he's afraid of turning into his dad at the end of season 2. When she has her interview with Mr. Groff, they discuss her very high academic results, which turn out to be the main reason he accepts her into the school.
Vivienne Odesanya
Viv is introduced in season 2 as a member of the Aptitude Scheme, and then the Moordale Quiz Heads. She's very ionate about academia, statistics in particular, and is eager to lead the Quiz Heads to victory.
She befriends Jackson, and their scenes together allow Viv to display her emotional and social awareness, too. She helps Jackson be honest with his parents about his anxiety and his relationship with swimming.
Jean Milburn
Jean is Otis's mother, Remi's ex-wife, and Jakob's current partner. She's an experienced and ionate sex and relationships therapist who can sense a lot about a person without them even telling her the whole truth about their situation.
Jean is also a great mother, even though she its to struggling with Otis's fluctuating behavior without the help of his father. She offers great advice to both Otis and Eric, and when she starts working at the high school, it's clear she has many great ideas that could help a whole generation of teens.
Maeve Wiley
Though she's only seventeen, Maeve is easily the most intelligent character in the series. She is a valuable asset to Moordale Secondary, specifically to the Aptitude Scheme and Quiz Head team.
Besides knowing many facts, she also knows a lot about life. Her experiences have taught her things that some of her classmates can never know. She's the brains behind Otis's sex therapy clinic, and she also helps Aimee with her assault case. At the end of the second season, she's also smart enough to make the very tough decision of reporting her mother to authorities.