Spoilers Ahead
I finished this last night and ended up LOVING it. I was confused at the beginning because I had no idea what decade it was set in, and it felt like an unrealistic Americanised version of a British high school. The pessimist in me eye-rolled at the silliness earlier in the season, but that's mostly down to me being a bit of a snob and not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did.
The abortion episode was the turning point from liking the series to loving it. I thought it was really powerful and well done, and also executed a nice development regarding Maeve and Otis' relationship. Also, really ended up adoring (and binging...which is something I actually rarely do) the second half of the season. The Jackson-Maeve-Otis-Ola love square was well constructed and interesting. Glad they introduced Ola, so Otis didn't have his tongue wagging at Maeve all the time. idk whether the show intends for the viewer to want Maeve and Otis together, but I actually ended up liking Maeve and Jackson's (the Billy Ocean rendition was TOO cute) and Otis and Ola's relationships more. Especially after Otis done f
ucked up with Eric in episode 5 because of his infatuation with Maeve.
The show did a good job handling teenage issues, especially regarding sex, which a lot of shows are afraid to delve into as much as this one did (perfect as Netflix show, too, since they do diversity so well). Made me feel really nostalgic and brought me back to how I felt about being gay at school, taboos in terms of sexual activities, and being around friends who are sexually active and feeling "behind" as it was put in the final episode. Also, really ended up liking the visuals in terms of the cinematography, costumes and title shots at the beginning of every episode, though. ALSO, HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
The dance to The Origin of Love at the dance was great. Was refreshing to watch a coming of age show where the producers got the taste and nuances of character so accurate.
In terms of the other characters, I honestly found Eric annoying at first but grew to love him. Adam was interesting, but I don't really like where they took his character
with Eric. It felt too cliché, although it was nice to see a softer side to Adam at the very end. The actor playing Adam was also really good. The mean group were awful, but they were intended to be so they served a purpose. Eric punching the other gay guy was a highlight. Maeve's brother was hot af but such an arsehole. Loved exploring Jackson's family dynamic. Otis' mum was so gloriously annoying and liked her relationship with Jakub. Nobody beats these two icons, though:
