*Spoilers ahead for Sex Education, Season 4*
In Season 4 of the Netflix series Sex Education, Eric Effiong (played by Ncuti Gatwa) takes center stage as he navigates new friendships at a progressive college where—to his delight—the popular kids are gay students! Eric’s newfound crew, comprised of other queer students of color, is the perfect balm for his soul. After all, he broke up with his former boyfriend/bully, Adam Groff (Connor Swindells) at the end of Season 3. While Eric blossoms at school, he struggles at home where his mother wants him to be baptized at the conservative Christian church that reared him.
It’s common knowledge that the Church has perpetuated homophobia for centuries. Many queer people have faced discrimination from their religious communities, experiencing rejection that is often profoundly harmful. As Eric grapples with his place in Christian society as a proud Black gay man, he encounters a Mysterious Woman (played by Jodie Turner-Smith). Let’s investigate who this Mysterious Woman is and why she’s such an important symbol in Eric’s journey.
A chance encounter or fate?
Season 4 first introduces Turner-Smith’s character as a homeless woman who stops Eric—in full glam makeup—on his way to a friend’s house. Out of change to spare, Eric points her in the direction of the Village Hall where his church runs a soup kitchen. The woman asks Eric to take her there and won’t take no for an answer. When they arrive, she whispers to Eric, “This is where you belong” before disappearing into the crowd. There, Eric learns that his church doesn’t have the funds to keep the soup kitchen running, which gives him the idea to throw a fundraiser at his school. Eric’s relationship with his church suddenly has meaning again…
The Chosen One
A few episodes later, the Mysterious Woman appears in Eric’s dreams as a fisherwoman, and with Eric’s help, they reel in a great iridescent fish. When Eric tries throwing the fish back in the water, he is shocked by an otherworldly lightning bolt. The Mysterious Woman’s identity is finally revealed. “Please don’t tell me you were expecting an old white guy,” says Turner-Smith as God, dazzling in her gold crown and massive glittery fishtail. God warns Eric not to turn his back on his church, reminding him that he is her “precious child.” The symbolism of the fish in Eric’s dream is significant as it dates back to the Old Testament when Jesus called his disciples the “fishers of men.” Does this mean God has chosen Eric as her disciple?
“This is your destiny”
The Mysterious Woman / God shows up for the last time in the season finale after Eric bravely confronts his church about his sexuality on the day of his baptism. However, his declaration that he is a proud gay man is met with deafening silence, and Eric walks away in tears. Outside, he is accosted by Turner-Smith in a neon jogging outfit who snatches his phone from his hands. She leads him on a wild chase through the woods until Eric finds himself once again alone on a precipice, falling to his knees. But he is not alone. God is right beside him, and tells Eric that he will “change hearts and minds” by letting everyone know that she “loves them for who they are.”
This powerful moment for Eric sets him on a new path. In his final scene on Sex Education, he tells his best friend Otis (Asa Butterfield) that he wants to become a pastor.
Conclusion
After four seasons of watching Eric grapple with his identity and religion, his encounters with God who appears to him as a loving and all-merciful Black woman is incredibly emotional to behold. The writers of Sex Education did something truly extraordinary by showing a young, Black, queer man reconciling his relationship with God on his own terms. Of course, not every LGBTQ+ person has the ability to reconnect with their spiritual upbringing. It can be too painful or retraumatizing. Eric’s story arc this season shows a pathway forward, one that is windy and inarguably difficult, but reminds us what true Christian values are: love, acceptance, and above all—community.
You can stream all four seasons of Sex Education on Netflix.