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The podcast «Divaniamo»: «Sex Education 3» and the joy of sex

“State of paroxysmal excitement”. “Psychophysiological event, of short duration, which constitutes the climax of sexual arousal and is accompanied by a particular state of consciousness, intensely pleasant, reached following both somatic and psychological stimulations”. This is the definition that Treccani gives of the word “orgasm”, and it is precisely with an orgasm that the third season of Sex Education, the revelation series of Netflix created by Laurie Nunn and dedicated to the story of an adolescence that is confronted for the first time with sex, love and personal growth.

In a mix of irony, drama and sentiment, the series quickly entered the hearts of the spectators for the synergy between the characters and a fast pace, capable of distracting us for a few hours from the small daily pitfalls. But where did the spark that made us fall in love come from? Why are we so interested in a topic that, at least on paper, we should know everything about?

The sixth episode of We divan, the new Vanity Fair podcast dedicated to cinema and TV releases, talks about this: a series that was initially conceived as a one shot and which then, thanks to word of mouth, has become a small cult phenomenon for the public younger to the point of pushing Netflix to deepen the story and to give the characters more and more precise and increasingly peculiar nuances. Like Otis, who is very good at providing a solution to the tribulations of others but fails to apply his advice to himself. Or Maeve, the independent girl who struggles to find the right way to relate to others. Or Eric who, after years of fighting to be who he is, feels he can finally live his life out in the open without fear of the judgment of others.

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Sex Education, however, it goes further and, together with the teenage dramas and crushes that are there to be born and then think about it and come back, it also focuses on the adult world – first of all, the motherhood of Jean (Gillian Anderson) – and on a series of issues treated with grace and naturalness such as homosexuality, the fear of not being up to par or of simply being different – this season we get to know Cal, the first non-binary character in the cast, played by Sudanese naturalized American artist Dua Saleh. In an intelligent and never predictable way, Sex Education 3 rests on a solid texture, consistent and not thrown there as often happens when it comes to building a following. This series, which may seem apparently light, is, in fact, written in a sublime, never banal way, always with some flicker capable of attracting the viewer’s attention by focusing on the details. Sex, as Jean pointed out, is not the key to understanding everything, the only graft from which to start. No. Sex is a simple expedient to tell something bigger: the need of children to find their place and their identity, the will to get out of the cocoon and launch into something new.

Have a good listening!

The Vanity Fair podcast «Divaniamo» is available on iTunes, Spreaker and Spotify.

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