Sex Education Series Three TV Show Review (Contains Spoilers)| CarenzaOnBooks

Taken from Google Images

Title- Sex Education

Creators- Laurie Nunn

Cast- Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Aimee Lou-Wood, Connor Swindells plus an ensemble cast

Genre- teen drama, comedy, drama 

Length- three series of eight episodes

Platform- Netflix

Rating- 4/5 stars

Plot

Sex Education primarily follows Otis Milburn, a student at Moordale Secondary School. Otis begins the series ambivalent about sex, in part because his single mother Jean is a sex therapist who frequently has affairs with male suitors but is unable to maintain romantic relationships.

Brief summary for all three series taken from Wikipedia 

Opinions 

In case you didn't know, Sex Education is one of my favourite shows of all time. When it first dropped in 2019, I watched the first series four times in a row because it was that good. This series has been anticipated for a while because of how series two ended and because of how long we've had to wait because of COVID. I have more to say than I can fit into one blog post, so I've picked what I think are the key points/things I want to talk about. My very brief summary is that compared to the first two series, this one was weaker but still good. I wasn't disappointed or bored, I just didn't quite have the same connection as I did to the first two. I easily gave the first two 5 stars without a second thought, but this one gets 4 stars because it just missed the mark for me. 

Taken from Google Images

I think the main storyline was the love square that we had going between Otis, Maeve, Ruby and Issac. I am not a big fan of love triangles or any other shapes, but this one kinda worked. Let's talk about the Otis and Ruby romance first. I was quite surprised by it, but after the events of series two, it did work. It allowed us to finally get to know Ruby better after only getting small insights in the first two series. It was inevitable that the two would break up as they weren't 100% compatible and it would have been cruel of Otis to lead her on when he didn't love her. I hope we get to see more of Ruby following her breakup with Otis as she faded into the background after their relationship ended. This then leads us to Maeve and Issac. I think they work wonderfully as friends, but not as romantic partners. They understood what the other had been through and they brought the best out in each other. A romance would have complicated that. I never hated Issac, I thought that while his actions were wrong, he was just trying to protect his friend. I would like to see them just as friends for the next series. Finally, let's talk about Otis and Maeve. We've had this big "will they, won't they" plotline going since series one and we've still got it going. I am getting a bit tired of it at this point, but if they don't get together properly at some point before the show ends, I will revolt. 

Taken from Google Images

One of the things I really didn't like about this series was how they treated Eric. His actions throughout just felt completely off character. The way he treated Adam was appalling. As someone who had struggled with coming to terms with his own sexuality due to lack of support, Eric should have been much more supportive of Adam and his journey. They've turned Eric into someone who will cheat on his boyfriend without a second thought. He isn't the same character as in series one, he isn't even recognisable as that character. I was very disappointed with his storyline this series. 

Speaking of Adam, he has had one of the best, if not the best, story arcs throughout the shows run. We got to see that he wanted to become a better person, not just for those in his life, but for himself. He's slowly beginning to accept his sexuality and he wants to do better at school. We get to learn why he is so quick to violence and why he struggles with his emotions. One of the things that bugged me a bit was how the media reported Adam's journey with his sexuality. They called him gay, when he has clearly stated he was bisexual. This could have been such a good chance to have some strong bisexual rep and it fell a bit flat for me. I hope they return to the topic of Adam's bisexuality. The final episode made me smile and cry for him. He has become one of my favourite characters and Connor Swindells deserves an award for his performance as it was incredible. Michael's storyline was just as beautiful and very similar to Adam's. Series two did him a bit dirty as he wasn't a textbook villain. We got to see that just like his son he wants to change and undo the years of damage by his own father. They were some lovely scenes, especially the ones when he stood up to his arrogant brother. Their storylines were probably my favourite this series and were the ones I found the most interesting. 

Taken from Google Images

Aimee's storyline was another powerful one. It showed her slow recovery from her sexual assault. I liked that they didn't gloss over it and say that she was magically fixed after the bus scene. Her interactions with Jean during her therapy sessions were so strong. The fact that we get to see her hear being told that what happened wasn't her fault was another important moment. Aimee Lou-Wood 100% deserved the BAFTA she won for playing Aimee in series two and she just goes from strength to strength in her performances. Her friendship with Maeve finally saw a few bumps in the road, which is what it needed for it to progress. They are very different people but they are able to fix that and still love each other. It is one of the best relationships in this show. As sad as it was for her to breakup with Steve, I think it needed to happen. It will be nice to see Aimee without a boyfriend. 

Taken from Google Images

I genuinely cried when I thought they might kill Jean off after she experienced complications with her labour. The idea of Otis and Joy not having a mum was so sad. Her overall storyarc was a bit dull. She did have some great lines, such as shouting at the tea and the doctors at the hospital. The show just wouldn't work without her. I am excited to see who could be the father of her baby as it clearly isn't Jakob. My theory at the moment is that it's motorbike Dan as we saw him outside the hospital and we wouldn't have seen him unless it was a clue.  

Taken from Google Images

I think one of my problems with this series was that there were too many characters, which resulted in too many storylines and it felt diluted. There are so many characters that I have't even touched on, like Lily's storyline was heartbreaking. Ola didn't really have one and I found her a bit annoying this series. We didn't get to see some characters, such as Jackson's other mum and Remi Milburn this series. Speaking of Jackson, he just felt like a background character and didn't really have a storyline. The same went for Viv and they were great characters with an iconic friendship. The new characters didn't really add much, other than for Cal to be introduced as a non-binary character and for that to be their sole personality trait. They had one good scene with another non-binary character and that was it. I didn't mind Hope as the villain. I felt that she was under a lot of pressure and that it had damaged her own morals. The parallels with her needing total control in her professional life compared to her lack of control over her body was a strong one. I'd like to see her return, but then her storyline also felt complete. Compared to previous series, there's was just too much going on, but not enough big events.      

I am of the belief that series four should be the final one. Have the students finishing their time as secondary school pupils and go off to university. I think a fifth series wouldn't work. We've already reached a point were there are too many characters and therefore too many story arcs to resolve. The writing, performances, directing and overall production were great. This show should go out on a high while it still can. 

Here is a list of things I would like to happen in series four:

• Otis and Maeve get together properly
• Adam and Michael to fix their relationship or work towards it, plus Adam competing in dog shows
• Eric figuring out what he wants in a boyfriend and not cheating on them
• Either Mr Hendricks or Miss Sands becoming the new headteacher of Moordale 
• Aimee continuing on her journey of recovery 
• Ruby to become a more developed character outside her relationship with Otis
• A strong ending of them going to university, with Otis training to become a therapist and Maeve studying English Literature

I could probably list a lot more things, but these are the ones I really want to see. What did you think of Sex Education series three?? 

What I've Been Watching Recently- Lockdown Edition| Carenza Bramwell

With no end date in sight for lockdown being lifted, I have been watching a lot of TV to pass the time. I wasn't really a TV person up until the start of this year. With everything happening in 2020, I have been watching a lot more TV than before. So much so that I have nearly watched double the amount of TV than books I've read. Like my last "What I've Been Watching Recently", I will be splitting it into TV and Film, with a small summary of my thoughts on everything.

From Google Images

TV

Friday Night Dinner

I had watched most of Friday Night Dinner last year after a friend introduced me to it so I decided to introduce my parents to it. It has become a family favourite. Season six wasn't the best and the ending makes me feel like they're going to pull an Outnumbered and come back in ten years time with everyone all grown up. I'd highly recommend it as it's a great bit of British comedy.

The Vicar of Dibley

Speaking of classic British comedy, I randomly decided to rewatch The Vicar of Dibley. It has been many years since I watched it but I'm so glad I decided to rewatch it. It's some classic British comedy and will always be a top notch show in my opinion.

Legend of Korra

Another rewatch for me was Legend of Korra. I have always been a huge fan of Avatar and Korra. They're classics. I still need to get my hands on the comics and read them. Korra is a great character and the LGBT rep is great in this one. Plus Pabu is adorable. 

Quiz

Everyone was raving about Quiz so I had to watch it. James Graham is a fantastic writer and Quiz did not disappoint. The cast was amazing and the set design was through the roof. I still don't know if I believe if they did cheat or if they didn't cheat. I would recommend it as there's only three episodes and they're about 45 mins to an hour long. 

Peaky Blinders

I finally watched Peaky Blinders. I had watched at least the first two episodes twice before fully committing to this show. I loved the first season, but the other series are getting a bit predictable and implausible. I am interested to see what happens in season six. I'm ashamed it took me this long to watch it but I have finally caught up on this iconic show.

Devs

This was a show I had heard a lot about and one my parents were interested in. Sadly, I did not end up enjoying it as much as my family did. I felt that it was a case of style over substance. It could have been shorter and the writing in places was very dodgy. It was an interesting sci-fi/thriller and I would recommend it, it just didn't end up being for me in the end.

Killing Eve

Killing Eve is one of my favourite shows and with the world going to shit, they pushed forward the release of season three. My dad and I binged the entire first season in prep for it's release. Sadly, season three was a bit disappointing. It didn't have the same overarching plot as the first two seasons, but it still had that amazing comedic moments. I am a bit unsure how I feel about a season four, but I will continue to watch it.

Films

Scott Pilgram Vs the World

A rewatch for me. Scott Pilgram is a film I really enjoy, partly due to the cast and partly due to the writer-director behind it (Edgar Wright). It's a fun, cosy film that I like to rewatch every now and then. 

Blinded By the Light

This was a film that my parents wanted to watch. I don't think I was quite the target demographic for this film as while I enjoyed it, it just didn't land well with me. My one big critique is that the characters randomly burst into song every now and then. It didn't work for me. It was a good, rom-com, feel-good film, but I was not the target audience for this film. If you grew up in the 80s and loved Bruce Springsteen, then I would recommend it.

Grand Budapest Hotel

With the world being terrible, many companies across the world started these joint cinema experiences. One that we joined in with was the Secret Cinema one, which has recently ended. The first film was Grand Budapest Hotel. My dad and I had already watched it, but I think my mum hadn't. The experience was good but they recommended lots of activities to go alongside the screening, which wasn't really our cup of tea. Grand Budapest Hotel is a bizarre, but great film. 

La La Land

Another joint cinema experience we joined in with was Lionsgate Live. For four weeks, they streamed four of their films for free on YouTube for a group experience. La La Land is one of my favourite films and my mum had never seen it before. It's a fun, cosy film and I'm glad we decided to join in.

Star Wars- A New Hope

May 4th, or May the Force Be With You Day. We had to watch a Star Wars film. We chose the one that started it all. Star Wars will always be special in this household so we had to celebrate Star Wars day.

Knives Out
Knives Out was a film I was desperate to see at the end of 2019, but sadly missed the chance to see in the cinema. We rented it online and I am very happy that I finally watched it. I had no idea what to expect going in, but it ended it up being quite funny. It could have been shorter in places, however, I am very excited for the sequel. 

Wild Tales

My family have recently taken out a subscription to Curzon Home Cinema, home to mostly indie and international films. We watched Wild Tales, a Spanish film, made up of six stories. The only thing that links these stories is violence. Some where better than others and it was a bizarre film. I am enjoying watching more unusual films. 

City of Bones

I saw that City of Bones was on Netflix and I really felt like rewatching it. If it wasn't an adaptation of CoB, it would be a great film. As an adaptation, it's not the best. It is classic YA adaptation from 2013. I just felt like being back in that world. 

Eddie the Eagle

Another Lionsgate Live film was Eddie the Eagle. A biopic about Eddie the Eagle, an olympian in the winter Olympics. It was a fun, British comedy. I am glad I watched it. I had never heard of Eddie before watching this film. 

Still Life

This was another Curzon film. It was about a man who went around organising funerals for people who had no families or were estranged from their families. It followed him on his last case, tracing friends and family of this man who had recently died. It turned out that the man who had died lived in the same building as the man investigating him. It was a very sad film, but it had a heart warming ending. 

Howl's Moving Castle

Netflix have recently added a tonne of Studio Ghibli films to their repertoire. I decided to rewatch Howl's Moving Castle as it's one of my favourites. I need to watch some more Studio Ghibli films as there's a few I haven't seen.

My Old Lady

This was also a film from Curzon. It's based on an old French play about a man who inherits an apartment in Paris from his father, but finds out that someone is living there. The woman who is living there rents is paid to live there by the mans father. You could tell it was based on a play as it didn't quite work for screen, but it was still a sweet little film.

Bend It Like Beckham

Yet another Lionsgate Live film. A British classic. I had been meaning to watch this one for a while and I'm so glad that I got to finally watch it. It's a solid British rom-com, with some great female characters. It is also by the same writer-director behind Blinded By the Light. 

The Hunger Games

The final Lionsgate Live film. It has been so many years since I watched the Hunger Games films and I never even finished them for some bizarre reason. It is widely regarded as one of the best book to movie adaptations ever. I am now really desperate to watch the rest of the films.

Solaris (1972 Russian Version)
My mum had really wanted to watch some of the Russian films on Curzon, so we chose Solaris. Solaris has been adapted a few times for cinema, but this was the 1972 version. It was three hours long and it was weird. At one point there was a fifteen minute long scene of this man just driving around. I am interested in watching the 2002 version, but the Russian one was just weird.

Misbehaviour
I had really wanted to watch Misbehaviour after seeing trailers for it in the cinema (God I miss going to the cinema), so we rented it through Curzon. A historical piece based on real life. It was a good, fun, feminist film. I would highly recommend it. Plus it has Kiera Knightley in it. It tackles issues of feminism and racism in the late 1970s.

Colette
Another Kiera Knightley film. I had seen this in the cinema at the time of its release last year. Colette is a really interesting woman and it's made me want to read some of her books. Plus, Kiera Knightley is the queen of historical films.

The Lost Boys
This is a weird 1980s film we decided to watch. It's a vampire film, but very cheesy and very much of its era. It was okay and that's about as much as I can say about it.

Parasite
I sadly missed seeing Parasite in the cinema, so when it became available to rent on Curzon, we had to watch it. I'm glad to say that it's as amazing as everyone said it was. It rightly won all those Oscars and I would love to watch more films from its creator.

A Simple Favour 
My last entry on this very long list is A Simple Favour. I had this on my radar for a while and I finally decided to watch it. It was a solid mystery thriller, with interesting characters and twists and turns. I loved that it had two female characters at its core. I would love to watch more films like it in the future.

So those were all the TV shows and films I've watched recently. I'm trying to watch more new content rather than keep on rewatching old stuff I've seen a million times over and over again.
Carenza :) x

For the Outsiders- A Response to Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency| CarenzaOnBooks

I'm not really a TV binger or a Netflix binger for that matter, but I watched all eighteen episodes of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency on Netflix in the space of four days recently. To put it bluntly- I flipping loved it and I am deeply sad they cancelled it. This post, you could say, is a love letter to it. As I'm writing it, I'm listening to the incredible soundtrack on Spotify and thinking, when is it acceptable to rewatch it, because if I could, I'd watch it all tomorrow.   

A reoccurring motif throughout the show is the loneliness Dirk feels and his amazement that Todd and Farah want to become his friends. I think at some point in our lives, we have all felt incredibly lonely.  We have all felt like there was none and it's us against the world. And at one point in our lives, we are all as surprised a Dirk to learn there is somebody out there who cares.

Dirk Gently is a bit of an outsider, something myself identifies as. As I said in my Lady Bird response, I don't fit the norm for people my age. My interests could be classed as either being those of someone much older or much younger, depending on how you look at them. I often feel like an outsider when I'm in college. I spend more time by myself than I do with people. I also am often at a loss for what's popular and what's not.

We live in an age of social media. Everything we want is at our fingertips and yet there are still outsiders. Surely, social media and connectivity have fixed this? I don't know who half the popular people are these days and there seems to be some new celebrity gossip every day. 

I remain the outsider in my world and yet, it doesn't phase me. I am content with my lot. Life isn't always about being involved in everyone's moments on Facebook. It's about making your own moments. In conclusion, I am proud to be an outsider, as if I wasn't an outsider, I wouldn't be me.

Carenza x 

Best of Culture 2017| CarenzaOnBooks

Today's post is my final post in my Best Of series. Like last year, I am going to be discussing my cultural favourites for 2017. 2017 was an exceptionally good year for cultural favourites. I honestly have no idea how many plays I saw in 2017, but I saw a lot and I enjoyed the vast majority. I also saw a great selection of movies and tv shows. I got to visit some amazing new places, plus some old favourites and I listened to a lot of new music.

Theatre

Undoubtedly, my favourite play I saw in 2017 was Angles in America. I could rave about this until I turn blue in the face. It is the most epic (and I mean epic in the sense of it being an epic piece of theatre because it is about 8 hours long) piece of theatre I have seen to date. The actors were incredible and I went away feeling inspired to write. If I could, I would see it over and over again, but sadly the UK production has ended and they are currently performing it in the States. If you are a lover of theatre, then I highly recommend reading this. It's something I'm going to treasure for the rest of my life. 

Another favourite play I saw was Snow in Midsummer at the RSC. I saw this three times within the space of a week- I kid you not. In a similar way to Angels in America, Snow in Midsummer is an incredible piece of theatre. The whole production was amazing. I'm genuinely struggling to put into words how much I love these plays as they hold such a special place in my heart.

As a part of my birthday celebration this year, I got to see Hamlet with Andrew Scott. Hamlet has to be my favourite Shakespeare play. I think I've seen it five times (at least) now. But Andrew Scott 's (who plays Moriarty in Sherlock) was my favourite. Many of the productions I have seen depict Hamlet going mad, but this portrayed it as someone who was grieving. I adored this production and am so happy I got to see an incredible actor like Andrew Scott playing Hamlet.

While we are on the subject of Hamlet, I saw Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, which is about Hamlet's best friends. I saw this with Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire as the lead roles. This was a really funny piece of theatre and definitely added to my experience of seeing Hamlet.

I really got into political comedies this year, so when I saw Labour of Love, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was one of the funniest pieces of theatre I have ever seen. Martin Freeman and Tamsin Grieg were hilarious and if you are into political comedies, I highly recommend.

Another favourite was La Ronde. I will be honest and say that I went to see it because it had one of my favourite actors in, Alexander Vlahos. But, the play itself was amazing. They had all of these interlocking plays and I really enjoyed how it performed.

Finally, I finally saw Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (only part 1). I now understand why everyone sees this a million times. It is incredible. I'm so excited to go and see it again for my 18th birthday later this year. It fulfilled my Harry Potter heart and I'm so happy to see how it branched out into a new performance style.

Film and TV

I saw a lot of amazing films and Tv shows, so here is a list of my favourites from 2017:

• Game of Thrones
• Lucifer (series 3)
• Poldark (series 3)
• Sherlock (series 4)
• Stranger Things
• Beauty and the Beast
• La La Land
• Loving Vincent
• Death of Stalin
• Amazing Spider-Man films
• Breathe
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Travel

2017 was a bit of a slow year for travel. Having moved house, I didn't really travel that much, but the places I did travel to were amazing.
I went to the Harry Potter Studios near London twice in 2017. Once with my college and once for my birthday. I love them so much. To have all the sets and props and be able to explore how one of my all-time favourite film series was made was a magical experience. I felt like a child exploring them and to this day, my friends all maintain that I cried at the studio tour- I didn't, I was just very emotional.

I went to the Edinburgh Fringe and Book Festival in 2017. I've been to the fringe religiously for a few years in a row now, but it was my first time attending the Book Festival. I went so I could meet Cassandra Clare and Holly Black. I was so excited to meet Cassie as I've been a huge fan of her books for years now.

Music

I listened to a lot of new music in 2017 and here are some of my favourites:

• Dear Evan Hansen
• Hamilton
• Movie Soundtracks (Harry Potter, Stranger Things and Amazing Spider-Man)

So that concludes my culture favourites for 2017. I really hope 2018 is as good of a year for culture!

Carenza x

Best of Culture 2016| It'sCarenzaB

Hey Guys!
How are you?

Welcome to the second in my "Best of" series. Last year I talked about books, beauty and Bits'n'Bobs, but this year I have decided that I am going to stop talking about beauty on my blog as I have no interest in it. I have decided that I am going to start talking about culture as culture is a huge part of my life.

I know that culture is a very vague word, but on here it means theater (plays and musicals), art exhibitions, films and tv, travel etc. I am now going to start featuring culture in my favourites every month.

Theater

I am very fortunate to be able to go so many plays and musicals with my parents. Most people I know would rather go on sunny beach holidays, but we would rather go to the theater. I get to see a lot of plays and musicals and it was very hard to narrow it down to my favourites. I will be honest I am only talking about plays and musicals from June onwards as I can't remember lots of what I saw before June because of exam stress.

First on my list is getting to see The Book of Mormon for the second time. I had already seen it in 2015 with my Dad and my Mum was desperate to see it. So the weekend before my birthday we went and saw it. It was even better the second time. I highly recommend you go and see it as it is hilarious. It is written by the people who created South Park. I will warn that it has lots of swear words and if you get easily offended, this musical isn't for you. I can safely say that The Book of Mormon is my favourite musical.

Next on my list was my trip to Edinburgh with my Dad to the Edinburgh Fringe for the 3rd year in a row. If you are ever planning to go to Edinburgh, then this is the time to go. There is so much to see, I can guarantee that you won't be bored. My Dad and I only went for a day and we managed to fit in 5-6 pieces of theater.  

In mid June, my parents and I went to Glyndebourne Opera House near Brighton as part of my Dad's present to my Mum for her birthday. I had never been to an opera, so I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed myself. I believe the opera we saw was called The Little Vixen. The costumes the singers wore were amazing, as was the set. I don't know if they do this at all Operas, but at Glyndebourne the interval was longer than the performance. In the interval, you have a picnic! The food was really nice and it felt very posh. I hope at some point in my life, I can go again as I really enjoyed it.

My final theater favourite is the Winter season at the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company). I've been going to the RSC since I was 6 years old and I have always enjoyed it, but this season was the best thing I saw. Obviously, I enjoyed everything else at the RSC, but these plays have stayed in my mind. I particularly enjoyed the plays in the Swan Theater. If you ever visit Stratford Upon Avon, you have to go to the RSC and see something.

Films and TV

There were a lot of amazing films that came out in 2016, as well as a lot of TV. I think I have narrowed it down to my ultimate favourites, otherwise the list would be endless. I will warn that I am rubbish at describing why I like films because I am not a film reviewer. 

Films

My first film favourite is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. You guys know that I love the Harry Potter series, so I was both excited and skeptic when they announced the Fantastic Beasts films. I do have a review on here for the film, you can read that here. My review goes into loads of detail about why I like the film.

My next favourite film was Moana. I have always been a fan of Disney, so every-time they release a new film I get really excited. Moana was very different from the other Disney films as it shows that you don't need a man by your side. I've noticed that Disney is branching away from the "a princess always needs a man/prince to save her" recently and I couldn't be happier. I loved the songs as they were written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, so they were in a similar style to Hamilton. 

My final favourite film was Stark Trek Beyond. It is quite possibly my favourite of the 3 Star Trek Films. It was very funny, but it also had some more serious scenes. I loved the opening scene. I was really happy that the film paid tribute to Leonard Nimoy and Anton Yelchin as both died before the films release.

TV

My favourite TV series of 2016 were:

• Lucifer
• Poldark (series 2)
• The Living and The Dead
• Game of Thrones (I know I'm really behind, I only just joined this fandom)     

I'm not going to go into as much detail as I did with films because I can't put into words why I like them, I just like them.

Travel

My favourite place I traveled to in 2016 was Brighton. I visited Brighton when I was very little, so I don't really remember much about it. It was nice being in a seaside town that felt a bit old-fashioned (it has the huge pier). The Lanes were really fun to visit and the weather was mostly good. I hope in the future I can go back to Brighton and spend more time exploring and take more photos.

So that is it for my Best of Culture for 2016. Next weeks  post will be Best of Bits'n'Bobs and I have a feeling that this is going to be a really long post.
Love,
Carenza x