- Warning: Major spoilers ahead for "Sex Education" season two.
- Season two of Netflix's "Sex Education" dropped on January 17.
- As the trailer teased, the season includes some new love interests, dramatic returns from familiar characters, and a chlamydia outbreak.
- There are many sex and relationship lessons to take away from the show, even if you're not a teenager anymore.
- Both Otis and his mother, sex therapist Jean, have wise insights for people of all ages.
- Here are 11 of the best lessons you can take away from the dramatic second season, with some extra help from sex and relationship experts.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
How STIs actually do (and don't ) spread
The first episode starts with mass hysteria at Moordale Secondary School, with everyone thinking there has been an outbreak of chlamydia. One student called Simon is profiting off the madness by selling protective masks for a fiver.
"You cannot catch chlamydia from the air," Otis says indignantly, and correctly. "You have to have sexual contact with the carrier."
"Sex without a condom and unprotected oral sex are the main ways a chlamydia infection can be transmitted. But penetration doesn't have to occur to contract it,"according to Healthline.
"Touching genitals together may transmit the bacteria. It can also be contracted during anal sex."
The episode also teaches us that there's nothing to be ashamed of if you do happen to end up with an STI, as long as you get it treated quickly, and tell anyone who you've had sexual contact with so they can get it sorted out as well.
Why your hormones go into hyperdrive when you become sexually active
Season 2 also starts where season 1 left off — with Otis realizing he actually likes to masturbate. In fact, he's found he likes it maybe a little too much, and pretty much anything, from riding his bike to being punched in the face, ends up with an awkward erection.
When teenagers reach sexual maturity, there are so many hormones flying all over the place, it can feel completely bamboozling.
Otis, although a late bloomer, realizes this when he can't even resist the urge to touch himself in his mother's car (which ends pretty disastrously).
"Teen hormones affect teenagers' moods, emotions, and impulses as well as their body,"Newport Academy explains. "The mood swings that teens experience are caused by fluctuations in estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone — the sex hormones.
"These same teen hormones will also affect the way they think about dating and sex. Teens become much more interested in sex, sometimes to the point of obsession, as teen hormones kick into gear."
It can be very disconcerting to feel like your body and mind are being controlled by things outside of your control, which can make many teens think they're weird or unnatural.
"In fact, almost everything that teens go through during adolescence is a normal part of their development," according to Newport Academy.
How to tell your partner what you like in bed
Things start heating up for new couple Otis and Ola in episode 2. Worrying about how he's going to perform, Otis looks up "how to finger" on the internet. This leads him to a rather worrying technique called "The Clock."
After giving it a try, and thinking Ola was into it, Otis brags to Eric about his newfound title of sex god. But later on, Lily has revealed to him she was in fact in pain most of the time, and his rough jabbing method didn't do much for her at all.
By the end of the episode, Otis admits to Ola he has no idea what he's doing, he's "really bad at fingering," and they never have to do it again. She appreciates his honesty and tells him: "Or, I could show you what I like."
"Being open and honest about what you want and what you like is key to having a healthy, long-lasting relationship,"sex and relationship expert Rebecca Lockwood told Insider. "This goes further than the bedroom, it filters into everything we do within our relationships."
She said a starting point for the conversation can be asking what you partner wants and likes, which "gives you an understanding of what you can do to allow them to feel loved, wanted and heard."
Counsellor Deshara Pariag, from Counselling Directory, told Insider you should sit with your partner in an environment with no distractions, and explain how you feel.
"Trust your partner, and note some points you would like to address," she said. "You may be pleasantly surprised by their response. Communication and uncomfortable conversations are normal in a relationship to help you both grow together."
How to introduce something new to the bedroom with your partner
It's not just the teenagers who are struggling with communicating. Mr Hendricks and Miss Sands are enjoying their blossoming relationship, but also struggling with their sex life. Miss Sands makes it clear to Mr Hendricks she loves dirty talk, but he isn't particularly well versed in it.
"I'm gonna get you so wet you're gonna feel like your water just broke," he reads off his hand, prompting a confused look from Miss Sands.
Later on, after being told by Otis, "You have to listen to what she's actually saying," Mr Hendricks appears at Miss Sands' door to ask her why she likes dirty talk so much.
"I feel like a dowdy teacher all day, so when I'm at home, I want to escape and feel ... sexy," she says. Mr Hendricks then realizes it's not about the words he says, but how he makes her feel.
Pariag said communication, trust, and respect with your partner is critical when it comes to opening up about something new.
"Listen to your partner and explore how to move forward with a mutual decision," she said. "You may find this will take your sex life to a new level, bring new excitement and inject a tired sex life with passion."
It's normal to feel observed when having sex
Olivia is struggling with being completely herself in episode 3 because she keeps covering her boyfriend Malek's face with a pillow when she reaches orgasm. He calls her crazy because she apparently does it every time.
When he seeks help from sex therapist (and Otis' mum) Jean Milburn, she muses how it might be something to do with a "ghost fetish." But in reality, it's nothing to do with a kink, and Olivia reveals to Otis she covers his face because she hates her face when she orgasms.
"I have an ugly cum face, OK?" she says. "I've seen it in the mirror before, it's bad. I look like a python swallowing an egg and Malek always looks perfect."
Otis tells her it's normal to feel observed and vulnerable when having sex, and Malek probably feels the same sometimes too.
He suggests Olivia needs to work on her trust with Malek so she can show him her true self.
"By feeling into your body and not thinking too much this will help you be more intimate with someone," said Lockwood. "Trust is an important factor in being intimate, trusting and giving yourself the permission to let yourself go and flow with what feels good."
Pariag said it's all about where you are and who you are with, not anything superficial.
"Focus on what you're feeling, your five senses — what you see, hear, smell, touch and taste," she said. "Live in the present moment."
The importance of being emotionally vulnerable with your partner
A running theme in season 2 is Jean not allowing herself to be truly open and vulnerable with her new partner Jakob (who also happens to be Ola's father).
She gets bothered by him leaving his belongings all around her house, and doesn't appreciate it when he takes it upon himself to fix her shelves.
"Being vulnerable is about giving yourself permission to be open and honest and let others in," said Lockwood. "When you are in a relationship with someone it is important to be open and honest about what you think, feel and desire."
This includes the things you might not be so keen on, which will help you develop a closer, stronger relationship, and leave you feeling as though there doesn't need to be any secrets between you as a couple.
"When you talk openly about the things you feel you let out any negative thoughts about your relationship, any insecure feelings because they are all out in the open," she said.
Some people have no sexual attraction to anyone at all
In episode 4, Florence has earned her "role of a lifetime" as Juliet in the school play. She's told by Lily that "Romeo and Juliet" is a story about "horny teenagers," which makes her feel uncomfortable.
She seeks help from Otis about her predicament of not feeling any sexual attraction to anyone, but finds his advice wanting. Then she visits Jean, and bursts into her office saying she doesn't want to have sex: "I think I might be broken."
Jean then asks her if she's ever heard of asexuality.
"It's when someone has no sexual attraction to any sex or gender," she explains. "Sex just doesn't do it for some people."
She added it's not the be-all and end-all of relationships, because many asexual people still want to be in love. They just don't want to engage in the sexual part.
"Sex doesn't make us whole," she says. "And so how could you ever be broken?"
Pariag said asexuality varies from person to person, and to work out where you land on the spectrum, you should ask yourself these questions: How do you feel about the concept of sex? Do you feel like you should be interested in sex because everyone else is? Is sex important to you? Is sex a part of showing affection to you? And do you feel the need to have sex with someone you find attractive?
Why losing your virginity feels like such a big deal
Otis and Ola plan to have sex for the first time in episode 5, which means losing their virginity to each other. He talks to Eric about it, and says he always thought he would be in love with the person he lost his virginity to.
He ends up telling Ola he loves her, even though it's not actually true. She then breaks up with him, telling him they don't love each other and they're supposed to be friends.
"You said you had to think about it, and it was difficult," she says. "It shouldn't be difficult Otis, we're 16."
The decision of whether or not to have sex weighs on nearly every teenager's minds — is it the right time, the right person, or the right place?
"You only lose your virginity once," said Pariag. "Therefore, there is so much emphasis on it, especially in schools and colleges as it is spoken about so much."
She said young people feel pressure to have sex because the first time is usually an experience you will never forget, no matter how many sexual partners you go on to have.
Lockwood said doing anything for the first time is scary, partly because you have nothing to compare it to, so you can't imagine what it's going to be like.
"Sex is an intimate thing and losing your virginity can be a scary thing to think about because it is the first time you have ever done sex," she said. "It is letting someone into the most intimate parts of yourself which can heighten the experience in itself."
There is a clear lack of education when it comes to sex education for the LGBTQ community
Anwar comes to Otis with a problem in episode 6 — he has never douched before.
He thinks he is ready to go all the way with his boyfriend but feels intimidated because there's so much he doesn't know about gay sex.
Otis, also clueless, then enlists Eric's new boyfriend Rahim to teach him about what douching is and why it's necessary. He gives Otis and Eric a thorough description in the biology lab.
The whole episode highlights how there is a clear lack of education given to students about sex for LGBTQ people. Everyone is taught about heterosexual sex, but things like the intricacies of gay sex are largely left off the table.
Pariag said she doesn't think there is enough education about gay relationships and sexual activity at school.
"I see many patients that are LGBT, many whom are transgender and struggle with gender identity issues," she said. "Many have difficulty opening up to people in their everyday lives as there is still a stigma around LGBTQ."
She said LBGTQ day courses should be introduced to schools to help inform young people before they actually start being sexually active, and have to figure it out for themselves.
Mistakes happen, and you shouldn't feel ashamed for getting the morning after pill
Episode 7 reveals the messy aftermath of Otis' party, where he and the most popular girl in school, Ruby, had some very drunk, chaotic sex. Neither can remember if they used a condom or not, so they have to go to the pharmacy to get Ruby the morning after pill.
"This is so humiliating," Ruby says after hearing she has to be the one to get it in person.
"It's not humiliating," Otis consoles her. "Stuff like this happens all the time. Condoms break, or people forget to use them, or they just go missing. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
After finally getting the pill, Otis and Ruby end up talking. The episode also teaches us the importance of recognising your partner's enjoyment in the bedroom, even if it is just a one night stand.
She tells him he wasn't great in the bedroom, but he wasn't terrible either.
"You kept asking if I was OK," she says, to which he responds: "It's important to check-in."
After talking a bit more, Ruby thanks Otis for his "checking in."
"A lot of guys don't," she says.
Everyone is different, and so everyone likes different things
After finally getting together, Ola and Lily are enjoying some roleplay in episode 8. But things are cut short when Lily screams out in pain. Ola asks if she's done something wrong, and Lily explains it's her vaginismus.
"My vagina is like a venus fly trap," she says, reminding viewers of the problem she went to Otis with in season one. She says it's not a problem when she touches herself, giving Ola the creative idea of masturbating next to each other instead.
This is perhaps one of the most important lessons from the whole season — that everyone enjoys different things. There are no rules to what you can and can't enjoy with your partner in the bedroom, and it's likely the internet probably can't tell you what you should be doing either.
The best thing is to take your time to learn about what each of you wants and likes, respect each other's boundaries, and remember there are no rights and wrongs when it comes down to the intimate moments you share together.