Overview:
A change in the school’s curriculum leaves Annie struggling to pick up the new lesson plan after Trophy becomes the substitute teacher from hell. The entire Euthanasia family must step in at Annie’s high school and the collective culture shock leaves everyone reeling in unique ways. Annie worries about her academic future once the lines between her home and school become impossibly blurred.
Our Take:
An Adult Swim cartoon about a reanimated corpse should absolutely not be viewed as a proper teaching tool. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be. Sex education is an area that’s woefully undervalued in the public school system and so it’s always valuable when a television series can actually provide kernels of wisdom on the matter. This entire season has had a very vintage PFFR feeling with the subversive “lessons” of Wonder Showzen repeatedly coming to mind. “Sexually Educated” is especially evocative of this energy. It’s a ludicrous episode of television, but there’s still plenty of legitimately helpful and earnest advice that’s provided that could actually help people. “Sexually Educated” continues this season’s trend of challenging comedic stories that effectively hold a funhouse mirror up to society and marvel at the hilarious reflection.
Teenage Euthanasia has lucked into some fortunate timing with their season’s subject matter. In “Sexually Educated’s” case, there’s a teacher-wide strike that’s gone into motion, which presents prescient parallels to what’s currently in motion with the WGA/SAG Strike. It’s obvious that none of this was written with the WGA or SAG in mind, but it further speaks to the series’ evergreen storytelling. Teenage Euthanasia raises important issues that come from real concerns and passion, which is evident from the episodes’ articulate nature. This series actually has something to say rather than just provide empty, comedic lip service, which plenty of comedies are content to do. There’s real weight behind this strike material, but it’s really a catalyst for a greater indictment of the public school system. It’s all-too grim that Trophy, Pete, Baba, and other random adults are essentially conscripted to be teachers as they’re dragged kicking and screaming into school. As far removed from reality that all of this is, it’s still possible to picture this happening a few decades in the future during more dire times.
This season of Teenage Euthanasia hasn’t struggled when it comes to balancing its eclectic cast. It wouldn’t be difficult to occasionally take certain characters out of the equation, but it’s continually impressive that Teenage Euthanasia orchestrates layered stories that always give Trophy, Annie, Baba, and Pete something to do. The hologram teacher strike in “Sexually Educated” provides a plausible reason for everyone to be involved here, even if several of these stories don’t necessarily intersect. The bulk of Teenage Euthanasia’s episodes dwell on Annie and Trophy’s complicated relationship, usually when Trophy tries to insert herself where she doesn’t belong. “Sexually Educated” continues to build upon this trope, but is a unique deviation since Trophy is forced into this situation against her will and, oddly enough, she’s actually the best sex ed teacher that George W. Bush Senior High School could hope for.
Teenage Euthanasia’s second season has effectively pulled back the veil on all of its main characters, but particularly Baba. Driver’s ed is a curious place to stick this character, but it puts her on course for some touching Harold and Maude-esque romance. Phineas is cliché personified and the type of overly-emotional student that even Rushmore’s Max would want to relentlessly wedgie. Nevertheless, Baba and Phineas are able to relate through their communal disdain for the world as she imparts Old Country guidance onto this disenfranchised soul. “Sexually Educated” understands how to build this idea out of a tired trope, yet actually take it to human places by its conclusion. This only works because Teenage Euthanasia commits and actually plays up the romance of Baba and Phineas’ dynamic and not just play it for laughs because of the lofty age gap. It’s the sweetest relationship to come out of the series so far, even if it’s inherently steeped in cynicism.
“Sexually Educated,” like most of Teenage Euthanasia’s strongest installments, blends sweet and silly to great effect. There’s enough manic mayhem for each character that the episode never drags its feet, but each of these educational interludes reaches contrasting catharsis by their end. Trophy, Baba, and Pete all enter this episode as reluctant educators, but by the end of their respective journeys they’ve all become grateful students who are richer for these unusual experiences. Teenage Euthanasia continues to entertain and enlighten in unexpected ways. As the season nears its half-way point, Teenage Euthanasia has only started to let loose and test its boundaries. It will be exciting to see if the rest of these episodes indulge in even wilder ideas after a (reasonably) restrained start.