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Everyone's Saying The Bus Scene From 'Sex Education' Is The Most Important TV Moment

Joanna Freedman

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Everyone's Saying The Bus Scene From 'Sex Education' Is The Most Important TV Moment

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

*This episode contains spoilers for Sex Education season two*

Sex Education returned to Netflix last week with its much anticipated second season.

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And it's already being praised across the board for the way it covers several sensitive topics within its plot, such as asexuality, bisexuality, pansexuality, drug addiction, adoptive parent anxiety, the morning after pill and bullying.

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But there's one scene that has really struck a chord with women around the world, and that was Aimee's bus scene.

If you haven't yet seen it, the long and the short is that Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) gets onto a bus heading to school, and a man masturbates onto her leg.

Aimee is assaulted on the way to school (Credit: Netflix)
Aimee is assaulted on the way to school (Credit: Netflix)

When Aimee realises, she gets off the bus, and initially tries to self protect by brushing it off as nothing more than creepy behaviour.

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But Maeve (Emma Mackey) encourages her to report the incident to the police - and as the series goes on we see the incident has affected Aimee much more than she first let on.

Every day on the way to school, Aimee forces herself to walk the whole way, because she physically can't get onto the bus.

Her mind starts playing tricks on her, and she begins to see the mysterious man wherever she goes.

Plus, before long, she even begins having problems with her boyfriend (Chris Jenks), refusing to let him touch her.

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Maeve makes Aimee tell the police (Credit: Netflix)
Maeve makes Aimee tell the police (Credit: Netflix)

In the seventh episode of the Netflix series, Aimee finally reaches boiling point, and breaks down when in detention with the other girls, confessing just how bad her anxiety has become.

And in one of the show's most moving scenes, Ola (Patricia Allison), Viv (Chinenye Ezeudu), Olivia (Simone Ashley), Maeve and Lily (Tanya Reynolds) all greet her at the bus stop before travelling into school with her, in a bid to help her tackle her daemons.

The powerful and tragic thing about this storyline, of course, is that Aimee's story is all too relatable.

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Last year, sexual health charity Brook found that more than half of UK students have faced unwanted sexual behaviour, TFL stated that 90 per cent of unwanted sexual behaviour on London transport goes unreported; and the heartbreaking truth is that almost every adult woman has had at least one experience of sexual harassment or assault in their lives - either first hand or through somebody close to them.

The incident left Aimee feeling unsafe (Credit: Netflix)
The incident left Aimee feeling unsafe (Credit: Netflix)

In fact, speaking about the much praised scenes, the show's creator Laurie Nunn has since revealed that the story had actually been inspired by a personal experience.

"The Aimee storyline came from a very personal thing that happened to me," she said.

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"I knew that I wanted to write about it in a cathartic sense. And also because I don't know a woman who hasn't had something - maybe not as bad as that, but something like that - happen in their life.

"It felt like something with the support of Netflix that I could be brave enough to write about."

Sex Education writer Laurie Nunn experienced something similar to Aimee (Credit: PA)
Sex Education writer Laurie Nunn experienced something similar to Aimee (Credit: PA)

The writer went on: "What I wanted to highlight with it is - everything happening in #MeToo, which is fantastic and amazing in dealing with power dynamics - but it's also just about as female, what it feels like to move through the world and not feel entirely safe. That's what I wanted to capture."

And it's safe to say she did just that.

"I really appreciate those scenes where Aimee attempts to go about her day and suddenly it's impossible to do such a normal thing like riding the bus to school after her assault. That's PTSD and you don't choose when and where it hits you. #SexEducation," one person wrote after watching everything unfold.

While another added: "Aimee's situation in episode three is something that so many women can relate to and is something that I feel like can often be forgotten about. Sexual assault is worth being reported and is completely valid no matter the severity. #SexEducation".

The girls all rally around Aimee (Credit: Netflix)
The girls all rally around Aimee (Credit: Netflix)

Praising the poignant moment the girls all rallied around Aimee at the end, a third person wrote: "The bus scene from Sex Education was not only the best TV scene of 2020 (so far) but one of my favorite TV moments of all time #SexEducation"(sic).

As a fourth agreed, writing: "When women support each other, incredible things happen".

Well done Sex Education for shining light on a very important and relevant issue, and proving just how badass female friendship really is.

Joanna Freedman
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