The nude picture blackmail scheme
- So, the person who was blackmailing Ruby demanded that she make a public apology in assembly; otherwise, the blackmailer would reveal that the photograph is of her. But surely making a public apology would reveal her identity anyway, so she’d be screwed either way. What was her motivation for apologising supposed to be?
- Given who was doing the blackmail, it's entirely possible they hadn't thought this out. It became clear once they were outed, they didn't so much as want an apology as they tried to hurt her for how she'd treated them.
Headmaster Groff's sex life
- Why doesn't Adam's dad (the headmaster) ever desire sex with his wife? To go six years without ever attempting to have sex with your wife suggests asexuality. Perhaps the show should explore him with a sympathetic eye towards some sexual abnormality
- It might just be that he's genuinely so stuffy and puritanical that he doesn't think people his age should be having sex. "We're not 23 anymore, Maureen!"
- His wife suggests that he has extreme difficulty getting close to people because of his fear of rejection.
- It's a sign that the marriage is miserable on both ends. He has WAY more trouble admitting it to himself.
- Him not wanting to have sex doesn't "suggest asexuality"; he had sexual desire when he was younger given he fathered Adam and the unnamed daughter; asexuality is far more complicated than "don't want to have sex". In fact, given his age, it's more than likely his lack of interest is more due to a loss of libido, something that is quite common, especially for people who work in stressful careers. Note that this mirrors Adam's conflict in the first episode, where stress caused him to be unable to perform for Aimee.
Adam kicked out of the military school
- Was Adam guilty of the drug infraction that got him kicked out of the school? If not, why didn't he at least try to fight the charge?
- The implication is that he wasn't guilty. He accidentally saw his friends engaging in sexual activity, and they put the drugs in his bed. But he didn't want to have to explain why the other cadets had framed him, possibly because he still misguidedly thought of them as friends and because matters of sexual orientation are susceptible to him.
- He did try to explain it to his teacher right after he was accused and then again as he was leaving, though both times very halfheartedly. He wasn't really satisfied at the school and didn't want to stay. However, he looks profoundly sad and equally unhappy to be there and unfairly getting the boot.
- It was also made clear when he was leaving that the admins knew full well what was going on, but they'd rather protect the students' sexualities.
- I thought the admin/teacher that booted Adam quite strongly implied that he himself was gay. The admin literally said "yes, quite a lot of US are poofs in this institution". Either way, it gets more confusing, because why would his two classmates go to the bother of framing him to get him kicked out?
Eric's mom's views towards his homosexuality
- In the first season, Eric's dad tells him that he shouldn't act so flamboyantly in front of her mom because she will have a hard time accepting it, the implication being that she has conservative views on homosexuality because of her Christian beliefs. But during the second season, we find out Eric came out of the closet to his parents when he was 13, we see his mom act super lovely to both Rahim and Adam, and she even gives Eric some dating advice, so it doesn't seem like he has anything against her son's gayness. What was his dad talking about then?
- Eric's coming out to his family, and his family's acceptance is portrayed somewhat inconsistently. In the first season, it's implied Eric hasn't come out to his family yet. His father catches him experimenting with cross-dressing and makeup and watching gay porn, and he looks surprised and not at all happy, later revealed that he was afraid of Eric getting hurt by others. Similarly, Eric's sisters get all excited and giddy that Eric has a girl visiting him and hanging out with him in his room. In the second season, Eric says to Rahim that his family knows he's gay as he came out when he was thirteen years old.
- That could be explained by his family having assumed his sexuality was a phase, especially as they're very conservative immigrants from a country where homosexuality is outlawed. Hence, his family probably took him having a girl over as a sign of him being "straight again". His character development over the first season likely instilled in them this wasn't the case, and he was firmly gay; they got over it and became accepting.
- It is possible that his mom is okay with him being gay but would balk at that level of flamboyance, or that she'd be OK with both and his dad is just displacing his reservations onto her. For that matter, his dad's concern about overt flamboyance seems partially rooted in worry that his son might face persecution over it (he was right about that one).
Where are all the Welsh people?
- I know it's not a super realistic show, and they did blind-casting, but they could have had a few more accents for the background characters
- Cynthia has a Welsh accent, though, as well as at least two one-note characters at the school.
- Also, not every part of England has token Welsh people. This is like complaining about an American show set in Minnesota not having anyone with Californian accents.
- Okay, to clarify: All that gorgeous scenery you see in the show is the Wye Valley, which runs along the border between England and Wales. This is more like complaining about an American show on the Minnesota-Wisconsin border not having anyone with Minnesota accents.
Milburn house bathrooms
- Why is the Milburn house so large (three stories by the look of it) but only seems to have one bathroom? Now that Jean is pregnant, there should be at least one more bathroom! How is there not an en suite bathroom in Jean's bedroom? Even when Remi was still married to Jean, and there were three people living in the house, there should have been at least two bathrooms. All those times in season one where Jean's one night stands would walk into Otis's room looking for the bathroom could have been avoided (also, they could have been avoided if Jean had just told the various guys where the bathroom was, that doesn't count as a relationship...right?). Also, Otis could have put a proper lock on his door once Jean's nightstands started. Or put a sign on his door saying "Otis's room" or "Not the bathroom!!"
- It's possible that there is a second bathroom in the house but it's for Jean's patients so the family avoid using it as its been set-up for whatever the patients needs are.
- Sometimes houses are light on the bathrooms despite their large size, and it’s possible she either doesn’t have the money or can’t add a bathroom because her house isn’t up to code. She also might not see the issue the lack of bathroom’s don’t bother her they bother her son, who she thinks is overreacting. Later she could have added more bathrooms but we don’t see them.
Jean's baby
- Why didn't Maureen call Otis once Jean went into early labour? Especially once the hemorrhaging started (unless the doctors didn't tell her, seeing as she is not family or the father)? Why is Jacob the one who calls Otis? He got to the hospital much later than Maureen, who was with Jean when the labour started at the TV interview.
- She probably didn't think about it. It's not like Otis's presence was absolutely needed, and Maureen was more concerned about helping Jean rather than calling anyone. And later Jacob was there, so he took over.
- Also it’s possible she didn’t want her teenage son there until after she gave birth.
Obscene Gestures?
- Whenever someone in this show flips someone else off, why it always the American raised middle finger? I thought the Brits had their own version, basically an inverted peace gesture or "V-sign" which is almost the same thing but with the trigger finger also raised. Could this be another example of Eagleland Osmosis?
Eric playing his french horn in the school assembly
- If Eric isn't particularly good at his instrument and doesn't like to be made fun of, why does he volunteer to play at the school assembly?
Season 2 timeframe
When abouts does season 2 take place? We know that season 1 takes place in September 2020 when the characters begin year 12, and season 3 exactly a year later when they begin year 13 (we know it's in 2021, because a billboard states it to be the year Hope replaced Michael). So is it set in the Spring term (in the UK this is from January-early April) or the Summer term (late April - mid July)? In episode 4, Maeve said she thought Otis liked her last term, indicating that she was reinstated in Moordale, in the term subsequent to season 1. But in season 3, Aimee reveals to Jean that her assault in episode 3 took place the term prior.
Ruby owning a car
Is Ruby not too young to drive to school on her first day at sixth form? At most she'd be a few days over 17, the age where you can begin lessons in the UK.
