When it comes to matters of the heart and hormones, no series did a better job of portraying the wild ride of being a teenager than Netflix’s Sex Education. Through all the gut-wrenching heartbreaks and many hilarious mishaps, viewers sat with bated breaths. After all, everybody was secretly rooting for one pairing or another. Especially since the show serves up a buffet of so many delicious duos to pick from. Even in Otis and Maeve’s ever-teasing long-distance unpredictability, some found meaning in the mayhem. Others wondered if Eric and Adam who went from nemeses to lovers would ever get back together.

Yet, one pairing that flipped the script on the typical ‘relationship goals’ neither got a happy nor a heartbreaking ending. While the show mended many hearts by simply representing them, it broke just as many by letting this tag team slip away into oblivion.

The unlikely couple of Sex Education that everybody was rooting for

What could have been the most formidable of all power couples between the sexpert-in-training portrayed by Asa Butterfield and the most popular girl at Moordale High played by Mimi Keene somehow ended in the most underwhelming way possible. With the instability and fizzling-out romance between Maeve and Otis, fans expected the latter to reconnect with Ruby who complemented his strengths like Maeve never could. Not to forget Otis’ much-needed style upgrade that she delivered with flair.

Despite Ruby’s subtle attempts to woo her ex again, the script failed to bring the story full circle. By the end of the eighth episode, some fans who were loyal to their love were still shipping the duo. As intended, their innocent sleepover in the third episode had rekindled hope among them. Yet, they were even denied a confrontation, let alone a reunion. In its rush to the not-so-happily-ever-after finish line, Otis and Ruby’s powerful chemistry was lost in the winds of a chaotic election.

With such devotion to making Otis notice her love for him, it was only fair that Ruby’s fans felt betrayed by the show’s writers who failed to bring them together. Even after the guru of sex advice separated from Emma Mackey’s Maeve! Like a rom-com on anti-depressants, the show’s fourth season unraveled even more divisions than its previous season. Being the last season of Sex Education to come from Netflix, this was bound to anger their supporters.

From across the Pacific, the two’s unsuccessful attempts to rekindle their romance were made even tougher with Maeve’s mother’s passing. This only highlighted the many shortcomings in their chemistry unlike what Otis had with Ruby in Season 3.

What made Otis and Ruby’s pairing stand out amongst others?

While the previous seasons offered multiple eventful relationships, there was none quite as unique as Otis and Ruby’s. For the most fierce and desired ‘It Girl’ to have fallen in unrequited love with the floppy-haired and awkward Otis was a miracle in itself. Although they existed in separate worlds, the jungle of high school life brought them together. An intense journey of growth followed which reminded audiences that sometimes unexpected pairings can lead to the sweetest of love stories, only for Ruby to have her love crushed at the hands of the young sexologist.

However, Ruby was not the only one repping the single life in Season 4. After suffering the usual ups and downs of young love, Eric played by the newly appointed fifteenth doctor in Doctor Who, Ncuti Gatwa, remained unattached too. Since his breakup with Adam, the fashion-forward legend’s journey became more spiritual than emotional. Similarly, after parting ways with Viv, Jackson refrained from entering another one. As did Otis’s therapist mother played by Gillian Anderson.

Only Aimee walked away with a lover in hand as her friendship with Isaac turned into much more. While some of the new pairings like Viv’s new lover gave viewers hope of more than one happy ending, it also ended in a soul-crushing way. It is undeniable that many character’s coming-of-age journeys completed their respective arcs. Yet, the magic of love was absent from most. Except in the way Ruby supported Otis’ dream of being the student counselor, of course.

Do you think the show’s intention was never to help viewers escape reality through a quintessential couple? Or was Otis and Ruby’s love as imperfect as the others’ for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.