Cinematography : Jamie Cairney
Spoilers possible

Sex Education is a show that took me more than one attempt to become completely obsessed with, but once I stopped to notice the detail and intricacy with which it was shot, I fell for this show so deeply. One of the first shots that really made me stop is this one – Adam has just come home after curfew, and after hearing Madam bark, Michael Groff summons Adam to the dining room where he is working.

This shot in particular brings the symmetry often associated with imaginative filmmakers like Wes Anderson into a slightly different context – while the shots from the school tend to be brighter and use more unconventional camera angles, this scene feels stark and traditional which gives us an immediate mood shift and allows us to imagine what life may be like in the Groff household. The lighting is very warm, which usually allows us to feel cosy and comfortable, however here there is something a little bit ominous about it, which is added to when we see little things that seem unusual or out of place, like the chair on the landing of the stairs. The warm lighting also makes Adam stand out, or seem out of place, as his blue jeans provide a visual break in the rest of the tones.

Michael is backlit using the practical light in the dining room above the table, and likely a fill light or a reflector to the side to highlight his portrait, while Adam is lit far more softly from directly above. Both Adam and Michael have their faces partially in shadow or obscured which adds to the tension of these scene – there is something they are hiding or some barrier between them, which is something we see develop over the series. It is interesting to note that the only character in the scene whose face is fully lit is Maureen’s, and I think this is a brilliant way to highlight her as the peacemaker and the character who is most open in the family.

The placement of the bodies within the scene also gives us a very clear idea of the hierarchy and power dynamic in the house. Michael sits upright, both feet on the floor, dressed in a shirt and waistcoat, and surrounded by papers on the table. It is clear from this that he is a little bit traditional and straight-laced which contrasts nicely with Adam, who is crouched in a position of comparative submission and framed by the doorway. His outfit feels more modern which allows us to see a shift through the generations to a more liberal approach to life – it’s almost like looking into two different time periods between the two doorways. In its entirely, the show does play up the anachronistic elements to the point that it can be difficult to accurately place when it is supposed to be set, and I think this is a great hint at how that might come into play as the season progresses.

I’d like to pay particular attention to Maureen, who is enclosed in a frame within a frame and looks rather like a picture on the wall rather than a person existing within the scene. I think this was such a clever move to allow her to be present in the home while still allowing us to see that at least initially, the relationship that we need to pay the most attention to is that of Michael and Adam. The men exist more forward in the frame, while the woman exists in the background, keeping things running – another little detail that makes it hard to place the year this is meant to be taking place. While Maureen does eventually have her own storylines, she begins the show very much as a supporting character and that much is evident from this scene alone.

More than just a scene that sets up the relationship between Adam and his father, there is a lot of really beautiful detail that references the show as a whole, and is one of the highlights of the first episode for me.