Sex Education: Why Maureen Doesn’t Get Back Together With Michael

Season 3 of Sex Education saw tremendous personal growth out of former headmaster Michael Groff, but a teased reunion with his estranged wife Maureen may be out of the question due to a lifetime of trauma done to their son. Mr. Groff is introduced in season 1 of the hit Netflix series as Moordale Secondary’s ice-cold authoritarian. His propensity for being out-of-touch with students is rivaled only by a complete lack of empathy or understanding for his emotionally stunted son Adam, who is initially introduced as the school bully struggling to understand and cope with his own sexuality.

Maureen Groff is barely given screen time in Sex Education season 1 but is clearly struggling through an unhappy marriage with an overly practiced smile on her face. Her character is given much more agency in season 2 as she slowly befriends Dr. Jean Milburn, the mother of the show’s main character Otis and a professional sex therapist working with the school to create a better curriculum for their sex education program. Michael loathes her, of course, and when Maureen’s therapy sessions lead to her demanding a divorce, he holds Jean personally responsible for the loss of his marriage as well as his grip on Moordale. 

Sex Education season 3 is a cathartic one for a great number of characters including the entire Graff family. Adam is back in school and making an effort to better himself academically, and while there are certainly some bumps in the road, he’s also made great strides in coming to terms with his sexuality, finding happiness in a fully out relationship with Eric. Meanwhile, Maureen dips her toes back into the dating pool and tries to move forward with her life.

Michael’s arc is a bit more humiliating at first, as the former headmaster finds himself living with his well-off brother, whom he has hated since childhood. When that doesn’t work out, he’s forced to live with Moordale’s quirky science teacher and choir director Mr. Hendricks, who is thrilled to finally be bonding with his old boss. He attempts to reconcile with Maureen early on but still does not fully grasp the damage he has caused the family by making little attempt to repair the relationship with his son. What’s more, Adam could really use an understanding father figure in his life during Sex Education season 3.

The show heavily teases a reunion later in the season after Michael, desperate for answers, seeks out Jean’s advice and begins to realize the error of his ways. He comes to terms with the emotional and mental abuse caused by his own father and sets out to find one thing that will bring him joy. Michael finds that joy in cooking, and in an emotional moment for his character, he finally calls out his abusive brother’s behavior and shows up on Maureen’s doorstep to admit his shortcomings, promising to be the man she needs. The two end up sleeping together, but in the season finale, Maureen bails on a candlelight dinner via text message, informing Michael their reunion was a mistake. 

While there still may be a chance at a happy ending for the Groff family if Sex Education season 4 gets the green light, the writers made it clear that Michael needs to do some serious work in rebuilding a relationship with his son. Throughout the course of the season, Adam worked hard to find something he was truly good at, discovering a hidden talent in training the family dog. He later enters a dog show competition and, despite receiving heavy praise from the judges and his mentors for his obvious skill, Adam is incapable of fully enjoying the moment as he believes his father would be disappointed in him not earning a “proper prize.” It is at that point that Maureen realizes how badly her son has been damaged and that despite his clearly genuine attempts to reconcile their marriage, Michael still has a long road ahead of him before that can ever happen. 

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