Why Ruby Attacks Hope During The Open Day
Ruby takes down Sex Education season 3 villain Hope during a wild student body protest at Moordale Secondary, but why was her character chosen?
Sex Education season 3 villain Hope is dethroned in a scuffle against Ruby Matthews, but it's still unclear why the character was chosen for the task. Hope Haddon (Jemima Kirke) is introduced straight away as Moordale Secondary’s new headmistress at the start of season 3. She is given the unenviable task of restoring the institution’s public image after being labeled a “Sex School” by the media. Hope comes on strong trying to be a hip, progressive mentor for key students she’s trying to manipulate but very quickly does some despicable things with her power.
Throughout the season, Hope’s rigidly conservative policy changes include forcing students to walk single-file to “encourage uniformity” and removing sex-ed from the curriculum in favor of gender-separate, abstinence-based propaganda. When non-binary student Cal (Dua Saleh) repeatedly refuses to wear a skirt or tight clothing in adherence with a new uniform policy, the new headmistress forces them to wear a sign that reads “I AM A SLOVENLY TROUBLE MAKER WHO DOESN’T CARE ABOUT MY PEERS.” Cal is also forced to use the women's bathroom and locker room despite making it clear they do not identify as female and is constantly subjected to Hope's bullying.
Predictably, the students of Moordale revolt in the most Sex Education way possible. Hope and the board plan to relaunch the school as the “safe and sex free” Sparkside Academy, inviting investors to an Open Day ceremony to celebrate the new changes. The students hijack her presentation with one of their own, proudly embracing their status as the “Sex School." When Hope tries to pull the plug by storming the sound booth, Ruby comes out of nowhere to save the day with some old-fashioned hair-pulling and a little perfume to the eyes. On the surface, Ruby was an incredibly odd choice to do this. She and Hope had very little direct contact, if any at all, during her time at the school. Adding to the confusion, Ruby largely disappeared from the show after having her heart broken by Otis earlier in the season. Following the incident with Hope, she does not return in the final episode. However, Ruby's minimal presence in the latter part of the season may be the very reason she was chosen to take on Hope.
For almost two full seasons, Ruby was relegated to being a generic mean girl parody, only popping up to occasionally deliver an insulting one-liner or discuss the latest absurd fashion trend. She had one minor part in a single season 1 episode where pictures of her were leaked by a so-called best friend, and the writers took a chance on a surprisingly deep season 2 episode that saw Otis and Ruby navigate the terrifying waters of a one night stand pregnancy scare. Viewers also learned about her bed-ridden father with M.S. for the first time, gaining a much-needed look beyond the more one-dimensional obnoxious persona. With these storylines, Ruby has very much become a character who packs a big punch in a small amount of screentime.
However, Ruby becomes one of Sex Education’s most important figures in season 3 via her relationship with Otis. She allows herself to be vulnerable for the first time in a way that’s utterly heartbreaking, because for her it’s the biggest step she’s ever taken romantically, and for Otis they were just acquaintances having casual sex a few weeks prior. No one was really in the wrong, arguably, but Ruby never got a chance at any kind of meaningful closure.
While it would have certainly made more sense for someone like Cal or even Viv to get the last laugh on Hope, a truly despicable character who wronged them, it’s also possible the writers knew they weren’t going to have the chance to properly revisit Ruby’s story—at least not until a possible Sex Education season 4. While it is incredibly random, nothing says closure like besting the headmistress and saving the day while an ex-boyfriend watches uselessly in the corner.
Next: Sex Education Season 3 Continues Its Otis & Maeve Breakup Problem
