Who is the father of Jean Milburn’s baby in Sex Education?
After two years of uncertainty, a big question has finally been answered.
A major Sex Education cliffhanger is finally resolved in season 4, when we learn who the father of Dr Jean Milburn's newborn baby really is.
The sex therapist (played by Gillian Anderson) had assumed that partner Jakob (Mikael Persbrandt) was her baby's father, but this was teased not to be the case in season 3's shocking finale.
When we pick up with the Milburns in season 4, Jean is struggling with being a single parent as it becomes apparent Jakob and his daughter Ola (Patricia Allison) skipped town after learning the truth.
It's not until more than halfway through the final season that we discover the real father – and he's someone who longtime viewers may recognise.
Read on for spoiler-filled details on the father of Jean's baby in Sex Education.
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Who is the father of Jean Milburn’s baby in Sex Education?
In season 4 episode 6, Jean is in town with her younger sister, Joanna (Lisa McGrillis), when she spots a former lover named Dan (Daniel Ings) and has a panicked reaction.
When Jo questions why she's hiding from him, Jean lets slip the big secret: "That's Joy's dad." Well, she's "95 per cent" sure, at least.
This causes some tension between the sisters, as Jo had recently started dating Dan herself, with the two having met at his place of work – the bank – when she was trying to secure some financial help.
When has Dan appeared in Sex Education before?
Daniel Ings is a recognisable face in British television, with past credits including Lovesick, I Hate Suzie (above) and, most recently, BBC One's crime drama The Gold.
Viewers may also remember him from Sex Education, but they'll need to have a good memory as he hasn't appeared in the series very much as of late.
In the first few minutes of season 1 episode 1, he mistakenly barges into Otis's bedroom while looking for the bathroom, stumbling in on the confused teen as he staged a scene intended to give the false impression that he'd been masturbating.
It's a bit awkward.
Dan is established as one of Jean's casual lovers, with Otis accusing him of having an "Oedipus complex", which refers to a sexual attraction to a mother figure.
Jean condemns this attempt at stigmatising Dan's choices, although he undermines her point somewhat by accidentally calling her "mum" on the way out. He pops up again in episode 7 and makes a similar gaffe.
Then, Dan disappears until season 3 episode 5, when he passes Jean and Jakob leaving Moordale Community Hospital after a pregnancy scan, where he is alarmed to see her enormous baby bump.
"S**t, it's not mine, is it?" asks Dan.
Jakob responds: "No, it's mine, actually."
Little do they know that a big surprise is headed their way.
Fortunately, in season 4, Dan seems to have grown up somewhat, and is altogether more open to the prospect of children in a frank date conversation with Joanna – so there's hope that he'll step up to the plate.
Sex Education season 4 is available to stream on Thursday 21st September 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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