Sex Education: Aimee's 10 Best Quotes

Content warning: sexual assault.

Aimee Gibbs is known for her unwitting comedic presence, but she defies the stereotypes of the "dumb blonde" female character often seen in high school settings. Especially in seasons 2 and 3 of Sex Education, Aimee is given a chance to voice her opinions on a variety of topics and spend more time with people she truly cares about, like Maeve and Steve.

After breaking away from the Untouchables, Aimee dedicates her time to supporting Maeve's academic ventures and figuring out what she wants to do with her own future. However, a traumatic experience early in the second season derails her plans. She spends a lot of time trying to process her experience and find her voice after feeling silenced. When she does, her words become even more powerful.

10. "I Baked A Cake!"

In season 2, Aimee bakes a cake for Maeve's birthday. The cake almost serves as a metaphor for the experience that unfolds for both girls throughout the day. Aimee catches the bus to school and holds the cake in one arm while trying to balance on the crowded bus. This is when a man assaults Aimee and changes the course of her character arc.

Aimee brushes the incident off, arrives at school, and gives Maeve the cake. Maeve is a lot more concerned about the incident and asks Aimee, as a birthday present, to accompany her to the police station to report it. When Maeve gets home that night, she tries the cake and immediately spits it out, making a disgusted face. The cake, while pretty, tastes awful, reflecting the day's proceedings.

9. "Sorry. I Fart When I'm Nervous."

While they wait at the police station, Aimee and Maeve sit in an empty interrogation room. Nervous, Aimee tries to distill the tension by amusing Maeve, but she farts. Instead of getting embarrassed, Aimee admits to it when the police officer enters the room.

This is a testament to Aimee's character; she's honest, utterly herself, and rarely self-conscious. In fact, this demonstration of her blunt honesty is significant here, as it's just moments before she's asked to tell the truth about what happened to her on the bus. She hesitates, not wanting to confront the truth of this awful experience.

8. "Yeah. I'm Always Fake."

Aimee is one of Otis's first clients in season 1. She's having troubles with Adam, and this couple's problems are the very catalyst that begins Otis's entire journey.

After breaking up with Adam, Aimee briefly dates Kyle, then moves on to Steve. Steve is the first partner who has shown any interest in Aimee as a person, and she's shocked when he tells her that she's being fake. She asks for Otis's advice, and he asks her if she really is fake, but in such a hesitant manner that it's clear he doesn't actually expect her to answer. Not only does Aimee admit to her own flaw, but she emphasizes it so heavily that Otis is taken aback by her honesty.

7. "Stop Fighting Over A Stupid Boy!"

When the girls get detention in season 2, personalities clash and tension is high. In particular, Maeve and Ola can't stop bickering about Otis after his eventful "small gathering". Meanwhile, Aimee remains uncharacteristically quiet until she bursts out, "Stop fighting over a stupid boy!"

The girls immediately stop their quarreling and realize Aimee is crying. She finally admits that she's been struggling since the incident on the bus, which helps Maeve and Ola set aside their differences; in the end, their argument isn't important. They're able to come together and support Aimee in her darkest moment, which is what matters most.

6. "Granny!"

Aimee's house party is an eventful evening for all of the main characters. For Aimee, she begins to see that the Untouchables don't really value her as a person. She's also forced to deal with relationship drama when Adam crashes her party and sees her talking to Kyle.

Adam loses his temper with Kyle, who had been his best friend up to this point, and the two engage in a fistfight. Before long, the fight escalates, and Adam smashes a jar over his head. Only after Aimee collapses to the floor does Adam realize that the jar contained ashes.

5. "It Says I Should Be A Baker."

Another fateful moment in Aimee's journey is when she decides she's going to be a baker. At the start of season 2, many of the characters receive a form with a list of potential career pathways, and Aimee wants to know what her "thing" is. This indicates that Aimee feels a little left out and perhaps like an underachiever compared to her intelligent friends.

She says that Maeve has her "feminine books" (feminist books) and that Steve has his "quiz brains" (Quiz Heads) team. Aimee's match, according to the form, is Baker. Steve points out that Baker isn't an option, and that it's probably Banker - but this doesn't sound like Aimee, either. She decides to stick with Baker because "[she does] really like toast."

4. "My Auntie Got Eaten By Wasps."

In the first episode, Aimee and Maeve are playing Scabby Queen in the bathroom, when Aimee asks whether there really is asbestos in the building. Maeve shrugs and says that there are worse ways to go, to which Aimee responds, "God, yeah. My auntie was eaten by wasps."

Maeve doesn't seem to believe her, or at least thinks Aimee means she was stung by wasps, but Aimee is adamant: "No, she was eaten." Whether or not Aimee really means what she says is almost irrelevant - this scene is an effective way to introduce Aimee's character and establish the tone of the show. Aimee may be clueless and funny, but she's also emotional and passionate.

3. "I'm Dumping You. For Her."

A turning point in Aimee's arc is when she decides to leave the Untouchables to spend more time with Maeve. For most of the season, Aimee and Maeve meet up in the asbestos-ridden bathrooms where the Untouchables won't think to look for Aimee. However, by the end of the season, Aimee sees that they've only ever used her and disapproved of her tastes.

When Ruby calls Maeve a slag, Aimee defends her and says, "Well, so am I." She leaves the Untouchables and takes Maeve's arm in dramatic fashion, before officially announcing her departure from the group. The girls walk off arm in arm. Aimee reassures Maeve that she'll stick by her, even though she knows that neither of them are slags.

2. "You're Both Wrong - It's My Vagina."

One of the most empowering moments in season 1 is at an assembly organized by Mr. Groff to address a pressing issue. The first half of the episode deals with Ruby's regret over sending an explicit photo of herself that was then circulated among the rest of the cohort.

At the end of the episode, Otis and Maeve discover that Olivia is responsible for sending the photo around. Ruby feels betrayed and worried that her identity will be revealed at the assembly, where Mr. Groff warns the students against sending explicit photos to one another. Instead, Olivia stands up and declares that it's her vagina in the photo. Moments later, Maeve rises and insists that it's her vagina, followed by Aimee, whose statement inspires many others around the hall to join her. No matter how Aimee feels about Ruby and Olivia, she's willing to be a good friend to girls who have been put in compromising positions.

1. "Because I Can't Get On The Bus."

Aimee's trauma takes a long time to catch up with her. By the time she finally lets her emotions out, even Maeve has forgotten about the incident. When Ola and Maeve stop fighting over Otis, they notice that Aimee is crying. When asked why, Aimee allows herself to admit that she hasn't been able to get on the bus since her assault. Her friends listen and support her as she tells them that she isn't sad, but angry, which prompts Ola to take the group to smash junk at the scrapyard.

Once there, Aimee steals a baseball bat and begins, "I'm angry that I'm not very good at baking cakes." She swings the bat hesitantly. With more emotion, Aimee continues: "I'm angry because a man wanked on my leg, ruined my best jeans, and now I can't get on the f***ing bus!" This time, when she swings her bat, she smashes through a window. It's one of the most empowering scenes in the series, and it's because of Aimee's courage to accept her experience.

[Originally shared via ScreenRant.]