Summary
- Jean's pregnancy storyline in Sex Education season 3 raises the question of who the father of her baby is, creating complications in her relationship with Jakob.
- The reveal in season 4 confirms that Jakob is not the father, and it turns out that Jean had a casual sexual relationship with a character named Dan, who is the true father of the baby.
- This revelation leads to the end of Jean and Jakob's relationship, as the truth about the baby's paternity proves too much for them to overcome.
The Sex Education Jean baby storyline in season 3 ended with the birth of a baby girl but leaves behind a big question as to who the father is. Following on from the end of Sex Education season 2, Jean's pregnancy becomes one of the major plot threads throughout season 3. It shapes Jean's entire arc as she deals with the various challenges and complications it brings, including the merging of her family with Jakob's (Mikael Persbrandt), the distrust her partner feels, and the near-death experience she has during the birth itself.
Jean and Jakob's relationship stands in stark contrast to most of Sex Education's romances, in that it portrays an older, adult romance, but it's true to the show in that it's no less authentic than its teen couples. There's a real sense of poignancy in what they experience together, as well as the show's trademark humor, the payoff of which is the birth of baby Joy. It's a happy, heartfelt moment that comes after great pain, but there might be another twist yet. With that said, the Sex Education Jean baby storyline did offer its reveal of the father in Sex Education season 4.
The Possible Fathers Of Jean's Baby
As per Jakob's wishes, Jean has a paternity test done in Sex Education season 3 to try and prove he really is the father of Joy. The issue, of course, comes when she opens the DNA results in the finale and looks shocked at what she reads. This doesn't completely preclude Jakob being the father, as there could theoretically be some other explanation for why Jean looks so shocked, but that would feel somewhat baiting in a way that Sex Education has never really been before. The major implication, then, is that someone else is the father of Jean's baby, but if it's not Jakob then who might it be?
The most obvious answer is Remi (James Purefoy), with whom Jean briefly reconciled in Sex Education season 2. If they did indeed have sex, then it's certainly plausible that he would be the father of Joy, which would be a reveal that'd likely hurt both Jean and Jakob deeply. It would be a messy, complicated answer, which is perhaps why Sex Education would do it, highlighting how often relationships between people with children can change over the years and aren't things you can always just leave behind. It'd also be a way of bringing Remi back, and since he's already an established character that might make things easier for the show.
Otherwise, the father of Jean's baby would presumably be someone she had casual sex with. One such partner, Dan, is a character briefly introduced in Sex Education season 3 and momentarily panics that he is the dad. While it seems unlikely at the time, that is a moment that triggers Jakob's demands for a paternity test, so there could be a payoff there in having him be the father. Jean has had other partners too though, so there could be other characters thrown into the mix that viewers haven't met yet, and it's possible Jean herself isn't sure who the father is. It wasn't until Sex Education season 4 that viewers found out.
The True Identity Of Jean's Baby's Father
As season 3 hinted, the Sex Education Jean baby storyline ended with someone other than Jakob as the father. However, Sex Education season 4 didn't reveal the secret up front. Jakob left Jean when he learned he wasn't the father and that was the first reveal that it was someone else. In the second episode, Otis reveals to his aunt Joanna that no one but Jean knows who her baby's father is and Jean isn't really happy talking about it. However, in a different storyline, Joanna starts dating Dan, with whom Jean had a casual sexual relationship before she started dating Jakob.
This sets up the uncomfortable drama instantly because soon Jean its to Joanna that Dan is the baby's father. Jean then said she was almost sure that he was, and then she invited him over in the finale to tell him that he was Joy's father. While it was a casual deal, Dan ended up getting Jean pregnant and now her baby Joy is here. It isn't Jakob's child but that destroyed their relationship. Though it started when Jean its she had cheated on him, the fact her baby was someone else's was more than their relationship could take. The Sex Education Jean baby storyline marked the end of the road for her and Jakob, and the start of a new journey in her life.
