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‘A Teacher’ Episode 4: Is Eric a victim of grooming? How Claire might dominate her student for sexual needs

'Claire outlines the rules Eric must follow as their relationship takes a dramatic turn'

It's tricky to navigate through the power game when it comes to relationships. And if you're having an affair with your teacher, it's all the more complicated. In the first three episodes of ‘A Teacher’, Claire Wilson (Kate Mara), a young teacher at a suburban Texas high school develops strong feelings for her student, Eric Walker (Nick Robinson).

Dissatisfied in her marriage to her college sweetheart Matt Mitchell (Ashley Zukerman), she crosses boundaries when Eric asks for help preparing for his SAT test, and a subtle game of grooming begins. Claire is in her 30s and Eric is a 17-year-old student but can he be dubbed as a "victim" of grooming? Although there's a fatal attraction from both sides, Eric makes the first move and kisses her. And while he is a student, he does follow her lead. Soon after, the pair have sex in the backseat of her car. 

Going forward, will the relationship become more dominant on Claire's side? Will she use him for her sexual desires while letting him fall in love? The summary of the fourth episode reads: "Claire outlines the rules Eric must follow as their relationship takes a dramatic turn." What are the rules she will set for Eric? While Claire has always had a wish to fill her life with thrill, Eric has responsibilities at home and the new relationship could hamper that.

If that happens, sooner or later, their life will be destroyed. After the shocking final scene in the third episode, one of the questions troubling minds is whether or not to feel she groomed him. Many fans agree that even though the sex might be consensual, the relationship inches close to grooming. 

"#ATeacher Omg saw three episodes I was like oh s**t it’s gonna go down dude crushing hard on the teacher kissing her and she like no can’t happen but ends up saying screw it let’s do it she too likes him I don’t know seems like she sorta groomed him in a way he has no guidance," one fan said and another posted, "There is a show called #ateacher. Normally I hate shows showing teachers dating students cuz it happens in real life but I'm glad they showed a female teacher & not a male. in the past, it was mainly male teachers but in modern days, it's the no-good female teachers dating students."

Directed by Gillian Robespierre and written by Ruby Rae Spiegel, the next episode might shed light on how Claire will use her power to dominate him. 

‘A Teacher’ premiered on Tuesday, November 10, 2020, from 3 am ET on FX on Hulu with three back-to-back episodes. More episodes in the 10-episodic series will follow every week starting from Tuesday, November 17, 2020.