My thoughts on this season of “Heartstopper“
To preface this, my review will contain spoilers for seasons 1-3 of the show “Heartstopper,” so do not continue reading if you have not finished season three.
“Heartstopper” is a Netflix Original show based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel series under the same name. The show follows a group of British secondary school students as they go through the joys and struggles of adolescence. The show explores their various experiences with discovering their sexualities, gender identities, mental health problems and family/relationship dynamics.
The newest season, season three, most closely follows the plots of the fourth and fifth novels of the series. The first episode starts where season two left off: Charlie trying to figure out how to tell Nick that he loves him. I really loved this part of the episode because it followed the scene in the graphic novel almost exactly. Charlie finally decides to tell Nick he loves him through a closed door while Nick is in the shower. When Nick is stunned into silence, Charlie freaks out and makes a quick exit to walk home.
Once Nick finally comprehends what Charlie said, he rushes to get out of the shower and trips and falls in the process. He eventually runs down the block, catching up with Charlie wearing only a sweatshirt and shorts with no shoes. He asks Charlie to tell him again and then he says “I love you” back. I loved this scene in the book and loved it even more in the show because it perfectly encapsulates Nick and Charlie’s relationship. The scene is awkward and earnest just like they are.
One thing that this season, and the show overall, does really well is flesh out the personalities and plots of the other characters in a way that the short graphic novels weren’t really able to. This is seen with Elle’s struggles to be seen as a serious artist and not be exploited as the token “trans” girl. They also demonstrate this with Tara’s hardships with being perfect and Isaac’s feelings of being the third wheel all of the time. I like how this season took the time to delve into all of the characters’ lives without taking away from the main storyline of Nick and Charlie.
This season could be seen as a turning point in the series as it deals with deeper issues like mental health, eating disorders and sex. As we learned last season, Charlie has difficulty eating sometimes as a result of the control issues he developed from being bullied when he was outed as gay. This plot reaches a peak in this season when Charlie admits he needs help and spends around two months in a rehab facility to learn how to cope with his problems.
In both the book and the show, Charlie arrives home around Christmas time. Something that I thought the show did very well was put more emphasis on Christmas and how holidays can be a hard time for a lot of people, especially people who struggle with mental health. This episode was one of my favorites because of all of the complex issues that they deal with. I thought it was very smart how they showed how different members of a family react in the face of someone in their family dealing with a mental illness. Charlie’s sister Tori tries to distract Charlie, his mom tries to be strict with her meal plans, his dad tries to help with coping exercises and the grandparents and cousins make inappropriate comments. I liked how realistic this episode was in its portrayal of how overwhelming the holidays can be when you are not in the best mental state. Family is complicated sometimes, and this season did a great job showing the different ways people cope.
Somehow this season was able to grapple with both the lowest points in some people’s lives and the joys of growing up and figuring out who you are. It does an excellent job representing a diverse cast of characters who go through their own struggles and developments, but are also there to support each other in the end.
I really enjoyed this season despite some of the sad content. I am really curious and excited to see what the next season will bring (if they decide to renew it – fingers crossed)!