Walk into a Barnes and Noble, and you’d be hard pressed not to find a Heartstopper display. Since publishing the web comic back in 2016, author Alice Oseman has quickly risen to international acclaim with the best-selling graphic novels and books that have moved millions of copies. In 2022, Netflix launched the series, and it was instantly beloved by millions more and catapulted stars Kit Connor and Joe Locke into immediate stardom. Season two, released a year later, still kept a lot of the playfulness and fun of the first but started to foreshadow some of the more serious content that was to come in future episodes. Season three unflinchingly takes us down this path as our beloved characters face their mental health demons, try to figure out what they want in life, wonder what love really is, and how to figure out relationship boundaries. All the while putting up with families that may or may not understand them, keeping their friend group intact, and just trying to make it through school. If it sounds exhausting, it can be. That said, the overall charm and sweetness that has always permeated it shines through the shadows over Nick, Charlie, and everyone else, and while we don’t get a definitive ending, it leaves a lot open for a hopeful fourth season.
Summer is here and boyfriends Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) along with friends Tao (William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Imogen (Rhea Norwood), Darcy (Kizzy Edell), Tara (Corinna Brown), Isaac (Tobie Donovan), and Sahar (Leila Khan) are definitely making the most of it. The lot are having a blast spending time together on the beach and just doing all the normal stuff kids do, but there are ominous signs that things aren’t exactly right. Nick begins to notice that Charlie’s anxiety and eating problems continue to get worse no matter what he tries to do to help. Finally realizing that there’s only so much support one person can give, he helps Charlie explain what’s going on to his parents and ever-present and loving sister Tori (Jenny Walser) who have him check into an inpatient clinic to help with his mental challenges. Life does have to go on, and the rest of the crew do their best to enjoy it and continue to discover themselves during his treatment. As relationships deepen and change, each couple begins to look for ways to express their love for each other in different ways, and that leads to some unforeseen consequences as they experience more of the physical side of those relationships. Once Charlie reunites with everyone, he and Nick also fumble into this chaos, both scared and excited to go to a new level as well. As school draws to the close, Nick begins to look ahead to Uni and must make the difficult choice to either stay close to Charlie or set out on his own adventure and face the challenges of a long-distance relationship.
First and foremost, let’s talk about Charlie’s mental health struggles. It was brought up in season two and is immediately dealt with in a tragic and touching way. Anyone who has gone through these types of challenges or stood by someone else when they did is going to immediately identify with him, Nick, and all of their friends as they try to process this. The show never attaches any kind of stigma to this topic but won’t flinch away from it.
There are two pivotal moments that we need to analyze, and that is when Nick realizes he can’t fix Charlie, and also when Charlie understands that the goal of improving your mental health isn’t to become fixed. With Hayley Atwell standing in as Nick’s aunt Diane (since Olivia Coleman couldn’t return as Nick’s mum), she gets to have the conversation with Nick that the weight of Charlie’s illness shouldn’t and can’t be carried on his shoulders. To say that moment is gut-wrenching is an understatement, but the care and love Diane shows him with what he CAN do to help is the linchpin to the start of Charlie’s recovery. When faced with these situations, all we can do is love, support, and stand with someone, but their actions are not our responsibilities. Everyone has to make their own choices.
The most important point made is that healing is a process, and it’s something that will always be a lifelong journey. Charlie’s therapist points out that there are going to be bad days. You are going to slip back into past behaviors, and you can’t beat yourself up over it. You have to keep pushing on and use the wisdom and knowledge you have gained to combat the demons that will always be hiding behind your back. This truth gets played out in heart-breaking ways such as his literally telling Nick to F off when Nick was just trying to help (albeit badly).
We aren’t perfect nor were meant to be, and having a strong support system and foundation will help us and them carry on even during times we normally couldn’t.
And to those who do have the patience and love to be there for us in our worst (and best) times, much like Charlie’s well-meaning parents, it can be difficult not to be overprotective. Charlie didn’t need to feel like he was fragile and could blow over with any gust of wind. In fact, those concerns actually started making his relapses worse. People in recovery need to know that those around them do trust them to make good decisions. With Charlie’s case, it was wonderful to see his mom start to realize this and let him just be the normal teenager he should be. And of course being able to stay ‘round Nick’s.
Also, I hate to break it to you Charlie, but the “S” word rule still applies to us mentally ill.
Ok, we’ve gotten through the heavy, now for the horny.
Sex. It’s normally a large part of most relationships and also one of the more difficult ones to work through. By insisting that Elle and Tao and Charlie and Nick waited until they were ready to elevate their relationship physically also makes the act that much more important for their development. Elle, as a trans woman, has to work through her body dysmorphia which is something that I’m sure some trans people have to face. But again, it’s done respectfully allowing her to make her own choices in a way and time that is right for her. Tao isn’t pushing her into a situation she’s not ready for and allows her the freedom to do what and when she wants.
Nick and Charlie aren’t quite so delicate about it. Theirs is more an issue of can’t due to outside circumstances rather than won’t, and some of the funniest lines and scenes involve their conundrum of either getting walked in on or having the mood instantly killed by changing vibes in their setting. And no, sex at school is not an option. But even here, it still cares about them and how their body image affects them. Look, we all have parts of our bodies we don’t like, and being completely vulnerable by showing that to someone we love during sex isn’t easy. Charlie is entirely self-conscious about his looks and the scars from self-harm on his arms, so finally letting go and even taking off his shirt shows his growth and trust in Nick.
One last theme that permeates the season is the idea of self-identity. Nick is viewed as the “golden retriever” and savior in the show, but even he begins to realize that his mental state needs to mature. He fully admits that he doesn’t know who he is without Charlie, and that is one of the big reasons he is afraid to go to any other college other than one close to home. His identity is wrapped up too much in “us” instead of “me.” There’s nothing wrong with being close to our friends and romantic partners, however, everyone needs to be able to stand alone as the person they truly are without the influence of others. Their relationship is in no way codependent, but by the end, they both realize they can accomplish things in life without as well as with each other.
Despite my deep connection to the source material, there is no other way to say it than this is nearly perfect. I say nearly because there are some side plots that don’t so much as leave threads dangling as just ending without explanation. This is Nick and Charlie’s story, and most of their friends and family get to shine, but some do feel a little left out as compared to previous seasons. Obviously, you can only do so much with a limited number of episodes, but they could have been a bit more fleshed out. That said, I can’t come up with anything else. The actors all perform brilliantly and have some of the best chemistry you will find in any show or movie, and you can tell that they all truly care about each other both on and off set. Partner that with an amazing story and script that Alice has painstakingly crafted, and what we thought was lightning in a bottle became a dazzlingly beautiful display of fireworks.
My only request is that you watch it as hard as you can as it’s still not finished with the last episode. Both the book Nick and Charlie and Alice’s upcoming, final graphic novel will wrap the tale, and I’ll be quite cross if Netflix doesn’t renew it for one more season. We rarely get to see true magic anywhere in our media, but Heartstopper is just that. It has stories and lessons for anyone – young, old, straight, or queer – and never lets petty drama get in the way of showing us true love and how to make the world a better place. If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will.