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Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) are back for another season of Heartstopper. The acclaimed Netflix adaptation of Alice Osman’s graphic novels is still just as sweet and charming, but as kids are growing up, the show must grow up with them. Season 3 finds itself tackling delicate ground—body image issues, mental illness, and social stigma. (Also Read: House of Spoils movie review: Ariana DeBose’s culinary horror leaves a bitter taste)
boys have grown up
Each of its 8 episodes still has that sweet innocent quality, but there are far more important and life-changing issues at play here – ones that can’t be resolved so sweetly with a kiss and goodbye by the end of the day. Heartstopper is not in favor of letting any crisis escalate with sweet solutions. The result is that its sweet sweetness becomes irritating.
There is no doubt that Nick and Charlie want to be together now. The spark is there; This is the part where the show thrives on keeping that spark alive throughout its 8 episodes amid more growth and challenges coming its way. Season 3 begins with Charlie deciding she is ready to say three magic words to Nick. I love you, it seems like a difficult feeling to express only through these words.
Nick, on the other hand, is noticing that Charlie is not eating much and is constantly feeling tired. He looks into eating disorders and realizes that helping his boyfriend by telling him about it is beyond his understanding. All this while on a perfectly happy summer vacation at the beach with all their friends—Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao), and Isaac (Toby Donovan). It happens.
what works
The confrontation eventually ends, with Charlie deciding that he needs outside support and proper care to deal with his omnipresent insecurities. “Love can’t cure mental illness,” is the best advice Nick gets when he feels worried about his lover. Heartstopper treats these parts honestly, but I found myself struggling with the certainty with which the show chose to move beyond Charlie’s insecurities and now focus on Nick. As if the chapter related to Charlie is now closed, let’s not waste any more time on that.
The same isolation Isaac feels when he sees that he is making the third move in a row among his friends. Then should one relationship be given priority over every other relationship? Isaac’s presence somehow serves as a bittersweet reminder of the show’s coming out of its candy-shaped idea of the world. Everyone is very gentle, helpful and lovely. When misunderstandings happen, one of them says sorry and the episode ends. Each character exists as a kind of reservoir of sympathy and compassion; So much so that these notes of goodness become symbolic. There’s no grudge that piles up and grows, as Heartstopper remains incredibly determined to improve things before they hurt the original magic of imagination that waters the growing love for this show.
Season 3 of Heartstopper works largely because of its actors who have become familiar with each other’s tendencies by now. Otherwise, these characters seem as if they were written with a primary desire to please and comfort. They lack drive, courage, and the extremely dangerous desire to exist beyond what they have been given. The very template of the show works against Ehsaan. It’s no longer about gay love as much as it is about being a teenager. Yes, Nick and Charlie are in love but their love does not feel threatened by their choices as the young people slowly try to find their place in the world. Nick will always be there, no matter what.
So what’s the point of the show then? Isaac probably won’t know what he wants until the end of the show, and where he stands among his friends – who are all busy dating other people. By sidelining his arc so brutally this season, Heartstopper has stymied the very errors of omission it was meant to correct. This is a show that wants to show that it allows for growth, acceptance, and hope. But does he really know what it means to be alone? Or what does it mean to be constantly made to feel that they do not fit into the rigid standards of physical beauty required for same-sex relationships? Getting older is one thing, but maturing is a whole different ball game. Heartstopper, for all its honey-drenched sweetness, isn’t quite ready to hit that maturity yet.
Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix.
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