April 22, 2022 Heartstopper Season 1 was released into the world and instantly became a hit, sitting in the top 10 shows for the first three weeks after release and amassing 53,460,000 total hours of viewership. The show has only grown since then, releasing season 2 in 2023 and just coming out with season 3 this past month.
Based on the comic by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper tells the story of Charlie Spring (played by Joe Locke) and his boyfriend Nick Nelson (played by Kit Conner) as they meet and go from strangers to friends to lovers. The cast also includes a slew of Charlie’s friends including Tao, Elle, Issac, Tara, Darcy, and Imogen. After starting their relationship in season 1, season 2 follows the group, or so called “Paris Gang,” as they go on their summer field trip to Paris, bringing us to the start of season 3. This season goes through the lives of the Paris Gang as their relationships and friendships mature as they move into 6th form.
This season definitely lived up to expectations, balancing tear-jerking scenes and hilarious banter with seeming ease. This season dove into many elements of mental health, specifically Charlie’s eating disorder and OCD, as well as Tara and Nick’s anxiety, with grace. The way the show was able to portray Charlie’s eating disorder and time in the mental hospital learning to regulate his emotions was astounding, allowing room for discussion to bloom. This season also dove into boundaries and having open and honest communication within relationships, which is a healthy lesson for teens, or really any audience, to learn. Comic fans have been anxiously waiting for some of the iconic scenes in this season such as Nick and Charlie’s first “I love you,” and were not disappointed. However, this scene also gave us new developments with characters not featured in the comics such as Issac and Imogen, making these characters so much more relatable and leaving audiences excited for their stories to continue developing.
Joe Locke’s performance as Charlie Spring was especially inspired. Locke’s ability to balance Charlie’s mental health alongside his friendships and struggles in school and family life, was beautiful. You can truly tell the time and thought Locke into his performance and studying on how to respectfully portray eating disorders and OCD. Additionally, Kit Conner’s portrayal of Nick Nelson was equally as good. His ability to play the anxiety Nick feels during Charlie’s time in the mental hospital, as well as his worry for Charlie prior, makes the audience empathizewith the couple during their stressful time.
This season helps to open conversations about mental health and relationship boundaries in a new and authentic way. It doesn’t try to glorify or over-dramatize mental health, and instead just presents it as it is: difficult, challenging, and having its ups and downs. This season also shows the joy that can exist in LGBTQ+ relationships, which is especially needed in a time when there is such a spotlight on the mere existence of queer couples. I hope this season, and Heartstopper as a show, can help to shine light and be a comfort to people when they need it the most.
We have yet to receive a renewal for a fourth season of the show, but with fans loving this third season just as much as the first two, we’re hoping to see a renewal sometime in the near future.
