Author’s note: Spoilers ahead. Trigger warning: mental illnesses, eating disorders.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, the anticipated third season of “Heartstopper” was released on Netflix. The TV adaptation of Alice Oseman’s award-winning graphic novels follows the story of Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke), two teenagers from England, as they navigate their all-boys grammar school while being queer.
The first season, released in 2022, sets the stage for Nick and Charlie’s relationship. Being queer in an all-boys school is no easy task, but with help from their friends and family, they make it work. The second season, released in 2023, sees Nick and Charlie officially dating and follows them on their school trip to Paris. While there, they endure the challenges of their relationship being known to more than just their friends and the age-old question of whether they want to take their relationship to the next level.
The third season continues their story and sees Nick and Charlie doing better than ever. Their relationship is going great, they have an excellent group of friends and are gearing up for the start of their final year of school. The series opens with Charlie building up the courage to tell Nick the infamous three words, “I love you,” on their friend group’s end-of-summer beach trip (which also happens to be right before Nick leaves for holiday). Despite the fear that Charlie has that Nick will not reciprocate, he is able to do it and leaves them closer than ever going into the school year.
Something this season does differently is its focus on more mature storylines. The first four episodes focus on the storyline of Charlie’s mental health, specifically his depression and anorexia. Oseman, who also serves as the show’s producer, does a great job of showing how mental illnesses are very much an internal struggle and the difficulties that come with accepting help.
After opening up to his parents about his struggles in episode three, Charlie begins his road to recovery in episode four. He checks into a clinic for two months and he starts talking to a therapist named Geoff (Eddie Marsan). Although the clinic does not magically heal him, Charlie admits that it has helped him and that he is no longer in the deep end.
Oseman also does a fantastic job at depicting how mental illnesses can also impact one’s friends and family. Tori (Jenny Walser), Charlie’s sister, turns to Nick, asking him to keep an eye on Charlie when they are together. Nick, on the other hand, turns to his aunt Diane (Hayley Atwell) after not knowing how to help Charlie without pushing it too far. Charlie’s friends turn to each other. To show how much they miss him, they make a documentary-style video of their shenanigans while Charlie is away.
Charlie’s return home is difficult as it falls right at the start of winter break and Christmas. His extended family is home for the holidays, which adds another layer of difficulty on top of the ones he already faces with his immediate family. In the Nelson household, Nick also faces issues with his homophobic brother being home for the holidays. Despite these challenges, Tori and Nick help Charlie enjoy his break.
The second half of the series focuses on the theme of sex as Nick and Charlie face the difficult decision of taking their relationship to the next level. On a similar note, Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), two of Charlie’s friends, also face the decision of taking their relationship to the next level. The decision for them is an even harder one because Elle, a trans woman, is dealing with changes to her body and internalized transphobia. In episode six, Elle is invited to speak on a radio show about her experiences as an artist and her growing popularity now that she is in art school. However, she instead is asked questions about culture wars and same-sex spaces, which leaves her visibly uncomfortable. Elle’s reaction parallels the experiences of many other trans figures in the media today.
Season three also follows the subplots of Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell). Tara and Darcy face their own relationship issues. Tara is striving for academic success after nailing her GCSEs, but her mental health ultimately suffers as the pressure increases. Darcy is facing an identity crisis which impacts her mental health as well. Both must reevaluate their relationship speed to stay together. Imogen (Rhea Norwood) and Sahar (Leila Khan) are another subplot of season three. Imogen struggles with her sexuality and internalized homophobia after kissing Sahar at a Halloween party. Isaac (Tobie Donovan), one of Charlie’s friends, is also seen coming to terms with his own sexuality of being aromatic and asexual. As a result, he struggles to fit in with the rest of his friend group, who are all in relationships. His story is followed as he tries to not be the resident third wheel of the friend group.
Season three opens with Beabadoobee’s hit song “The Way Things Go,” which went viral on TikTok a couple of months ago. This season also features music from Wasia Project, a band formed by Gao with his sister, as well as songs by Troye Sivan, Olivia Rodrigo, Del Water Gap, Billie Eilish, Tom Odell and more.
Season three consists of eight episodes, around 35 minutes each. All episodes are available to watch on Netflix now.
Rating: 4.5/5