Welcome back! It's time to cry. Heartstopper Season 3 dropped Thursday, October 3rd with 8 episodes, and while we are happy to have our favorite group of friends back, be prepared for a shift. We start off this season taking place not that long after season 2 ended. It is the summertime, full of hope and the romance is as strong as ever, but beware of the dark days ahead.
Spoilers ahead! Trigger warning: sex, alcohol, depression, mental health.
Nick and Charlie
The first two seasons focused more on the development of our favorite rugby player Nick (Kit Connor), but this season, it’s Charlie’s turn. Charlie (Joe Locke) is ready to tell Nick that he loves him, but is nervous about freaking him out. But when the moment comes, everything goes extremely well, but his problem isn’t with his relationship with Nick. He is struggling a lot internally. As we have seen before, Charlie struggles with eating food, and it comes ahead this season. It isn’t just about him not eating, but we also get glimpses of his struggle and his body image and anxiety. As someone who also deals with body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, and eating disorders, I felt so seen through Charlie’s character. The subtle nuances that Locke portrays Charlie with are so crucial, such as his facial expressions and his clothing choices. Charlie struggles with getting help because he thinks it’s too hard to take the first steps. I completely resonate with this. There is no cure for mental health, it's about maintenance. You know what you are doing is wrong, but the motivation to stop is never there. When Charlie finally decides to tell his parents and get help, I’m so happy. And even with all of the bumps in the road, you can see the change in Charlie and his health improve. It is truly an inspiration to see his journey play out and we end the season on a high note, and I hope we continue to see his journey.
This season, Nick is mainly there for Charlie. He struggles with how to help Charlie, as he doesn’t want to push him, but he knows he can’t just stand there. After a conversation with his Aunt Diane (Hayley Atwell), Nick tries to push Charlie to get help after Charlie constantly tries to ensure that everything is fine. Connor’s scene with Atwell was a highlight of the season. The emotion he brought out in Nick gave me a whole new perspective when it comes to my loved ones. As someone who has gone through similar mental health issues as Charlie, I never really stopped and thought about how the people in my life felt as they watched me struggle. I didn’t think they would notice or care, but after watching Nick break down in tears for not knowing how to help someone he loves, it makes you realize that your actions don’t just affect you. Connor’s amazing performance will easily bring you to tears.
Tao and Elle
As much as I love Nick and Charlie, Tao and Elle are my favorite couple! Watching edits of them is how I got interested in this show in the first place. Let’s start with Elle. This season sees Elle (Yasmin Finney) dive into her internal and external struggles with being trans. She and Tao are also ready to take the next step in their relationship. These two lovebirds can’t keep their eyes or hands off each other, but this also means that Elle has to deal with her dysmorphia. She feels like her body didn’t belong to her and she’s scared because she never imagined having a boyfriend who she would be comfortable enough with to even show her body to. But Tao is very supportive and makes sure to let her know that he loves all of her and he only wants to do things that she is comfortable with. Can we just give a round of applause for Mr. Tao Xu! King behavior only. Eventually, they seem to overcome this and they…………you know………get down to the nitty-gritty. I literally screamed with joy. I was so happy!!! But the fight isn’t over yet. Elle gets invited to a radio station to do an interview that she thinks is going to be about her art, but then the interviewer brings up the debate about trans rights, Elle is offended, and she believes that there shouldn’t be a debate about her rights. Periodt queen!!! She is down in the dumps, but then Tao shows her how amazing she is in his eyes. He sees her as her. Another round of claps for King Tao please. This now brings me to the King.
Tao (William Gao) has definitely matured a lot this season. As we know from season 1, he was the uptight, dramatic friend of the bunch. But this season he has truly blossomed and seems to come into his own. He opens up a little bit about his father and starts making movies after he finds his dad’s old camera. Given Tao’s known love of movies, this isn’t surprising, but it thankfully takes a larger part in this season than I thought it would. Tao’s documentaries are his love letters. He makes a video for Charlie while he is inpatient, and makes a video for Elle when she is upset. He also is there to comfort Nick while he is struggling with Charlie being away. He is evolving emotionally, too. We know he had abandonment issues showcased in the previous seasons, but now he seems to be able to cope. While he is extremely attached to Elle, he learns that it is okay to let go and by the end of the season when Elle tells him that she wants to go to school somewhere in Paris or Berlin, he takes it well. Tao has always been one of my favorite characters and he has had the biggest growth out of everyone in my opinion. I hope we get to see more of it and dig a little deeper into his past.
Tara and Darcy
The longest-lasting couple had a couple of issues last season, but this season, they go on separate journeys while remaining strong together. Tara (Corinna Brown) is dealing with something a lot of us, including myself, can relate to; the pressures of growing up. Tara does really well in her GCSE exams, has become a prefect, and has her hands full with taking ballet classes, Oxford prep classes, and helping Darcy with their mom. While everyone around her is excited for her and her future, Tara becomes stressed at the very mention of it. She is overwhelmed with it all, and by the time she visits Oxford with her friends, she seems extremely turned off and is considering taking a gap year. As someone who also can get easily overwhelmed with taking the next step in life, I liked how it shows that even someone who seemingly has everything going for them, like Tara, can get overwhelmed. Just because you have the option to go a certain route, it doesn’t mean you have to take it if it doesn’t make you happy. Hopefully, we can later see what Tara’s decision is.
Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) had a lot of story last season, ending the season with them leaving their house with their homophobic mother, and living with Tara. This season has them taking more of a backseat. We see Darcy adjusting and moving forward with their family situation, moving in with their extremely nice grandmother. But the biggest development this season for Darcy is their gender identity. Early on in the season, we see little signs of Darcy exploring more of their masculine side; cutting their hair, getting rid of their skirts, and eventually coming to the conclusion that they are nonbinary and use they/them pronouns. This is a different shift in story from the graphic novels, as Darcy identifies as a female in the books. This different take on Darcy is most likely influenced by their portrayer, Kizzy Edgell, who is transmasculine and uses they/he pronouns. I like this inclusivity and the normalcy of Darcy’s nonbinary revelation. They get to discover themselves without being surrounded by anything other than love and support, as it should be.
Isaac
As we saw in the previous season, Isaac (Tobie Donovan) is discovering who he is and after entertaining a brief romance with James (Bradley Riches), Isaac comes to the realization that he is asexual and aromantic, which means that he experiences little to none sexual or romantic attraction to anyone. I’m excited about this storyline because Aroace representation has very little prominence in the media, and given the dynamic of Isaac’s friend group, it is interesting to see how someone who identifies as Aroace navigates in a world where he is surrounded by romance. Isaac isn’t ashamed of his orientation, but he is still coming to terms with it, especially since the majority of his friends are in relationships and going through the honeymoon phase. Isaac at times feels left out and abandoned by his friends, especially Tao. This all comes to a head at Nick’s birthday celebration after he gets into an argument with Tao, where he expresses difficulty at being surrounded by people who are consumed with romance and love, something he doesn’t want, and how he doesn’t know how to picture his future now. After making up with Tao and having a conversation with his friends, they help him realize that love goes beyond just romance, it also comes with friendship and you are never alone.
Tori
We definitely see more of Tori this season, which I love. Tori (Jenny Walser) was always there briefly as a moment of comedic relief but also served as a support system for Charlie. This season we get to see more of her as the latter. Tori is the big sister we all wish we had. From the very beginning, we see her as Charlie’s sense of security in his home, especially since Charlie’s relationship with his parents, especially their mom, is overwhelming at times. And it is heartbreaking seeing her care so much about Charlie and making sure that he has a support system besides her. Tori and Charlie’s sibling dynamic is one of the most enjoyable parts of this show, especially this season. And it’s nice to see Tori and Charlie’s dynamic switch a little bit at the end. Tori gets a new potential love interest, Michael (Darragh Hand). They are the most socially awkward pair, but adorable. Tori is struggling to open up to Michael and others, especially when Michael wants her to be his girlfriend, but after some advice given by Charlie, Tori seems to try and open up more. I hope that we get to see more of Tori.
Imogen and Sahar
Imogen and Sahar, the newest friends in the friend group, are taking a backseat this season too. As we saw at the end of season 2, Imogen (Rhea Norwood) seems to have an attraction to Sahar (Leila Khan), her childhood best friend. This season, we explore more of that, with these two spending more time together, and at a Halloween party, they start making out while drunk. But Sahar is upset because she thinks Imogen is making it a joke. Imogen tries to play it off as just a drunken moment, but the connection between these two can’t be denied. At the end of it all, Imogen starts to accept that her previous relationships with boys were more about what was expected of her instead of what she wanted. She and Sahar have a conversation and sorry to all the Samogen shippers, but these two decide to remain friends (for now).
Different Times, Different Vibes
While season 3 still maintains that heartwarming, innocent energy from season 1, we evolve into darker waters. I remember watching season 1 and seeing all of these cute, innocent, and awkward characters. We did delve into sensitive topics in the previous seasons, but the vibe was more juvenile. While this group of friends is still cute and awkward, they are more mature. Even though the timeline between season 1 and season 3 is only less than 2 years, we are growing up with the characters as well as the actors. We went from awkward hugs, nervous hand-holding, and drinking apple juice to having sex, partying, and drinking alcohol.
While it fits the more mature tone of this season, it might take some time to get used to. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw them doing these things. Let’s just be grateful though that Tao doesn’t still have his season 1 haircut. It wasn’t just the group activities that were different; however, it was also the storytelling. The format shifted a lot this season. Instead of seeing some side plots play out, we got little bits and pieces of it, mostly seen from the point of view of a different character. When it came to Darcy discovering their pronouns, we didn’t have a scene of Darcy by themselves trying to figure it out. Instead, we had little hints along the way, such as when Darcy asked the girls in the group if it bothered them when people called them ladies, and also when Darcy wore pants to school instead of the uniform skirt.
When I saw these tiny little details, I started to wonder if Darcy was exploring their gender, and we didn’t get confirmation until episode 4 when Darcy mentioned in Tao’s documentary that they were exploring, and it wasn’t until episode 7 that they seemed to confirm that they are nonbinary. Same with Imogen and Sahar. We get to see the shift in Sahar and Imogen’s relationship through the eyes and observation of different characters, but it isn’t until later in the season that we get to see it through Imogen and Sahar. While I don’t mind this method of storytelling, it does feel like Darcy, Imogen, and Sahar were pushed a little bit more in the background this season. But one of the aspects I loved the most was how it didn’t just show how people with mental health issues are affected, but also how the people in their lives are affected as well.
Overall, this season was amazing! The acting, as always, is amazing from everyone. The chemistry between all of the actors is impeccable. And the storytelling is intriguing. It was definitely an adjustment to the different tone and method of storytelling this season, but I don’t mind it. The best way to keep an audience on their toes and intrigued is by not letting them get too comfortable. And the little details and hints shown throughout the season are very smart and intriguing as an audience member. I give this season 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you so much for reading and make sure to comment your thoughts below.
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