Heartstopper: Different kinds of love
Heartstopper can be watched on Netflix
Watched October 3, 2024 → October 8, 2024
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The third season of Heartstopper is just as amazing as the first two (although, I must say they should have advertised it a lot more, because I had no idea it was coming out). It is able to bring this beautiful story to live. There are wonderful characters, who all have their own issues and developments, but who in the end are always there for each other.
A very short recap of the first two season for those who have never watched it or don’t remember what happened: Heartstopper is about a boy named Charlie Spring, who gets seated next to Nick Nelson. Charlie’s friends are convinced Nick is straight, but that does not stop Charlie from having a crush on Nick. And, as it turns out, Nick actually likes him back. It is the start of a beautiful romance between two boys. They figure out their relationships and how to come out to friends and family, but they’re also learning who they are and how to handle their personal issues.
I’m not going to lie, I was not the biggest fan of Season 2. While Season 1 was filled with many cute moments, Season 2 was the start of the heavier subjects. While I think it is important to talk about those, the way Charlie handled his own problems felt very unhealthy to me. I could tell he was leaning on Nick way too much. It was slowly dragging Nick down and that just seemed horrible to me. It honestly made me worry for Season 3, because I would afraid we would continue this almost toxic relationship. I was afraid that Nick would have to solve all of Charlie’s problems. Luckily, Alice Oseman is an amazing writer, who created a beautiful storyline with an important message: your partner’s problems are not always for you to solve.
The third season did start with Charlie’s issues and him leaning on Nick a bit too much. However, Nick talks about it with his aunt, who is a psychiatrist. She explains to Nick how he can be there for Charlie, but that Charlie should also get professional help. And while Charlie first gets worse before it gets better, it is so important that he seeks out professional help. It shows that he really wants to get better for himself, and it allows Nick to breathe a bit more, even though he’s still worried about his boyfriend. Charlie trying to fix his issues with professional help allows the relationship between Nick and Charlie to evolve. They are still teenagers in love, but they also realise that they do not have to be each other’s whole world. They can spend time apart and figure things out on their own.
I think that is a bit part of the general theme this season. All relationships in the show are in a bit of a honeymoon phase, which annoyed both Isaac and me. All the couples seem to want to spend every single second of every single day together. However, throughout this whole season, the relationships reach the next level. They realise that as long as they love each other, they do not have to be together all the time. They can do their own things, live their own lives, knowing that they are loved.
It is lovely to see how everyone, but especially Charlie, starts to learn about the importance of his friendships again. Yes, a romantic relationship is fun and important, but friendships are just as important. Your friends love you and are there to help. You can lean on them.
