“It’s Oct. 3,” and I know what you’re thinking, but I am not referring to the date that has gained virality from the famous line given by Lindsay Lohan in the cult classic “Mean Girls,” but rather the date that the third installment of the wholesome coming-of-age story “Heartstopper” was released on Netflix.
Based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novel by the same name, “Heartstopper” has become one of the most highly regarded series on the Netflix platform and remains a highly anticipated continuation. The series follows Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson, (Kit Connor) two boys who have developed a romantic connection, and their group of friends as they navigate personal triumphs and difficulties across all avenues of life. The series has been fairly lighthearted thus far, but this new installment differs greatly as the characters and their stories mature.
Everyone Shares the Spotlight
“Heartstopper” is known for its positive representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, and this season is no different. Charlie and Nick’s relationship has been the focal point of the series thus far, but this season, the spotlight has expanded to include all of the characters’ interpersonal relationships. The cast is representative of different avenues of intersectionality and the specific obstacles that they face as they navigate life in their own skin.
While Nick and Charlie’s relationship is taught with sexual tension and remains the focal point of the season, the other characters’ experiences are given their share of the limelight as well. Gender and body dysphoria is a topic explored through Elle Argent’s (Yasmin Finney) presence as transgender as she and Tao Xu (William Gao) tackle the delicate topic of intimacy in their progressing relationship.
Asexuality and aromanticism, two identities that are often underrepresented in media, are personified in Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan), while Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell) depicts the fluidity of gender as they navigate pronouns and their feelings in regards to labeling themselves as non-binary. The idea of internalized homophobia and homosexual repression is displayed in Imogen Heaney (Rhea Norwood) as she hides her feelings for Sahar Zahid (Leila Kahn) behind a revolving door of boys.
Handled with Care
This third installment, while still brimming with lighthearted flirtation and chemistry, is a darker contrast to the preceding seasons. Its topical carousel is on the more serious end as it covers a litany of topics related to mental health including obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and anxiety, which were all depicted tastefully.
Charlie’s relationship with food has been a plot point in the previous seasons, but it comes to a climax in this one as he wrestles with his eating disorder and is diagnosed with anorexia nervosa and OCD. The latter half of the season maintains focus on his treatment and recovery and how his mental health decline affects his relationship with Nick.
Tara Jones (Corinna Brown) portrays the anxiety that a high school senior might experience in the face of all the stress that comes with university applications. Tara is incredibly intelligent and when pressure from both her school and her parents begins to weigh on her, she experiences panic attacks. Her character is relatable for college students as they face the real world and all of the societal expectations that come with it.
Big Sister Gets Her Moment
In the previous two seasons of “Heartstopper” Charlie’s sister Tori (Jenny Walser) has taken a passive, (sometimes creepy) observant role. However, the character, who had only a handful of lines in the first two installments, has her own storyline in the third. This season more thoroughly explores the anti-social tendencies and protective demeanor that Tori has exhibited in previous seasons and develops a subplot where she is at the center. She learns to cope with the fact that Charlie has found a partner that he cares for, and navigates connections in her own life now that her love map is not consumed by needing to care for her brother.
Season three of “Heartstopper” already has viewers’ hearts skipping as they ride along with this group of teens on their rollercoaster lives. As of Nov. 9, the fans are loving it enough to give it a whopping 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It encompasses all of the feel-good autumn vibes while still presenting an accurate coming-of-age story to the audience that allows the protagonists’ room to grow.
