Heartstopper Season 3: Reviewing the season through tears
Content warning: season three of Heartstopper deals extensively with topics of mental illness, specifically OCD, anorexia, and self harm.
Despite Netflix’s miserable track record of cancelling shows after a single season, shows with prominent queer characters especially, Heartstopper season three premiered on Thursday, a year and a day since the season began production.
Following on shortly after season two left off, this outing covered the trials and tribulations of teenage relationships. From the big three words, to gender journeys, to blossoming sex lives, to figuring out how to help when someone you love is suffering with their mental health.
Plot
The plot of the season is handily split in two parts. Episodes 1-4 focus on mental health, with episode 5 acting as a transition point leading into episode 6-8’s focus on sex, with hints for the future of the show (assuming it’s renewed for a fourth season).
After the first episode’s fantastic set-up for all the plots to come in the season, episodes 2, 3, and 4 can best be described as emotionally devastating. Truly, the hits start coming and they don’t stop coming, and from the end of the second episode until I took a break after episode 4 I was almost constantly crying.
Nick and Tao crying in episode 4 | Netflix
The second half of the show picks up in tone significantly, but manages to not lose its heart amongst the fun. Charlie’s mental health journey from the first half, while no longer the focus, isn’t forgotten about or magically fixed, and the consequences for other characters get some exploration too. The last few episodes also lay the groundwork for the rest of the show, beginning to hint at the troubles of transitioning relationships out of a high school setting.
If the show is (hopefully) able to have a fourth season, even readers of Alice Oseman’s original webcomic will be in the dark, as the show has now entirely caught up to the comic, with only the events of the Nick and Charlie novella not having made it to screen yet.
Charlie and Nick's comic counterparts | @heartstoppercomic on Tumblr
Performances
The performances from everyone on the cast were absolutely phenomenal, and it’s such a treat to see how they’ve grown from season one.
All of the actors who played couples were so good at acting ‘in love’ that I couldn't stop smiling at the screen and at times felt like I was going to develop a cavity, they were just so sweet. From the big, bombastic moments to the sweet and tender, everyone on the cast had fantastic chemistry with one another.
Kit Connor (Nick Nelson) and Joe Locke (Charlie Spring) had the biggest loads to bear this season, and both pulled it off masterfully. Both of their characters were dealing with massive emotions throughout, and their powerhouse performances were delivered perfectly, drawing the audience into the story and making them empathise with the characters at every moment.
Nick and Charlie in episode 1 | Netflix
Hayley Atwell replaced Olivia Coleman as Nick’s familial connection this season due to conflicts in Coleman’s filming schedule. Atwell stepped up to the plate completely. It was her Big Emotional Family Speech (a staple of Heartstopper) that kicked off the tears towards the end of episode 2, and her warm delivery of, “Love can't cure mental illness,” that broke me completely.
I also want to shout out Jenny Walser, Tobi Donovan, and Corinna Brown (Tori, Issac, and Tara, respectively) who, while they didn’t get the most heavy hitting material, still gave amazing performances, especially in their more subtle acting choices that conveyed so much with so little.
Presentation
Heartstopper continues its streak of having absolutely killer music picks that always complement the vibe and enhance a scene, both with the original soundtrack and music from real-world artists. Notable artist inclusions for me were Troye Sivan’s Rush featuring in the Halloween party, mxmtoon’s appearance making her three-for-three with her features in the first two seasons, Rachel Chinouriri manifesting her way into the show, and whimsical indie band FIZZ who are a personal favourite of mine.
As always, the integration of comic-like doodles and framing devices helped to enhance the show and tie it back to its roots in a visually engaging way. Specifically the dark scribbles encroaching on the frame in moments of anxiety for Charlie, when paired with the muffled sound design, created a visceral feeling of discomfort that brought the audience in.
Charlie's food anxieties shown through doodles in episode 2 | Netflix
Rating: ★★★★½
Overall, I give Heartstopper season three a 4.5 star rating. While I think the strong moments were the strongest of the entire series so far, the lighter second half, though still fantastic, didn’t resonate with me as much as the first. Maybe I just like shows that make me cry?
So what are your thoughts? Share them with me at @hub_adl on Instagram as we sit here rewatching the season and waiting in anticipation for a season four renewal announcement.
Heartstopper can be watched on Netflix or read on Tumblr or WebToons where it updates every 1st, 11th, and 21st of the month.