Heartstopper Season 3 Review: Queer Teen Romance Returns with Lots of Growth but Not Enough Maturity | Web Series

the boys have grown

Each of its 8 episodes still has that sweet, innocent quality, but there are much more important and life-changing issues here that can’t be resolved so sweetly at the end of the day with a kiss and goodbye. Stops the heart He seems reluctant to let any crisis run its course with sweet resolution. As a result, its cloying sweetness begins to irritate.

There’s no doubt that Nick and Charlie want to be together now. The spark is there; It’s the part where the show emerges to keep that spark alive for the entirety of its 8 episodes amidst more developments and challenges coming its way. Season 3 begins with Charlie deciding he’s ready to say the three magic words to Nick. I love you seems like a much more difficult emotion to express with just those words.

Nick, on the other hand, notes the fact that Charlie hasn’t eaten much and is constantly feeling tired. She looks up information about eating disorders and realizes that it is far beyond her power to help her boyfriend by simply confronting him about it. It all falls apart on a joyful summer vacation by the sea, with all her friends: Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao), and Isaac (Tobie Donovan).

that works

The confrontation finally flows and Charlie decides that he needs outside support and proper attention to deal with his insecurities around him. “Love can’t cure mental illness,” is the best advice Nick gets when he’s worried about his boyfriend. Heartstopper treats these parts honestly, but I found myself grappling with how confidently the show chooses to move from Charlie’s insecurities to Nick’s current focus. As if the chapter on Charlie is already over, let’s not waste any more time on him.

The same distancing is what Isaac feels when he sees that he is constantly in the third wheel among his friends. So should a relationship be prioritized over any other connection? Isaac’s presence is in some ways a bitter reminder that the show emerges from a candy-shaped idea of ​​the world. Everyone is so sweet, helpful and sweet. When there are misunderstandings one of them asks for forgiveness and the episode ends. Each character exists as a kind of reservoir of empathy and compassion; So much so that these same notes of kindness tend to become symbolic. There’s no malice to build up and grow, as Heartstopper remains incredibly determined to set things right before they damage the central spell of fantasy that waters the growing love for this show.

Heartstopper season 3 works mainly thanks to its actors who are already so in tune with each other’s trends. Otherwise, these characters seem written with the primary desire to please and console. They lack impulsiveness, boldness, and the very dangerous impulse to exist beyond what they are given. The program model itself works against favor. It’s not so much about queer love anymore as it is about being a teenager. Yes, Nick and Charlie are in love, but their love does not feel threatened by their decisions as young people who are slowly trying to find their place in the world. Nick will always be there, no matter what.

So what does the program represent? Isaac may not know at the end of the show what he wants and where he stands among his friends, all of whom are busy dating other people. By leaving his arc so ruthlessly sidelined this season, Heartstopper seems to have made the same mistakes of being left out that he wanted to rectify. This is a show that wants to show that it allows for growth, acceptance and hope. But do you really know what it means to be single? Or what does it mean to be constantly made to feel like you don’t fit the rigid physical beauty standards of a same-sex relationship? Getting older is one thing, but growing up is a completely different game. Heartstopper, in all his honey-drenched sweetness, can’t yet acknowledge that he’s found that maturity.

Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix.