SPOILER ALERT: This column contains spoilers for Season 3 of “Heartstopper,” now streaming on Netflix.
The first two seasons of “Heartstopper,” Netflix’s popular YA series, were about falling in love. In Season 2 of “Heartstopper,” viewers watched the quiet and unsure Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and his new boyfriend, the self-assured and protective Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), navigate their new relationship. In Season 3, in episodes revolving around mental wellness, sex and significant life changes, creator Alice Oseman — adapting her own graphic novels — focuses on the work relationships require, and what it means to thrive or perish as new feelings and expectations are unearthed.
Sex is a major theme in Season 3. Charlie and Nick have sex for the first time, and their friends, Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao), also take their romance to the next level. However, Oseman doesn’t simply offer up gratuitous scenes of teens allowing their hormones to get the best of them. What she presents are thoughtful conversations around insecurities, sexual wellness, privacy and the emotions of sexual intimacy.
“Heartstopper” Season 3 opens three weeks after the Season 2 finale. In the final month of the summer holiday, Charlie, Nick and their friends head to the beach. Though entirely smitten with Nick, Charlie obviously isn’t doing well mentally. For the first three episodes of the season, audiences watch as his mental health and eating disorder continue to spiral out of control. It’s not until the end of Episode 3, “Talk,” that Nick convinces Charlie to speak with his parents, which prompts a two-month-long separation for the pair as Charlie seeks in-patient treatment. A huge aspect of healthy relationships is about safety and feeling comfortable enough to engage in a positive sex life. Long before their initial sexual romp, Nick positions himself as a protector for Charlie. In turn, Charlie is the person who enables Nick to understand himself in his entirety — providing him the assertiveness he needs to help his boyfriend through a very challenging time.
Though the initial half of Season 3 centers on getting Charlie into a mentally-well space, Elle and Tao are exploring the physical aspect of their relationship. Like Charlie and Nick, their bond is built on deep trust and friendship. Therefore, when things start getting hot and heavy, and Elle becomes skittish, she and Tao talk frankly about her body dysmorphia as a transwoman. Together, they move forward at a pace matching both of their comfort levels.
Frequently, when the topic of teens and sex comes up, abstinence and protection are top of mind. There is considerable talk about STI and pregnancy prevention, and maybe a short chat surrounding consent. But “Heartstopper” illustrates that safety also means having open and honest communication, and the maturity to engage in challenging conversations with a partner. Additionally, the series showcases how important it is for emotions to be aligned with the physical being.
Moreover, though Charlie has friction with his mother, Jane (Georgina Rich), the adults in “Heartstopper” are mostly well-meaning and trustworthy. Nick confides in his aunt Diane (Hayley Atwell) about Charlie’s illness when things become too scary for him to navigate on his own. Beyond mental wellness, transparent exchanges between young people and adults around sex are instrumental, even amid their awkwardness and discomfort. Since Charlie is initially focused on his health, sex isn’t top of mind until Episode 6, “Body.” In the episode, Charlie speaks to his therapist, Geoff (Eddie Marsan), about his insecurities, which include his lean frame and his self-harm scars. This exchange and the framing Geoff provides Charlie emboldens him to bring his concerns to Nick.
In healthy unions, the initial magic doesn’t wholly subside, but it does simmer, especially during the transitional years between adolescence and adulthood when there is so much going on. Young love and teen sex is often seen as trivial, but it is anything but. Those feelings are genuine, and this pivotal and transformational chapter in life can forever shift perspectives. In depicting the fullness of sexual exploration (not just acts of penetration) but the talking, fun, sensuality, kissing, awkwardness and cuddling, “Hearstopper” removes the reactionary taboos surrounding teen sex and instead presents it how it should be: a pleasurable and thrilling human experience.
“Heartstopper” Season 3 is now available to stream on Netflix.
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