Following the immense success of Heartstopper’s first season last year, the characters you know and love are back for eight episodes that crackle with the show’s signature blend of heart and humour, whilst bringing some surprisingly mature thematic developments.
★★★★✰
Heartstopper’s first season came at a pivotal time in the culture for teen shows and LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Teen shows could either be schmaltzy and over-indulgent, or violent and depressing. Whilst Heartstopper is firmly planted within the former’s indulgent milieu, it had the ability to avoid the trappings of other teen shows in recent memory. At a time when TV is determined to show the darker sides of teenage life, such as Euphoria or 13 Reasons Why, Heartstopper is a sweet offering that brought with it a refreshing wave of understanding to the otherwise melancholy of the teen landscape.
Based on the graphic novel series by Alice Oseman, Hearstopper season one followed Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), the classic rugby boy in school, who realises that he might not be straight like he originally thought he was, when he meets Charlie Spring (Joe Locke). Together, the two boys learn more about each other and themselves, facing questions from their friends and family in the process. Season one ended in a touching moment, with Nick and Charlie officially becoming boyfriends on the beachfront.
Whilst it wore its heart on its sleeve and was happy to go at its own slow pace, season one also found striking a balance between dramatic and cheesy to be difficult. Heartstopper’s first season too often steered away from elevating its messages of acceptance and trying to present the complications of young gay life with any shade of grey. Whilst it is a lovely thing to show that finding one’s own sexuality is not as complicated as it seems, in reality this decision kept season one from saying anything too substantial to its audience on LGBTQ+ issues.
In nearly every conceivable way, Heartstopper‘s second season improves on the first. It builds on the undeniable charm of season one, whilst presenting storylines with more dramatic weight, and gives each character in the tight knit friend group their own sense of purpose within the larger story. The new chapter of Heartstopper is a welcome shift into those shades of nuance that manage to captivate without exploiting the characters.
The world of Heartstopper feels small and enclosed, and season two manages to expand the scope of its questions without making them feel too big for the characters. Themes aren’t glamorised or trivialised, nor does Heartstopper sacrifice character for the sake of cheap thrills. And, considering how whimsical and fun the show can be, its ability to balance tones of heartache and confusion is nothing short of a revelation.
These themes span across a vivid cast of characters. Even if not every character is given as much drama to chew on, each theme is given the attention they deserve. Whilst the characters burst with life, they also have understandable worries. Character arcs feel organic and given the appropriate time to come to a natural conclusion. Isaac (Tobie Donovan) is a standout in season two, his personal journey that leads him to question who he is takes the otherwise underutilised character in some really interesting directions. Isaac’s arc questions the nature of romantic relationships, and feeling left behind within the friend group. In a show reliant on romance, including these messages was a wisely subtle move. Heartstopper season two laces its drama effortlessly throughout its eight-episode run with a subtly that season one was missing.
This subtly is realised in a set of performances that all improve from the first season. The young cast do an impressive job of walking the thematic tightrope that season two places them on. They never overreact to sell their characters, something that other teen shows have been guilty of in the past, particularly in 13 Reasons Why and Riverdale. The performances feel lived in and unfurl slowly throughout the episodes in a way that provides the necessary dramatic context to character motivations. Their chemistry practically bursts from the screen, capturing the infectious charm of Heartstopper with alarming ease. It is clear how each character has grown, and as they come to understand who they are, the actors match this affecting self-discovery with depth that denies the theatrics that the situation may warrant. The journeys the characters go on are difficult and fraught with personal battles, and the actors never go too far to sell the drama.
Heartstopper is a show that imbues understanding and grace into every scene. This is season two’s greatest achievement: never talking down to the young audience it targets. Every other teen show feels the need to force its weightiness down your throat, but Heartstopper finds genuine moments of pathos in its calm understanding. Season two goes to some surprisingly dark places for its characters, but never do these moments feel cheap or unearned. For example, Charlie’s arc that involves an eating disorder feels appropriate given what has been established about his character, and the battles he has faced in the previous season.
This is mainly because of the easy pace that season two quickly finds. The pace of season two is what sustains everything, allowing the required room for its parts to breathe and operate. Season two avoids rushing over character beats, and wisely keeps some characters in the wings until their motivations fit in best with the direction of the story. The blissful pacing of season one is still here, and when it pauses the drama for moments of signature Heartstopper content, capturing moments of raw youthful vibrancy and love, the only thing you can do is sit there, squirming in your seat our of pure joy, with a stupid grin on your face. Seamless to a fault, the pacing’s effectiveness can often be overlooked for that same reason. When the story needs to slow down, it does, and ensures Heartstopper remains consistent with the slow-burn romance and teen joy that fans came to love in season one.
There are a few characters that fall by the wayside this season. This is felt particularly with Ben (Sebastian Croft), who never really gets a chance to move outside of the misunderstood villain archetype. Whilst the rest of the cast are gifted with new storlylines and relationships to explore, Ben never really gets any space to become a developed character in his own right. Heartstopper is all about understanding people, but Ben is never allowed to be understood, instead he is left to fade into the background as an occasional villain for when the plot demands it. Without giving him any form of backstory, Ben becomes a character for Nick to argue with, leading to a series of repetitive moments that do not really go anywhere. The rest of the ensemble is strong, with so many believaly rich overlapping relationships, that Ben’s absence is easy to forgive.
Heartstopper season two is a miraculous feat of tonal balancing and thematic expansion. Whilst not a perfect season, with some elements of awkwardness in line delivery and direction, much like season one, season two is a rare piece of television that manages to transcend these nitpicks and make them seem irrelevant. Both a development on story and character, season two opens the glorious world of Heartstopper to the pitfalls of the modern queer experience, without losing the joy that made it such a hit in the first place.
Words by James Evenden
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