Slight spoilers for Heartstopper season one and the graphic novels
Heartstopper, the series I spent a weekend crying about, has been renewed for two seasons. While the first season did, technically, end in a way that could be left as is, fans of Alice Oseman’s graphic novel (like me) know that there is a lot more story to tell after the optimistic end credits. There are more romances to explore, more issues to address, and, of course, enough feel-good moments to make you snuggle with a loved one and drink a bubblegum milkshake (or not, as that doesn’t actually sound all that appealing).
Tao and Elle. Will they? Won’t they?
The first season ends with Elle clearly having feelings for Tao, but not wanting to call attention to them in fear of changing things between them because she, as she says, has been through enough changes already. That being said, it’s obvious that Tao likes Elle, too. What’s nice about these two is that as much as I’m rooting for them, there is so much to love about their relationship as it is now. There is clearly a lot of trust and love between them, so while you want them to start dating, things are also solid the way they are. They don’t have to date in order to see that they mean something to each other. Even so, the graphic novels do answer that “will they, won’t they” question, so there’s a pretty good chance we’ll see that in the next couple of seasons.
A good lesson on forgiveness
One of the big things to happen in the third volume of Heartstopper is a class trip to Paris. While there, certain characters decide to try and apologize for their shitty behavior toward Charlie. This confrontation leads to one of my favorite responses from Charlie in regard to “forgiveness.” In fact, it may be one of my favorite lines of dialogue about the entire concept of “forgiveness” that I’ve ever read. I’m assuming the second season will take the kids on the class trip, which means there’s a chance I’ll see this crucial moment on-screen (and write about it, of course).
Did somebody say teacher romance?
Heartstopper has a big focus on its younger protagonists, but in the graphic novels, we get to a point where the teachers actually get to have a bit of the spotlight outside of offering advice to their students. Two more seasons could, hopefully, give us the chance to explore that. What I’m especially excited about is that the teacher plotline shows a perspective from a gay adult whose watching a younger generation of queer kids who are learning to embrace themselves. This is a feeling I relate to as a 38-year-old seeing more spaces work to be more inclusive, and more creatives push to have more diversity in their work. At one point, one of the teachers mentions how they “missed out” because they came out so late (a relatable feeling, if I’m being honest), which leads to a surprisingly heartfelt conversation about it never being too late to find happiness.
So Nick’s out. Now what?
The first season focused a lot on Nick discovering his sexuality and coming to terms with being bisexual. His journey doesn’t end there, though, because now he gets to decide who to come out to and deal with a range of responses – after all, his rugby team has been pretty terrible in the way they treated Charlie about being gay. Nick’s mother, as we saw, was completely supportive, but that doesn’t mean everyone in Nick’s life will be. Fortunately, much like Charlie and his group, Nick isn’t alone as he moves forward in his story.
The importance of therapy
While Charlie is more than happy to be with Nick, it doesn’t mean that he’s gotten over the bullying he went through at school. This leads to a plot arc that could, quite honestly, be an entire season. What I appreciate about this part of the story is the fact that Charlie isn’t magically okay now that he’s got a boyfriend. What he went through was traumatizing and it still affects him, so the fourth volume of the graphic novel focuses heavily on the importance of getting professional help. Therapy is treated as a positive, along with the importance of taking care of your mental health and wellbeing.
(Featured image: Netflix)
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