Heartstopper Season 3 is a deliberate evolution of the show as its characters face new challenges. in itself, Heartstopper It is a joyous expression of young queer love and friendship fueled by the romance between Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Keith Connor). The first two seasons were dominated by an elegantly combined candy color palette Heartstoppercomic roots with bursts of animation at key moments.
However, the ending Heartstopper Season 2 hit a crossroads—its characters were growing and the show was playing with heavier material than it had previously explored. The finale hinted at a darker, more mature tone, which he fully embraced in season 3. While the joy that the show is known for is certainly on display in parts of the new season, this is a heavier series than the episodes. Heartstopper has tried in the past.
Heartstopper Season 3 Tackles Some Tough Topics
Charlie's Story Is Hard To Watch But Well Handled
This is particularly the case in the first half of the season, which focuses on Charlie's deteriorating mental health and eating disorder. As a result, the show handles this development with an even more impressive care, even though there are some very difficult moments to watch. Heartstopperstandards. While Charlie's perspective was given the screen time it deserved, I came away from season 3 more impressed with the show's exploration of the toll it took on Nick, Tori (Jenny Walser), and everyone else who cares about Charlie.
The season explores the burden of being a caregiver, the potential danger of letting a relationship, even a beautiful one, destroy you, and how new love with friends and family changes the dynamic. Those are pretty ambitious concepts for any show and season 3 not only does he not avoid them, but more than justice. It's a landmark season in episode 4, covering Charlie's months-long health struggles and Nick's response to them.
As part of its more mature tone, the season explores sexuality in a way it hasn't before, which feels like a natural turning point given that most of the characters are now in relationships and getting older. I was interested to see the show's take on it, and I wasn't surprised that its approach was pretty soft and sweet, exploring it in a realistic way, but not in a way that took the show in an overly graphic direction.
Heartstopper Benefit Season 3 Ensemble
Charlie's friends come together and the performances are impressive
While Charlie is understandably the focal point of the new episodes, the Netflix show spent a lot of time building up the group of friends in the first two seasons, and it's really paying off this time around. The characters are so rich and their dynamic is so well established at this point that the show can take any two friends, bring them together and make it feel completely natural. For example, Nick has great scenes with people who are easy to label as “Charlie's friends” but are clearly as intent on supporting Nick as Charlie is.
It's a real treat to watch with the heavier material Heartstopper's young actors become more confident in their performances. Kit Connor's tendency to play Nick too openly in Season 3, where Charlie is worried about Nick, is particularly effective with Joe Locke's more restrained approach.
Hayley Atwell is perfect as Nick's aunt, bringing a warm but no-nonsense energy that's just what she needs at the time.
While Olivia Colman's absence is sometimes noticeable—scheduling conflicts prevented her from returning as Nick's mother—Hayley Atwell is perfect as Nick's aunt, bringing a warm yet no-nonsense energy that's just what she needs at the time. Ted Lasso fans will enjoy the appearance of Annette Badland (aka Mae) as Darcy's grandmother, and Jonathan Bailey's appearance is brief but memorable, leading to one of the funniest moments of the season.
Heartstopper Season 3 Gets A Dark Turn, But It May Leave Some Viewers Wanting More
The joyous moments that defined the first two seasons aren't as prominent this time around
If season 3 has the downside of being a bit darker and more mature in tone, those fun, romantic moments aren't as plentiful as they were in the first two seasons. There are still happy scenes to be found, but I wish they had a little more time to breathe. While the show has previously reveled in wistful, romantic moments, allowing us to soak them in and feel the character's joy, we don't have much time to celebrate before we're hit with another sad moment in season 3.
I also wanted a little more for one of the show's new pairings: Tori and Michael. While Tori has been given more to great effect this season, most of it has to do with Charlie, meaning there isn't as much time for her and Michael. These two are enjoyable and help provide the lighter moments of the season, and a little more time with them would have benefited both the characters and the tone of the season.
Heartstopper Season 3 ends on a hopeful note, although not too decisive for some of the storylines. It is appropriate for this particular season. As these episodes make clear, the characters grow and face new challenges; their lives are much more messed up than before. The season finale left me hoping for a season 4 renewal sooner rather than later, and I expect many will feel the same way after seeing the new episodes.
All eight episodes Heartstopper Season 3 will be released on Netflix on October 3rd.
