There is something to be said when a teenage romance becomes a heartwarming experience that feeds your souls and alleviates your worries. Adapted by Alice Oseman from her own graphic novels, Heartstopper Season Two is a four hours long marathon that quickly immerses you into a mature romance that is equal parts endearing and angsty. Remaining true to its name, the sequel takes you on a fun filled journey while dealing with hefty topics like biphobia, eating disorders and asexuality. Ms.Oseman creates a world that is fraught with real problems; issues that teenagers face when they are coming to terms with their sexuality. Peculiarly though, the sequel does pan its lens on the older generation as well, as they rediscover themselves and try to commune with their inner desires. In short, the second season is more gritty; it draws important questions, deliberately pinpointing subjects that we choose to ignore or sideline. In short, Heartstopper S2 is joyous, wholesome and realistic!

Krishna Naidu

While the first installment gave us a somber romance where Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie’s (Joe Locke) were still figuring out things, the sequel follows close on its heel to depict an uncanny relationship between our favorite couple. Nick and Charlie are more comfortable in their own skin, so much so that they can’t stop kissing. Heartstopper S2 mainly banks on their mature approach to a relationship that is still fresh, raw, and new. When Nick struggles with his “Coming Out” phase, Charlie becomes his rock. I loved how Nick’s coming out wasn’t rushed. Charlie never forces him to accept their relationship (even when he is publicly ostracised); giving him the time and space to come out to his family and friends. Nick in turn decides to help Charlie, who apparently suffers from an eating disorder. From dealing with GCSE exams to messy familial disparities and arrogant ex-boyfriends, both firmly stand beside each other. The tone for their romance is light-hearted and yet the show manages to touch on topics that most LGBTQ+ teenagers fear.

While Season Two is majorly focused on the main leads, it does branch out to emphasize and establish love stories between their friends. As such, we get a glimpse of Tao’s (William Gao) insecurities and fears as he comes to terms with his feelings for best friend, Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney). This is probably one of the best developed arcs in this storyline, simply because it depicts teenage love; they are unsure, doubtful and yet hesitant to give up on each other. Their relationship goes through some twists and turns before they finally settle down. One of my favorite moments was when Tao waits anxiously for Elle on their prom date while being grilled by her father. Elle gets all the classic moments. There are no traces of transphobia, as her family and friends accept her wholeheartedly; the man she loves supports her as she takes a step forward towards her dreams. Yasmin is undoubtedly one of my favorite actresses and she makes Elle so believably beautiful. You can’t help but fall in love with her.

We also get to watch Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell) and Tara Jones (Corinna Brown) further strengthen their relationship, as they are dealt a hard time dealing with Darcy’s homophobic mother. While Nick & Charlie have a supportive base both at home & school, the show daringly points out the fact that most teenagers aren’t THAT lucky. The show also depicts a brief interlude following Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovon) on his journey of self-discovery, as he tries to ascertain his own sexuality. I’m guessing we will explore this more in the next season.

Preferentially, I liked Season Two better than the prequel. The sequel feels like the characters are stepping out of the corridors of self doubts, recognizing themselves while they strive for their dreams/desires. It is a slow process but enriching and I’m even more excited to watch the next season!

Favorite Quotes From This Season-

☆ “I think there is this idea, that when you are not straight, you have to tell all your family and friends immediately.

Like you owe it to them.

But you don’t.”

☆ “(This artwork is) Basically about my experience being aromatic and asexual

Like, being in a world where romance & sex are prized above everything else

when you don’t feel those forms of attraction

Growing up, feeling that something about you is different, but you don’t have the words to describe what that is

Freedom

The euphoria of freeing yourself from those pressures and expectations.”

Reveeiws

Because this is a collaborative effort, I want to focus on Mr. Farouk (Nima Taleghani) whose representation reflects on a majority of queer adults who came to terms with their identity in adulthood and whose first experiences are reflected in the show despite their ages. It is not a secret that many gay, queer and maybe even more so trans people go through a second puberty in their adult life because they are finally able to live their lives freely and explore their identities more freely. Heartstopper is an amazing queer haven because it shows characters being taken care of and protected and shows teachers being queer students’ safe spaces allowing them to navigate their teenage years feeling safe, despite the fear and reality of homophobia that is never ignored, but that the characters try to actively disarm and heal from.

Mr. Farouk is introduced as a very stern character, a strict teacher who you can immediately tell has a soft spot for the kids, as he doesn’t immediately confiscate Nick’s phone during their study room. I don’t know what these British schools do. Despite his outward fierce and scary demeanour, he cares for the students and vicariously lives through them, the childhood he wasn’t able to experience. When Darcy gets drunk and sick, he doesn’t want to report her but offers the students a safe space and both her and Mr. Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade) take care of her, despite her having broken rules.

Mr. Farouk tells Mr. Ajayi about the pains of missing out on his first as a youth and laments that the days are over, to which Mr. Ajayi assures him that it does not need to be that way. I wish they had also animated Mr. Farouk and Mr. Ajayi’s budding romance and longing. It creates a bridge between young queer people and old queer people, showing that their differences are minimal and that it is important for both the young and the old to be empathetic towards their counterparts’ journeys. Just like the other students, Mr. Farouk, as old as he is, gets to experience his firsts, flirts with Mr. Ajayi and discovers parts of himself on the Paris trip just like many students who may be experiencing for the first time.

Coach Singh (Chetna Pandya) is another example of an empathetic teacher who guides Nick and allows him to make a decision based on what’s best for him while also offering him protection. I think an updated version of the quote from Barbie rings particularly true in this show, that “Older Queer People stand still, so the young queer people can look back to see how far they’ve come.” Society has a long way to go in terms of acceptance, but the queer teachers always make sure they create room for love and understanding for the students and cushion them as much as they are able to.

Heartstopper is a brilliant show, easy to digest and above all holds the viewer warmly without fear that things may go too wrong for the characters. It is the ultimate comfort show and is an easy rewatch as it is easy to revisit without fear of being traumatized or triggered much. The resolution is always within reach.

Sarinpai

Let me get this off my chest first- Heartstopper has meant a lot to me, since even before the Netflix adaptation was announced. I was pumped to experience it once again through the live action, to see Charlie, yes, but especially Nick, who’s one of my favourite characters across all the BL’s I’ve seen. What I wasn’t pumped for, this time around, was the xenophobic backlash that (some vocal) Heartstopper fans would mete towards Asian BL’s, which has continued on and off again since the first season rolled around.

For those unaware, Heartstopper’s creator, Alice Oseman, came under fire last year by fans of BL after it came to light that she’d used racist and stereotypical arguments to denounce BL as a “nasty, toxic” genre while putting her own work above it as a “purer” alternative, despite borrowing from BL works and tropes. That lack of apology and accountability, coupled with frankly vile comments made by Heartstopper fans on social media (including forcing one of the leads to come out), has soured Heartstopper for me, despite the work itself maybe not deserving it as such.

Speaking of strictly the show itself, there’s no doubt that its popularity isn’t undeserved. It’s very marketable, and has endearing characters played by charismatic actors who perform well by immersing into their roles. Nick (Kit Connor) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), in particular, are standouts for me, both capturing the scene with their presence.

The plot is centred around the characters and their feelings, loosely bound through story arcs such as a trip to Paris and prom. The plot also happens to be the weaker link in the show. There are a few moments where (perhaps to continue the line of “wholesomeness”), the scenes change track like its nothing. Characters don’t get angry or upset at each other, and when they do it can’t last more than one scene. A moment that was very important to Isaac’s character development, figuring out his asexuality and getting angry at his friends for constantly teasing him about a relationship which he doesn’t have or want, never gets mentioned again and he is back to being happy-go-lucky in literally the next cut. Do interpersonal conflicts only exist in the Heartstopper world when it’s us-vs-them?

Heartstopper is a good show, not lying, but as someone who also consumes and loves BL, it’s not the morally “better” or “purer” alternative, and maybe a critical lens is needed to watch it in its whole context.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Streaming on- Netflix