Review: Heartstopper Season 2
When “Heartstopper” first aired on Netflix in April 2022, it garnered rapid popularity and was immediately renewed for two more seasons. Now with its newly released second season, this LGBTQ+ coming-of-age story continues to inspire the millions of young viewers who see themselves in the characters.
Infused with love and kind-hearted energy, the show is based on the bestselling webcomic series by Alice Osman. The first and second volumes combined for the show’s first season.
In season two, Osman and Director Euros Lyn elaborate on the storyline to make eight full episodes out of volumes three and four. This season develops the relationship between Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) and Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), but also introduces new relationships such as Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), as well as Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and Tara (Corinna Brown).
The unexpected twist of a relationship between Charlie’s bully Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft) and Nick’s best friend Imogen Heaney (Rhea Norwood), a character not featured in the comics, takes longtime fans by surprise because of Ben’s history.
Season two remains lighthearted while also dealing with real-life topics that connect with teenage viewers, such as Darcy’s miserable home life and Charlie’s eating disorder. With details that weren’t included in the comics, this season’s turns have a greater focus on developing secondary characters.
The show continues to take place in England, where the characters attend Truham and Higgs high school. A class trip to Paris provides a new setting where they begin uncovering secrets about their peers’ lives. The class splits into their individual friend groups as they roam around the streets of Paris, exploring tourist attractions. The exploration of several redemption arcs come into play with bullies Ben Hope and Harry Greene as the infectious protagonist’s love spreads. It’s up to the viewers to decide if Ben and Harry’s apologies are enough to be forgiven.
Though everyone in the friend group has been through difficult circumstances, they are always there for each other. This portrayal of healthy friendships may help viewers level their own expectations and connections. There is no such thing as a perfect relationship and “Heartstopper” shows that there are always ups and downs. Tao and Elle go through difficult situations together with Elle’s transition, Tara and Darcy deal with communication and honesty and Issac Henderson (Tobie Donovan), a childhood friend of Charlie’s, struggles with finding his place in the friend group being aro-ace.
A rollercoaster of emotions, “Heartstopper” portrays relatable experiences, showing viewers that there are ways they can positively and negatively handle these situations. With lovable and relatable characters, an engaging plot line and cute relationships, “Heartstopper” keeps the audience excited for season three.
5/5
