The new season of Heartstopper exceeds expectations and is the perfect optimistic watch this summer. Read our full review to see why you should put everything aside and binge-watch Nick and Charlie’s journey again. There are a lot of new developments this season, not just for our main protagonists but for everyone in the friend group. There are a lot of obstacles to tackle and so little time. This season is a rollercoaster of emotions, and this is your warning to keep your tissues and a bottle of water ready. Heartstopper season 1 ended on a happy note, with Nick finally being able to come out to his mother as bisexual. The scene is so wholesome that fans even used it to come out to their own families (protect). The new season picks up right after that moment.
Spoilers Ahead
Nick and Charlie
If you’re wondering if sparks are still flying between Nick and Charlie, then we’d be glad to tell you that they absolutely are and might be brighter than ever. They absolutely adore each other, and it’s definitely just them against the world. First, there’s Ben, who is still very much obsessed with giving Charlie hell. Now he tries to make Nick feel bad for not coming out. On the other hand, Nick’s also completely distanced himself from his rugby pals because of the huge fight with Harry last season, but some of them seem to be making an effort and trying to be friends with Charlie. Because Nick has set it upon himself to come out to some of his close friends, like Imogen, Charlie organizes a sleepover with the lot, and after a lot of struggling, Nick is finally able to tell Imogen that he and Charlie are together, but Imogen had already picked up on that. What she’s surprised about is the fact that he’s bi, but she’s as supportive as she can be and then tells him that she likes Ben (ugh!).
Charlie tells his family that he and Nick are boyfriends, and while they’re happy for him, they’re also upset that his grades have been going down and he’s been spending too much time with Nick. Because Nick is so distracting, they decide to keep them apart until Charlie is able to get his grades back in order. At Nick’s, there’s a different problem: his brother David, who happens to be the worst brother, is back from university and is keen on giving Nick a hard time about finding a girlfriend. David finds out about Nick and Charlie, though, and he’s a huge homophobe about it all. While Nick is struggling to tell people, what he doesn’t realize is that Charlie is just as stressed. They’ve become so consumed by the idea of being out in front of everybody that they don’t see anything else. So even though Charlie wants everyone to know who his boyfriend is, he’s willing to wait a bit longer, and they decide to take a break from trying so hard.
Tao and Elle
We all remember Tao and Elle’s promise to always put their friendship first, but if they’re feeling so desperately attracted to each other, they should at least give it a go, right? Well, it seems not just the universe but all of their friends are also hoping for these lovebirds to get together and push them to speak up. The big problem is that Elle wants to move away next year to do an art course, so things are already going to be difficult for her and Tao. There’s a lot of back and forth between them until Tao finally decides he’s going to give it his all because he really likes her. He takes her on a date, but he acts like a completely different person, which ruins it for Elle. They then spend some time apart and that’s what it takes for them to figure out how much they really liked each other.
Tara and Darcy
The resident lesbians are going through a rocky patch because Tara wants to express her love, whereas Darcy is having some trouble at home that she’s unable to express to Tara. When Tara accidentally blurts out that she loves Darcy, she takes it back, pretending she didn’t mean it, but they both know she did. This causes something of a rift between the two of them that only Darcy can solve.
Isaac
With all the couples around, it was clear that Isaac would have some trouble fitting in with the gang now. He tries his best, but there’s something tugging at the back of his neck that he can’t really understand. When James, the only gay person who is out other than Charlie, comes along and starts to show interest in Isaac, he thinks he likes it, but he’s not so sure.
The Paris Trip
The gang all go to Paris on a school trip, and the first thing they learn is that Nick’s dad is actually French. The city of love is, of course, the perfect place to fix broken relationships. Before Paris, Imogen had finally gotten with Ben, and they were moving along quite quickly, but she soon realized that he was only pretending to like her and finally made the bold decision to hang out with Charlie and Nick’s group. She even breaks up with Ben really publicly in front of the whole group, and it’s so great to see her stick up for herself. Ben, on the other hand, takes it terribly. Tao finally admits to Charlie that he may be the reason the whole school knows Charlie is gay. He had been talking to Isaac, and someone had overheard. In the Louvre, things finally move ahead for Elle and Tao, and they share a kiss. On the other hand, Tara admits to Darcy that she doesn’t like the fact that she makes everything a joke and can’t tell Tara her true feelings. Charlie faints, and Nick realizes that Charlie eats alarmingly little, which is why they ended up in such a situation. He certainly starts thinking about it, but they have to quickly go meet Nick’s dad at the same time.
Nick wants to tell his dad about Charlie, but his father is so aloof and unbothered by him that he’s unable to do it. His dad does say he’ll meet him back in England the next week, so they always have time to come out. Later, to fix things, Darcy decides to throw Tara a birthday bash with alcohol involved. Darcy still maintains her distance from Tara and drinks too much alcohol, which makes her sick. Ultimately, she admits to Tara that she really loves her. James admits to Isaac that he likes him, but Isaac has to walk away because he doesn’t feel anything he’s supposed to feel when they kiss. Finally, in a game of truth and dare, Nick admits that he and Charlie are together.
Can Nick finally come out to his dad and stand up to David?
Isaac finally admits to the whole gang that he may not be interested in romance at all and that they should leave him alone. Elle gets into the art school, but she’s worried about Tao’s feelings, so she doesn’t make her decision immediately. Her work is exhibited at the “Here & Queer” exhibit, though, and it’s a beautiful painting of her with Tao, Charlie, and Isaac, her safe place (ugh, the tears). Ben admits to Charlie that he still has feelings for him, but he wants to apologize for everything he did. Charlie doesn’t forgive him and makes sure Ben knows that he’s extremely anxious because of him. Charlie believed all partners were controlling until Nick made him realize otherwise. Elle and Tao realize that Elle wants to go away to study, and that’s okay for the both of them. They’ll figure it out along the way. Isaac picks up a book about asexual aromantics, and it might be his perfect match after all. Is it possible Imogen may have feelings for Sahar? We don’t know just yet, but she’s definitely seeing her in a new light after she was so cool on the bass guitar.
Nick invites Charlie’s family to come over for dinner when his dad’s around, and things take a dark turn. Although Nick did plan on telling his dad about Charlie, David makes it clear that there’s something up and essentially outsmarts his little brother. But Nick feels rather liberated after the whole experience and admits to his absent dad that he doesn’t care about his opinion. Tori, on the other hand, absolutely hates David and makes it clear to him that she will not stand his nosey behavior and insults to her little brother. After they leave, Nick’s mom tells him that Charlie didn’t eat much, and now Nick really thinks there’s something wrong. He looks up eating disorders to try to understand them.
On prom day, Nick puts out a picture on Instagram with Charlie and captions it “boyfriend,” He also includes the fact that he’s bisexual, and a lot of people take notice. Nick notices that Charlie doesn’t do very well with all the attention and speaks to Tao about it. They realize that Charlie has never opened up about the bullying to either of them. Nick makes it a mission to make Charlie tell him everything, and after everyone leaves, he asks Charlie about it. Charlie admits that he used to cut himself because of how bad it got, other than controlling his food habits, and Nick makes him promise that if he ever feels that way, Charlie has to tell Nick. He’s reluctant at first and doesn’t want Nick to see him as a broken person, but Nick reminds him that he could only do any of the hard things he did in the last year because Charlie was beside him the whole time.
Darcy’s big worry was that she was the strong one in the relationship, but she wasn’t even out to her family, so how could she pretend to be that person in front of Tara? Tara reminds her that she is that person outside of the home, and sometimes it’s not easy for everybody. Darcy finally agrees to tell Tara everything about her feelings.
Nick tries to tell Charlie he loves him, but he’s interrupted by his mom arriving home. When Charlie leaves, Nick looks quite worried. The season ends with Charlie typing the three words and contemplating hitting send. Who will be the first to say it, then? We’ll know in Heartstopper season 3.
