★★★★☆
When the TV adaptation of Alice Oseman’s YA graphic novel series Heartstopper first hit Netflix in April 2022, the internet rightfully lost its mind.
The romantic will-they-won’t-they drama of high schoolers Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) was quickly hailed as a form of positive representation for young queer viewers and fans alike. Arriving just over a year after the critically acclaimed season one, season 2 is arguably an even better outing than the first, shaking off the shared teen and TV awkwardness of finding your feet.
Now officially boyfriends, Nick and Charlie turn their attention to coming out to the world. While they get into the groove of their first real relationship, the pair quickly realise that constantly justifying themselves to their nearest and dearest is a tiring process.
Credit: Netflix
The upcoming Truham and Higgs school trip to Paris is all anyone can talk about, a convenient plot tool which reveals plenty about the boys’ friend group along the way. Meanwhile, Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao) get closer while Isaac (Tobie Donovan) figures out more about his own identity.
With all of the necessary character establishment and world-building of season one out of the way, Heartstopper is free to be the teenager that it is at heart. Some scenes in season two are painfully awkward, with scenarios spelt out far too heavily.
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Others are blissfully rose-tinted, with the Paris episodes in particular an absolute joy to watch. Though the former moments might be grimace-worthy, they’re impeccably authentic — who could be more self-effacing, tormented, and cringe than a teen at a crossroads?
In the face of mainstream media that like to call out the “woke” brigade, Heartstopper stands tall, firmly assured of itself. As audiences take in the next leg of Nick and Charlie’s journey, the show’s content toes the ideal line between being beautifully mature and downright embarrassingly silly.
For fans of the graphic novels, season 2 of Heartstopper deftly adapts the third book while including a scene or two from the fourth. At the same time, a few new scenes have been added in for good measure, such as a secondary school rite of passage; a party in a field to celebrate finishing your GCSEs.
The entire formula of Heartstopper shouldn’t work and similar approaches haven’t worked for many of Netflix’s other renewed series. The secret to Heartstopper’s success is its continuity, with episodes continuing to be developed by Oseman herself.
The ensemble cast delivers performances that melt the facade between fiction and reality. The emotional friction between Elle and Tao is deliciously formed, while Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy’s (Kizzy Edgell) rockier connection somehow works against the lesbian stereotypes that the media has put in place. The season even incorporates the outside lives of teachers that get glossed over, with connections particularly on the horizon for Mr Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade).
In terms of representation, the show never drops the ball on what it has worked so hard to build. No episode tries to excessively shoehorn every type of queer problem into the school-set narrative, but plenty of them naturally work their way into the spotlight. Heartstopper is built on a solid foundation of authenticity and knowing what its audience wants and needs — and its top-notch craft goes to show that there’s no slowing down a show that does this so effortlessly well.
Credit: Netflix
For hardcore Heartstopper fans, the fifth and final graphic novel instalment of Nick and Charlie’s journey is set to be released in early December. This will undoubtedly be a signpost for the show’s already confirmed season three, with the season two finale leaving viewers on a hopeful yet well-rounded note. The gang’s long-term future remains to be seen, but its wholesome success is almost guaranteed.
Heartstopper season 2 is available on Netflix from 3 August.
