Heartstopper season 3 is hitting our screens very soon. And, I'm seated. The theater employees are scared and asking me to leave because “it's not October 3rd yet” but I'm simply too seated.

In April of 2022, Heartstopper's first season hit Netflix to an uproar of rave reviews. The adaptation had been long anticipated, especially for fans of the graphic novel and webcomic series of the same name by Alice Oseman. Credited as Netflix's best-reviewed series, Heartstopper received critical acclaim for its representation of LBTQ+ youth and continued to develop a large fanbase. Heartstopper fans have also continued to acknowledge the positive impact the series has made, inspiring some to come out after watching the series.

Still, Nick and Charlie's story is just starting. What started as a friendship is now growing as a romance, as they balance what it means to be a young couple in love with the often bigoted thoughts and opinions of the people around them. Similarly, their friends: Tao and Elle, and Darcy and Tara, balance these issues as well.

As we enter a third season this October (and eagerly await the release of the sixth and final graphic novel), let's take a second to recap the key events from the first and second seasons as well as what to expect for the third season!

Image Credit: Hornung from Unsplash

Season One:

Spoilers Ahead!

Trigger Warning: Homophobia

Hearstopper starts with the introduction of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), a year 10 student at Truman Grammar School. There, Charlie is in a secret relationship with a closeted gay classmate, Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft). However, Ben's often toxic pattern of behaviour towards Charlie leads to occassional bullying, causing Charlie to handle memories of bullying after being outed.

Soon, Charlie meets Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), a year 11 student and the school's golden boy of the rugby team. Charlie quickly falls for Nick, developing a crush that is soon crushed by his two friends, Tao (William Gao) and Isaac (Tobie Donovan), warning Charlie that Nick is straight.

As the school year continues, a friendship grows between Nick and Charlie. They hang out together outside of school. Nick stands up for Charlie against Ben, unaware of the two's relationship.

And Charlie soon introduces Nick to his own friends: Tao, Isaac, and Elle (Yasmin Finney), a student who moved to Higgs Girls School after coming out as trans. Her transition came with its own difficulties, but, with time, she finds friends in Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) and Tara (Corinna Brown), who are in a relationship, completing the friend group.

Meanwhile, rumours spread around the school on whether Nick likes Tara or Imogen, another Higgs student. Yet, Nick can't help but invite Charlie to a party with him, and Nick accepts, even though Tao is sure that Nick is out to hurt Charlie.

At the party, the two kiss but not before Nick rushes out after hearing his homophobic friends, leaving a heartbroken Charlie on the floor. The next morning, Nick arrives at Charlie's house and the two share a kiss again and, finally, begin to start dating, deciding to keep the relationship under wraps until Nick figures his own identity out.

As Nick struggles with his identity, taking an ‘Am I Gay’ quiz and unable to understand himself, Nick is pressured into dating Imogen, especially after her dog dies. However, Nick later decides to ditch the date to be with Charlie, celebrating Charlie's 15th birthday with him. After telling Imogen that he's not interested in her, Nick begins and continues to understand what he's going through by talking to Charlie.

He's bi, actually.

As Nick realizes that he is bisexual, Tara and Darcy make their relationship Instagram official, receiving an influx of homophobic comments that upset the two. However, while Nick and Charlie, and Tara and Darcy figure their own relationships out, they cunningly try to set Tao and Elle up. However, although the plan initially backfires, they both question whether or not they have deeper feelings for each other.

As Heartstopper season 1 reaches the end, Nick gets in a fight with his friend Harry for his homophobia against Charlie. Later, Tao gets mad at Charlie for hiding his relationship form Tao, getting into an argument with Harry as well. Charlie, not wanting to ruin another person's life, ends things with Nick.

However, the two soon make up and their relationship grows stronger. Nick and Charlie, along with all of their friends, spend the day together at the beach, in which Nick runs into the water and declares that he likes Charlie Spring in a romantic way and not just a friend way.

The season ends with Nick coming out to his mom and the two share a heartwarming conversation.

“Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you couldn't tell me that.” Nick's mom on Nick's coming out.

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Season Two:

Spoilers Ahead!

Trigger Warnings: Homophobia and Eating Disorders

Heartstopper season 2 picks up roughly where season 1 left off. Nick came out to his mom and to his closest friends, but still struggles to tell his classmates and rugby team. Charlie, on the other hand, has fallen head-over-heels for Nick, falling behind in school work and prompting his family to suggest taking a step back from the relationship.

As Nick and Charlie prepare for a joint trip to Paris with the Higgs students, Nick has to deal with his obnoxious older brother, someone who plays a crucial role later on in the season.

Meanwhile, conflicts arise among their friends as well. Tao takes Elle out on a date but tries a little too hard, acting completely opposite of his usual self. Eventually, the two decided to remain just friends. Similarly, Tara and Darcy hit a rough patch after Darcy doesn't reciprocate Tara's “I love you," leading Tara to believe that she doesn't know her girlfriend as well as she thought she did.

Soon, the group arrives to Paris. There, Nick, Charlie, Tao, and Isaac share a room, still managing to keep Nick and Charlie's relationship under wraps. However, when Charlie awakens with a hickey, gossip spreads as students theorize what other student at Truman is gay.

The rumours and memories of the toxic relationship between Ben and Charlie continue to haunt Charlie, evident in his developing eating disorder. Nick takes notice, and, eventually, when Charlie faints in the Louvre, Nick takes care of him.

Paris ends on a good note, however. Elle and Tao get back together. Darcy throws Tara a surprise birthday party.

And Nick talks to his classmates about being bisexual. And just as Nick discovered who he was, Isaac begins his own journey. After years of wondering why he didn't feel love the same way his friends did or wasn't as compelled by it, Isaac meets someone asexual, and realizes, he just might be too.

At Nick's house, David, Nick's brother, forces Nick to come out in front of his father while Charlie is present, even though Nick isn't ready. Charlie's sister, being the loving sister that she is, gets revenge on David, forcing him to promise that he would never do it again. Meanwhile, Darcy is in a similar situation.

While Darcy is presented as bubbly with a sunshine personality, her home situation is quite different. Her homophobic mother kicks her out after seeing her in a prom suit, disagreeing about Darcy's identity and self expression.

The season finale opens at prom. Darcy and Tara officially have both said “I love you” to another, Elle and Tao are now dating, and Nick comes out on Instagram. As each of their relationships reach new heights, the bonds between them grow stronger than ever. And for Nick and Charlie, they two are only moments away from declaring their love for each other.

Image Credit: UKinUSA from Wikimedia Commons

What to Expect for Season Three:

To keep this as spoiler-free as possible for non-readers: grab your tissues.

Heartstopper is heartbreakingly real. In Season 1 and 2, we saw this through the bullying, bigotry, and the beginning of an eating disorder. In Season 3, the events continue to develop and “explore more mature themes, including mental health.”

The season first introduces us to Charlie Spring's older sister, Tori, who is mentioned to playing a crucial role in Charlie's journey this season. Tori's care and love for her brother shines through this season, especially when it comes to Charlie's mental health.

Season 2 ended with Nick beginning to understand Charlie's mental health issues after Charlie opened up to Nick about the extent of the bullying he faced after coming out. So, while the show is meant to point towards celebration and hope, Alice Oseman's goal was always to “mature alongside [the] beloved characters growing up. […] the Heartstopper teens are getting older, learning more about themselves and each other, and experiencing new desires, new fears, and new joys as they approach adulthood.”

Recently, Joe Locke has also hinted that Darcy Olsson will come out as non-binary after referring to the character as “they." This comes after Kizzy Edgell came out as transmasculine, who, last year, explained that they use both he/him and they/them pronouns.

And, of course, while we wait for another double renewal, it might just be worth it to check out the Heartstopper novels and webcomics. Or, maybe, you could watch the trailer for the hundredth time. You know you want to!