REVIEW: ‘Heartstopper’ Season 3 Highlights The Messiness In Maturing

Created by Alice Oseman, and based on their webcomic of the same name, Netflix’s Heartstopper has stolen all of our hearts in the past two seasons. Praised for its wholesome showcasing of queer romance and young love in general, the series is  sweet. Last season, the series focussed more on mental health and the complexities of being in a relationship. In Heartstopper Season 3, our ensemble characters is getting ready to graduate, exploring intimacy, and processing the scary feelings that come with both.

This season kicks off with Charlie (Joe Locke) desperately wanting to tell Nick (Kit Connor) that he loves him. But Nick also has something important to say to Charlie, and a lot of it has to do with making sure his boyfriend is okay. What starts as a carefree summer, the group of friends, Charlie, Nick, Tao (William Gao), Darcy (Kizzy Edgell), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Tara (Corinna Brown), Isaac (Tobie Donovan), and Imogen (Rhea Norwood), all learn that the school year is full of curveballs and that deciding on a future isn’t always easy. Especially when choosing what to do right at that moment isn’t even set in stone.

Heartstopper Season 3 highlights that the series’ enduring success and resonance isn’t because it’s just wholesome joy. It’s beloved because it’s an authentic look at the messiness of maturing. This season tackles how we sometimes stifle ourselves to care for those we love. It explores what it’s like to deeply want to share physical intimacy but be debilitated by anxiety.

But most importantly, where Heartstopper differs from the long legacy of teen dramas that highlight coming-of-age, none of these characters have to do it alone. Even when a character feels alone, they are surrounded by people who love and, more importantly, understand them. It’s a deliberate choice that goes a long way.

Fiction can be cathartic. Watching Charlie’s road to recovery and the explanation of his eating disorder and how it connects to other mental illnesses he has was like looking in a mirror. I had been there. I had self-harmed. I had starved myself to the point of needing to be saved by those around me. But the difference is that Charlie was met with love. Charlie was given help and let to find his path with support around him. I was told that “this doesn’t happen to us.” Two very different experiences, and yet, I’m not mad that I didn’t see my specific hardship and loneliness on screen.

The reason? Children, teens, and young people in general don’t need to be told that that is the experience. They deserve to see that you can be loved and supported, even if there are difficulties. We see this when Charlie has to deal with his visiting family, who don’t understand his challenges.

It’s the same for the rest of the characters as well. Nick loves Charlie, but by supporting Charlie and worrying about him, Nick creates a codependence that he can’t shake. To look forward, Nick has to find the balance between loving Charlie and trusting him to be resilient enough to hold onto recovery without his help. A salient point that I didn’t learn until I was well into my mid-20s is that sometimes, we harm ourselves by caring for others. It’s no one’s fault, but it is something that happens.

Our fear of losing them rises in our throats, and instead of taking care of ourselves and our needs, we ignore them. We try to shelter them from the world, but at that moment, we don’t think of how to take care of ourselves. It’s a beautiful note and one that Heartstopper Season 3 doesn’t approach cynically. Nick doesn’t grow to resent Charlie. Instead, he has friends around him to push him to understand that he should live a happy life with Charlie. Nick also has to live a life for himself.

Outside of his direct relationship with Charlie, Nick is constantly having to deal with his brother’s homophobic comments. Sure, Nick is accepted and loved by his parents, but his brother won’t just quit being awful. And like Charlie, that hardship isn’t non-existent. Nick just has people he can turn to in the midst of it.

Heartstopper Season 3 also takes the time to flesh out Elle’s character. Like Nick and Charlie, Elle has to endure hardship. In her case, it’s in the shape of a radio host ambushing her to respond to a TERF’s comments. It’s devastating. There she is, surrounded by her parents and boyfriend, ready to just be celebrated for her art, but instead, she’s met with hate. She’s also expected to speak for all transpeople and is consistently forced into corners with an aggressive line of questioning. It’s dehumanizing.

Only she isn’t alone afterward; she is loved. The love she receives from her parents and Tao doesn’t erase the trauma of the event, but it does give her the space to reclaim her boundaries and who she is. This only deepens when Elle and Tao finally decide to go all the way, a moment they’ve both wanted, but one that was entered slowly.

The Heartstopper Season 3 formula refuses to pull any punches. The emotional intensity of harsh moments land. At times, tears came to my eyes. But at the same time, these characters aren’t just left to languish in their trauma. Instead, they’re met with love, and that’s what everyone deserves.

As a series, Heartstopper isn’t here to do anything other than showcase pockets of life. It allows us to see a coming-of-age story spread over one friend group. It showcases the highs and the lows, but more importantly, the messiness that life brings. As you mature, the world just gets messier and scarier. Here, in Heartstopper Season 3, the narrative meets it head-on. We see first times, college tours, and ultimately, we see people. Heartstopper Season 3 is heartfelt, mature, and, above all else, a beacon for young people just trying to make it to adulthood.

Heartstopper Season 3 is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.