Heartstopper Recap: Every Euphoric ‘Hi’ and Devastating Low of Season 3
By now, you’re probably already on your sixth binge of Season 3 of Heartstopper, Netflix’s beloved LGBTQ+ coming-of-age dramedy. But on the off chance that you’ve yet to finish your first viewing, consider this your final warning: The following, what with being a recap and all, is chock-full of spoilers. Proceed at your own peril.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can freely discuss the eight new episodes that were, as per usual, written by creator Alice Oseman, on whose webcomic the Emmy-winning series is based. Momentous outings one and all, they take two couples well past the point of saying “I love you” and create a brand-new pairing, plumb the depths of Charlie’s mental-health issues, crack a window to Nick’s own insecurity and leave three of our favorites circling answers to the age-old question of “Why are we like this?” (Read Oseman’s thoughts on Season 3.)
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Before all is said and done, we also see the impact of anti-trans legislation on Elle, meet not one but two new members of Nick’s family — perhaps to make up for the fact that loathsome David is back and Olivia Colman’s delightful Sarah is not — get an update on Mr. Ajayi’s romance with Mr. Farouk and savor the chance to join Charlie and Nick in lusting after Jonathan Bailey. Er, Jack Maddox.
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Read on, and we’ll go through the main events of each episode.
Episode 1: ‘Love’
In Season 3’s premiere, Charlie drops the L word on Nick — while the latter is in the shower after a beach day with their friend group. Too stunned to respond, Nick doesn’t. Not fast enough, anyway, to keep Charlie from heading home. By the time Nick throws on clothes, if not shoes, his boyfriend is halfway down the block. When the rugby king catches up with Charlie, he has him repeat what he said so that he himself can say it back. “Why are we like this?” Charlie wonders. “Because you’re Charlie, and you love me, and I love you.” Perfect answer, Nick. In other developments, Tao plots to have “the most romantic summer ever” with Elle before she transfers to Lambert, Isaac admits to Charlie that he’s probably asexual and aromantic, and Tara gently suggests to Darcy that, since she’s been kicked out by her insensitive mum, maybe it would be better if she lived with her gran than her girlfriend’s family. You know, just for personal-space reasons.
Episode 2: ‘Home’
On the Nelson family’s Mallorca holiday — regrettably without Sarah but thankfully without David — Nick’s Aunt Diane (Hayley Atwell) diagnoses Nick with “a severe case of smitten and growing symptoms of head over heels.” But he is as scared for Charlie as he is enamored of him, especially after receiving a worried text from Tori, who is on the frontlines of her brother’s eating-disorder battle. “Sometimes people need more support than one person can give,” Diane advises Nick upon hearing of his fears. “That’s love, darling.” Elsewhere on the canvas, everyone seems to have done well on their GCSEs except for Darcy, Elle attempts to make Tao feel more secure in their relationship (they even exchange “I love yous”), and Isaac is not only third-wheeled by the couple, he’s blown off by Charlie, who is too busy hiding what he’s going through to notice the uncomfortable situation in which his friend has found himself.
Episode 3: ‘Talk’
As a new school year begins, Charlie and Nick are at last reunited. But Charlie’s eating disorder is the last thing that he wants to discuss; he prefers to plan Nick a surprise birthday party at the zoo. There, Isaac’s anger at being left out by his lovey-dovey clique comes to a head, prompting Tao to snap, “If you’re so sad about being single, what happened to James?” As Tao himself would say, rude! Elle gets through to her boyfriend, though, and ultimately, Isaac confides in his friend group that he think he is asexual and aromantic. Among the episode’s other goings-on: We learn that Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk have been dating all summer, dress code be damned, Darcy starts rocking trousers at Higgs, she and Tara notice sparks flying between Imogen and Sahar, and with Nick’s support, Charlie shares his mental-health struggle with his parents. “I want to get better,” he tells them as a stricken Tori listens from the stairs.
Episode 4: ‘Journey’
Season 3’s fourth episode is broken into two parts, the first of which reveals how Nick fares in the months that Charlie is away at an eating-disorder clinic. And how does Nick fare? (See photo above.) The separation is so hard on him that he ends up crying on Tao’s shoulder at Sahar’s Halloween party. At least during a rare call from Charlie, Nick finds out what’s going on: His boyfriend has anorexia and OCD. In the second half of the episode, Charlie delves into his issues with therapist Geoff (Eddie Marsan) and eventually is switched to outpatient care. Other twists of plot include: a drunken Imogen making out with Sahar at her party, Tara becoming a prefect, a freshly shorn Darcy trying on they/them pronouns, Elle’s artwork catching fire on Insta and Tao discovering a love of filmmaking as he shoots a miss-you video for Charlie. Despite all the changes, one thing remains the same: The S word, Nick reminds Charlie, is still banned.
Episode 5: ‘Winter’
At Christmas, ugh. David is home, as big a d—k as ever (and as hung up on his deadbeat dad as ever). Still, running away to the Nelsons’ party seems like a better option to Charlie than sticking around his own house, as full as it is with insensitive relatives. Not only is Nick at the Nelsons’, but Charlie gets to meet new dog Henry. (Don’t worry, Nellie is fine; she just has a baby brother now.) Tao and Elle start to celebrate by doing more than kiss, but when his hand roams, it triggers her dysphoria. After a discussion of what she is comfortable with, the two of them try, try again and set off fireworks on New Year’s Eve. That same night, Darcy and Felix bond over pronouns, Imogen apologizes to Sahar for the kiss, and Sahar makes it clear that she doesn’t want to be an experiment to Imogen, “especially when you know you’re the reason I realized I was bi.” (Needless to say, they share another smooch at midnight.) Perhaps best of all, Tori locks eyes with one Michael Holden (Darragh Hand).
Episode 6: ‘Body’
Four months after Charlie’s discharge, Geoff encourages him to acknowledge that, despise a self-harm relapse, he has made tremendous progress. So he’s ready to really party hearty as he turns 16. First, Nick takes him to a lecture by a lava-hot classicist (Jonathan Bailey). Then, Charlie throws a booze-soaked rager at which Tara suffers a stress-induced panic attack, and Imogen implies to Sahar that she may be bi, too. As for the birthday boy, he suggests that he and Nick, you know, go upstairs… and then pukes. The morning after, though Tori refuses to admit that Michael is her boyfriend, he demonstrates what a wonderful one he’d be by offering to make the hungover kids breakfast. Meanwhile, Insta sensation Elle is invited to do a radio interview, which goes south when the host presses her to weigh in on anti-trans legislation. “Trans people aren’t a debate,” she says before cutting short the Q&A. “We’re human beings.”
Episode 7: ‘Together’
As the school year nears its end, Tara reminds Nick that it isn’t just Charlie who’s been through a lot, so has he. And he’s still got a lot on his plate, particularly in terms of choosing a uni. He is loath to be separated from Charlie, admitting to Tara that he never opens up to anyone as fully as he does to his partner. Once the boyfriends have agreed that they’re both messes, they finally have sex. In other couples news, Tao, knowing how down Elle has been since the radio interview from hell, makes her a movie to show her the way that he sees her. “It feels like the whole world is against me,” she admits. At least Tao isn’t, that’s for sure. He may not always fully understand what she’s going through, but “I’ll always try,” he promises. Also in this penultimate episode, Mr. Ajayi nominates Charlie for head boy (class president), and Darcy thanks Tara for making their nonbinary journey not only easy but joyful.
Episode 8: ‘Apart’
Post-tryst, Nick assures Charlie that it didn’t bother him that his “best mate” had kept his shirt on. “Do you think it counts as sex if it’s just touching?” Nick wonders. Absolutely, Charlie says. But “there’s still loads of things we can do,” Nick notes. (Ah, to be young!) While he, Elle, Tara, Darcy and Imogen are away checking out colleges — and he’s enduring the rite of passage that is buying condoms and lube — he seems particularly taken with faraway Leeds. Imogen admits to Nick that, her dating history notwithstanding, she’s never liked a boy. Back home, Charlie overcomes his shame about his self-harm scars to wear a T-shirt to the summer fete. When Elle reveals that she may go to art school in Paris or Berlin, Tao’s perfect response is to start thinking of a job to earn money to visit. Charlie encourages Tori to open her heart to Michael. And as the episode and the season conclude, Charlie bravely asks his boyfriend to help him take off his shirt for their intimate sleepover. “I love you,” says Nick, “and you are so f—king hot.” With that, we leave the lovers… for now.
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