#like nick doesn't want to fix charlie or charlie's issues

[where-our-stories-start]

Heartstopper (2x08): Perfect

[nhasablogg]

Heartstopper season 3 thoughts

Under the cut:

I love love love Tao and Elle and how much he cares for her and wants to do everything for her, but I do hope we'll get to see her do more of the same in season 4. Tao was very happy and in love this season, while we got to see more of his fears in the last, so I'm aware this was just this specific season, but I did notice how he was just dragging Elle along (and Elle mostly let herself be pulled along) without allowing her to do much for him in return. I think, since we're seeing Nick and Charlie trying to find more of a balance in their relationship (and Darcy and Tara doing a pretty good job with it from the glimpses we saw), it would be great to see that happening for Elle and Tao too!

I do love that we got to see even more of Elle this season with a mix of plot points that allowed us to get to know her even more.

While I would've loved for them to get more screen time, I think they did a pretty good job of naturally showing Darcy's gender journey alongside the rest of the things that were going on. I hope Kizzy got to work with them and do things how they wanted it to go (I know they talked to Alice about it a couple of years ago) and so maybe they just didn't want it to be a big deal.

Same goes for Tara's struggles. While I would've obviously loved to see her issues take up more screen time, I'm aware that they have many characters and not too much space, and seeing her struggle and learn how to deal with it was still lovely since it wasn't just brushed under the rug.

I LOVE TORI SPRING AND I'M SO EXCITED TO HAVE MET MICHAEL

I'm seeing so much discourse about how Charlie doesn't deserve Nick and that Nick always puts Charlie's mental health first etc etc and honestly shut up!!! They're making a great point about being there for someone who is struggling not necessarily meaning you have to or even can fix them. And Nick acknowledged his own struggles and I'm sure they will touch on them in season 4. It's about codependency and how they have to learn to be okay without each other too. Nick (or Tori, or any of their friends) doesn't see Charlie as a burden and the fact that some people think so makes me think the entire season just flew over your head. You deserve love and support when you're mentally sick AND when you're okay! They're communicating and learning how to navigate their relationship alongside the rest. Nick's issues aren't just ignored, but you also have to remember what Charlie's been through and how Nick doesn't always talk about how he's feeling. It's natural for Charlie to not notice everything and I'm sure they will get to that eventually.

I love Nick and Tara's friendship so muuuuch but it does make me think about the dynamics of the group. Like, would Charlie and Darcy ever hang out alone? (if they have, I've forgotten about it lol). Would Nick and Elle? They are so many and work well in groups, but it's just interesting to think of which one of them would hang out alone. Obviously Nick and Tara (and I love how Nick and Tao's relationship has evolved, but I just don't think they would purposely hang out alone), Charlie and Tao and Isaac and any combo of those three. But Nick always seems slightly awkward alone with others? Which would be interesting to explore, although I loved their little roadtrip.

I loved that Oliver got a cameo even though he's a cousin and not their brother in this one.

Loved seeing Imogen discover more about herself!! Part of me wants her and Sahar to get together, but another part of me kinda wants at least SOME characters to be single even if they're not aro/ace? Like come on now

Obviously loved the aro/ace rep, I love Isaac!!!

I had hoped we would dive into Tori's asexuality, but I feel like they're saving that for season 4 or a possible Solitaire adaptation??

All in all I wish I had these books/show when I was a teenager, but Alice Oseman is in fact only a year older than me so we can't have it all I guess

EDIT: OH MY GOD THAT SCENE WITH YOUNG MR FAROUK I NEARLY CRIED

[sweetmoons]

Let's talk about the representation of EDs in Heartstopper season 3

TW: Discussion of Eating Disorders, OCD, self harm, and other mental health topics.

*Some spoilers*

So I just watched season 3 of Heartstopper today and I really really wanted to talk about this because I haven't seen many people talking about it and it's so important to me. Before I say anything, I do want to clarify that the reason I'm speaking about this is because I have struggled with disordered eating for about 6 years now, I'm in recovery currently (yippie!) but it is something that was and still is a big struggle in my life, so I want to comment on how I feel Heartstopper captured that experience.

I will just say from the beginning I think this is the best representation of an Eating Disorder I've personally seen in a piece of fictional media. If anyone has any better examples let me know I would love to check them out, but in my personal experience this is the best I've seen and it honestly shocked me. In the comic Charlie's Eating Disorder is a big part of him definitely but they don't talk too much in detail about how it's tied into his OCD, likely because of comic length restrictions. Now personally I don't have an ED tied to OCD, but I have a friend recently who was doing a project where he was trying to find non-villanizing depictions of OCD in movies and TV, and he was practically tearing his hair out in frustration at how little anyone EVER said OCD by name. So when they in detail talked about how EDs are sometimes caused by body image issues but there's also EDs caused by compulsions (which is what Charlie has) I was honestly so shocked (in a good way).

Just them mentioning how EDs can be caused by compulsions (and also sometimes cause more compulsions) was more than I've seen in any show I think. But when we get to the depiction of what Charlie is actually experiencing I think it shines even more. Now obviously not everyone has the same experiences with their ED but some of the reactions and feelings from the characters hit so close to home that I cried.

Charlie saying he thinks about food almost all day, him lashing out and getting angry at people around him when they try to force him to eat, Charlie saying he's not sure if "I'll ever go back to normal. Whatever normal is." All of those moments resonated so hard with me. And the depictions of relapsing with self harm and not eating were a nice depiction too, showing that just because he started getting help doesn't mean he was magically fixed, and Geoff saying to him "Relapsing doesn't negate all the progress you made." HOLY FUCK That is SUCH an important message for people to hear holy shit.

AND I LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT NICK BEING HIS BOYFRIEND DOESNT MAGICALLY FIX HIM!!! I feel like in a lot of media just with depictions of any mental health disorder, when the mentally ill character has a partner and their partner is like "I luv u pookie bear 🥺" the mentally ill character is just suddenly okay??? Like having a partner was all they needed??? But they emphasized so much how Nick couldn't "fix" him, not only because Charlie needs more help than from just one person, especially professional help, but also because NICK IS JUST A CHILD HIMSELF!!! That's such an important message for kids watching to hear and something I wish I heard as a teenager.

Also the general reaction of people around him to his eating disorder was very accurate to my experience. Charlie's extended family making comments about his appearance and weight despite everything and saying that he seems "like nothing ever happened" just because he got treatment. Oh my god that's so accurate. The line of Charlie saying "I hope I get Grandparents that don't comment on my weight" made me laugh because OH MY GOD that shit reminded me of family gatherings so much. Plus Charlie's frustration of everyone treating him like he's fragile, won't even lie it made me tear up because that's something I personally still struggle with to this day from family. The strong message to the audience that just because someone's disgnosed as mentally ill doesn't make them any less of the person they were before their diagnosis is so so so nice to see.

Sorry this was a lot of me yapping because honestly this is so significant to me and I know it would've been so nice for me to see this 6 years ago when I was 15 and first started developing an ED. But I think Heartstopper is truly doing something incredibly amazing with representation in their show that hasn't been done much in the past and I'm so happy to see this.

[theotheristhedoctor]

For season 2, can we get more Imogen?

I know she was just a character created for the show to give Nick some more angst, and to a certain extent is a way to avoid having to put personalities on the other Rugby lads (which then highlights Nick's isolation).

BUT

I think there's actually a lot more that could be done with her character:

(1) Firstly, as mentioned, she is the only character with an established positive friendship with Nick. This means that in terms of developing his "coming out" story, she's the perfect replacement for the Rugby Lads (who tbh even in the comics felt a bit forced).

(2) She's already been shown to be a bit "classic straight" awkward about the gays ("I'm an ally" / "thanks"). Who else would be better to deliver the "he's a really good mate" line?

(3) She's an established 4th female character, which means she can come to Paris with the group. That gives you the fabulous options for Token Straight dynamics, in particular with Elle. There's also definitely something to play with in terms of her hanging around with the boys at break; exploring what it means to be a straight girl who just wants to do masculine things would fit very neatly into the themes of the show.

(4) She's been established as actually quite a mature person? She doesn't out Nick, even though he stood her up and rejected her. As a 16-year-old popular girl, she could easily have revealed that he didn't like her; instead she lets him off the hook. Without being OOC she can still be written as awkward but willing to learn, which moves the dynamic away from the patronising "teach a straight to ally" stories and into something more realistic (whilst still being very awkward and funny).

(5) Tao would LOATHE her to start with, which allows his character to develop a bit more. Tao and Nick can now establish a friendship based on a mutual love of Charlie. This is however a bit of a magic bullet to fix Tao's key flaw: jealousy/fear of loneliness. Imogen, as someone who could strike up a friendship with Elle about girly things Tao doesn't get, gives him a new challenge.

(6) Similarly, Charlie having to share Nick's time and attention a bit might help develop some of the co-dependency issues that we get in the comics, without creating some silly love triangle (real or imagined). Nick already rejected her romantically, so spending time with her can only be about wanting a friend, but it would still require Charlie to accept that he doesn't get to own every minute of Nick's life.

(7) Imogen meeting Nick's mum, and the awkward "so how do you know Nick" "Oh he stood me up for a date after my dog had died" would be very funny, particularly given Olivia Colman's acting.

[nellienelsonspring]

okay so like. lets think about where Tao is coming from in all of this. He's spent the last year watching Charlie (and frankly Elle too) go through absolute hell. He's stood there with him through that, and clearly we can see he also catches a lot of abuse alongside them, and is clearly getting bullied too (although obviously not nearly the level that was thrown at Charlie or Elle). It makes absolute sense why he's protective, and maybe why he's frustrated when he's not getting backed up in the same way.

He also pretty clearly has some issues with self esteem and change. He's afraid of people moving on without him and leaving him behind. He feels like his friendship group is fracturing, and if you think about the stuff we aren't shown in the show or comic, it actually makes more sense. Charlie is spending a lot of time with Nick (and is doing rugby), and he's not seeing Elle as much anymore because she's at Higgs. His world probably does feel a bit like its coming apart at the seams.

They're also kids!! Like everything seems so much bigger and more final when youre young (re: Charlie wanting to break up with Nick bc of a fight? Nick's navigation of the date with Imogen?). You're also more impulsive and don't quite have the foresight to see the potential impact. Tao even recognizes just how bad his actions backfired when he talks with Elle in ep 7. He gets defensive about it, and you can see his guilt seeping through in how he talks about his mistakes. How him getting in Harry's face probably made things worse, and how his impulsivity likely could have put Nick at risk too (he mentions how charlie thinks he would have accidentally outed nick - again is this his conscience actually honestly recognizing where he's gone wrong). Also him mentioning about being afraid that ppl are going to leave him??

Like he absolutely fucks up, he lacks trust in important moments, he's quick to anger and impulsive, he doesn't know when to just walk away from a situation. But his actions actually make sense, and while it's not all excusable, there is a lot thats just him trying to be protective and caring for his friends? and himself?

And importantly when Tao and Charlie apologize, lets actually look at what they say.

Charlie - I should've been a better friend and I've been distracted by Nick. I should've been looking out for you as much as you were looking out for me.

Tao - I shouldn't have gotten angry at you. I made it so hard for you to tell me.

He does recognize where he's gone wrong in the end! It's evident from his conversations with Elle, and in his apology to Charlie that he does actually see it and he's trying to fix that shit.

controversial opinion but like. yall ready to shit on tao at any opportunity and i am not here for this. esp when youre ready to say imogen did nothing wrong and boost her like nothing else