Heartstopper: Series Two - Review

The second season of the critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ drama returned to Netflix with series creator Alice Oseman adapting the next chapter of Heartstopper for the silver screen with Euros Lyn back as the show's director. With the original creative team back, this season is based on the third - and elements of the fourth - graphic novels and feels much more like an ensemble drama this time around.

Joe Locke and Kit Connor reprise their roles as Charlie and Nick, along with the first season's superb cast, as the gang tries to navigate exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris, a prom to plan and the next stages of life, love and friendship. The first season had a charming innocence about it, which was nice to watch. However, this season had a maturity in its writing and acting that balanced both light and dark moments.

Locke and Connor were brilliant in this season and had a lot more to dive into with their characters. Nick and Charlie's relationship has progressed past that boyish crush stage and we see both characters in a much more stable and confident place in their relationship, which was refreshing to see.

This mature take on teenage relationships extended to the other romantic and platonic relationships in the friendship groups. One aspect of the graphic novels I wasn’t particularly keen on was the lack of Tao, Elle, Tara and Darcy outside of scenes involving Charlie or Nick. The television series has given much more screen time to the other characters in the franchise.

Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney) have been the will-they-won't-they of Heartstopper, but both actors truly shine in this season. Their tentative love story had so many layers and the slow burn of their relationship was portrayed brilliantly.

The chemistry between Finney and Gae was one of the highlights of this season for me — with the writing and acting, this shows how to effectively create a friends to lovers arc. As they’re both into art and cinema, we see why these two have such a bond on their own terms.

In season one, Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) eventually go public with their secret relationship, kissing in a joyous, (literally) rainbow-hued scene on the dance floor — now we see them in the aftermath. Although Darcy is the bold and sometimes blunt one, her home life is much less of a safe place for her. Brown and Edgell are given some great material that explores a much emotionally complex side of this relationship.

Although Darcy’s home situation was hinted at in the comics so far, Oseman gives much more context in the television version that shows her as much more than the comedic relief. We see a shift in their relationship which sees Tara being Darcy’s shoulder to cry on while Darcy’s conflict is her difficult being emotionally vulnerable with her girlfriend and friends. Again, these mature and more serious undertones give the characters the opportunity to grow up introspectively and within their relationships.

This show continues to bring more representation and diversity in its cast, including introducing an asexual storyline for Tobie Donovan‘s Issac. Initally the bookish moral support for his friends, Donovan does a superb job at portraying his character’s internal struggles with his sexuality. It is left on a bit of a cliffhanger, so it’ll be interesting to see how Issac’s character develops and whether he pursues a relationship or even wants one in season three.

The asexual storyline has repeatedly been expressed to be of personal importance to the show’s creator and it comes across in the show’s sensitive portrayal of it. Donovan and Bradley Riches (who played James, returning to the second season with a bigger role) had endearing scenes, albeit with a bittersweet ending.

Outside of the teenage relationships, the adults in their lives had excellent scenes. Often YA shows forget about the older cast, despite how unrealistically it impacts the storylines by their absence. Not here, art teacher Mr. Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade) and science teacher Mr. Farouk (Nima Taleghani) have their own romance as both characters complement each other. Rhea Norwood also does a great job at humanising the quirky “alley” Imogen and there’s an interesting twist centred around her character’s friendship with Lelia Khan’s Sahar which I was not expecting.

Olivia Coleman, Georgina Rich, Momo Yeung reprise their matriarchal roles, with each family dynamic getting their own screen time. This gave the show a greater sense of realism and it was refreshing to see how each character has been impacted or influenced by their families.

Although I wasn’t a fan of volume three’s Paris storyline due to certain pacing differences, this was some of the better scenes in the TV adaptation. The eight episodes had a great awareness of time and plotting, bringing all the characters to a natural ending.

Despite Nick and Charlie being in a good place as boyfriends, both are dealing with their own issues. As Nick gradually starts to come out to his family and friends, he faces varying reactions to his bisexuality. Meanwhile, Charlie’s mental health is given a nuance exploration as he confronts his past and fears.

Sebastian Croft is given a fitting conclusion to Ben Hope’s storyline that doesn’t shy away from the character’s toxic actions and the impact it has had. Locke delivers a beautifully written monologue which perfectly expresses the emotional tormoil of confronting an abusive ex-parter and it was definitely one of the strongest scenes in the show so far. I actually rewatched it because I was that impressed with both actors.

With the third and final season on the horizon, it looks like it’s set to tackle the rest of Volume Four and possibly what we should expect from the last two volumes. Based on these strong performances and a much more confident creative approach, this is season is a personal favourite and I’m looking forward to seeing how the show will bring all these characters arcs to a (hopefully) satisfying conclusion.

My rating for Heartstopper: Series Two - ★★★★★.

Heartstopper: Seasons One and Two are exclusively available to stream on Netflix.