Yet again, the amazing Alice Oseman has teamed up with director Euros Lyn to create the third season of Heartstopper.
Previously, the Netflix series was well-known for its gradual approach regarding topics of queerness, health, growing-up, the experiencing of firsts, family dynamics and relationships for a teenage and young-adult audience. However, season 3 takes a more mature approach, delving deeper into thematics of a heavier nature, like mental health and eating disorders, which some audience members may find triggering.
Within this season, the relationship between Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson (Joe Locke and Kit Connor, respectively) continues to bloom and mature. However, Charlie’s eating disorder has worsened post the Paris trip from season 2, now requiring professional psychiatric help. Nick, like many of the other characters from the friendship circle (known as the ‘Paris Squad’), focuses on his summer holidays after working hard on his GCSE exams.
Once school returns, Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney) focuses on her art, Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell) continues to discover themselves, as do Imogen Heaney (Rhea Norwood), and Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan). Meanwhile, Tao Xu (William Gao) continues to obsess over Elle and his love for film, while Tori Spring (Jenny Walser) continues to be the fan-favourite sibling, looking after Charlie and allowing herself to form new relationships; unfortunately, a character that did not return to the series was Sarah Nelson, Nick’s adoring mother, performed so incredibly by Olivia Colman).
When it was announced that Colman would be unavailable for filming, I, like many other fans, was upset about her absence, given how empowering and accepting her character proved to be in the previous seasons. Wisely, instead of replacing the iconic actress so that the character could continue, Oseman has created a replacement of sorts, with the introduction of Nick’s aunt, Diane (Hayley Atwell), a psychiatrist, in the season’s second episode, Home; Diane first drew mention in season 1 when Nick was taken on a family vacation trip to Menorca. At first I was unsure about this outcome, but upon my viewing, and without giving anything away, Diane prove as equally spectacular as Sarah.
Another character introduction that I felt quite ecstatic for is that of Oliver Spring (Jensen Clayden), who was so beloved in the original graphic novels, but seemed to be a victim of an already packed ensemble in the earlier seasons and was thus omitted. In a departure from the novels where he’s Charlie and Tori’s younger brother, here he’s presented as their Mario Kart-obsessed cousin.
In addition to the more mature approach regarding the narrative, the animation style has similarly evolved. Season 1 was well known for its signature style which helped express character emotion and scenery, while also maintaining a certain graphic novel aesthetic. The popular animation that adorned the leafy scenery from seasons 1 and 2 are largely absent here, and, instead, there’s further depictions of anxiety over excitement. Furthermore, the lustful emotions experienced by the characters are expressed through a multitude of shapes, flowers, and hearts.
Narratively, unlike the second season (and more in tune with the first) there’s a heavier focus on the original graphic novels here. The first focused on the first two volumes, whilst the second season was an amalgamation of the third and fourth volumes, whilst introducing a heft of untouched content. This season sets its focus on the fourth and fifth novel volumes, but despite this – and the show’s combined running time of 279 minutes (the longest season yet) – there’s a certain rushed feeling to how these stories are told. This is only a minor criticism though, as there’s a slew of episodes that devote their time to flashback and flashforward events, and episode four (Journey) was perhaps the highlight of the show itself, due to its change in voice, perspective and presentation.
Although Heartstopper is primarily told through second person narration, this perspective is filtered in a way that aids audiences in seeing situations through the eyes of Charlie, and within such episodes as Journey, his seeking of medical attention allows a split perspective between Charlie in the hospital and Nick on the outside of it, creating a deeply intimate portrayal. This is the first time Heartstopper has implemented such a structure, enhancing the already-palpable emotional experience the show already adheres to.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Heartstopper season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.
