tv show Heartstopper | Season 3 releasing October 3rd

[State of Grace.]

They should honestly give us a classic series each season. Heartstopper for the spring, Young Royals 2 this summer and another one for the fall/winter  Need a show with college/young adult gays.

 

People (and especially gays) hating on this for being too sweet/warm/lighthearted are sick and only want to see us suffer and die.

[publikcitizen]

So I am all caught up on the Heartstopper webcomic! After reading it, I really hope the show will be picked up for a few seasons now. There are certain scenes I want to see adapted for the show. The way the second season will have an Empire Strikes Back vibe if there's one...

 

Spoiler if you haven't read the webcomic:

Spoiler

I don't know if I can deal with Nick's very homophobic brother though. Ben and Harry were already a lot for me.

Also:

Spoiler

I am so excited for the potential episode or two where they go to Paris for a week. I need to see that happen. I love anything Paris and I need to see Elle and Tao finally kiss

 

[publikcitizen]

I don't know if this is an appropriate question to ask, but does anyone know if Kit Connor who plays Nick on Heartstopper identifies as queer? I was just wondering because he seems pretty secretive about his personal life which is understandable and has a right to it. I know Joe who plays Charlie and Sebastian who plays Ben are gay. So that is already an improvement over Simon/Victor/Benji who are played by straight guys. If Kit identifies as queer, then that's great. If not, that's okay. He does an amazing job portraying Nick and I hope we will get to see more of him.

Edited April 27, 2022 by publikcitizen

[Nebur]

2 hours ago, Bloo said:

I agree. I don't get the need to have depressing media in all of our LGBTQ+ media. We have plenty of that. So many gay films I watched as a kid featured suicide, drug abuse, death, HIV/AIDS, and other just awful things to where I got the impression that being gay unequivocally made your life hell. As a kid, I never had a "homophobic" phase. Even when I went to church (lol), I was pretty vocal about my support for same-sex marriage and got eyes when I said I didn't attend the Chick-Fil-A Day when the founder said they opposed same-sex marriage. I was always pretty supportive of LGBTQ+ people but I, myself, didn't want to be gay because I felt I had enough hardship.

 

I can't imagine the impact watching some basic (but well-crafted) movie like Love Simon would have had on me as a gay adolescent. I feel the same way about Heartstopper. We can have dramas and more raw, dark stories out there. But to silence stories that paint a different picture or tell a different experience is just regressive, reductive, and harmful. We need more media representation in general.

 

There are some in the community that will complain about any gay coupling in media as being stereotypical (e.g., either the characters are too stereotypically femme, they're too masculine that they don't come off as queer enough, or it's heteronormative because it's a masculine guy being paired with a more feminine guy). No single piece of media can capture the diversity of the wildly diverse LGBTQ+ community. Which is why we need more media and we need to support LGBTQ+ media so that more is made in the hopes that more people can see themselves in some representation.

let me kiss you on the brain

[fountain]

This is a very special show, faithful to the comics and really important for the queer community  we deserve this. 

[Bandito]

1 hour ago, publikcitizen said:

I don't know if this is an appropriate question to ask, but does anyone know if Kit Connor who plays Nick on Heartstopper identifies as queer? I was just wondering because he seems pretty secretive about his personal life which is understandable and has a right to it. I know Joe who plays Charlie and Sebastian who plays Ben are gay. So that is already an improvement over Simon/Victor/Benji who are played by straight guys. If Kit identifies as queer, then that's great. If not, that's okay. He does an amazing job portraying Nick and I hope we will get to see more of him.

According to Alice Oseman, the casting process specifically required actors that matched the intended sexuality and ethnicity of the characters. So Kit is bisexual it seems.

[Bloo]

2 minutes ago, Bandito said:

According to Alice Oseman, the casting process specifically required actors that matched the intended sexuality and ethnicity of the characters. So Kit is bisexual it seems.

When will Love, Victor. 

 

I don't hate Love, Victor. I'm just a bit annoyed with it at the moment because I am kind of dreading season 3 because the Victor-Benji relationship was so obnoxious to watch last season and Victor-Rahim thing is a bit forced. So the "who will he choose" cliffhanger is not something I'm thrilled about and I'm taking out my frustration in here a bit.

[Souvenir]

the last half of the series  charlie is such a pick me

[State of Grace.]

9 minutes ago, Souvenir said:

the last half of the series  charlie is such a pick me

Tbh I dont see it as pick me energy, his actions are totally normal for a 14-15 year old gay

[Bandito]

1 hour ago, Bloo said:

When will Love, Victor. 

 

 

  Hide contents

I don't hate Love, Victor. I'm just a bit annoyed with it at the moment because I am kind of dreading season 3 because the Victor-Benji relationship was so obnoxious to watch last season and Victor-Rahim thing is a bit forced. So the "who will he choose" cliffhanger is not something I'm thrilled about and I'm taking out my frustration in here a bit.

 

 

True, Love Victor's representation is practically non-existent.

 

I don't hate Love Victor, but seeing Heartstopper made me sort of realize the issues I have with LV. Unlike with Heartstopper, I'm with you in terms of also hating the Victor-Benji relationship (I absolutely loathe Benji's character). I think LV has a more realistic approach towards coming out in terms of Victor and the disconnect that emerges with his family, but the show itself feels way too sanitized for me to really care for any love story that emerges. I love the Rahim character and ultimately want him with Victor (since Felix isn't possible apparently), but his character just randomly appeared and I felt no real emerging crush until the last two episodes of the season. 

 

Also, I'm angry at Love Victor solely because Disney is now claiming it again to try and compete with Netflix in terms of gay content. It was considered too "inappropriate and adult" for young kids when they sent it over to die on Hulu, but now that Heartstopper is smashing, suddenly gay is ok and it's going to Disney+

[LastKiss]

Watched the series again and it's just so wholesome 

 

After reading the graphic novel I want to see how they are going to talk about those topics in the future season (s)

Because they're very serious and actually sad and everything this time around was very lovey dovey

 

[GentleDance]

7 minutes ago, Bandito said:

 

True, Love Victor's representation is practically non-existent.

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

I don't hate Love Victor, but seeing Heartstopper made me sort of realize the issues I have with LV. Unlike with Heartstopper, I'm with you in terms of also hating the Victor-Benji relationship (I absolutely loathe Benji's character). I think LV has a more realistic approach towards coming out in terms of Victor and the disconnect that emerges with his family, but the show itself feels way too sanitized for me to really care for any love story that emerges. I love the Rahim character and ultimately want him with Victor (since Felix isn't possible apparently), but his character just randomly appeared and I felt no real emerging crush until the last two episodes of the season. 

 

Also, I'm angry at Love Victor solely because Disney is now claiming it again to try and compete with Netflix in terms of gay content. It was considered too "inappropriate and adult" for young kids when they sent it over to die on Hulu, but now that Heartstopper is smashing, suddenly gay is ok and it's going to Disney+
 

 

 

 

Imagine trying to compete with Lordstopper with... Love Victor 

[Subzero]

1 hour ago, Bandito said:

According to Alice Oseman, the casting process specifically required actors that matched the intended sexuality and ethnicity of the characters. So Kit is bisexual it seems.

In interview Kit did he said he originally auditioned for Charlie (around 1:35) but they figured he looked more like Nick. I think the only thing confirmed they made sure of was they were the right ages.

 

 

Who knows though, I don't think he feels the need to share his sexuality, at least not yet.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Subzero

[GentleDance]

 

 

[Augmented]

This is sort of phenomenal 

A few of the cast are a tad hit or miss in terms of acting but it’s easily overlooked tbh. 
 

Slightly off topic but Euros Lyn (the director) absolutely needs to come back for Russell Ts new era of doctor who! Russell was also stanning this the other day so I’m going to need some of the cast to turn up in his new era.

[808s]

I need a bf

[808s]

The way I binged this, Young Royals and Skam season 3(for the 5th time) this weekend. Also watched Summer of 85. I need to get out of my depressed phase.

 

This show was SOOO cute, I didn't like Nick in the trailer, but damn he is hot. 

[Bloo]

31 minutes ago, Bandito said:

 

True, Love Victor's representation is practically non-existent.

 

 

  Hide contents

 

 

I don't hate Love Victor, but seeing Heartstopper made me sort of realize the issues I have with LV. Unlike with Heartstopper, I'm with you in terms of also hating the Victor-Benji relationship (I absolutely loathe Benji's character). I think LV has a more realistic approach towards coming out in terms of Victor and the disconnect that emerges with his family, but the show itself feels way too sanitized for me to really care for any love story that emerges. I love the Rahim character and ultimately want him with Victor (since Felix isn't possible apparently), but his character just randomly appeared and I felt no real emerging crush until the last two episodes of the season. 

 

Also, I'm angry at Love Victor solely because Disney is now claiming it again to try and compete with Netflix in terms of gay content. It was considered too "inappropriate and adult" for young kids when they sent it over to die on Hulu, but now that Heartstopper is smashing, suddenly gay is ok and it's going to Disney+
 

 

 

I agree. I actually was really excited about LV when it debuted and binged it in one sitting. I enjoyed it a lot. Though, a lot of that enjoyment came from the anticipation of seeing Victor's relationship with Benji. That was supposed to be the payoff. I liked some of the themes related to the "chosen family" dynamic Simon and Bram introduced when Victor visited NY. But, again, Victor's journey is primarily driven by his desire to be with Benji so I wanted to see a worthwhile relationship for it to have some payoff. Then in season 2, we are told they had a great summer and then it's non-stop bickering and fights and petty drama and it soured a lot of the good will I had for even the first season. 

 

I liked Rahim. But I don't want him with Victor because of how haphazard the relationship would be thrown together if that is the conclusion. It just felt like a hamfisted love triangle for relationship drama, which is problematic as the show is nonstop relationship drama and it's a bit overbearing (the amount of swapping these kids do in such a short amount of time is insane). Heartstopper really went above and beyond in developing the characters. Charlie and Nick feel real to me. Benji feels like a Twitter rando. Like, compare Charlie and Nick's (hereafter referred to as Chick) mutual crush to Victor and Benji's (hereafter referred to as Venji). With Chick, we see mutuality and several pleasant interactions that lead up to a crush. Of course, Charlie finds Nick attractive immediately. But it's not until Chick spend plenty of time together in Form that it develops into a mutual crush and the reciprocity is clear. With Venji, we have the following timeline: Victor sees Benji drink from a water fountain, Benji compliments Victor's shoes, Benji asks Victor once if he's okay after being made fun of, Victor starts having sex dreams about Benji. It's all so sudden and instant that it just feels severely flat by comparison.

 

I also think that LV being originally crafted to be a Disney+ show had a heavy hand in its production, especially for the first season. But I think the biggest issue with LV will always be the fact that the most likable character is the straight, white, male: Felix. He's my favorite of the show and he seems to be a fan favorite as well among LV's audience. Couple this with the fact that the only LGBTQ+ relationship (thus far) is just pretty over-the-top and reductive in many ways, it just is not enjoyable upon rewatch. I think of scenes when Benji disrespected Victor's home life and inserted himself into Victor's home drama — ignoring the fact that homeless LGBTQ+ youth is a critical issue and risked Victor's tattered relationship with his mom. Benji essentially criticizing Victor for being into sports (like what?). The excessively public coming out that Victor is also a bit weird and unrealistic. It's a main point of criticism in the Love Simon movie, but it can get a pass for being a movie with limited time and needed to end on an epic note. Etc. I don't really care for Benji or Victor at this point, but the main issue isn't that they're flawed. The issue is that this is meant to be an LGBTQ+ series and the LGBTQ+ characters feel underdeveloped because there are so many cishet relationships/storylines that are consuming too much of the show's runtime. LV's core issue is it bit off more than it can chew, IMO. 

 

I do find it hilarious that Disney is, all of a sudden, okay with it being on their Disney+ platform. I have issues with Netflix and don't think they're a "woke" ally for the community. But they have consistently invested in media for LGBTQ+ people (e.g., one of Netflix's biggest and earliest original shows was OITNB for crying out loud). So if I had to pick between Netflix and Disney when it comes to gay content? It'd be Netflix. HBO is also a good option as well. 

[Lovett]

On my second watch. It's living rent free.

[Bloodflowers.]

6 hours ago, Gui Blackout said:

I'm legit fighting with some people on Twitter criticizing the show for being "unrealistic to the the regular gay experience". I'm like??? There's no one set gay experience, we need to drop this. Coming out experiences for kids nowadays definitely easier than past decades.

 

Gay representation in media is always so filled with trauma and heartbreak. Why can't we have one show that is unabashedly romantic, sweet and joyful? I'm glad queer kids will have a show like this to lean on, I wish I had it when I was younger. 

 

spill

 

We have enough dark and depressing gay shows, we needed an uplifting and escapist show for once to show us how life can be pure and joyful too

 

[Lille]

Just had some time to finish this show finally...it was like a big, warm hug.

 

I'm so happy that the Queer youth of today has things like this showing them deserve happy and healthy relationships. Also really encouraging to see how critically successful and commercially popular it is, Netflix would be mind-numbingly stupid to not renew this for a few more seasons.

Edited April 28, 2022 by Lille

[publikcitizen]

2 hours ago, Souvenir said:

the last half of the series  charlie is such a pick me

 

2 hours ago, State of Grace. said:

Tbh I dont see it as pick me energy, his actions are totally normal for a 14-15 year old gay

 I think Charlie was so traumatized by the bullying and being emotionally manipulated by Ben that it led to Charlie feeling super insecure about him despite him having many good qualities and being a good person. This is based on what I've read on the webcomic so far. And as State of Grace mentioned, he's a teenager too. God knows I was cringey when I was in high school. I desperately wanted to fit in so badly and tried to be friends with everyone. I have a profound hearing loss so I was always seen as that deaf kid in high school and it made me feel insecure a lot. Like Charlie, I eventually started to think my existence was an annoyance to others including my family. So I can relate to where Charlie is coming from... 

[publikcitizen]

1 hour ago, Bloo said:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

I agree. I actually was really excited about LV when it debuted and binged it in one sitting. I enjoyed it a lot. Though, a lot of that enjoyment came from the anticipation of seeing Victor's relationship with Benji. That was supposed to be the payoff. I liked some of the themes related to the "chosen family" dynamic Simon and Bram introduced when Victor visited NY. But, again, Victor's journey is primarily driven by his desire to be with Benji so I wanted to see a worthwhile relationship for it to have some payoff. Then in season 2, we are told they had a great summer and then it's non-stop bickering and fights and petty drama and it soured a lot of the good will I had for even the first season. 

 

I liked Rahim. But I don't want him with Victor because of how haphazard the relationship would be thrown together if that is the conclusion. It just felt like a hamfisted love triangle for relationship drama, which is problematic as the show is nonstop relationship drama and it's a bit overbearing (the amount of swapping these kids do in such a short amount of time is insane). Heartstopper really went above and beyond in developing the characters. Charlie and Nick feel real to me. Benji feels like a Twitter rando. Like, compare Charlie and Nick's (hereafter referred to as Chick) mutual crush to Victor and Benji's (hereafter referred to as Venji). With Chick, we see mutuality and several pleasant interactions that lead up to a crush. Of course, Charlie finds Nick attractive immediately. But it's not until Chick spend plenty of time together in Form that it develops into a mutual crush and the reciprocity is clear. With Venji, we have the following timeline: Victor sees Benji drink from a water fountain, Benji compliments Victor's shoes, Benji asks Victor once if he's okay after being made fun of, Victor starts having sex dreams about Benji. It's all so sudden and instant that it just feels severely flat by comparison.

 

I also think that LV being originally crafted to be a Disney+ show had a heavy hand in its production, especially for the first season. But I think the biggest issue with LV will always be the fact that the most likable character is the straight, white, male: Felix. He's my favorite of the show and he seems to be a fan favorite as well among LV's audience. Couple this with the fact that the only LGBTQ+ relationship (thus far) is just pretty over-the-top and reductive in many ways, it just is not enjoyable upon rewatch. I think of scenes when Benji disrespected Victor's home life and inserted himself into Victor's home drama — ignoring the fact that homeless LGBTQ+ youth is a critical issue and risked Victor's tattered relationship with his mom. Benji essentially criticizing Victor for being into sports (like what?). The excessively public coming out that Victor is also a bit weird and unrealistic. It's a main point of criticism in the Love Simon movie, but it can get a pass for being a movie with limited time and needed to end on an epic note. Etc. I don't really care for Benji or Victor at this point, but the main issue isn't that they're flawed. The issue is that this is meant to be an LGBTQ+ series and the LGBTQ+ characters feel underdeveloped because there are so many cishet relationships/storylines that are consuming too much of the show's runtime. LV's core issue is it bit off more than it can chew, IMO. 

 

I do find it hilarious that Disney is, all of a sudden, okay with it being on their Disney+ platform. I have issues with Netflix and don't think they're a "woke" ally for the community. But they have consistently invested in media for LGBTQ+ people (e.g., one of Netflix's biggest and earliest original shows was OITNB for crying out loud). So if I had to pick between Netflix and Disney when it comes to gay content? It'd be Netflix. HBO is also a good option as well. 
 

 

 

Spoiler

This is a really good valid criticism. I do think the best part about LV was the religion part with his family. But other than that, it's a little bit all over the place... Honestly I am surprised LV is ending this soon but maybe it's for the best. Some of the cast probably want to move on to do bigger things like Mason. 

 

[publikcitizen]

1 hour ago, 808s said:

The way I binged this, Young Royals and Skam season 3(for the 5th time) this weekend. Also watched Summer of 85. I need to get out of my depressed phase.

 

This show was SOOO cute, I didn't like Nick in the trailer, but damn he is hot. 

I like guys who have a similar personality to Nick's regardless of how they look. I wonder if Kit's personality is similar to Nick's?

[publikcitizen]

2 hours ago, Augmented said:

This is sort of phenomenal 

A few of the cast are a tad hit or miss in terms of acting but it’s easily overlooked tbh. 
 

Slightly off topic but Euros Lyn (the director) absolutely needs to come back for Russell Ts new era of doctor who! Russell was also stanning this the other day so I’m going to need some of the cast to turn up in his new era.

Honestly, for Joe who plays Charlie, who has never acted on screen did a pretty good job. I believe he can pull off some of Charlie's darker storyline that would be explored in a potential second and third season.