If you are looking for your next tearjerker, the highly anticipated third season of “Heartstopper” was released on Netflix on Oct. 3. “Heartstopper” is a comedy-drama series adapted from the webcomics by Alice Oseman.
“Heartstopper” is the epitome of LGBTQ+ representation in media today. It explores sexuality and gender identities in a sensitive yet comforting way. All of this is shown through surprisingly healthy relationships for teenagers. The show does not shy away from addressing large issues, but goes about it in a manner that is appropriate and educational rather than succumbing to harmful stereotypes.
Before you read any more, this is a spoiler warning!
This season depicts a lot of important and emotionally charged topics including the misrepresentation of trans people in media, gender dysphoria, toxic family members, panic attacks, losing yourself in relationships, and eating disorders (or ED).
The main focuses of season 3 are eating disorders and mental health issues. The main character, Charlie Spring (played by Joe Locke), struggles with anorexia and OCD, which is alluded to in the first two seasons but not fully explored until now. Charlie is shown wearing a sweater amidst a heatwave, then proceeding to wear that same sweater to the beach. He would not eat anything around his friends, and when confronted about the issue he denied everything. Throughout the first couple of episodes it even showed him being exhausted all the time. All of the things that Charlie was doing are telltale signs of anorexia.
Initially, I was a bit wary about how this would be portrayed, considering how easy it can be to fall into the glorification of mental health issues. However, everything was truly handled beautifully and accurately, while simultaneously acknowledging the privilege of having access to good mental healthcare facilities.
“Heartstopper” showed the effects that an eating disorder can have on the person struggling with the disorder, but also on those around them. Nick Nelson (played by Kit Connor), Charlie’s main love interest, and Tori Spring (played by Jenny Walser), Charlie’s sister, were the first to notice a major change in his behaviors.
Nick and Tori happened to be the most affected by proximity. This was not because the show made it about the effects Charlie’s ED had on them in particular. “Instead, the show emphasized that when people are going through an ED, they need more help than what one person can provide. While it drastically helps to have supportive people around, it is oftentimes not enough. Professional help can do more than a teenage boyfriend.
On a more positive note, one thing that “Heartstopper” has been known for in previous seasons is its amazing soundtrack. This season featured artists such as Beabadoobee, Billie Eilish, Del Water Gap, Olivia Rodrigo, Rachel Chinouriri, Troye Sivan and so many more.
Some of my favorite aspects of this season were the stylistic choices. For example, whenever Charlie was going into a depressive episode, the screen would grow dark and shaky, but when Nick came around everything would go back to normal. The episode titled “Journey” jumped through Charlie’s time in the mental health hospital. Tao, Charlie’s best friend (played by William Gao), filmed everything that happened while Charlie was in the hospital. It was shot in the style of a short film which was refreshing and something the show had not experimented with previously.
Another thing that was really interesting about this season was the development of Charlie’s outfits. In the beginning he was seen wearing sweaters and long sleeves, but by the end of the season he started wearing more short-sleeved shirts, and even felt comfortable enough to take his shirt off around Nick.
A lot of the queer representation that we have in the media today is devastating with tragic endings, so it is invigorating to see a gay story that has a happy ending. “Heartstopper” is the media that I wish I had growing up as a queer youth and I cannot wait to see what happens next in the story.