Nineties Babies Nostalgia
A pop culture podcast hosted by two 90s babies and best friends, Amanda and Jess. NBN Classic is a rewatch series where we recap & review teen tv and movies from the early 2000s (think Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, etc). NBN Remixed episodes follow a similar format but cover the tv, movies, and music we love now (Heartstopper, Young Royals, Demi Lovato, etc). Listen along to two best friends having a giggle, and let us know what you think.
Nineties Babies Nostalgia
heartstopper season 3 ep 1-4: the sad half
We interrupt our fall content to bring you the coziest, sweetest, and this time saddest show, Heartstopper season 3. We're covering the first half, so get your tissues ready.
TW/CW: eating disorders, self harm, mental illness
Please rate & review and reach out to us on socials for any thoughts because we have plenty to share.
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Theme Song by Patrick Dunnevant, (https://www.youtube.com/c/AcappellaVGM)
Artwork by Dawn Wheeler (https://www.instagram.com/wool_and_stone)
Get home from school turn on my TV who are these friends staring right back at me now that we're older (scratch)
Hi, I'm Amanda.
And I'm Jessica.
And this is 90s Babies Nostalgia, where a couple of 90s babies are having some fun.
Just to be clear, we are not sponsored by or affiliated with any of the streaming services, actors, distribution companies, TV shows, any of the things we talk about, brands. We just really, really love talking about TV. And today we're talking about Hearts Hopper season three.
I'm so excited. Like, I think it didn't hit me until just now how excited I am to record this episode.
Yeah, I'm very, very excited. We were supposed to record this last weekend and then I got very, very sick. So we've been holding on to these notes and our thoughts and both of us have had an additional rewatch since last weekend. So it makes me like even more excited to talk about it.
I know. And guys, if you don't know, this is something that like we genuinely, genuinely love. That's why it's part of our podcast. It wasn't originally something like part of it didn't fit into the content we wanted to cover, but we just like love it so much we had to talk about it. But then because we know we're going to cover it on the pod, we can't talk about it to each other until we're recording. So it's all just like bottled up inside. Um, yeah, very excited.
Yeah, we like will share memes with each other and like light comments but like nothing in detail.
Mhmm Before we get into it, Jess, I believe you have a question for me.
Yes, um my heartstopper related question is because I feel that this season particularly had amazing promo. Last season, I feel like they were stunted with the promo a little bit because of the strikes. um And this season, the promo really slapped. I want to know what your favorite bit or favorite like favorite promotional part, like interview question or anything from the promo that you loved from season three.
Okay, big question a bit, but I think I have an answer off the top of my head. I was trying to think while you were finishing the question.
I'm looking for a specific moment.
Yeah, yeah. Well, I can shout out a video. Also, I think part of, sorry, Tangent, I think part of why the promo slaps so much for this is they clearly filmed a lot of it while they were making season three, which I think is smart because they knew, especially Joe and Kit were going to be busy come promo time. um But they filmed a lot of like silly, goofy videos for Netflix. And one of the ones is They're like in groups. There's four of them in a group and there's two different groups of it's like the whole friend group cast and they're decorating cakes based off of a character in the show. Have you seen this one?
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
And Kit is on one
Yep
that whole time. He's like taking people or taking stuff off of people's cakes and he like slams them into a wall and him and Joe stop fighting across Corinna and it's just really funny. And a lot of the comments are also funny because they're like, I feel like Kit got mean in this and like he needs to calm down. It's not fun anymore. And I'm like, no, this is just fun.
Yeah, yeah. That Probably not my favorite video, but it is a fun one. And the clips on socials are really great.
what So what is your favorite promo moment?
So specific moment.
Mm hmm.
This is from the series of like press junket interviews they did. So the ones where they're in the like generic background, and it's the two of them, and they're wearing the same outfit, but it's a bunch of different interviewers.
Yeah.
Kit is quizzed on what Joe's favorite movie is.
Oh
And Joe says, I have three. And Kit's like, I don't know. And Joe's like, hot fuzz. And Kit's like, you love hot fuzz? I love hot fuzz. And Joe's like, we've watched it together. Kit's like, I know. And Joe's like, we quote it all the time. And it's just, it's hilarious. I can like watch that clip over and over again because It's just like so obvious, but Kit still was like stunned that that was his answer.
Well, and he's like, we never talk about it. And Joe's like, we quote it all the time. and it's I know. It's like so clearly you do talk about it. Yeah, it's a really good clip. I agree. um That also reminded me, though, of one of those press junket moments is there's I mean, there's a lot of times when they're talking about the sex stuff. And Kit is like making bad jokes or innuendos and Joe in this press junket has been just calling him babe the whole time So like there's one time where kit's saying they filmed the sex scene for seven hours and that was fun And Joe's like glad you enjoyed it, babe
Hahaha
And I just really enjoy the banter
Yes, yeah. That whole cast has like such great chemistry on screen, but also just like as a cast as well. It makes like all of the press stuff fun to watch.
Yeah, absolutely. And you can tell they're all really friends.
Yeah. Okay, getting into season three, part one, so we're going to cover the first half, episodes one through four, and then in our next episode, we'll cover the second half, the spicy half Before we get too into it, if you're not familiar with Heartstopper, we do want to give a little bit of a content warning.
A big bit.
Yeah, this season specifically this first half of episodes as well. There's going to be a lot of discussion of eating disorders, self-harm, anxiety, panic attacks. So if any of those things make you uncomfortable, this is probably not the episode for you, probably not the show for you.
Yes. to the point where I have friends who love Heartstopper and have been watching this season and have been triggered by the depictions in this show. So it it is a hard content warning, I'd say.
Yeah. Yes.
We are also in no way a spoiler-free zone.
No, all spoilers. Just a little bit of background. So season three premiered on Mean Girls Day on October 3rd, 2024.
It was also National Boyfriend Day.
Oh my God, I love that. A little bit of change up for this season. We're gonna go through some cast changes, but before we get into that, some behind the scenes changes. So there was a new director for this season. So season one and season two were directed by Euros Lyn, and then this season was directed by Andy Newberry. I wrote Andry, but I'm pretty sure it's Andy.
I think it's Andy, yeah.
Yeah Andy Newberry. not a lot is said on why this change was made. there was just an announcement like a few months, I think right around the time they started filming that Andy would be directing an undisclosed amount of episodes. And then Andy ended up directing all of them.
Fair enough. I mean, shows change directors all the time, so.
Yeah, yeah, I think it's a choice to keep the same one for the first two seasons and then change it. I think you can tell a little bit, but I actually think it was very fitting for this season.
Yeah, I will say it's a little bit more like ah when movie series change directors. Like I always think of the Harry Potter trans rights, whoo, series and how like the first two have the same director. The third one had a different one. The fourth one had a different one. And then five through eight had the same one because and you can see it like tonally they change quite a bit versus a lot of like big serials like Grey's Anatomy. The directors change all the time. They have a main show.
Yeah, even episode to episode, they'll change.
Yeah, there's one very iconic episode in like season 11 that Denzel Washington directed. But you wouldn't know watching it because tonally they have a showrunner that they like they know what they're doing.
Yeah.
And I think this one, I don't know that I noticed that much that the director changed, but it also makes sense because the tone of the show changed.
Yeah, yeah, agreed. As always, Heartstopper just comes in with the soundtrack. I don't have any particular shout outs for the season except that I think I appreciated it more than season two. I felt they went a little mainstream in season two and I felt like this season was a good blend. Like we got some Olivia Rodrigo, but we also had some like more lesser known, very fitting emotional songs. That went with some scenes, as well as we had callbacks to the same music as was played in season one, which I really appreciated.
I, for some reason, I don't, I don't mind the soundtrack in season three, but I didn't notice it nearly as much as I did in either of the prior two seasons.
Interesting. I found myself looking up what certain songs were
Hmm interesting
more often than I did last season at least.
Oh man, I just always think, see I think of baby queen and I think of ur so pretty and that's like, but anyway, getting into our cast. We have just a few changes for this season. Olivia Colman unfortunately could not reprise her role as Sarah Nelson, Nick's mom. she wanted to they wanted her to but it just they couldn't make it work She's a very booked and busy actress as are a lot of the cast now Instead though we do get his aunt Diane Who is kind of filling in that Sarah role played by Hayley Atwell who is currently like? I'll say she's like 35 37 42 somewhere between 37 and 42. I'm gonna say because we didn't write it down. And she's most notably known for playing Peggy Carter in the MCU, starting in Captain America, made a comeback in, I think, multiverse of madness. But um yeah, and she's she's done a lot of stuff, but most notably Peggy Carter.
Another new character we get in this season, who is in the graphic novels, is Michael Holden, who's 18 based on the novels. And he is played by Derragh Hand, who's 25. Doesn't really have that many other notable acting credits, one of his like first main roles.
And for anyone who's unfamiliar with the like novels and graphic novels, Michael is a major figure because he was in the first ever novel, Solitaire, that follows Tori. So um this was a big a big moment for the Heartstopper fans to finally have a Michael.
Yes, yes. Then we get Geoff Young, who's played by Eddie Marsan, who's Charlie's therapist.
Mm-hmm. a very well-known English actor. He's one of the ones that came up in interviews where Kit was jealous that Joe got to have so many scenes with him and he didn't get to work with him. But I think he's better known by the Brits than the Americans because most of what he's done has been British. like Sherlock Holmes, but also Hancock, happy-go-lucky, V for Vendetta. See, i don't he's one of those faces I don't recognize.
Yeah, I agree. I didn't recognize him except that he loved his face. But when I looked him up, I'm like, Oh, yeah, he's very well known.
Mm-hmm.
Then we get Ivy Olson, who's played by Annette Badland, who is Darcy's grandmother.
also a very well-known English actress with a lot, a lot of credits, including Doctor Who, Outlander, and EastEnders. But just like, I i really enjoyed these two additions to the cast because they were well-known to the British audience.
Mhmm
So, episode one.
Yeah, love!
Yes, love. Okay, so pick up directly where we left off from season two, where Charlie almost says I love you to Nick, he like types it on his phone. So now he's standing in front of the mirror practicing saying I love you. and Tori overhears and is like I can't believe you haven't said it yet you should just get it over with he obviously feels the same way and Nick is going out of town on holiday for three weeks soon so Charlie's like nervous but he wants to do it The whole friend group from Paris goes to the beach. They're splashing out in the water. Charlie shares with Isaac that he wants to say, I love you. Isaac says, hey, by the way, I'm asexual and aromantic, but I don't feel like telling the rest of our friends right now because it's annoying to explain. Nick asks Charlie to go into the sea and they run into the sea, kind of, and they both have something they want to say to each other. And Nick goes first. And Charlie, was going to say I love you. And Nick says, I think you have an eating disorder. which is a sobering moment. And Charlie says, no, I don't. And then they leave back at Nick's house. Nick is showering and Charlie gets a text from his mom saying that he needs to come home. So Charlie decides that this is the moment he's going to stand it outside the bathroom door and shout at Nick and say, you know what, that's not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to say I love you. And in the two seconds that Nick is stunned, silent, Charlie's like, and I'll go home now. Bye. So Nick now runs around, like, slips in the shower, has to remember clothes, no shoes on, and runs after Charlie. And they stand in front of a lamppost, and he's like, say it again. And then they say, I love you to each other. And it's so cute.
it's so cute. Other plot points of note in this episode that didn't really fit in that summary is we learned that Darcy is now living with Tara since she got kicked out. And while they're at the beach, Tara is kind of opening up to Nick about like struggling with dealing with this huge change and how she loves Darcy so, so much. But you know, it is a lot to be a teenager and living with your partner. But she understands that it's necessary because Darcy is much, much safer with her. And also that there's this opportunity for Darcy to move in with her grandma, which at the end of the beach day, Tara kind of suggests it to Darcy. Tao and Elle are having a summer of romance. This is a theme. It's the summer of romance. Which means they're ignoring everyone except the two of them, and they're being like quite annoying to be around.
Mm-hmm. Yep.
And there's a volleyball game where Imogen suggests they play girls against Nick, but Darcy's like, I'll be on Nick. Because Nick's like, that's not fair. And Darcy's like, I'll be on Nick's team because gender is dumb.
Yeah, so if you didn't get the gist of that, i we should have explained before I jumped into the summary, because last season, we were like, there's moving parts. We're going to do a Nick and Charlie, a Tao and Elle, and then anyone else. the cast has expanded so much so that it didn't really make sense this time. So we're just going to go through all the major plot points and then have our little shouting out some moving parts, you know, like, like these things that Jess just pointed out as other plot points will become important later in the story.
Yeah.
So, of our notes, to me, just just starting off, season two, I was, okay, first of all, if you go back and listen to our episodes, I was a fool to say that they look not that much older than in season one. They they did, especially Kit. And to me, Kit filled out a lot. like He grew a lot. You can tell his voice dropped more. He started going to the gym a lot. for me, season three to season two, the biggest change was Joe's jawline. I was like, damn, that can cut glass.
Yeah, yeah.
I do think they're very clever with like makeup and hair and everything because they definitely and editing too, like make them look younger because you'll look at press photos um or even like magazine photo shoots of them versus in the series and they look significantly younger in the series. So I do think they do a good job at making them not look too old but there still is huge changes from season one to now.
Yeah, and I think that also has to do with how they carry themselves. I think as they've raised their profile as actors and celebrities, they carry themselves with the confidence that fits a higher level of maturity versus when they're acting as Nick and Charlie, they know that they're playing little teenagers and so their their body language is softer.
Mhmm
this episode opens up to Tori, which by the way, we get more Tori in the season. Love it. It opens up to Tori laying in bed using an electric hand fan to cool down, even though she is literally fully clothed in pants and long sleeves, which is just the most Tori thing or spring sibling thing I've ever seen.
Yeah, I was like, Charlie also would do that.
Yeah. Except maybe not need the fan because he runs cold.
Yeah, yeah. I do love that we get more Tori this season. While at the beach day, because Tao and Elle are having their summer of romance, um they're not really at the beach at all and just like frolicking around the beach town together. And Tao goes into the store and gets him and Elle matching bracelets and his has a little E and hers has a little T and it's really, really cheesy and very high school, but I love it.
It's very cute, but it's also very funny when you consider they've been together for like three weeks.
Yeah, I guess that's true.
Like this picks up shortly after the Paris strip.
Yeah, yeah. When Nick shows up to Charlie's house, he's wearing a tank top and Charlie goes, I've never seen you in a vest before. It's just very weird to me that that's what they call a tank top in the UK because a vest is a very formal structured thing or it's like a winter clothes item, like a puffy vest. you know it's not a like summer tank top that a frat guy is wearing. I just don't associate them as the same thing. So when it came out of Charlie's mouth, I was like, a vest? And I was like, oh yeah, that's what they call it.
I didn't know that that's what they called it. I was glad you wrote this down because I also noted it because it sounds silly, but I wonder would they call like a spaghetti strap tank top a vest or is it only like that thick style?
This is when I wish my husband was here so we could ask him. I don't really know.
Okay, well let us know in the comments if you know.
Yeah. Nick Nelson is also a skincare king because at the beach, Charlie and him have like a heated little moment where Charlie is putting sunscreen on Nick's back. And afterwards Nick's like, Oh, do you need sunscreen too? And Nick's like, no, I tan. I don't need any.
Charlie
Oh yeah. Charlie's like, no, I tan. I don't need any. and Nick goes, everybody needs sunscreen and he's right.
He is right. I've also seen fans say that it's funny because they have like reverse or have expressed reverse opinions in real life. Like I think Joe has said that he doesn't tan, he just burns. also just shout out to that scene of him of like, I love that they included Charlie rubbing the sunscreen into Nick's back and being like, Oh wait, this is kind of hot because that's such a straight trope
Yeah
to me that it was like really fun to see it acted out with two boys.
Yeah. And I love that like, obviously the continuation of the usage of different animated features. And as the seasons progress, we get like like the features change. There's a lot of leaves in season one. And now in this season, because things get a little spicier, we get a lot of fireworks.
Yes you do. With regards to the beach scene, I just have to say, I know that they filmed this in October because it was all over the press because they had people freaking just taking photos of them, which is creepy. And I know that they've said that it was cold because it's October in England.
Mhmm
I wouldn't have needed to know that they filmed it in October to know that they filmed it off season. Watching it, you can only put so much color correction.
Yep.
like It is very clearly freezing cold and there are moments where I'm like, Kit has no blood circulation right now. like He looks so veiny.
oh And to force them to go into the water is just rude. like
I know. And I get that that's like, that's the point of the like, that's in the comics and they couldn't wait for it to be warmer because it's not going to get warmer when it's in October until it's like six, seven months later and you don't have that kind of time.
Yeah.
But I still just like felt so bad for them. And they've said that was like a really freezing shoot week.
Yeah, i
But they've also said it was one of their favorite shoot weeks. So.
Yeah, yeah, because I think they did it at the beginning. So it was like all of them were like fresh back to set and happy to be together.
Yeah, that's what they've said
when Isaac and Charlie are sitting down at the beach, and Isaac opens up about being asexual and aromantic, and Charlie's like, you know, you could tell the others they'd understand. And Isaac's like, Yeah, I know, but I just don't feel like giving a vocab lesson. And that is just like, so valid.
Mm-hmm. Even in that exchange. It's really cute is Charlie knows asexual but he doesn't know aromantic and Isaac just goes you can Google it later and then later we do see Charlie send just the Wikipedia page to Isaac like to show that he is Googling it and I just thought it was really sweet it's a good little nod to how much emotional labor people have to do when they come out repeatedly or have something like that to disclose that other people aren't informed about and should take the time to inform themselves.
yes, exactly. And I like that they are showing that you can choose not to educate others.
You can be like, you know, you could Google that. You could look into that. Like that you don't have to be the explainer. I think that is like so important.
Absolutely.
This made me low key angry. Tao and Elle's Summer of Romance means Tao is canceling friends' plans for Elle and I just...Tao, you were such a little asshole in season one and in season two, such a little asshole. Poor me. No one cares about me. All my friends don't want to see me.
He has trauma.
We're drifting apart.
His dad died. He's afraid of people leaving him.
I know, but then to just like turn around and have no self-awareness that he is doing the same to his friends is just so infuriating.
You know what's so funny though is I didn't even clock it really until he gets called out for it when Isaac repeatedly calls him out and makes comments. i i didn't I didn't realize. i I was just like, oh, they're obsessed with each other. That's what the show is about. But there's they did a good job of painting how um how how much teenagers, well, anyone can just get wrapped up in a relationship.
Yeah, it is very realistic that you naturally drift a little bit from your friends and focus more on a significant other, but for it to come from Tao and this intensely without him ever really realizing until people call him out on it, I was like, he's a hypocrite.
so we have this scene where Charlie's like, I'm gonna tell Nick I love him and they're standing in the ocean. Nick carries Charlie bridal style into the ocean fully clothed and then dunks him in. they're like i have something to say. Okay, you go first. No, I can't say it unless you say it first. I think you have an eating disorder. I don't. Okay, is that what you wanted to talk about? Yeah. I felt such secondhand embarrassment for Charlie and this whole exchange. Like, yes, he does have an eating disorder and he needs to be called out and it's not embarrassing to have an eating disorder and it's not embarrassing to be called out on it. All of these things are true, but like Nick, in what world do you think Charlie was like, I have something to tell you. I don't think I have an eating disorder, even though you've never confronted me about it. Like, why would you think that's what he wanted to talk about if he then denied what you suggested?
That is like the biggest plot hole in this episode for me is like, clearly that's not what Charlie wanted to talk about. And I feel like Nick knew. He was just like, it's not worth pushing.
That's why I don't consider it a plot hole because that is pretty real of communication is when you know that the other person isn't telling the truth but they're also not at a place they like emotionally don't look like they're at a place to tell the truth. You just kind of drop it.
Yeah, that's true.
Yeah, but it was ah very embarrassing to me.
Yeah
Just cringe. So that we mentioned the volleyball scene jess mentioned the volleyball scene and that to me was fun because Prior to seasons one and two, Jess had read all the comics. I had not read any of the comics. And then before season three, after season two, actually, when I was still obsessed, I was like, OK, I'm reading all of the comics. And so season three is the first time that I came into it knowing exactly like what the plot was going to be, especially because it was all of the newest stuff as well. We're now basically caught up with the comics, which is cool and funky. But anyway, the one thing that I wasn't sure about because I pretty much stopped reading before this happened in the comics. I stopped reading around the college road trip we'll get to later. I wasn't sure if they would transition to Darcy at all. But I knew that it was likely given how we know that Alice and the showrunners and everyone like treat this cast and the story and Darcy's actor Kizzy uses he they pronouns and I assumed like it's probably a dysphoric experience wearing the wig being referred to as she her pronouns. And that was the first moment when Darcy was like, I'll play on Nick's side, and I don't care about gender. That's stupid. I was like, OK, they're going to do it.
Yep
And that was exciting to me, because that was the one thing that I wasn't sure if they were going to do or not. I was like, great. Excellent. Happy for them.
Yeah, me too. Me too.
Amanda wrote down the chaos of Nick slipping in the shower and barely remembering to grab clothes which is hilarious because he literally gets like down the stairs is just wearing a towel is about to open up the door to chase after Charlie and is like, oh my god clothes and like runs back but then doesn't put on any shoes and he doesn't put on a shirt. He just puts on a hoodie and like zips it up.
You know, shoes take too long to put on.
It's true. I feel like flip-flops, but also like no one in the UK has flip-flops.
Mm-hmm. Getting into quotes, I wrote this down, but then you wrote it down as well. Go ahead. It's so fun.
When they're arriving to the beach today, Imogen has like four tote bags, a giant hat, like a giant inflatable lounger, floaty, and a bunch of stuff. And everyone's like, Imogen, you did not need to bring this much stuff. And she goes, but I'm bringing the fun.
Yeah, I love Imogen.
Yeah, we already mentioned this one but Darcy has her I don't care I hate gender moment. And then at the last scene where Nick is chasing after Charlie and they say I love you and they're about to kiss Nick goes come here you idiot which was just like I don't know I think it shows their growth and them getting older and being able to like cuss and say a little bit more like
playful.
playful things, yeah.
Mm hmm. Yeah. In interviews, Joe and Kit have said that this season has a lot of improv, which they were like maybe too much improv and that the one note that they get a lot is they need to play Nick and Charlie kinder because they themselves have a very mean banter that's like way too mean for Nick and Charlie. I feel like the like come here idiot is like a very real thing to say to your significant other when they're just like being a little silly.
Yeah, yeah.
this was a background line. I have no idea who said it ah actually, but when they were getting into the water, it was like, I think we saw Nick and Charlie running into the water and then one of the girls said it or something being like, I wish it was a little bit colder actually, which I just thought was really like funny considering it was so cold.
Yeah, you're like you actually didn't wish that at all. You wished that you were off the scene not in shot wearing a jacket is what you wished. Well, they said that and then the person they were talking to went, really? And it felt very much like this is the line the actors improved because it was actually freezing.
Yeah.
And then also when they have their I love you moment and Charlie and Nick realize that Nick, oh no, when it's when they have their I love you moment. Nick's like, I saw you were staring at the beach or peeping at the beach.
And Charlie says, I was not peeping.
Yeah.
And Nick says, it's okay. It's allowed. We're in love.
Love, yeah.
It's so funny. And it becomes a recurring bit throughout this season of the like, it's allowed. We're in love.
Love, yeah, it's very cute.
Ah. I love it!
Yeah, it is definitely, I feel like, They did a good way of ending season two and then setting us up with this lovely, lovely episode that is just like so heartwarming to hear them say I love you together to then like break your heart for the next three episodes. So.
And they will, and they do, and prepare yourselves if you guys don't know, but I'm sure you do if you're listening to this. But I, I agree, it was really smart, especially because they ended on that, like, him almost saying, I love you. And, and the fans who have read the comics know exactly how that I love you scene goes down. So we all like knew that that's how it was going to start out and that it was going to be fricking Charlie telling Nick while he's in the shower, which is so silly. But like that made the anticipation that much more fun because we want to see that because it's such a silly scene.
Yeah, yeah.
Okay
All right
Episode two.
Home. While Nick is on vacation, Charlie and Tori are sitting at home and Charlie starts to tell Tori about like the concerns that Nick mentioned to him at the beach. But right as he's about to share, Nick calls from vacation, so Charlie answers, but Nick has a bad connection and Charlie has to hang up. Well, the call actually gets disconnected because his mom is pestering him to tidy the living room and is like, you can talk to Nick later. she also mentions that like they're just spending too much time together. He needs to focus on his studies. and that they're too young to have sex, which then Charlie's like, we're not having sex. And she's like, I know what you guys do.
Oh, yeah, because she says you came home in his clothes the other day, which he did from the beach because he went into the water in his clothes.
But also I'm like, he wears his clothes the entire time they've been dating.
Yeah, I know, I know.
And then later that night when it's dinner time, he ends up skipping dinner to avoid his mom.
Tao is having a movie night at his house but Charlie doesn't respond to the group chat and doesn't show so it ends up just being Tao, Elle, and Isaac which means it's Tao and Elle giggling and kicking their feet and making out and being annoying and Isaac just like very upset that he's such a third wheel and also that Tao and Elle haven't noticed that Charlie isn't responding to stuff so Isaac just goes over to Charlie's house and is like, what's up? Why aren't you responding? And Charlie's dead ass just sat on his bed and says that, you know, he he just feels down since Nick is gone and doesn't really want to do anything, but he's fine. Like he he kind of keeps it very short. And Isaac can kind of tell that he's lying, but also leaves him to it and they watch a movie. I should also say Isaac says not only is he concerned about Charlie, but he's like, the friend group is falling apart. Everyone's just obsessed with their couples and I feel like a forever third wheel and I'm upset.
Then the next evening at dinner, Charlie does go down for dinner and is helping his dad set the table. And Tori sneaks onto his laptop and because she's concerned and sees that he's been researching um about eating disorders online. And it's in this moment that Tori decides to text Nick and is like, when are you coming home? I'm becoming like increasingly concerned about Charlie. And when Nick sees he got this text several hours earlier, he calls.
twenty minutes
Oh, is it? I felt like it was longer than. OK. 20 minutes makes more sense, but he ends up calling Charlie. And in a very, very like teary, like just like sad, teary, like having a hard time expressing emotions phone call. Charlie admits to Nick that he thinks he was right about having an eating disorder, but he doesn't feel that he can tell anyone because his parents will just get angry at him. This leaves Nick a little lost because he doesn't know how to help Charlie, because he wants Charlie to get help, but he's not talking to anyone about it but him. And so he ends up talking Nick ends up talking to his Aunt Diane about what's going on and that he doesn't know what to do. And she's like, this is a lot to put on the shoulders of a 16-year-old. like People need more than their significant others, and there's ways you can support him, but he needs more than just you. And like that's what love is.
And Aunt Diane very conveniently is a psychologist.
just happens to be.
Some other plot points is everyone goes and it's results day for GCSE so everyone goes to school to pick up their results and Charlie to pick up Nick's. Everyone did well except for Darcy. Tara did so well that she is in the Oxbridge program and recommended to be prefect. There's a scene because Darcy has moved in with her grandma, and Tara and Elle are helping Darcy unpack, and Elle is texting Tao a lot, and Darcy and Tara clock Elle for being too obsessed with Tao, and also mentioned that Tao is very insecure, and that's kind of his vibe, which I thought was hilarious.
He is.
and And with that pointed out to Elle, then Tao and Elle have a date night as her last night before leaving to Lambert. And Elle's like, I just want to do nothing. Like, but we need to put the pressure off. I'm going to Lambert. I'm not dying. I'm not even leaving the town. And she says, I love you. And he says it back.
So cute.
Mm hmm. So getting into our notes, all of these things.
Very exciting first note. Mr A-
Ajayi
Ajayi and Mr. Farouk are like sneaking around, being all flirty, having lunches together, making out in their car. It's very cute. And I love it.
Okay, in this episode we just get them like flirting a little bit.
Okay, really?
This isn't the one?
No, this is results day, so they go to the school before all the students and like put out the the results, and Farouk bumps into Ajayi, and Ajayi's like, you're you're playing a dangerous game.
Yes, and Mr. Farouk also almost goes in for the kiss, but then the other teacher like comes in and interrupts.
Yeah, and this is before it's confirmed if they're going out or not, but we know that they they went to Bonetown as I put it in my notes in Paris, so...
Yeah, yeah.
This is like the dumbest note but it just really made me giggle because Darcy's nan who she now lives with drops off Tara and Darcy at the school and she drives a clown car like it's so small and cute and I just really love her vibe all the time. But speaking of that day it's so rude because yes they all go for results. However, do they all have results to receive? No.
No.
Some of these friends have not taken GCSEs yet, but they all had plans and they were going to go to Nando's after, which I was like, did Nando's pay for this? But anyway, Isaac is the only one who remembered the plans and he's the only one who didn't have a reason to go. Cause Tao has Elle and Tara and Darcy both had results and Charlie went for Nick's and Isaac's like, I'm literally here so we could go to Nando's now and everyone bails on him and it's so rude.
Yeah, I would be very furious if I was Isaac. Like, he's upset, but like, be more vocal. Like, I'd be pissed. Also, like, Nando's is not a huge commitment. Everyone, like, your little plan to, like, walk around the park and have a picnic or whatever, Tao and Elle, can be, like, saved for later. That's not necessary. Nando's.
Yeah, Charlie doesn't even have an excuse. I mean, yeah, he has an eating disorder. He doesn't want to eat in public, but also he doesn't give him an excuse. He just looks at him and Isaac's like, all right, fine, another time.
Yeah.
And then he goes home and sits on his bed all sad. You don't have to eat the Nando's, you can just go with Isaac. Hang out.
agreed. Nick sends Charlie a shirtless holiday pic. I think it just sets us up for like where we're going this season.
It's also hilarious because he takes it in the pool mid conversation with his aunt and uncle in front of them.
Oh, they absolutely know that he's sending it to his boyfriend.
yeah but to to take a thirst trap in front of your aunt and uncle are you like
Honestly, I respect it.
yeah the powers of a himbo my god
Yeah
Literally just every single scene this season until maybe the very end. Tori just looks so, so, so concerned. She looks so worried. And yes, she has a reason to, and we know why. But like every time that we pan to her, she just has the biggest doe eyes, just so concerned.
Mm-hmm. I also think the haircut in this season like adds to that for some reason. Something about the bangs just gives me worried.
Does she not have bangs before?
I don't think so.
I feel like she did. I feel like Tori has bags.
Maybe it's the short hair with the bangs. I don't know. I feel like the haircut added to it. Maybe the bangs felt pieceier. Something about the way the hair was laying on the face like added to the expression for me.
I also somehow feel like they made the actress look younger than she did in the previous seasons, and I don't know how you would do that. I've gotten to a point with her now where if it were her on her own, I would think she could play the 17-year-old that she is playing, but because she's stood next to someone who is 10 years younger than her, it feels weird.
Mm hmm.
like I still think compared to Joe, she doesn't look like a teenager, but if Joe weren't next to her, she would.
Yeah.
Also, the a Tori moment is when Isaac comes over, she's like, your friend is here. And Charlie asks which one, and she says the one who's always reading. And I just thought it was so funny, because I'm like, these people have been friends for years. Like, Isaac's not even a new friend. Isaac's an old friend. And she's just going to act like she doesn't know his name.
There is a world in which I believe that she doesn't. I feel like she's so hung up in like just her own head all the time and concerned about Charlie that like she has no space to remember anything else.
Well, that talk about a spring that needs some therapy.
yeah Well, yeah.
They have some good moments too because she's calling Charlie for dinner and dad made a roast and they have a little banter about how their dad never seasons his roast and then the dad shows up and is like, hey, that's hurtful. And it sure enough, that roast did look quite bland, I understood. But this also is a recurring bit that I enjoy.
Yeah.
While Charlie's like at home, he's just scrolling on his phone on Instagram, seeing what all his friends are doing, because they're all like living lives while he's just in his room being a sad little boy in the dark, which honestly is how I spent a lot of my high school summers. So I get it. And some of my favorite moments are a photo of Imogen on her stories saying catch planes, not feelings like go off, queen. Also Darcy's handle on Instagram is Darcy underscore the underscore egg, which I just thought was really great.
I did not, I did not catch that, but that is beautiful.
Yeah.
Like truly lovely.
Very darcy.
Amanda wrote this one, but agreed. When they are setting up Darcy's room, her grandma walks in and is like, oh, the walls are like a little bare. Like you need a picture of a nice gentleman on the wall. And Darcy's like, I'm a lesbian. And her grandmother's like, oh, you are? Okay, then a nice girl then. Like,
And then Tara without skipping a beat puts a photo of herself.
yeah.
And the nan's like, perfect.
Yeah.
Yeah, no, her grandma's so cool because she's just like, oh, your dad didn't tell me that. Okay, then you need a pretty girl.
Yeah, her grandma's like really awesome in a way that I'm like, is this realistic? But what I would hope for any like queer youth being kicked out of their home is that they have someone in their life like that to take them in because she just like fully accepts her from the get go.
She also drops them off for results day saying, I dropped out at 14 and look at me now, don't worry about school. And like she just exudes the energy that I expect Darcy to have at that age.
Yes, yeah. I really appreciated that Elle said I love you first just because It made sense. I feel like Tao is the more insecure one. Elle is the more confident one. If someone was going to say it, it was going to be Elle. And Tao's immediate response, right, is like trying to justify not saying it first because he's like, I would have said it. I just thought it was too soon. And Elle's like, I don't care.
Yeah, I agree. It makes more sense. And I think if Tao had said it first, it would have been out of desperation, which is never a reason to say I love you.
Yep
I just want to shout out the final scene. It's really beautiful. the phone call that Nick and Charlie have and this voiceover from Hayley Atwell. And I know Kit has said when they talked, to I don't remember what the question was in this interview about like favorite moments or something, but basically it was one of the few times that he was sincerely complimenting Joe and said that for this scene he actually got to like he rarely is there when he's not in a scene but he got to be on set and say feed his lines to joe and just watching him perform that scene, he was very, very impressed with with how beautifully he acted it, which I agree, like his facial expressions tell so much of a story. And I just think that, I don't know, Joe's really talented for, I mean, for anyone, but especially considering this was his first official acting gig, like I am continually impressed by how much he's grown as an actor.
Oh yeah, like season one to now, the growth and confidence and just like skill level that he has has increased so much, especially for how young he still is. It's amazing. And I think what that scene does very beautifully is nothing feels rushed. There's a lot of silence. There's a lot of just hearing tears, just looking at Joe's face, and nothing feels like they're just like trying to push forward in the plot, but instead just really sitting in this emotional moment. And that's what makes it like translate so well.
Yeah, and he has moments where he breaks down but kind of composes himself a bit and you can hear the uncertainty in his voice and hesitation. And Joe has said that he actually prefers filming the emotional scenes because they're more fun for him as an actor because they're more challenging and that those are the ones he can just like leave when he goes home. He's like, I'm a pretty happy person, which I thought is funny. I also, in relation to that scene, Everyone in the new cast is great, but I think Hayley Atwell was like perfect. If anyone was going to replace Olivia Colman, she looks similar. like you i could The way that they styled these two women, I would absolutely believe that they're sisters. I think that their voices have similar levels of care and a lower timber and like very they're very understanding figures. and i just She was perfect to me.
Yeah, and they both have very gentle and understanding approaches, which yeah makes you feel like they could be related, raised in the same household.
The energy that they bring to a scene is very similar. So while I love Olivia Coleman, I didn't feel like I was missing her most of the time, which I know was a lot of people's concerns.
yeah Not in this scene, there are moments where I felt that she was missed, but regardless of me feeling that way, I still think Hayley was like the perfect choice.
Yeah.
Like she did a really, she had an impossible job and she did better than like I would have even thought she could do, you know?
Absolutely. And then my other little bit about that scene is it's the first time that anyone mentions the codependency that Nick and Charlie have, which is a theme throughout this portion of the comics this series this season and isn't named as much as it is shown. And that's Aunt Diane mentions it about both of them. Quotes.
Tori,
Yes
I think says this to her mom when she is asking Charlie to clean up and get off the phone with Nick and stuff like that. I'm pretty sure that's when this happens. She goes, Mom, you're making a big problem out of nothing. their mom is like not the easiest person to get along with. and she is a little overbearing and I just appreciate like Tori's for being someone who's like so concerned, so worried, very like. kind of like in her own head and to herself most of the time, like observing. She's very, very like vocal with her mother and is like not afraid to say something, to stand up for Charlie, which feels very realistic for a big sibling. Like it's not her normal personality traits, but I like when it comes through because it feels like, oh, yeah, this is what Tori would do as a big sister.
It also shows, and I have more notes about this later on in the series, that even though, no, their mom is not the easiest person to get along with, she's not a bad mom. she' is not a like she can She has her scary moments with Charlie, but she's not so bad that her kids feel uncomfortable speaking up to her. because you you have to feel a certain level of comfort with your parents in order to speak to them that way without fearing how they'll react. So i I like that dynamic a lot.
Yeah.
Mr. Farouk has some great lines. He's so funny. he, when it's results day, a kid is like dreading coming up to get his results. He says, that's the spirit big man time to get it over with. which is great, but like he, he sounds so much better doing it. Cause he throws on this like East London bit it's great. The aunt, when she's learning about Charlie, she's like, we have to meet him. We have to vet him. We have to approve. And then she says, if he survives one of our hikes in 35 degrees, then he'll pass the test. And I was like, Charlie Spring is not, even if he were eating correctly, he would not survive a 35 Celsius degree hike
Absolutely not. He also just doesn't really strike me as the hiking type.
Absolutely not and Nick just like smiles at it and I'm like dude you someone's got to let him know like
Yeah because when he does go on vacation you're gonna have to make sure the itinerary shifts because we can't be having any of these hikes.
Hahaha
at the beginning when Aunt Diane is learning a little bit more about Charlie and sees Nick like texting on his phone and stuff, she says, I'm diagnosing you with a severe case of smitten and growing symptoms of head over heels, which is just adorable.
So cutie. And then another great aunt Diane line, which is at the end of the episode is she says, love can't cure a mental illness.
Mm-hmm.
Which is very true.
True. Yeah.
And caregivers of people with mental illnesses need to remember to be kind to themselves because you can't fix everything, which is what Nick has to learn.
Episode three. Talk. So we're back at school. It's almost Nick's birthday and Charlie decides to organize something for him and then manages to do it within like a day. Nick says, you know, we're back at school. Why don't we eat at the benches? Charlie hesitates so very quickly he pivots to we'll eat at Mr. Ajayi's classroom. And they walk in there, well, Charlie walks in first and sees that Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk are like very clearly having lunch together, but then Mr. Farouk is like, oh, we're done and he leaves. then Charlie tries to kind of tell Mr. Ajayi what's been going on, but then Nick shows up and then Nick tries to bring up the conversation with Charlie, but then Charlie doesn't want to talk about it. So it's all these people not being able to talk.
Mhmm They go to the zoo for Nick's birthday, and while they're there, Isaac and Tao get into this fight in front of everyone about Tao only caring about his relationship, which is true. And Tao's response to that is like, well, you're just being jealous. Like you could have had James, which then of course like makes Isaac shut down. and it makes lunch really, really awkward. And so Elle goes to get an ice cream and separates her and Tao from the group. And she's like, we need to prioritize, not just us. Like we need to prioritize our friendships as well. And so Tao apologizes to Isaac, and then as they're all walking around the different exhibits, they get to the aquarium exhibit, and Isaac uses the behavior of the fish to come out as asexual and aromantic to all of his friends. Because he's like, oh, well, do you think there's fish that don't find anyone? Do you think they're lonely? It was very clever, very silly, very cute. As they're getting ready to leave the zoo, Tao asks Nick if anything's going on with Charlie. And Nick is like, yeah, but I can't share and also don't talk to him about it because it's just going to make things worse. which then kind of puts in Tao's head even more that he's been ignoring his friendships and not prioritizing them.
Later that evening, Nick tells Charlie that he's still really concerned for him and encourages him to talk to his parents and offers to go with him and gives him the advice. We get like another voiceover from Aunt Diane of all of the stuff that he's been taught to do and not to do, but he gives him the advice to write down what he wants to say before going to. And so that's that's what they do is they go to his parents and Charlie tells them everything and that he wants to go to the doctors and get better.
Mhmm
And that's the end of our episode three. Uh, uh, okay.
I know.
Why am I like feeling a little emotional?
I know because it is emotional.
Okay, getting off to like the dumbest note, but just I love that Nick's friends are still back are back and they're still around. And we actually, I feel like we see Nick's friends, like his original rugby pre-Charlie friends more in season three than we maybe ever have. And they're all like, we saw them in season two when he came out to them and they were super chill about it, but they're just like good lads. We repeatedly see them and they're just, they're chill dudes.
Yeah, and they like truly care about him. Like they ask about him and Charlie. They ask like questions to check in on both of them. Like they are good friends while just being like rugby lads as well.
Yeah, they make sure they don't press too much but they make sure Nick knows that he can come to them and then he doesn't because Nick can't emote.
Yeah.
Here's the point that I thought happened last episode, guys, and it didn't happen last episode to happen this episode. ah But Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk, this is when we learn that they've been dating all summer while they're making out in their car getting ready to go into school for the day and they immediately get caught by Mrs. Singh and she's like, if you guys don't cut this out, like the kids are going to think you're engaged by the end of the day. like
Yeah. It's also so funny because Miss Singh also walked in on Charlie and Nick in season two or maybe season one. No, I think season two. I don't know. Either way, it's just like funny that she's just finding all of the secret homos.
Yeah. Yeah.
there's a lot. I don't even know which make out. No, I do know which make out this is referring to. There's a lot of Nick and Charlie makeouts in this season and none of them feel like the previous seasons. Let me tell you.
No. No, they do not.
And in this one, they show up to school and it's like they haven't really seen each other much all summer, right? And so they they hug and there's some whispers about oh I heard they're together which they are shut up but then Nick pulls Charlie into a room and they just like are against a wall like making out and I'm like oh
Against a window that clearly people can see in like it's only shaded at the top but the bottom part like you could see that two bodies are pressed up against this window from the outside like why'd you go into the room i don't understand
also like it's kind of hot.
it was yeah yeah yeah it was
We get some important plot points with regards to how or or details with regards to how Charlie is doing at this moment. As we said, we know he's not doing well. He speaks to his parents at the end of this episode, but they include really good details. Like when he is having lunch with Nick, he's just like tearing his sandwich apart the whole time. When they go to the zoo, he has low energy and needs to sit down, and Nick says that he's had low energy a lot lately. so And we see him, when he almost tells Mr. Ajayi, he mentions that he has feelings about bad things happening, which is an indication that it's more than just, for lack of a better term, what you would expect out of an eating disorder. And also we see him re-wrap Nick's present multiple times.
Yeah.
Like he needs to get it perfect.
Per fect.
Which is all leading up to something that we'll get into in episode four.
Mhmm.
I also really like this like brief moment when they stop at the Spring House to get something before I think going to the zoo and Charlie runs in for a jumper and Tori is on the stairs and sees Nick in the doorway and she asks if Nick's done anything and he said he's like what looking out for Charlie and it's just like a very good moment of showing how both of them are the most concerned The person they love most is the same and that
Yeah
even though they're not friends necessarily, they're on the same team.
Yeah, I think these are those moments where like, you can tell how much Tori appreciates that Charlie has more than just her looking out for him.
There's a cute moment where James and Isaac are talking and James is like, i I need a boyfriend and Isaac is like, no, you absolutely do not because I cannot have another friend get into a relationship. And then he like, James kind of asks, I think he like kind of clocks it of like, oh, you're like aromantic, something about that. And, but he just knows and Isaac is so relieved that one of his friends knows what it means. And it's just really sweet.
Yeah. And I think because we know Isaac loves his books, James is like, oh, yeah, I know what aromantic is because I read a book with a character that was aromantic once. And then I know that some of the books we see Isaac hold later in the seasons do have a romantic characters in them are or are about being aromantic. We've seen him read Ace in season two, but he has a few more in this season as well.
Oh, fun fact related to his, his coming out is there's the, the fun little, as we mentioned, we get new animations when he tells his friends in the aquarium that he's aroace.
There's little jellyfish
Jellyfish, yeah.
around him, which um some, some, uh, subspecies of jellyfish are known to reproduce asexually. So it was like a nod to that, I think.
Yeah, yeah. in this episode, we get Darcy being even more vocal about their feelings around gender. while they're at the zoo, someone is like passing by them and is like, oh, excuse me, ladies. And Darcy immediately is like, don't you hate when someone calls you ladies? And Tara's like, they call us ladies at school all the time. Like, no.
I think it's Imogen that says that. Tara doesn't, because Tara could see it from a mile away what's going on with Darcy.
Maybe. Maybe it is imogen that says that.
And also when they go back to school, Darcy wears trousers, which is the boy's uniform. And Tara's like, you look so you, which is so cute.
Mm hmm.
There's a moment at the zoo while they're eating where Imogen just casually mentions that every boy she's ever liked, she got over really quickly, which is important to note, guys.
Yeah.
okay, look, I know that Tao was annoying to you, right?
Yeah, he's never been my favorite though.
Honestly, I love him. I think we we did switch up between season two and season one, right? Tao in season one is very annoying.
Yep
Tao in season two and season three, I kind of love, also because Will just has incredible comedic timing.
Yes
And that's one of the characters that, that especially Kit has said he would love to play. And I think maybe Joe, because they're like, but they also were like, I don't think I could ever play it as good as Will because Will just like has that timing and improv that just can make anyone laugh.
Yeah.
It didn't bother me him being a hypocrite as much, but what bothered me a little bit is that as soon as Isaac properly calls him out in this episode and Elle makes that comment about how we need to consider our friends more, he suddenly is like, it's a 180 because then it's like, I don't know, hours later, but still at the zoo when he is asking Nick, like, by the way, is Charlie okay? And I'm like, you haven't noticed anything about Charlie up until now, how are you suddenly noticing that he's not okay enough that you're like, concerned? Like, what?
Yeah, you're like, it's been an hour. Like, yeah.
Yeah.
When they're all having conversations about Isaac's coming out and how like even though he knows he's asexual and aromantic and he you know spoke about it with the group, it still is hard for him to come to terms with this. And Nick is like, well, you know, it I understand because um when I first kissed Charlie, I cried to an am I gay quiz.
Mm-hmm, which is funny that he I like I love that he shared that with the group
Yeah
because that's something he did in private
Yes
And I don't we don't even know if Charlie knew but I assume he did
Also for his birthday, Charlie gives Nick back every jumper he's ever borrowed.
Because they don't smell like him anymore
Yeah, and at the bottom he gives them a real gift of a memory book that they can
Has a photo
yeah that has a photo, but the rest is blank so they can continue to add to it. But the giving back every jumper is just great.
It's really cute also because they have a little exchange about, oh, you like how I smell then. And then Nick gives him back one jumper because he's like, well, you have to have one. But also that's so real, like sleeping in your partner's clothes and wearing your partner's clothes. I did that. the other sweet part about that scene is that Nick doesn't realize there's a present underneath the jumpers and he's not upset at all. He's like, just smitten. He would've been fine if there wasn't another present.
No.
He would've been like, this is the best present ever. And it's just his own clothes.
yeah he was like Yeah, he was genuinely surprised that there was a real present.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
this episode we said even after the summary that it made us emotional this episode and the next episode i have cried so much in both watch throughs like i thought the second watch through i would cry less nope i might have even cried more i was like this show it's just so well acted and so Even if you haven't personally experienced these things, if you know people who have experienced going through things like this, it is just done in a way that is like so relatable and so endearing that you just can't help but get emotional.
And I think it's. It's all of those things with the rose-tinted glasses that Heartstopper brings.
Mm hmm.
So we get the convenience of Nick having a psychiatrist aunt who can give him proper advice. And we get people like Tao responding well and suddenly being a better friend. yeah, it's it is really well done because it's very it's it's very realistic of the issues going on with the best case scenario of the response to them, essentially.
Yep.
The final scene is really well done, especially of of Nick, the final two scenes, I guess, of Nick telling Charlie that he needs to talk to his parents still, and then the two of them going to talk to their parents. That's a scene that both Kit and Joe have said that is like some of the work they're most proud of this This season for Kit, the one where he tells Charlie you still need to talk to your parents and for Joe when he goes to talk to them, like the gravity that they had to bring to that was really important to them.
and they brought it.
But ah lifting it back up
Yeah
with our quotes.
yeah. At the zoo, I don't know exactly what they're doing, but Imogen and Sahar are like off,
Petting goats
yeah, okay, petting goats. And Darcy looks over at them and is like, seems a bit gay to me.
Which also I have a Darcy quote where she goes, do you think there are any gay fish? And I'm like, never change, Darcy.
Yeah
Never change.
And then I have the Mr. farouk
I'm glad you wrote this one down because I die every time he says it.
This is maybe his best line, maybe the best line in the series
Yeah
because he's trying to cover up for his relationship so hard. Like, I've seen people on Twitter be like, if my teacher said this, I'd be like, oh, they're definitely going out because he's overcompensating.
Yeah
So in his homeroom class, which Nick and Charlie are now in Mr. Farouk's homeroom class, apparently, he says, yo, big man tucked in. This isn't Mr. Ajayi's hippie class. You're representing Farouk right now.
yeah
And I'm like, the the and combination of Big Man and his like East London slang and like play on things with also he's enforcing the rules and being strict with also he's like putting in a dig at his boyfriend. It's just like a great line. It makes me so happy.
Yeah. Yeah. And just, yeah, the delivery too is like perfect.
Yeah. Okay.
Episode four, Journey.
Journey. And guys, this one is a journey.
It's a journey. We fast forward two months from the end of the last episode and we learn that Charlie's coming home from treatment. The episode shares the perspective of this treatment through Nick and Charlie's perspectives independently through the last few months. So we go to Nick's side. after the convo with Charlie's parents, Charlie's mom gets him in with the doctors. He gets a referral to an eating disorder specialist, but he couldn't get an appointment till January. So things got really bad. Charlie was skipping school. He wasn't talking to Nick, ignoring his texts, getting like really angry and snapping at everyone. He also started to self-harm again. So he chose to go to inpatient treatment. Nick feels very lost without Charlie and he tries distracting himself by learning how to drive. He is having like full-blown conversations with Nellie. He's hanging out with his friends. And he tells the friend group a little bit about what's going on so they all like have this picnic blanket moment where they have like a box that they painted and decorated with Charlie's name and they like wrote him a big card and they all like put different things in the box to give to Charlie. Sahar hosts a Halloween party. This is all during this time when Charlie's in treatment. And Tara encourages Nick to go because Tara's like, we both need it. Like we need a night out, we need to separate. And so Nick is shown drinking a lot.
As are they all.
Yeah. And he's there for his friends but you can tell he's missing Charlie. There's lots of moments where he's alone on the couch. Then he escapes to a hallway to sit when he's feeling overwhelmed and Tao joins him and Nick just ends up like bawling into Tao's costume. After a month of not hearing from Charlie at all, Charlie calls Nick and he shares that he was diagnosed with anorexia and OCD. And Nick starts to visit Charlie at the treatment center a couple times a week with his family. And we see the first time that he visits and they give him the gift box. And then They like sneak away. They're going for a casual walk. And then Charlie grabs Nick's hand and like pulls him off and they have a ah little heated kiss.
No, he asks Nick to kiss him,
Yeah he does
which I think is important.
Yeah.
From Charlie's side. Charlie tries to, both of them are kind of journaling through this explaining it. And from Charlie's side, he he says it got a lot worse, but can't dwell or reflect too much on that time before he went into treatment. And then we see him go into the treatment center and acknowledge that he got really lucky because he read a lot of horror stories online about how treatment centers can be really terrible. But luckily, Even though he had a hard time at this one, he had a really great support system like his therapist. And I'm assuming this woman's like a warden, but she basically she's like watching him in charge of him most of the time, his schedule, his eating.
Susan.
you see like a montage of him crying and not eating and fighting and then slowly getting better, starting to eat, starting to make friends, starting to smile more. The family visits and Tori tells Charlie that he should talk to Nick. And Charlie acknowledges that he could have called Nick the whole time, but he didn't know what to say. But at this point, about a month in, is we see that phone call where Charlie calls Nick and tells him about his diagnosis. And then also the added note that he asks for Tao's number, which I thought was a good detail.
When Nick comes, he shows Charlie this documentary type film, basically thing that Tao's been making with the camcorder he found that used to be his dad's. from this video, which is sweet, we see Isaac saying that he read Song of Achilles and I know you said it was sad, but I wasn't prepared and I cried for four hours. And also he's mad at Charlie because he lied when he asked if he was okay and he knows that it's not his fault, but he's just kind of upset about it. Darcy is saying that they use they them pronouns now and was like, I feel like he gets it. You get it.
Yeah.
Tara's prefect, Elle is getting tens of thousands of followers from her paintings posted on Instagram. We see Imogen and Sahar make out and then Imogen be like, haha, I'm so quirky and Sahar get upset. And then we get this funny moment where Tao's filming in Mr. Ajayi's room and Mr. Ajayi and Farouk are like, hi, Charlie. Bye, Tao. Bye, Tao. Bye, like, can't get rid of him.
Yeah, they're like, okay, now.
And kind of at the end of this, Charlie's voiceover says that the clinic didn't cure him, but it got him out of the deep end. And then he gets home and asks his mom if he can go to Nick's before dinner, as long as he's back for dinner. And so he goes and he says hi, and Nick says hi, and then the episode ends. so Excuse me, it's not hi, it's hi.
It's like breathy.
Yeah. so that is episode four. It is a heavy one. It is a beautiful one. It is the one that both Kit and Joe have said they are the most proud of that they think is the best episode of Heartstopper thus far. I just think it's really beautiful.
I also think this is the one episode that is told in a very different way than we've seen in any other episodes. But them choosing to tell it in this way from both perspectives where we get new moments, but also some repetitive moments, really made the episode as great as it was.
Yes, I really appreciated that we got some of the same moments from different perspectives. I think that that is really fun. It's a fun way to tell stories, but also getting those new moments and things like with the Halloween party. so we see it from Nick's side and then later Charlie asks, I don't know, maybe Tao on the phone and is like,
Tao
yeah, he's like, so explain this thing with Sahar and Imogen because Nick was way too empathetic,
Yeah
which is just funny. Yeah, no, I really enjoyed it. I think what stands out is the level of voiceover, the two different perspectives, as you said, and also the time. I think almost every episode prior to this is a very short amount of time. And this one covers two months, which is a thing with throughout the season. A lot of the other seasons only cover three months in the whole season, three to six. And this season covers like a full year.
Yeah. We cover a lot of time. And I think that was the benefit of them doing this both perspectives is it made it feel like you were telling the story of two months, but it was still giving the story the time it deserved.
Without dwelling too too much on the details. And making it like trauma p0rn.
Yeah, it's also done in a very heart- like everything is through this rose-colored lens, heart stopper-fied, like it all is done very showing the positive it in everything while still like focusing on the very real moments. So this episode is very, very sad. to watch and it's emotional to watch. But yeah, it's not like trauma p0rn and it's not like, I don't know, you don't walk away being like, Oh, that was just awful. I can't believe that that's what they made me watch, you know?
Yeah, I think what people criticize Heartstopper for with sugarcoating things is also or can also be seen as them being as respectful as possible
Yep
because they don't want to glorify or Put any too harsh a lens on people with mental illnesses or eating disorders or any of the these topics You know, they can depict them in a genuine way without making Charlie's eating disorder his whole personality and the focus of his character So yeah, it's so well done
Yep. So well done. Okay, you want to get into some of the more silly unimportant notes, but also important?
least important note that I think I've ever made on this podcast ever is that in Tao's video, he explains to Charlie that he's making this is a video of our friends group. And that's how I learned that they say friends group instead of friend group.
Friend group.
And it really bothers me.
friends group. Yeah, but they gotta, they like to add S's onto to things where S's don't belong, like maths, you know?
They all make sense. Maths does make sense because mathematics is the full word and it is it is the study of various types of math. And friends group makes sense because it's a group of friends, not a group of friend. It makes sense. It just sounds wrong and it's uncomfortable to say, particularly friends group because like going from the S to the G, it just feels unnatural.
Yeah, agreed. the biggest thing to me is Imogen and Sahar making out drunk at this Halloween party.
It's so spicy!
It's so spicy and I personally felt not like it came out of nowhere. I knew something was gonna happen with them, but when it pans to that scene and they are like full on making out, I was like, oh my, I had to rewind. I was like, oh my God, did I just see that? It's like so quick. I was like, I needed more, but also less. I think I needed a warning.
And it's pretty realistic that they're drunk to do it.
Yes.
that's the other thing that we don't know the plot of is Imogen. Well Imogen and Isaac are both original characters to the show and Imogen I think in particular we kind of saw bits and pieces we had an idea when at the end of season two she sees Sahar playing guitar and singing and she has like little hearts pop up and we're like oh so Are we having a little girlie like girlie moment? Are we going to go somewhere with this? So we were very excited to see where it would go, and then we start getting her comments, like, every boy I've ever liked, I've gotten over super fast. And then suddenly, bam, she's making out with her best friend.
Yep.
And then she's throwing up in the toilet while Nick holds her hair back, saying, I'm allowed to experiment.
Yeah, it also felt very drunk high school. I'm like, yep, this is all this happens.
Yeah, this is a girl who had no idea she was anything other than straight until two months ago.
Yep. also at this party there's a lot of shots of Nick sitting on this couch where there's just these skeletons posed and he just you can tell he's like drunk but also just so out of it like he is disassociating he is mentally not there at that party he is somewhere else in his head and so these skeletons with him just like disassociating was very silly to me. I was like whoever posed these skeletons knew what they were doing.
Oh, absolutely. I also think the skeletons were pink, were they not?
Yeah.
Yeah, which made it extra funny.
Yeah.
The sad note at the party, which everyone is devastated online about, is that scene where Nick and Tao are sat together and they don't say anything. Tao's just like, can I join you? and And Nick says, yeah. And then he sits down and kind of puts his arm around Nick and Nick, who had been looking away then puts his head into Tao's chest and cries on him like a little baby. And it's very emotional and very sad, but it's also in symmetry with, in both of the previous seasons we have scenes where Nick and Charlie escape parties together and sit down because they just need a moment and they they say in Paris, like, we're always doing this, we're always escaping parties together and It's very sad and shows how much he misses Charlie, but also how far his relationship with Tao has come
Yeah
and all of the friends. It's just really beautiful, I think.
Yeah
It symbolizes a lot. I've also seen a lot of people say that, like, now they need another party so Nick and Charlie can escape together again. But then also the next party that they know of canonically is one where they fight and don't talk for two weeks after. So maybe not.
yeah Yeah, maybe not. I thought this was very fun that in season two for prom Darcy throws out a bunch of ideas of like what her and what they and Tara should dress as and one of the ideas that they throw out is
Fiona and Shrek.
Shrek and Fiona and Tara's like that's not what you wear for prom so I liked that in this Halloween party they were dressed as Fiona and Shrek.
They were and It was so funny because it's so bad too. Like the Fiona's not too bad.
Yeah, it's not done great.
The Shrek so bad.
And the wig is like back here from her hairline, like there's visible hair sticking out.
Yeah. And on that note, what's a costume note that was hilarious was apparently Imogen was sending Nick ideas of couples costumes before the party. And then he shows up in a Captain America costume and she's like, you were supposed to be my Ken. And she's dressed as Barbie. And it's just like, it's so cute and very Imogen that she would say, well, your boyfriend's not here right now, so you're going to be in a couple's costume with me.
Yes, yes, a reasonable expectation of hers.
honestly like I would love a friend like that who's like well you're gonna be sad you can't have a couples costume with your actual couple so it's us
Yeah yeah
there are also really sweet details while Nick is while Charlie is in treatment of him with stuff from Nick like he wears a lot of Nick's jumpers while he's in treatment and he Has this like stuffed lemur that Nick got him at the zoo in the previous episode because he said it reminded him of Charlie and he sleeps with it ah Which I thought were really sweet
We already mentioned this, but Kit and Joe both said that they believe this is the best episode of Heartstopper ever so far. Something fun that I kind of mentioned right at the top of this episode but that there is some storytelling through music throughout this season. And one of those moments we get in this episode, the kiss that they have at the treatment center when Nick goes to visit Charlie for the first time is the same music that was played during their first kiss at the party in season one.
Which I didn't notice. Did you notice that or did you just look it up?
That one I noticed, there's one later on that I think will be in our next episode, I think in episode seven or eight, that I didn't notice that one I read, but this one I did notice.
I think this is an original score song, right? Not
Yep
not like the pop songs This is like a...doo doo
Uh huh It's like a more of a sound, I guess, than music, but still music.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's that doo-doo kind of pitter-patter heartbeat fluttery sound, yeah. I also want to shout out Tobie who plays Isaac ah for this whole season, but especially this, I guess it it was in my notes for this episode, but it keeps going because I feel like obviously we talk about how talented this cast is, how relatively unknown they were, and how great of a job that Kit and Joe are doing. Kit and Joe obviously have very meaty roles to work with. But I just feel like Tobie has grown a lot as an actor not that he was ever bad. He was never ever bad He was always good But I feel like he's grown a lot and especially his comedic timing in this season and his deliveries on things It's just like so good. He he made me laugh almost all the time
Yeah, and the trust that like Alice and the other producers and directors I feel like have even put into his character as Tobie because they've given him like more moments just on him and more lines and more like places where he has to be comedic like you can tell that there's more trust in him to perform as an actor too and he always delivers.
and He's such a funny individual that I've noticed from videos, and it's fun seeing that spill into his portrayal of Isaac.
Yeah.
Okay, quotes? These are all mine. You didn't have any. There's just a really funny bit where in Nick's side when he's talking about how he started going to the treatment center with the Spring family, he's sat in the conics to Tori and he journals, I'm still not sure if Tori likes me. And then later on the Charlie side when Tori is talking to Charlie about how he should call Nick, she says, he's my favorite.
Mhmm
Which is like so funny that Nick is like, I don't even know if she likes me and she's like, he's my favorite.
Yeah.
And then this goes to the to the point about Tobie's delivery is in the video at the end of the video that Tao made for Charlie. Tao says, I just want to say when you get out, we've got a lot planned. And Isaac goes, do we? Oh, God.
yeah
Oh, so that's that's where we're gonna end this episode I think because we've got four more episodes to talk about and and don't worry we made it through all the sad stuff and next we just go through the h0rny stuff
Yeah, we get a little bit of fun, a lot of h0rny. It will be, you know, still discussing some of the same topics, but definitely a lighter episode. So be sure to check out our are part two covering episodes five through eight. Please follow us on all of our social media. Nineties babies nostalgia, spell out the word nineties, but on TikTok, use the numbers there. Also, if you have a moment, rate and review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts as it really helps us out. And with that one, we'll see you in the next one. Bye.
Stay gay.
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