Heartstopper season 4 Op/Ed (SPOILER ALERT)

(photo courtesy of Netflix)

On Thursday, October 3rd, season three of Heartstopper came out on Netflix. Heartstopper fans have long-awaited season three, waiting a whopping year and a half since season two aired in 2023.
by Dayla Wilson

Season three reveals so much more about our favorite characters and features some extreme character development. In season two, we got a glimpse into Charlie’s eating habits, which caused concern among fans. In season three, we get to see the ugly truth: Charlie has an eating disorder. Charlie’s parents and Nick start to become worried about Charlie, and he agrees to get help. 

Charlie leaves home to go to a mental wellness center. He has a tough time there with feeling alone and depressed. A pivotal moment in Charlie’s stay is the first time he calls Nick from the center, which accelerates Charlie’s recovery. On this phone call, Charlie tells Nick he’s been diagnosed with anorexia and OCD.  This does not change Nick’s opinion of Charlie whatsoever. Throughout Charlie’s recovery, Nick is incredibly supportive. He continues to tell Charlie how he’s proud of him and how handsome he is, this really helps Charlie with his body image. 

Another key character development is Nick and Charlie finally connecting on a physical level. Fans have been waiting for this moment since Nick and Charlie first kissed. Throughout the previous seasons, Nick and Charlie had so much chemistry and tension that this moment was a relief to fans. 

Other characters have massive amounts of development as well. Darcy starts to explore using they/them pronouns and being nonbinary. They cut their hair and rock a mullet for the rest of the season. They also moved out of their mom’s house which allowed them to be free and explore their gender and sexuality.

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We also get to see a closer angle of Nick and Tara’s friendship. Tara advises Nick and helps him to be more confident about expanding his relationship with Charlie. Tara, Nick, Imogen, and Elle all go on a road trip to explore colleges they are interested in. Here, Nick falls in love with a mostly queer college called Leeds; the only problem is, it’s four hours away from Charlie. 

Nick is scared to leave Charlie alone, but he’s also just as scared of being without Charlie. Nick opens up to Charlie about how being in the closet caused him to mask his personality and that Charlie helped him to be who he really is. Charlie tells Nick that he would support him no matter what he decides to do, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger. We don’t know what Nick decides to do, but I hope he does decide to go to Leeds. 

Overall, season three has revealed a lot about the characters. It explores themes of body-image issues, physical connections, deepening relationships, and accepting your true self.