Nick and Charlie have taken the next step in their relationship and while everything is great between them, the fact that Nick will soon have to make a decision about uni is weighing on him.
Let’s recap what happened in the last episode of Heartstopper season 3.
NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Heartstopper season 3 episode 8, “Apart”.
The deed is done. Charlie and Nick just had sex, and it went so well that they can’t believe they waited this long and now think they are going to need to practice more. Charlie is relieved Nick didn’t mind that he kept his shirt on, and all is well. As Charlie jokes that Nick has been doing research on the other things they could do in the sex category, he grabs his laptop to check his browsing history and sees that Nick has been looking at unis.
There’s the University of Kent, which is close by, but also other places that are quite far away, which Charlie points out. Nick explains he and the girls are going on a road trip to check them out, but that his top choices are local because he has been worried about being away from his boyfriend. They are interrupted by the sound of Nick’s mother coming home, and Charlie jumps out of Nick’s bed, frantically looking for his jeans.
Returning home, Charlie runs into a smiling Tori who obviously knows full well what her brother has been up to. His parents are also waiting for him to have a chat, especially his mom who apologizes for being overbearing and quick to anger, just like her own mother used to be with her. Charlie knows she has been worried about him and that he has been ill, but he explains he simply wants to live the life of a normal teenager. Unaware that Nick and Charlie had sex, his mother insists that boyfriend sleepovers can be a big deal emotionally and asks that he waits until after his exams are over before spending the night at Nick’s.
Oh well, over the following days, Charlie tells Tao and Isaac about losing his virginity, and he and Nick keep…practicing between study sessions and exams.
The uni trip
As Charlie practices with Sahar’s band to play at an upcoming fête and applies to be head boy in sixth form, Nick goes on a uni trip with Elle, Imogen and Tara. They first stop at the University of Kent which is, as Elle points out, “literally 15 minutes away” from Turham. The girls don’t want to go to school so close to home, and it’s clear the main reason Nick is considering it is because it would allow him to be near Charlie.
The next stop is Oxford, where they spend a night and Nick and Imogen share a room. She confides in him that she has come to realize she never really fancied him, or any of her boyfriends. “I don’t think I ever liked a boy actually,” she says before adding that she doesn’t know who she is. “You are my friend,” Nick tells her.
When they tour Oxford, which is the university everyone expects Tara to go to, she finds out that she hates it. But what now? That was supposed to be the plan so what is she going to do with her life? She ponders the question with her friends as they address the option of a gap year (it’s Darcy’s plan, hence why they aren’t on this trip). However, before any decision is made, the conversation switches topic when Elle brings up the fact that Nick and Charlie have been having sex. In fact, the girls get so involved in the subject that they take him to a pharmacy where he can buy condoms and lubricant. Leave it to the girls to make sure the boys are being sexually active in a healthy way.
Last stop is the University of Leeds and Nick immediately loves it. They have the courses he is interested in (sports science or psychology, he isn’t sure yet), a rugby team, a cool campus, what’s not to like? Well, the fact that it’s four hours away from Charlie. When the girls ask him about it, Nick admits he thinks going to Leeds would hurt Charlie, and Elle points out that he always puts the needs of others above his own, and that this time he has to put himself first. When Nick admits that he is also unsure of who he is without Charlie, Tara adds that “maybe it’s time to find out.”
The new and improved Charlie
Charlie has been doing a lot better. Sure he still has moments where he feels down, but overall his mental health has improved a lot. During a session with his therapist, he even asks if they can now meet fortnightly instead of weekly. Charlie is concerned that his intrusive thoughts will never completely go away, but he seems to have found a better way to handle them, especially now that he has realized he can count on the support of his friends and family, and not just Nick’s.
Getting ready to perform with Sahar’s band, we later find Charlie looking at himself in the mirror, shirtless, and as he decides what to wear, this time he picks a T-shirt and not a jumper that would hide his scars. That too is a sign that things are looking up for Charlie.
As he, Tao, and the others hang out at the fête, waiting for Nick and co. to return from the uni trip, Michael comes to find Charlie, explaining that Tori has been avoiding him since he asked her about them being boyfriend and girlfriend. He doesn't care about the label as much as he just wants to know where they stand. Charlie goes off to find his sister and they go on a ferris wheel ride. She refuses to say how she feels about Michael and Charlie tells her she has a lot of love to give, and that it doesn’t all need to go to him. He is okay now, and Tori can allow herself to open up to somebody. She ends up returning to Michael, although the status of their relationship remains a complete mystery.
Meanwhile, Nick and the girls are stuck in traffic and running late. Nick is worried that Charlie needs him there for the performance, but actually Charlie is doing fine. Sure he seems a bit nervous before going on stage but he finds comfort in the sight of his friends and family. So when Nick finally arrives mid-song, he sees a happy and smiling Charlie banging on his drum set.
Later on, Charlie’s parents leave him to spend the rest of the night with Nick, and the friends group has fun at the fête. Elle even tells Tao that she has been considering going to art school in Europe, maybe in Paris or Berlin, and he thinks it’s a great idea. Although he will need to find a job if he wants to come visit her abroad, because his mother will never pay for it.
The episode wraps up in Nick’s bedroom, where he and Charlie can finally have their intimate sleepover. As they get undressed, Charlie allows Nick to take his shirt off. Looking at his shirtless boyfriend, Nick smiles and points out that he is “hot”. Then they have sex again, and they talk and cuddle, and everything is perfect.
Now that’s the end of Heartstopper season 3, but obviously the story is not over yet. The question of where Nick will go to uni and how that will affect his relationship with Charlie remains, but we’ll have to wait until Netflix officially renews the show for a fourth season to find out.
All episode of Heartstopper season 3 are available on Netflix now.
