Heartstopper season 3 is finally on Netflix, so it is time to dive back into the story of Nick, Charlie and their friends. And if there is anything we’ve learned from previous seasons, it is that navigating first loves is not necessarily a walk in the park, and season 3 should continue to show that.
Let’s recap this new episode of Heartstopper and see how Nick continues to worry about Charlie’s mental state, how Tao wants to have the most romantic summer ever and why Charlie is struggling to say those three words...
NOTE: This post contains spoilers for Heartstopper season 3 episode 1, “Love”.
The time has come to declare those feelings. It’s a warm summer day and Charlie’s sister, Tori, is on her way to get refreshments when she hears her sibling rehearsing his declaration of love to Nick in front of the mirror. As Tori is surprised Charlie hasn’t expressed his feelings for Nick yet, Charlie confesses he is worried his boyfriend might not be ready to say “I love you” too, and he certainly doesn’t want to hear an awkward “thank you” as an answer when he gathers up the courage to say it.
But the pressure is on because Nick is about to head off for a 3-week vacation and Charlie would really like to say what he needs to say before the boy is gone. Tori insists he does it that day while Charlie and his friends are at the beach.
The whole Paris Squad (Darcy, Tara, Elle, Tao, Sahar, Imogen, Isaac, Charlie and Nick) then meet up at the beach and it is clear love is in the air for most of the crew. Between Tao and Elle who visit all the ice cream parlors and local shops, unable to unglue from each other, to Darcy and Tara and Nick and Charlie, pretty much everyone is showing off their romance.
Except for Isaac who, as you may recall from last season, has come to understand he is asexual, and probably aromantic too as he comes to tell Charlie. The two friends have a heartfelt conversation about how Isaac doesn’t have the same interest in being with someone as all the others do, and Charlie invites him to share that information with the rest of their friends. Isaac, however, prefers to keep it to himself, unwilling to have to explain what asexuality and aromanticism are to the rest of the crew.
Love concerns
While Tao and Elle are being ridiculously all over each other, exchanging adorable gifts and swearing to have the most romantic summer ever, Nick is keeping a close eye on Charlie. In fact, as much as Charlie wants to talk to Nick about his feelings, Nick wants to talk to Charlie about his concerns regarding his mental health.
During the squad’s lunch break, Nick notices that Charlie has not touched his fish and chips. He can tell something is up but doesn’t know how to talk to Charlie about it. When they all go back to the seafront, Nick has a chat with Tara during which she explains how it’s a bit much for her to be living with Darcy at the moment, but she adds that when you love someone and they are in trouble, you do anything to help them. That, of course, strikes a cord with Nick.
At some point, Nick convinces Charlie to go in the water with him and Charlie accepts, although he says he really doesn’t want to take off his shirt (perhaps his eating issues have something to do with body image?). They are having a good time and all feels well so Charlie starts to gather up the courage to tell Nick he loves him. When he starts speaking, it turns out they both have something to say with each other. Thinking Nick is on the same page as him, Charlie tells him to go first. But what comes out of Nick’s mouth is not what Charlie wanted to hear.
Nick explains he suspects that Charlie has an eating disorder. He has been doing research about anorexia and thinks that’s what is going on with Charlie. That throws the latter for a loop and everything goes dark in his head before he tells Nick that he doesn’t think that his boyfriend is correct. Charlie acknowledges he has been struggling but he doesn’t believe things are “that bad.” And Nick cannot do much more at this point but drop the topic. What Charlie fails to see then, is that what Nick said comes from a place of love, and that if he said that, it is because he too loves Charlie.
Those three words
Back from the beach, Tao is making a mess in his mother’s kitchen, desperately trying to cook for the romantic candlelit dinner he promised Elle earlier on in the episode. She can tell Tao is being way over the top and keeps wanting to impress her as if he is afraid she is going to dump him if he is not the best boyfriend 100% of the time. He explains he wants their summer to be perfect and for them to have the best time before she goes off to Lambert, but he fails to see that Elle is happy to be with him regardless of what they do together.
Over at Tara’s, it’s time for another tough conversation as Tara explains to Darcy that she should consider moving in with her grandmother. As much as Tara loves her, she says she also needs her personal space and that living together is a bit overwhelming for her. Darcy seems a little saddened by this, but she quickly accepts Tara’s truth.
Meanwhile, at Nick’s, Charlie is nibbling on toasts and taking digs at Marvel movies (the show clearly poking fun at the fact that Joe Locke is now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe through Disney Plus’s Agatha All Along), and Nick packs his bag for his vacation before going off to take a shower.
While he waits for him, Charlie gets a text from his mother asking him to come home as it’s getting late. Charlie cannot really wait around for much longer so he goes to knock on the bathroom door to tell Nick he has to go. But that’s not all. It’s now or never: Charlie has something else to say. He tells Nick what he really wanted to tell him when they were in the sea and manages to finally say “I love you.” And on the other side of the door, still covered in soap, Nick is speechless.
Embarrassed, Charlie leaves and a distraught Nick ends up jumping out of the shower to chase him, hardly taking the time to dress and put on shoes before he is chasing him down the street. Nick manages to catch up with Charlie and throws himself at him, hugging him and asking him to repeat what he said. When Charlie complies, Nick says it back, and cue the fireworks, the butterflies, and all that jazz. All is well in the world because they love each other and they are so darn cute.
But is it really all well? The eating disorder elephant is still in the room, so as Nick heads off to vacation, will the expression of his love for Charlie be enough to keep his boyfriend from spiraling down further?
Find out the answers to all your burning questions in the next episode of Heartstopper, now available on Netflix.
