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‘HEARTSTOPPER’: INSI THE GAY TEEN ROM-COM EVERYONE IS SWOONG OVERAWW!NETFLIXA TOTALLY CHILL AND NOT-AT-ALL OVERENTHIASTIC GUI TO EVERYTHG “HEARTSTOPPER” THAT HAS FANS LOSG THEIR MDS. (SURPRISE, ’S OLIVIA COLMAN!) WARNG: SOME SPOILERS.FLETCHER PETERSENTERTAMENT REPORTERUPDATED APR. 22, 2022 3:14PM EDT / PUBLISHED APR. 22, 2022 3:05PM EDT AS SUNNY DAYS AND SUMMER FLGS APPROACH, NETFLIX IS HEATG THGS UP WH A NEW ROMANCE SERI—BUT ONE THAT’S ALMOST TOO STICKY SWEET. SCRATCH THAT, ACTUALLY—HEARTSTOPPER IS SO ADORABLE. IT’S PERFECT! I LOVE ! IT N DO NO WRONG!WH A DITED FAN BASE SGG S PRAIS ALL OVER SOCIAL MEDIA, A TWEE SOUNDTRACK RIPPED STRAIGHT OM A 2010’S TUMBLR ACUNT, AND THE SWEETT TWO YOUNGSTERS PLAYG THE LEADS, HEARTSTOPPER WILL, WELL, STOP YOUR HEART. (AND NO, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR THAT RNY PUN.)MORE REALISTILLY, WILL: MAKE YOUR HEART SKIP A BEAT, FLIP AROUND AND FLUTTER WH JOY, SHATTER TO A LN PIEC, ETC.—ALL THE SWOONY HALLMARK THGS—AS LTLE CHARLIE (JOE LOCKE) EXPERIENC THE EPIC HIGHS AND LOWS OF HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL ( ENGLAND ’S LLED “GBY,” I GUS). CHARLIE IS GAY, SO DATG AT HIS ALL-BOYS SCHOOL ISN’T EASY. HIS FIRST FLG SEEMS REALLY TO HIM, DASHG AROUND THE SCHOOL TO MAKE OUT RNERS AND EXPRSG THEIR FEELGS FOR EACH OTHER OVER INSTAGRAM DMS. BUT HE WON’T GO PUBLIC.THAT SADNS ONLY LASTS A LTLE WHILE, WHICH IS ONE OF HEARTSTOPPER’S CHARMS: EVEN THOUGH CHARLIE FAC PLENTY OF WALLFLOWER ISSU, HE’S STILL PRETTY NFINT ABOUT BEG GAY AND GETS A REAL, THRIVG ROMANCE OF HIS OWN WH ANOTHER BLOKE. ENTER NICK (K CONNOR), A SPORTS BRO WHO RECS CHARLIE FOR THE GBY TEAM. NICK DON’T JT STT ALL HANDSOME AND CHARMG TO TAKE CHARLIE’S BREATH AWAY, THERE’S A FUN TWIST WH HIS CHARACTER—BUT MORE ON THAT LATER. THEIR CHEMISTRY IS JAW-DROPPING. SERLY: IF YOU LOVE ROM-S, G-OF-AGE, OR REALLY, ANYTHG THAT FALLS UNR THE “FEEL GOOD” TEGORY OF TV, HEARTSTOPPER IS A JAM. SPEAKG OF JAMS, HERE’S ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLSE FOR THE MIC—FEATURG, FOR EXAMPLE, “DON’T DELETE THE KISS” BY WOLF ALICE, FRANKIE COSMOS, MAGGIE ROGERS, ETC.—WHICH MANAG TO F THE VIBE OF THE PROJECT AND SOUND LIKE WAS RIPPED STRAIGHT OM CHARLIE’S SPOTIFY.ALICE OSEMAN’S ORIGAL WEBIC, HEARTSTOPPER HAS A RABID BUILT- FAN BASE. THEY ARRIVED DROV AS SOON AS THE BATCH OF EIGHT EPISOS LAND ON NETFLIX. THEIR FAWNG OVER THE HEARTSTOPPER LOVERS MA THE SERI IMMEDIATELY SOAR TO THE TRENDG PAGE OF TWTER WH AN OUTPOURG OF SUPPORT FOR THE ADAPTATN.FANS ARE PECIALLY STCK BY THE AMOUNT OF PARALLELS THE SERI HAS TO THE WEBIC, GRATEFUL THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH RPECT FOR S SOURCE MATERIAL. REMEMBER THAT PEN EXPLOSN EPISO 1? THAT’S STRAIGHT OM THE IC. ADVERTISEMENT WE’RE NOT EVEN AT THE BT PART OF THE SHOW YET, THOUGH. THAT EPISO 1, RIGHT AROUND THE END OF THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SHOW: AMY AWARD-WNER OLIVIA COLMAN MAK A SURPRISE APPEARANCE AS NICK’S SUPPORTIVE MOTHER. WHEN I FIRST SAW HER FACE—TALK ABOUT HEART-STOPPG! (AGA, I WILL NOT APOLOGIZE!)OSEMAN HAD THE SAME REACTN AFTER COLMAN JOED THE ST. “I LERALLY THOUGHT THIS WAS THE STUPIST IA EVER,” OSEMAN RELLED WHEN COLMAN’S NAME WAS FIRST MENTNED. “I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO WAY SHE WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS OR ANYONE FAMO WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS. I WAS PROVEN WRONG!” NETFLIX THE HEARTSTOPPER FANS HAVE IMMEDIATELY WELED COLMAN TO THEIR UNIVERSE, CELEBRATG HER TOUCHG SCENE LATER THE SEASON—SPOILER ALERT!—WHEN SHE LOVGLY ACCEPTS HER SON AFTER HE OUT TO HER.“THANK YOU #HEARTSTOPPER FOR GIVG NICK NELSON,” ONE ER SHARED, “TO SEE HIM FIGURE HIMSELF OUT, UNRSTAND HE IS BI AND TELL HIS MUM ON HIS OWN TERMS HIS OWN TIME AND FOR HER TO JT HUG HIM.” ADVERTISEMENT OH, AND JOE LOCKE, WHO PLAYS NICK, N NOW LL COLMAN HIS “UNOFFICIAL MOTHER--LAW” HIS INSTAGRAM B. JT ONE MORE ADDN TO THE SEA OF MANY REASONS TO LOVE HEARTSTOPPER! FLETCHER PETERS
In Bully, the seventh episo, Harry even a homophobic slur, cg a fistfight wh Nick.
Harry Greene, at least ont he surface is the popular, but que homophobic and mean; throwg sults disguised as jok. Charlie is gay, so datg at his all-boys school isn’t easy.
But he won’t go sadns only lasts a ltle while, which is one of Heartstopper’s charms: even though Charlie fac plenty of wallflower issu, he’s still pretty nfint about beg gay and gets a real, thrivg romance of his own wh another bloke. Harry's homophobia and bullyg was absolutely unacceptable, and I feel like his character was handled appropriately both the show and the ic.