‘Heartstopper’ Season 2 Review: Bi, Actually

Coming out is always an unfinished process. It’s not a single social media post or a mass email. Whether it’s friends, family, work, school, strangers or yourself, it’s an ongoing, ever-evolving one. That process, in all of its worry, success, failure, and triumph is once again one of the main themes of the second season of Heartstopper, based on the wildly popular young adult comics by author Alice Oseman.

When we left our young heroes Nick (Emmy Award winner Kit Connor, just superb this season) and Charlie (Joe Locke) after Charlie’s severe bullying and forced coming out at school at the hands of Ben (Sebastian Croft), the pair finally united as boyfriends, albeit in secret to most, sharing a season-long awaited kiss and entered their summer vacation together rather blissfully on the beach. Season two takes place immediately after and while it took an entire season for our duo to lock in that moment, the first 10 minutes is a glorious montage of nonstop summer kissing bliss.

This time the coming out is Nick’s turn, and while some of the inner sanctum of their friendship group knows, as well as his mother (the sublime Olivia Colman, back this season with much more to do), he’s met with the challenge of when and how to tell his rugby teammates, his jerk brother and estranged father, the latter two who are introduced this season. “I want you to come out when and how you want to,” Charlie says, emotionally offering Nick something he himself was robbed of. But everyone’s immediate assumption that he’s gay, when he’s bisexual, a point that becomes a bit of a funny running joke throughout the season as with each exclamation of ‘You’re gay?’ he responds with “I’m bi, actually.” 

It’s no coincidence that Nick’s path takes a page out of Connor’s own coming out process from last year, where he was hounded online by accusations of ‘queerbaiting’ as he had not talked openly about his sexuality in public and was seen holding hands with actress Maia Reficco, his co-star in indie film A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. This led to what Connor called a “forced” coming out, taking to Twitter before taking an extended break from social media to say, “I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18-year-old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.” 

Soon we’re off to France on a class field trip, where the season spends about half of its time, and even as Nick and Charlie agree to keep their relationship status a secret, it’s constantly tested as the pair has to share a room and bed with Isaac (Tobie Donovan) and Tao (a delightfully giddy William Gao) for the excursion, taking precious moments alone where they can. A hickey may or may not be involved. But it’s not just Nick and Charlie exploring options and opportunities as Tao and Elle (an effervescent Yasmin Finney), best friends since childhood and before Elle’s transition, begin to flirt with the idea of, well, flirting. Awkward dates, fumbled kisses and an excursion to an art museum in Paris increases the romantic potential between the two friends, who may be torn apart before they can even get together as Elle considers a far out of town art school for university.

Girlfriends Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) find their relationship starting to hit the rocks and The City of Love finds a whole new and surprising romance start to flourish that proves to be quite a lovely example of how the coming out process finds each person at their right time. Meanwhile, as everyone is pairing off, Isaac begins his own path to self-discovery, first through the very out new student James (James McEwan) and onto a new realization all his own. Throughout the season, secrets are revealed and, if you’re a reader of the graphic novel series, we get a peek into Charlie’s struggle with body dysmorphia and what challenges he and Nick will face.

If there’s another, and perhaps more important, theme of season two it’s recognizing that when you’ve been wronged, accepting apologies doesn’t have to come with the caveat of requirement-based forgiveness. Where “I’m sorry,” even in earnest, doesn’t have to be met with an “It’s ok” platitude that dilutes the self worth of the hurt party. It’s careful not to present it in a state of finality or totality or that what they’ve suffered makes them rebuff others. It’s an example of emotional maturity that we rarely see presented for or about a teen audience, and while it may be a bit ahead of itself in reality (that level of self-care often isn’t achieved without therapy or years of growth), it nevertheless serves as a shining example of possibility.

One of Heartstopper’s greatest strengths continues to be, and credit due to Oseman and director Euros Lyn, is understanding that not all high schools are Euphoria or Sex Education, and neither are their audiences, but that all deserve to occupy the same space. That patience can be a virtue, that conversations about sex, sexuality and gender can be the most beneficial form of intimate communication, and all doing so without coming off as prudent or pious. It reveals the act of LGBTQ+ love for what it’s always been, an act of defiance and a revolutionary one in all its forms and expression.

Grade: A-

The 8-episode second season of Heartstopper will stream exclusively on Netflix beginning August 3.