I loathe PDA (public displays of affection).
Please don’t hold hands with your partner. And please, please, please do not kiss. Far too many times, I have witnessed it both in booths at work and sadly even in the school hallways.
I see it enough in my day-to-day life that I don’t need to cringe as I watch the lovey-dovey couples on TV engage in way too much PDA.
My issue with PDA may stem from the fact that I am single and do not understand the want to be that physically close to my partner at all times, but nonetheless, I wish to not be confronted with affection constantly.
The second season of Heartstopper is filled to the brim with PDA. The characters will full-on make out in school, and it seems as though they can never stop touching each other, whether it be holding hands or just sitting extremely close.
They both get a lot of development in their relationship and simply as characters, which I highly appreciate. A lot of shows forget to give characters personalities outside of their partners, but Heartstopper made Nick and Charlie obviously different people.
The excessive amount of cringe couple moments is really my only complaint, though. Overall, the show is really good. The plot follows a group of friends, established in season one, as they go on a field trip to Paris, France. We see a lot of character and relationship development on the trip that carries over into their lives back home.
I absolutely love the characters and how real they are. They all look like real teenagers and act like real teenagers, which is a representation lacking in Hollywood. The two main characters are Nick and Charlie—played by Kit Conner and Joe Locke—who are also the main relationship. I do believe they rely a little too much on each other, but it is undoubtedly true that they are adorable together. They both develop a lot in their relationship and simply as characters, which I highly appreciate. A lot of shows forget to give characters personalities outside of their partners, but Heartstopper made Nick and Charlie obviously their own people. Charlie becomes more confident in himself and courageous enough to talk about the mental issues he is suffering from. Nick becomes more comfortable with himself and with his sexuality.
We also get to see more of the boys’ families, which we saw almost none of in the first season; it added more layers to the development the two characters underwent. We also see the friend group that started to form in season one in full bloom, and I absolutely love their friendships. They are all so supportive of each other and are so sweet and genuine. It was nice to see Nick and Charlie interact so much with other people.
I also adore the set. The high school looks like a high school, not some high-tech, small college or an unrealistic, obvious set. There are also beautiful shots in Paris that made me ever so jealous that I was not wandering the streets with the characters. I truly can only complain about the unnecessary amounts of PDA; besides that, I absolutely love Hearstopper. I cannot wait for season three to come out so I can binge the spectacularly heartwarming show.
