Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Tobie Donovan, William Gao, Yasmin Finney

When Out, episode one of the new season of Heartstopper, begins, we are instantly transported back to creator Alice Oseman’s hopeful world of Nick and Charlie- their budding romance, queer friends, allies and teachers all alongside animated hearts, leaves and rainbows, incredible music and Adiescar Chase’s familiar score.

The episode picks up right where we left off - Nick and Charlie (the Emmy winning Kit Connor and future Marvel star Joe Locke) are boyfriends, Nick having just come out to his Mom. Elle (Yasmin Finney) still has her crush on Tao (William Gao), Tara and Darcy continue to be high school lesbian relationship goals and Isaac (Tobie Donovan) still loves his books! All that said, season two of Heartstopper is so much more than a continuation of these storylines. There is a deepening to the material and a confidence to, not only Alice Oseman’s writing, but also the incredible direction by Euros Lynn, who we hope returns for every season to come!

It’s at the end of this first episode that we get our first true glimpse of where the season is headed (even though we were given plenty of hints in season 1). You can see it in Tori’s eyes as she looks at Charlie as he declares to her that “everything’s gonna be perfect” that we begin to wonder how deep this season might go.

It’s a direction that those of us who, post season 1, binged Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper comics as well as the novel Solitaire and novella’s, Nick and Charlie and This Winter already know.

To say that my expectations of season two were stratospheric is an understatement. How would the Heartstopper team manage to address not only Charlie’s mental health, but also keeping one of his greatest bullies, Ben (played so well by Sebastian Croft) in the main storyline? Could Heartstopper the series, which has been positioned as a show for teens, truly delve into the difficulties the characters in the slightly more "mature” comics face? And would the translation from comic to screen maintain those beloved “Heartstopper Moments” we fell in love with in S1 while not shying away from the very important trajectory of the comics?

There are so many things I want to say about season two, but let’s get a few wonderful things out of the way. Season two is indeed great. (Whew, I know!) Oseman manages to effortless add new characters such as new teacher Mr. Farouk (Nima Taleghani), Sahar (Leila Khan), Elle’s new friends Naomi and Felix (Bel Priestley and Ash Self), while expanding others such as Charlie’s Mom Jane (Georgina Rich), Coach Singh (Chetna Pandya) and James McEwan, played by season standout Bradley Riches, who had a very small cameo in season one and now shares a wonderful arc with our beloved Isaac. Not to mention Tori (the fantastic Jenny Walker) and Olivia Colman as Nick’s mom Sarah.

The world of Heartstopper S2, just like the comics, expands to Paris with a very fun school trip that takes our teens away from their parents, opening the door for revelations about our beloved characters. Are things truly as good as they seem for Tara and Darcy? Will Elle give in or give up her crush on Tao? And what of our leads Nick and Charlie? Is Nick really ok with coming out? Is Charlie being fully honest with himself and Nick about the effects of his past or is he simply pretending that everything is “perfect?” With only their teachers as chaperones, how far will Nick and Charlie’s relationship go when they are finally alone? Sure, our characters kiss (alot!), but how the show manages to portray their burgeoning attraction while also maintaining Heartstopper’s much loved innocence is a perfect balance you will have to see for yourself.

Here I go into a little spoilery territory. Not too much…but if you are unfamiliar with what happens in the comics or want to remain completely spoiler free, come back to this another time.

The second season of Heartstopper surpassed my own expectations of what this very talented team could do. They succinctly maintain season one’s Heartstoppery tone while also continuing to authentically deal with very real teen issues such as bullying, coming out, homophobia, divorce, mental health and one we rarely see portrayed, particularly with queer characters - eating disorders.

For me, a queer person like so many other adults who connected to the show, I can certainly see myself in Charlie and his struggles.

In my work, outside of making and writing about movies I talk to and do my best to help the real Charlies of the world. The “eating thing,” so delicately named by Nick, brilliantly portrayed yet again by Kit Connor, is certainly not shied away from as I might have feared. Seeing Kit type in the worlds “eating disorder” on this show beloved by teens and adults alike was an overwhelming moment for me, as was the final 8 minutes of the season. Although things are clearly not as perfect as Charlie declared they would be in the first episode, the title of the eighth episode, Perfect, is more than fitting.

In the end, friendship and love take center stage in a beautiful sequence accompanied by Taylor Swift! I won’t give away how our lesbian couple gets here, but those 8 minutes begin with a very intimate and well acted scene with Tara and Darcy (Corinna Brown and Kizzy Edgell) that prepares us emotionally for what’s to come in the episodes last moments. The final exchange by Connor and Locke is one of the best executed examples of what really happens inside and out for those affected by mental health and eating disorders, while maintaining the reality of these teen characters. It is the perfect culmination of great writing, directing acting and cinematography (Season two was shot by Simona Susnea).

As the season ends, with an almost text and a worried look, despite the challenges ahead for our characters, we are left with hope for what’s to come in season 3. And when it comes to mental health, hope is the perfect start.

Heartstopper, season 2 - "everything's gonna be perfect!"