After decades of tragic gay romances, Heartstopper finally hits the small screen to fill our fictions with sweetness and empathy. By showing adorable teenagers and a sensitive love story, this Netflix series shakes up the narratives of the genre.
In 2017, Alice Oseman published the first volume of her graphic novel Heartstopping. First conceived as a webtoon, a comic strip to be read on the Internet, this fiction brought together a large community of virtual fans before being crowned with success in bookstores. Since then, it has been difficult to miss this four-part saga, adapted last month as a series on Netflix.
Heartstopping depicts the romance between two English boys. Charlie, an introverted musician with a bit of a geek, meets Nick, a very popular rugby player. One is gay and was harassed after being forced out a few months earlier. The other thinks he is straight, but in reality has questioned his sexuality little. Together, they will begin a love story so cute that it is impossible not to fall for their wonderful romance.
In the pantheon of queer series
Thanks to an airy atmosphere and pastel colors, Heartstopping develops a sweet and delicate universe, lulled by a pop soundtrack to perfection. The realization even regularly pays homage to the original drawn format, by inserting pretty animated transitions. On the casting side, Joe Locke (Charlie) and Kit Connor (Nick) compose magnificent characters, with emotions on edge.
Heartstopping thus blows a long-awaited breath of fresh air on the large family of queer characters. It even enters directly into the Pantheon of the best series of the genre. It must be said that gay and lesbian romances rarely get their happy ending. Of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to The 100 Passing by How to Get Away with Murder Where looking, dramas, toxic lovers and ill-being are much more often explored than fulfilling relationships. Only series like Sense 8 were, until then, the exception to the rule.
A sweet storytelling
With its cozy aesthetic and its important themes without being heavy, we must admit that Heartstopping is doing a world of good for LGBTQIA+ morale and representation. Of course, we talk about coming out, harassment, gender transition or internalized homophobia. But these topics are tackled in the middle of so many others and, above all, they do not define the characters of the series.
Nick and Charlie have a wide range of qualities, faults and areas of interest, and thrive in many aspects of their lives. Alongside them, other characters are also developed to their true worth. We thus meet Tao, a jaded cinephile, Isaac, passionate about literature, Elle, who changes high school after her transition or Tara and Darcy, a solid and happy couple.
A bias of great sweetness that clashes with the rest of the productions of the genre. But the eight episodes of this first season are not content to break the codes of queer fiction. They also focus on providing a more diverse portrayal of adolescence as a whole.
Finally, introverted and nice teenagers
Euphoria, Skins, Genera+ion, Sex Education… Series for teenagers regularly embody this pivotal period with great reinforcements of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. Heartstopping takes the opposite view of these tales of hangover and melancholy spleen, to offer endearing, playful and rather wise characters. Milkshakes, movie nights, high school brass band and bowling parties are the daily life of Nick, Charlie and their gang. But that’s what makes the series so charming, as pointed out in particular by The Guardian a few weeks ago.
If the rebellious and popular teens have enjoyed decades of representation on the small screen, the teenagers shy, fans of Donnie Darkoof naruto or artistic practices of all kinds, have rarely had their hour of glory. The supercharged musical Glee began to change the game in the early 2000s, but since then, Euphoria had marked the great return of adolescent debauchery.
Heartstopping finally offers worthy representation to all those left behind, without ever treating them as victims, as is usually the case. On the contrary, these characters are strong, interesting and complex.
Heartstopper looks a lot more like our teenage years than Euphoria
One could perhaps say to oneself that this narration eludes the reality of adolescent debauchery to focus on prudish protagonists who are far too nice to be true. We will surely have to wait for the next season, which should cover volumes 3 and 4 of the graphic novel, to see more serious themes appear, especially around mental health. But Heartstopping is unique in that she always finds lightness, even in the most difficult moments.
And, truth be told, the series feels more like the teenage years of many of us, than any episode ofEuphoria. It is so pleasant to finally be able to identify with benevolent, tender, but realistic experiences of the torments of this complex time.
As well as Sex Education before it, the English series contributes its stone to the building of better, fairer and more diversified representation. Heartstopping gives gay, introverted teens the coolness they deserve, and that’s why we love it.
