Heartstopper (2022)

1. In the comic, Mr. Ajayi's the art teacher at Higgs, so he and Charlie wouldn't interact outside of the Paris trip until he switched to Truham to be closer to Youssef. In the show he's introduced working at Truham and is already Youssef's coworker, and Charlie comes to him for both advice and safe harbor.
2. In the comic, James is implied to be a closeted boy with a crush on Charlie, quietly dejected when Charlie turns him down during Truth or Dare. In the show, he's already out of the closet (meaning Charlie is no longer the only out boy at Truham) and admits he had a crush on Charlie the previous year, but that he's gotten over it because he's pursuing Isaac.

1. Elle's transfer to Harvey Greene Grammar School (a.k.a. Higgs) since coming out as Transgender and her struggle to make new friends.
2. Tara's coming out as a lesbian and announcement of her relationship with Darcy.
3. Tao deals not only with getting bullied for defending Charlie, but also with his own insecurities over the changing dynamic of his friend group after Elle moves to Higgs and Charlie starts spending more time with Nick.

• Season 1 Episode 3 opens with Nick standing silent and scared among his laughing friends after realizing he's probably from the LGBT Community.
• Season 2 has several scenes of Isaac depicted like this, particularly during Tara's birthday party in Paris. This becomes much more pronounced once Tao and Elle get together, leaving Isaac Alone Among the Couples. This eventually leads him to discover that he is asexual and aromantic.

Nick: You say sorry a lot. (Charlie opens his mouth) Don't say it.
Charlie: ...I kind of want to say it.
Nick: Don't!

• In Harry's case, his attempt to apologize to Charlie and Nick for his homophobia, transphobia and generally awful behavior is negated by the fact that he's mostly doing it in an attempt to get an invite to Tara's birthday party. Not to mention the fact he's pressuring Charlie to forgive him publicly. Charlie responds by slamming a door in his face.
• Meanwhile with Ben, he repeatedly harasses and corners Charlie so he can apologize for the assault he committed in Season 1 and end things on good terms before he leaves Truham next year, culminating in him ambushing Charlie. His reformation is not received well with good reason: he never properly apologizes to Charlie, instead repeatedly blaming him for not giving Ben enough time to figure out his sexuality. Despite his sincere regret and desire to change he doesn't actually put in the work to atone nor is self-aware enough to recognize how much he hurt Charlie, instead deflecting and blaming everyone else around him, which is why Charlie wishes him well but refuses to forgive him or accept his apology.

• Unsurprisingly happens in the episode titled "Kiss", Charlie and Nick's first kiss happens at Harry's 16th birthday party.
• Tao and Elle finally kiss at the Louvre, complete with Foot Popping.

1. Charlie: Didn't you hear about Harry Green's fight with Nick and Tao? Both my fault, by the way.
   Tori: I'm like 95% sure they were both Harry's fault, and I wasn't even there.

2. Tori: [to Nick] Look after him, or you die.

3. David: [On the phone] Probably his Drama Queen boyfriend's influence. Yeah. Mate, well, exactly. That's it...
   Tori: [Kicks his phone out of his hands] You are a pathetic little man. Talk about my brother like that again, and I'll end you.

4. Tori: I worry about you, all the time.

5. Charlie: You have so much love to give. You don't have to give it all to me.
   Tori: Well, I wanted to. I'd do it all again.

Ben: You want me to go around telling people about you and Nick?
Charlie: Do you want me to go around telling people about me and you? [Beat]. That's what I thought. Except, I wouldn't do that because I'm a decent person.

• Charlie tells the rugby boys that Nick isn't his type and he'd never fancy him. Although it's to protect him, who is still in the closet, the exchange obviously crushes both of them.
• Charlie later tries to end their relationship so Nick can get his old life back following several fights with Harry. Thankfully, the latter makes it clear that he doesn't want to be saved.

• Tao is fiercely protective of Charlie, Elle and his other friends, and defends them against Harry and the other boys.
• Nick rescues Charlie from Ben in the first episode, calls Harry out on his homophobia, and eventually escalates to physically fighting him.
• Charlie moves into this role in Season 2, shielding Nick from the harassment he suffered when he was outed.

Charlie: Some of the rugby boys are nice.
Nick: Even they just stood there. I'm tired of all of them.

1. Charlie's friend Isaac and Nick's friend Imogen did not exist in the comic and were created solely for the show.
2. In season 2 Elle makes two new friends from the Lambert College of Arts, Naomi and Felix who were also not in the original comic.
3. In season 3 Nick has an aunt, Diane, who wasn't in the original comic

• Nick is a big Marvel fan, with his favourite film being The Avengers (2012), and he dresses up as Captain America during the Halloween party in "Journey". Hayley Atwell, who plays Nick's aunt Diane, appeared in the Captain America films as Steve's love interest Peggy Carter, while Olivia Colman, who plays his mother Sarah would appear in Secret Invasion. Joe Locke, who plays Nick's boyfriend Charlie, also went on to play the teenage Billy Maximoff in Agatha All Along.
• In "Winter", Charlie and Nick watch the Doctor Who Christmas special The Runaway Bride with Nick's family. Yasmin Finney, who plays Elle, appears as the daughter of Catherine Tate's character Donna Noble (who first appears in the aforementioned episode) in the 60th anniversary specials of the series.

1. Nick and Tara had their First Kiss years ago, but grew apart and lost interest. It doesn't stop the rugby team from ribbing him like his crush was still alive, though by that point, he was already developing feelings for Charlie.
2. One-sided with Imogen as well, since he sees her as just a friend but she's had a long-time crush on him and even asks him out, which he is too stunned to turn down... despite already dating Charlie in secret.

1. Darcy for Tara, realizing she was a lesbian because of her.

   Darcy: Tara didn't know she was a lesbian until we'd kissed, like, six times.
   Tara: It was two times.

2. Charlie for Nick, realizing he was bisexual because of him.
3. Imogen for Sahar, realizing she was bisexual because of her.

• Elle, Charlie, Tao and Isaac during their Gossip Evolution about the possibility of Tara and Nick being into each other while seeing Tara and Darcy always together, not figuring out they're dating.
• Nick when everyone else is surprised that he speaks French.

  Sahar: Since when could you speak French like an actual French person?
  Nick: Oh, my dad's French.
  Darcy: Since when?
  Nick: Since his birth?

1. Tara officially comes out as a lesbian on Instagram and adjusts to the gossip and hate speech that arises at school soon afterward.
2. Nick tells his loved ones as well as his mum by the end of the first season that he's bisexual and goes Instagram-official by the end of the second.
3. In season 3, Isaac comes out as Asexual and Aromantic.
4. In season 3, Darcy comes out as nonbinary, trying out "they/them" pronouns.

• Alice Oseman appears as one of the usernames that leaves a positive comment on Tara's account.
• Alice Oseman appears in the Season 1 finale as a train passenger sitting near Nick and Charlie during their trip to the beach.

• Before and during the series Charlie endures bullying, an abusive relationship, and self-confidence issues, but his kindness and longstanding support for Nick wins out, and he finishes the season with a loving boyfriend and happier than he's ever been.
• Meanwhile Nick deals with going from popular rugby king to increasingly isolated, confused, and losing most of his friends. However in doing so he finds genuine friends, stops burying his true self, and ends up with Charlie.

• This continues in the second season, as the Heartstopper graphic novels are on the shelf at the bookshop in Paris and Loveless is on display at the bookshop where Isaac goes to talk to James.

• Elle eats alone in the canteen upon moving to Higgs because she doesn't know anyone there.
• Charlie eats in the corner of the art room when bullying gets bad.

1. Nick and Tara had their first kiss with each other when they were 13.
2. Charlie and Nick have their first kiss at Harry's birthday party.
3. Darcy and Tara also discuss their first kiss, and bicker over whether it took until their second or sixth kiss for Tara to realise she was a lesbian.
4. In season 2 Tao and Elle have theirs in the Louvre on their class trip to Paris, with the dialogue implying that they are each other's first.
5. Satellite Love Interest James kisses Isaac, saying that he's never kissed anyone before. It's not received well by Isaac, due to the fact he is asexual/aromantic.
6. Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk kiss on their shared hotel room.

• Tara is a step ahead of Nick, having already realized she is LGBTQ+ and is in a relationship with Darcy. Like Nick she has a partner who was more confident about their sexual orientation, and whose friendship prompted her to realise she was queer. She comes out earlier than Nick and has to contend with the negative talk about her and her lesbian identity from people at her school.
• Ben, meanwhile, is deep in the closet and is so terrified of being seen as anything but straight that he refuses to acknowledge Charlie in public. He is also extremely inconsiderate of Charlie's needs and feelings, only meeting him when he wants and balks when Charlie calls him his boyfriend. This is in complete contrast with Nick, who while hesitant about coming out is nothing but supportive, kind and always cares about Charlie's feelings.

1. Charlie was outed prior to season 1, in Year 9, turning him into a Bully Magnet.
2. David finds out that Nick has a boyfriend by sneaking into his room.

Ben: Sir, I don't wanna go with Nick Nelson.
Mr. Farouk: I don't give a rat's arse, rude boy. Grow up.

1. Sarah Nelson is deeply loving and understanding of Nick, notices how much he cares about Charlie, and offers advice on dating and friendship problems. When Nick comes out to her, she immediately pulls him into a hug and affirms that she loves him.
2. Julio Spring accepts Charlie's sexuality, and reassures him that he's around for support if Truham bullies try anything. Jane Spring also means well, but sometimes she's overbearing.
3. Yan Xu supports Tao and offers him valuable advice.
4. Mariam and Richard Argent are there for Elle, supporting her on her transition and defending her whenever someone is transphobic to her.

1. Everyone assumes Nick and Tara are into each other.
2. When Charlie has a hickey, everyone assumes James did it.

• In the first series finale, Nick abandons the school's rugby match to run off with Charlie.
• Attempted by Tao for Elle with Flowers of Romance and an Important Haircut, all to ask for a date.
  • Once the two of them start dating, he takes her on dates almost every day. She points out that this is Trying Too Hard.

1. Harry has very few, if any redeeming qualities. He's smug, obnoxious, and delights in putting others down and passing it off as "banter". He's an aggressive, homophobic, and transphobic bully who makes a point of annoying and belittling almost everyone he comes across.
2. Ben also qualifies, forcing himself on Charlie in the first episode and being a Crazy Jealous Guy, continuously harassing him in private throughout the first season. Charlie's doubts about his relationship with Nick stem in part from Ben gaslighting him during their dalliance. Ben even threatens to out Nick and Charlie's relationship after Charlie tells him off for a third time, though this results in a Blackmail Backfire. In the second season, he's demeaning and dismissive to Imogen.
3. Nick's Childish Older Sibling David is a homophobic and biphobic asshole who has no respect for Nick or his own mom, and has no redeeming qualities.

1. Stéphane declares that David is not the man he raised after David's attempts to out Nick at dinner cause Nick to snap. Sarah (though she agrees) calls him on this immediately, pointing out that he was barely involved in raising his sons, so he has no place to speak.
2. Previously, Tao got mad at Charlie for constantly spending time with Nick and accused him of abandoning him. However, once he starts dating Elle, he constantly flirts with her, to the point where his friends -especially Isaac- feel like a Third Wheel.

• Elle cryptically explains that there's no way Tara would like Nick back, as she's keeping Tara's secret about being a lesbian.
• Season 2 has James's incompatible a crush on Isaac, who likes James just fine and attempts to reciprocate his crush but is unable to because he is asexual/aromantic.

Mr. Farouk: I need a drink. An alcoholic drink.
Mr. Ajayi: We probably shouldn't drink alcohol.
Mr. Farouk: I need a croissant then.

• Charlie has the tendency to believe this and feels guilty even for situations where he was clearly the victim.

  Tao: I've known Charlie since we were 11, and he's always had a tendency to believe that him just existing is annoying for other people.
  Nick: Yeah. I sort of got that impression.

• Tao blames himself for Charlie being bullied since he was overheard talking to Isaac about Charlie being gay, causing Charlie to be outed to the whole school.

1. Nick and Tara's kiss when they were 13 contributed to Tara realizing she was a lesbian. Subverted from Nick's side, as he genuinely did have a crush on her — which later helps him figure out he's bisexual.
2. Last Allo Romance for Isaac, who after kissing James realizes he doesn't feel the attraction he's "supposed" to feel. This leads to discovering asexuality and aromanticism.

Mr. Farouk: When you don't figure out you're gay until your late 20s, you tend to miss out on those beautiful gay teenage experiences.

Diane: I know that you love him so, so much. And I know that you think it's your job to save him, and I know that it feels like you are each other's whole world, but that dependency isn't healthy for anyone. Charlie needs someone who isn't his 16-year-old boyfriend. He needs help from a doctor or a therapist, someone that understands eating disorders and knows how to treat them. Love can't cure a mental illness.

• Mr. Ajayi for Charlie and Mr. Farouk.
• Charlie and Tara for Nick.

• Nick is incredibly kind, compassionate and sensitive to others' feelings. It becomes a problem in "Secret" and the following episode when Imogen asks him out on a date and he doesn't know how to say no without humiliating her.
• Charlie is more introverted, but sweet, gentle and always putting others first. Deconstructed however, as Charlie hates being an inconvenience (Mr. Ajayi even points out it took him 3 months to open up about the bullying) and so believes he makes others' lives harder by virtue of existing, even apologizing when his friends defend him from undeserved harassment, which he is too gentle to do anything about but endure. He even considers breaking up with Nick just so the latter won't get into fights or lose friends anymore, blaming himself despite being reminded several times that Harry absolutely had it coming.

• Shy, nerdy wallflower Charlie falls for the sporty, outgoing "king of rugby" Nick. As the series continues it becomes clear they're not so different, with Nick revealed to be much dorkier and more sensitive than people think.
• Tori and Michael. Tori is a loner for the most part and doesn't like going out, while Michael is cheerful and outgoing, if a little quirky.

• Tao telling Charlie that people overhearing him talking about Charlie being gay was what outed Charlie to the whole school.
• Charlie telling his parents that he has an eating disorder.

1. Stéphane Doesn't Know His Own Children and is barely involved in their lives.
2. Tao's father died several years ago.
3. Darcy has Abusive Parents who are barely involved in Darcy's life, are homophobic, try to forbid Darcy from wearing a suit to prom and end up kicking Darcy out.

1. Even if she wanted to do it since before, Imogen feels pressured to ask Nick on a date right after the rugby play. Nick also agrees out of pressure.
2. Nick, Christian, Otis and Sai passively supported Harry's bigotry out of fear of speaking up.

1. When Tara comes out to Nick, the room has orange and pink lights, colors of the lesbian pride flag.
2. The scene where Tara and Darcy kiss in public at the party has a rainbow color scheme to the light that shines behind them.
3. Nick is often accompanied by the "Bisexual Lighting" color scheme, particularly in the party and the movies scene.
4. When Imogen sees Sahar on stage, the lighting has the lesbian pride flag colors.

1. Charlie delivers an epic one to Ben in the season 1 finale and another one in season 2, calling the latter out on hurting Charlie because of his own self-hatred and insecurity.
2. Nick gives several to Harry for being a homophobic bully.
3. In season 2, O.O.C. Is Serious Business Isaac gives one to Harry, calling him out for laughing at people For the Evulz.
4. Midway through a tense family dinner on season 2, Nick reaches his breaking point, so he calls out Stéphane for being a Disappeared Dad and David for being a Big Brother Bully.

1. Tori startling Charlie whenever she silently enters a scene.
2. People asking if anyone actually knows the rules of rugby.
3. Nick or Charlie asking "why are we like this?" when awkwardly navigating their relationship.
4. Mr. Farouk's Compelling Voice silencing an entire room of noisy teens and get their attention with one "QUIET".
5. Everyone getting impressed when they find out that Nick speaks French.

1. At the beginning of the series, Charlie regularly meets up with popular student Ben Hope. Ben is rude toward Charlie, insistent on keeping their dalliance under wraps, resisting any attempt at small talk from Charlie and pretending not to know who Charlie is in public. It's clear this relationship is deeply unhealthy and that Ben is only using Charlie whenever he's in the mood to kiss a boy. Charlie makes the decision to break things off with Ben once he's had enough of being mistreated.
2. This is contrasted later with Charlie and Nick's secret relationship. While the latter is scared of coming out, he is the complete opposite of Ben. He's nothing but loving and caring towards Charlie, is not afraid to be seen with him and regularly defends him in public. Their relationship is mutually beneficial, the two always prioritizing each other's safety and happiness above all else.
3. Downplayed with Tara and Darcy, whose relationship is initially a secret but they eventually come to a point where they don't feel like hiding it any longer. Season 2 reveals that their relationship is and will likely always remain a secret from Darcy's parents.
4. Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk hide their relationship at school to avoid gossip.

Nick: Well, you are kind of a gay nerd.
Charlie: Shut up, rugby lad.

• Elle and later Nick for Darcy/Tara.
• Nick, Charlie, Darcy and Tara for Elle/Tao and plot to set them up. Extended in the second season because Everyone Can See It, even Tao's extended family being noted as shippers. Tao's mom had been just waiting for him to finally admit he liked Elle romantically.
• Multiple characters for Nick/Charlie:
  1. Isaac "wants to believe in romance" between the two of them despite thinking Nick is a ginormous heterosexual.
  2. Tara and Darcy are the first people Nick tells and are thrilled to double-date.
  3. Elle reassures Charlie that Nick and Tara won't ever happen, and is overjoyed when Charlie's pining pays off.
  4. Sarah Nelson likes Charlie from the get-go and notices Nick is much more himself around him.
  5. Tori Spring assures Charlie that she suspects that Nick isn’t as straight as he seems.
  6. It's a small moment, but in the last episode of Season 1, Imogen has a small smile when Nick leads Charlie into the school building.
  7. Averted with Tao who is suspicious Nick will hurt Charlie and pull him away from the group. Although he's devastated when he finds out they're together and didn't tell him, he eventually comes around and has a heart to heart with Nick about looking after Charlie.
• When Charlie suddenly has a hickey on the Paris trip, it soon becomes a topic of gossip among the classmates outside the friend group, with many suspecting newly out James.
• Isaac's friends for Isaac and James. It Goes Horribly Wrong.
• Coach Singh for Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk.

Charlie: How do you just appear out of nowhere?
Tori: Older sister magic.

1. Nick's reaction when Imogen tells him she has a crush on Ben.
2. Everyone at dinner falls silent when Imogen tears into Ben, correctly deducing he's more interested in Charlie than her, and subsequently dumping him for being a terrible boyfriend.

Mr. Farouk: I'm going to pretend I believe you have food poisoning.
Mr. Ajayi: Just try and take some deep breaths. I'll get you a sick bag...
[She vomits]
Mr. Farouk: Why did I get into teaching?

Nick: I'm just so angry at myself for not seeing that all my friends suck.

• Prior to the events of Season 1, when she was still at Truham, classmates and teachers used to make transphobic comments, deadnamed her and she was suspended multiple times for her hair length.
• Tao's attempt to have sex triggers her dysphoria.
• Elle is offered to do an interview about her art, but the interviewer turns it into a debate about trans rights without her permission.

Tara: There's so much pressure to have sex at our age, but people should just take as long as they need.

Nick: I don't care about getting into fights or pissing off my mates or anything like that. It's all worth it to be with you.