What’s Next for Nick and Charlie?

Here is how Season 3 tackles psychological well being, taking relationships to the following step and what it means for Nick and Charlie’s future, in accordance with Locke and Connor.

🚨Warning: This story accommodates spoilers for Season 3 of “Heartstopper.”

What occurs on the finish of ‘Heartstopper’ Season 3?

“Heartstopper” Season 3 consists of eight episodes and crosses some main emotional terrain. The primary, “Love,” picks up proper the place Season 2 left off — Charlie itching to say, “I like you,” and Nick, determined for Charlie to open up about his psychological well being.

By the top of the season, each are addressed.

Charlie’s psychological well being

By the midpoint of Season 3, Charlie has to come back to phrases with how his psychological well being struggles are affecting his life.

In Episode 4, he enters a clinic for in-patient remedy the place he’s identified with anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive dysfunction. Anorexia is an consuming dysfunction that entails limiting or intensely controlling the quantity or kind of meals one eats. OCD is a sample of undesirable ideas (obsessions) that result in repetitive behaviors (compulsions) that trigger misery and may interrupt every day life.

Locke tells TODAY.com that his purpose was to painting somebody experiencing anorexia and OCD as “authentically and respectfully as doable.”

“It is such a tough situation to painting onscreen proper, and you do not wish to upset individuals or set off individuals in any approach that you do not imply to,” he says. “I talked to individuals I do know, and I did loads of my very own analysis to be sure that I wasn’t going into any stereotypes unnecessarily.”

Within the present, Charlie tells Nick about his analysis over the telephone in considered one of his first calls from the clinic.

“I imply, I used to be a bit shocked by the OCD. However I’ve all these guidelines in my head about meals, and if I do not comply with them, I really feel like I am gonna die,” Charlie says with a light-weight chuckle. “Sorry, I’ve to snicker about it, or I will simply cry.”

“Properly, even if you happen to do have anorexia and OCD, the phrase ‘sorry’ continues to be banned,” Nick responds.

Charlie returns dwelling from remedy by the top of Episode 4, and the remainder of the season follows him as he works with a therapist, adheres to an consuming plan and works on the right way to talk together with his household.

Nick’s college prospects

The again of the season primarily follows Nick and Charlie as they navigate taking their relationship to the following stage.

After an trustworthy dialog about Charlie’s fears of taking his shirt off — “I do not appear like Jack Maddox or something,” Charlie says (extra on him later) — the couple decides to pursue having intercourse on the finish of Episodes 7 and eight.

However the season finale’s title, “Aside,” hints on the obstacles they’ve but to face, particularly in the case of Nick’s impending commencement.

Nick, who’s one yr older than Charlie, is beginning to have a look at universities, and the college that is closest to dwelling — and Charlie — won’t be the college he desires to attend.

In Episode 8, Nick, together with Tara (Corinna Brown), Imogen (Rhea Norwood) and Elle (Yasmin Finney), go on a college tour journey. After getting in visitors on the way in which again, they virtually miss a competition through which Charlie and his band are performing. However in true “Heartstopper” trend, the present ends on candy word, with the crew arriving within the nick of time.

A Jonathan Bailey cameo

On a lighter word, the again half of Season 3 additionally brings a extremely anticipated celeb cameo.

Jonathan Bailey seems in Episode 6 as Jack Maddox, a Classics scholar and Charlie’s celeb crush. The couple attend considered one of his lectures and by the top, Nick can be left frazzled and speechless by Maddox.

Locke says he and Connor “be taught rather a lot” from having individuals like Bailey on set.

“You be taught rather a lot from individuals on the high of their recreation, and even simply watching him and the way in which that he labored is admittedly nice,” Locke says.

As for any particular recommendation from Bailey?

“I do not suppose he actually had sufficient time to, sadly,” Connor says. “I am positive if he had been there for a bit longer, if we would given him extra to do, he may need had a bit extra time to share some knowledge with us.

“However to be trustworthy … he had some tough, tough traces, so I feel he was making an attempt to get them out, actually, which I might not have been in a position to do as swiftly and easily as he did,” he provides.

What’s subsequent for Nick and Charlie?

Whereas “Heartstopper” has not but been formally renewed for a fourth season, Connor says there’s “lots” left to discover between Nick and Charlie.

“Seeing how their relationship fares with the brand new issues that they could have to beat, akin to lengthy distance possibly, or simply extra life and hormones,” Connor says.

Season 3 touches on content material as much as Quantity 5 of Oseman’s “Heartstopper” graphic novel sequence, which printed in December 2023 within the U.S.

Oseman has introduced that the sequence will conclude with Quantity 6, which she is actively engaged on. (Oseman instructed The Guardian in a September article, “I’m solely 50 pages in, however I do know what’s going to occur, what all of the dialogue goes to be, and now I’m simply sitting down and drawing it, which is my favorite bit.”)

If renewed, “Heartstopper” Season 4 can be primarily based on content material from Quantity 6 and a novella referred to as “Nick and Charlie,” Oseman revealed on her Patreon again in Could. “Nick and Charlie” was first printed in 2015 and is ready earlier than Nick leaves for college.

As for what Quantity 6 might discover, Oseman mentioned she desires the story to really feel like an “epilogue” to the core of what “Heartstopper is all about: “the on a regular basis development of Nick and Charlie’s relationship and the ups and downs of their faculty days collectively.”

Oseman instructed Angle Journal in 2023 she’s “recognized for ages how ‘Heartstopper’ goes to finish.”

“I am not going to spoil something,” Oseman mentioned. “However I imply, it is a pleased ending.”