There is a lot of toxicity in the world right now (what am I saying? There always is), but if you want an injection of pure and utter loveliness, watch Netflix’s Heartstopper. Carol Midgley, The Times (UK)
In honor of Bi+ Health Month, I’d like to highlight a young adult (but enjoyable for adults too) Netflix series, Heartstopper, that sensitively handles the bisexuality of a major character.
All three seasons of the British-made Heartstopper, based on a comic by Alice Oseman, have been beloved by critics. The following sets up Season One (IMDB): “Charlie, a high-strung, openly gay overthinker, and Nick, a cheerful, soft-hearted rugby player, one day are made to sit together in class. Their friendship becomes something more for Charlie, but he does not believe he has a chance.”
As it turns out, he does. By the way, the actors who play Charlie (Joe Locke) and Nick (Kit Connor) are actually gay and bisexual, respectively.
Also important about the series: most of Nick and Charlie’s group of close friends represent various LGBTQIA+ identities.
“During the first season, Nick struggled to understand what his bisexuality meant and how it fits into the idea he had of himself as a straight, popular rugby player,” states Nardos Haile, Salon. In the second season, “with Charlie’s support, Nick blossoms into his identity while confronting what it means to come out.”
Kelly Lawler, USA Today: “At one point, he is so nervous to tell his ‘rugby mates’ he’s bisexual that he falls ill and Charlie has to bring him to his mother.” (The ever-wonderful Olivia Colman.) “When some people in his life find out, it isn’t always a heartwarming moment. The nuance with which Oseman writes Nick’s story, and how Nick’s journey is both supported by Charlie and also a struggle for him, is remarkable. Coming-out narratives on TV have a history of tactless and cheesy storytelling, but ‘Heartstopper’ doesn’t fall into any trope traps.”
Teen Vogue asserts that Nick has “the archetypal bisexual experience” in that he’s often viewed with skepticism. “’If you’re going to be gay at least admit that you’re gay,’ his brother responds. And, ‘you don’t have to say you like girls if you don’t,’ his well-meaning Mom reassures him. These responses reflect the common misconception that bisexuality is merely a transitional orientation — or, as Sex and The City’s Carrie Bradshaw put it, ‘a lay-over on the way to Gay Town’.”
Ian Lawrence-Tourinho, Bi.org: “What impressed me most was how Heartstopper manages to explore the concept of identity maintenance — the extra work we bi people have to go through in order to, well, maintain our identity in a society that assumes bisexuality is unstable, temporary, and even fake. As hard as it is for gay and lesbian people to come out, people tend to believe them and don’t require a never-ending process of re-affirming their identity every few months.”
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture: “Heartstopper, sweet as a s’more, sincere as a PSA, has returned for a second season of good intentions and painful self-consciousness. It’s true to the tone of Heartstopper’s first blockbuster season, which captured something almost unbearably tender about teen romance and the experience of gradually understanding your sexuality.”
Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News: “’Heartstopper’ is a gem, and remains perhaps the most uplifting, refreshingly optimistic and utterly charming series currently running on TV or streaming platforms.”
Aramide Tinubu, Variety: “Blissful and euphoric, ‘Heartstopper’ is a reminder that life is about living for yourself. More than that, those who have caused harm, whether they’ve offered an apology or not, shouldn’t automatically regain access to safe spaces or the people they’ve hurt. After all, coming out or allowing people in is an intimate gift, much like the series itself.”
