On Thursday, October 2, the third (and darkest) season of crushthe popular LGTBIQ+ fiction on Netflix. We are facing the most intense episodes, based on volumes 4 and 5 of the graphic novels by Alice Oseman (also creator of the series). We review everything Nick has been through (Kit Connor), Charlie (Joe Locke) and his friends until now so that this new batch can be fully appreciated. Hearstopper, even if it has never been one of the most watched series on the streaming platform. It had a great cultural impact on young audiences, which is why, after the premiere of the first season, Netflix decided to renew it for two more. Now, the young protagonist couple will be confronted with the biggest problem in their relationship: Charlie’s mental health problems. Also, saying that one of the most beloved characters will not return. Who is it about?
crush It burst onto Netflix almost without promotion (like a large majority of the platform’s products) and thanks to word of mouth, it became a phenomenon among young viewers. It is true that, in overall data, the first season did not do great things, so the renewal was uncertain. But when Red N company officials realized the cultural impact the series had had (and given the fact that it was a fairly inexpensive product), they decided to give the green light to two more episodes.
The key to Heartbreaker it’s approaching the LGTBIQ+ experience with innocence, beauty and respect. In a television ocean loaded with mainstream youth-oriented products in which storylines sexualize and exaggerate adolescence, Alice Oseman’s seemed like a beautiful and simple series but with much deeper psychological depth than it seems .
The first season focused on the birth of the love story between Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) and in the acceptance of his bisexuality. During the second season, Nick fought against his own prejudices to go out more socially while we began to see Charlie’s mental health issues (anorexia and self-harm), a result of his years of bullying in high school.
What is the third season about?
Season 3 places us at a crucial time for the protagonists, who are preparing to enter university. Charlie would like to tell Nick that he loves him. And Nick also has something important to tell Charlie.
The summer holidays are coming to an end, the months pass very quickly and the protagonists realize that the new school year will bring them many joys and important changes. They’ll learn about others and their relationships, think about everything college can offer them, but they’ll also need to learn to ask for help when things don’t go as planned.
This season is the adaptation of volumes 4 and 5 of the graphic novels created by Alice Oseman, therefore (warning, spoilers) we will see the chelped Charlie’s hell, who will be unable to control his mental problems. The best thing, at least in the books, is that it doesn’t resort to the morbidity of the situation but rather explores how the loved ones of a patient of this type should react. So, one of the most shocking sentences in the novels is the one uttered by Nick’s mother to her son (we won’t reveal which one it is). Precisely, this character is the one who is not in the third season.
Until now, Nick’s mother was played by the great actress and Oscar winner Olivia Colman but as she herself admitted, she was unable to balance her work schedules to be able to participate in the third part of Falling for something.
The place of Nick’s mother is taken, this time, by one of his aunts played by Hayley Atwellbest known for playing Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. She will be the one to say the aforementioned phrase that gives meaning to the entire plot.
In addition, this third season will also address sexual relationships between the characters and the emotional responsibility they entail.
