Heartstopper: our very unspoilery reaction!

Okay friends, we know you’re all so excited about the upcoming release of Heartstopper. We’ve been stalking the Netflix news about this release over the last few months, and well, all the news really. Based on the smash hit graphic novel by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper comes to our screens this Friday with a built-in fandom all ready to scream and shout its praises. 

With an incredible ensemble cast of very young actors playing kids not too far from their own age, Heartstopper is changing the way we make television. You won’t find thirty-year-olds playing teens in this cute series, nuh-uh. Heartstopper is a coming-of-age story about young people, and we got a cast that is very much reflective of that. 

We’ve been anxiously vibrating for months, hoping and praying that the creators get this one right. It’s so special to so many, and for good reason. Well, we’re pleased to announce that we watched the entire thing in just under four and a half hours this week and WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS SHOW. 

We know it’s not out till Friday and we want to respect the non-spoilery kind of folks who are waiting to see it for themselves then. However, we wanted to share our thoughts and reactions to this bloody little gem without breaking your spoiler bank. 

So come with us as we tease you about the brilliance of Heartstopper. 

Here we go…

It took all of about two minutes into the opening scene for us to squeal with delight. Goodness, we thought. THIS IS VERY BRITISH AND WE LOVE IT!

Our first impression of Charlie (Joe Locke) is that he is a lanky, awkward British kid that seems oddly sure of who he is. He seems to know his place in the social circles, but he also holds an air of very quiet confidence about what he wants for himself. We knew instantly that this kid was going to occupy a whole lot of space in our hearts, and baby, we were so right. 

For the record, we hate Ben (Sebastian Cole). Applications for Treasurer of the We Hate Ben Club are currently being accepted, but President and Vice President positions are already filled by us truly. Seriously Ben, go eat a turd. 

When Elle (Yasmin Finney) bounced onto our screen, we shot to our feet and started whooping and cat-calling. Yes, yes, we know – feel free to take away our Respectable Adult cards. But honestly, that girl is just fffffiiiiinnnnnneeeee, yaknow? Elle is the group’s trans bestie who just transferred to an all-girls high school (and we love that for her). Fun fact and a super big win for the trans community – this darling character is played by an actual member of the trans community in real life. 🥳🎊🎉

We also want to give a warm welcome to the lesbians, Darcy (Izzy Edgell) and Tara (Corinna Brown). Thanks for being such a couple of wholesome cutie pies that really rep the teen lesbian community so well. We were rooting for you right from the very beginning. And regardless of what others were saying, we just knew Tara wasn’t into You-Know-Who!!

We couldn’t talk about Heartstopper without talking about Tao (William Gao). His completely bodacious hairstyle alone warrants a mention, but also because of the very many complex things he made us feel. We adore the way he stands up to the faces of bullying and discrimination. We love his fierce protectiveness over his friends. But it’s clear that Tao knows exactly what his crew is up against and he is harboring some pretty dark things on the side. We want to wrap him up in a blanket and put him in our pocket!

So that’s it, folks, that’s all we’re willing to share until you’ve all had your chance to feast your eyes on the glory that is Heartstopper yourselves. 

Haha, JUST KIDDING! Gosh, we wouldn’t do that to you!

WE FREAKING LOVE NICK (Kit Connor) OKAY! His queer awakening is really just perfect. He knows exactly what he is walking into, and what this means for his life. He hesitates for the appropriate amount of seconds and then just decides that he wants this and him despite all the rest. Nick’s story might really be the most heartstopping of them all. (We also want to squish his adorable cheeks, but that is a tale for a different day).

Okay, folks, we really are going to wrap it up here, otherwise, we’re going to end up spilling all the deets and we just know how some of you feel about dem spoilers. So this is us, signing off and begging y’all to watch Heartstopper the minute it drops this Friday so we can all yell together. Oh, and don’t forget to come back and check out our very spoilery season one review too!

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Heartstopper will be available to stream on Netflix on April 22. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for all queer stuff!