Heartstopper Season 3: Observing Tara and Darcy’s Relationship Development
Season 3 of Netflix’s Heartstopper is out now for all to watch, and in this season, the show makes quite a departure from the feel-good tone of the previous episodes. The characters are growing up, and with that comes change, adversity, and life. Despite their hardships, in Season 3, everyone is settling into their relationships and figuring out what that means for them as they move into the future. Although not the show’s main characters, Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy’s (Kizzy Edgell) relationship is the longest-standing of all the Heartstopper unions. Their relationship development is significant to the overall narrative of the show, and worth peeping at!
Settling into Each Other
When we met these two dynamic characters in Heartstopper they were a new couple settling into their relationship. At that time, Darcy identified as a girl and they were calling themselves the school lesbians. Darcy’s casual confidence and unwavering love for Tara seemed to be what carried them initially. However, as the seasons have progressed, their roles in each other’s lives have definitely shifted.
Back in Season 1, Tara expressed worry about being out together in public. It was Tara who said she didn’t have the comfort and confidence to look the world in the eye and claim someone of the same gender. It was Tara who took a hot minute to settle into the idea of being out in public spaces. However, as their relationship development unfolded, Tara emerged as the strong, stable rock that Darcy needed for their own journey to flourish into what it has.
In season 3, Tara emerges as the grounding force between the two of them. That’s not to say that Darcy isn’t invested and all in – they are – but at this stage in their life Darcy comes with baggage. And the baggage that they come with requires a certain kind of person to balance it all out.
Darcy’s Journey
Darcy’s journey over the three seasons of Heartstopper has been paradoxically freeing and anxiety-inducing to watch all at the same time. In season 1, Darcy identified as a girl. It seemed her relationship with Tara brought her nothing but sunshine and rainbows, but as the dust settled it became obvious that there was a lot more going on with Darcy than lingered on the surface.
In our interview with Kizzy Edgell, they say that Darcy’s character was molded to fit their own journey of self-discovery with gender. As Edgell transitioned into their nonbinary status, the creator of the show adapted their character to also do the same.
“The show didn’t have to do that for me. The show didn’t have to make me feel so comfortable about understanding and exploring it. Umm they’ve been so good with so many of the changes. I also think it makes sense for Darcy too and I’m lucky it did,” says Edgell.
Darcy’s character evolution juxtaposed against the backdrop of Tara and Darcy’s relationship development just fits. It fits the tone of the show and really highlights the idea that, while love can lift us up and give us the strength to work through our problems, it can’t make them go away. Eventually, one has to look at oneself and do the work for themselves.
But it sure can help, as is the case with Tara and Darcy.
Tara’s Role
The relationship development between these two positions Tara as a support for Darcy. While Tara was the one with hesitations initially, she does slot into that role as Darcy’s rock pretty quickly as the show evolves. In Season 3, we get to see Tara find a new way to support Darcy without losing herself completely in Darcy’s baggage.
For starters, she asks Darcy to move out of her home. She tells Darcy that she needs space, and that, at this stage in their lives, she needs to love her from separate living quarters. She invests time in herself and in her dance and intentionally carves that out as Tara’s time. Tara’s character development in this season epitomizes the idea that we can’t show up for others if we’re not taking care of ourselves first. And this might just be the healthiest message of Hearstopper so far.
Tara’s emotional maturity sets up the Tara and Darcy coupling for long-term success. They are the longest-standing couple in the Heartstopper world and we’re hoping we get a chance to watch the relationship development between these two continue in future seasons.
Season 3 of Heartstopper is available to stream on Netflix now. Follow us on X and Instagram for all queer stuff!
Featured Image: Courtesy of Netflix
