At the end of Heartstopper's debut season, we asked: "Do Nick and Charlie end up together?" Were these two able to take their relationship to the next level?
Fast-forward to Heartstopper season 2, which hit Netflix on Thursday, August 3: the pair is now head over heels and embracing all that comes with young love. (Just have a listen to the Hearstopper soundtrack and you'll immediately feel giddy.) But like its print counterpart, the series also focuses on the struggles the couple encounters along the way.
"This season, Nick [Kit Conner] wants to come out to the world, but faced with his nasty brother, his mostly absent father, and his laddy mates, soon finds that it's not as easy as he initially thought," author Alice Oseman told RadioTimes.
Given that Charlie (Joe Locke) self-harmed and developed an eating disorder as a result of the bullying he experienced, will Nick be able to move forward and embrace his sexuality? Will his coming out be as smooth as his confession to his mother last season? But, most importantly, regardless of the challenges, will Nick and Charlie's romance endure? Here's everything we know.
Do Nick and Charlie end up together in 'Heartstopper'?
While Nick and Charlie do end up together at the end of Heartstopper season 1, are they able to stay strong for one another when things aren't terribly rosy?
The second season is certainly filled with plenty of highs—a new romance, planning for prom, and a school trip to Paris (trés chic!)—though there are also hurdles for the young men regarding coming to terms with their identities and searching for acceptance along the way. The two have their own issues to work through, but Nick assured Charlie that he doesn't need to put up a facade.
"I know you like everything to be fine and happy and perfect all the time, but you don’t have to be perfect with me,” Nick told his boyfriend.
'Heartstopper' season 2 ending, explained
*Warning: season 2 spoilers ahead*
Like any good series, Heartstopper leaves us wanting more, which is why the final episode of season 2 ends on a cliffhanger. Charlie and Nick seem keen on working through their struggles, and it looks like they're about to get serious—as in "I love you" serious.
However, just as Nick was about to drop the L bomb, his mother walks in and ruins the conversation. We catch a glimpse of Charlie texting "I love you" to Nick as a result of what transpired, but he struggles to hit send.
“It is a really big, bomb-drop moment,” Heartstopper creator and executive producer Alice Oseman told Netflix Tudum. “I wanted the viewers to feel like that hadn’t come out of nowhere and that we had felt that journey through the season.”
Will they be able to reach this milestone? Seems like we're going to have to wait until Heartstopper season 3 to see how it all unfolds. (And for those who've read the books, you'll just have to be patient to see how the story changes from print to screen.)
But one thing's for certain, our hearts are certainly beating for this undeniably lovely story!
Catch up with season 2, which is based on Volume 3 of the book, now on Netflix. (Oh, and if you were wondering if Kit Connor and Joe Locke are actually dating IRL, we have an update on that, too.)
