Heartstopper Season 2’s Most Important Storyline Is Also Its Hardest Arc

Heartstopper will have its most important arc in season 2, but the storyline’s serious nature will also make it the most difficult to pull off.

Heartstopper Season 2’s Most Important Storyline Is Also Its Hardest Arc

The most important storyline for Heartstopper season 2 will also be its hardest arc. Based on Alice Oseman’s popular graphic novels, the first season of the LGBTQ Netflix show told a lighthearted love story between two high school boys, Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring. Although those familiar with the source material will know what’s coming next, other viewers may be a bit surprised by the turn the story takes in season 2.

Heartstopper season 2 has not yet been confirmed, but if Netflix does decide to renew it, plot elements that have only been hinted at so far will take a more central focus. As Nick figured out his sexuality in Heartstopper season 1, Charlie navigated a toxic ex as well as mounting anxiety that he was overly complicating Nick’s life. Heartstopper did not shy away from these fears, but it also did not linger too long on them, preferring instead to remain centered on the blooming romance. Viewers who expect future seasons of the Netflix show to stay focused solely on that storyline may find Heartstopper season 2 rather jarring.

If the Netflix series stays faithful to the books, then Heartstopper season 2 will be addressing Charlie’s eating disorder, which is a much more somber story arc than anything shown so far. Heartstopper season 1 only hinted at Charlie’s struggles with food in several brief moments where he admitted to not feeling very hungry, but the later graphic novels devote much more attention to his anxiety, self-image, and the ways in which they negatively impact his relationship with eating. Eventually, his eating disorder becomes enough of a concern that Charlie admits to his family and to Nick that he is struggling, and they help him seek professional help. Eating disorders are often not shown in characters unless they’re the focal point of the media itself, making this storyline an important one for Heartstopper to get right. TV shows and movies that do address the disorder tend to make the whole story revolve around this issue in a way that reduces the character to nothing more than their eating disorder. The rarity of showing a more fleshed-out character like Charlie — who has a lot of good things happening in his life — also combat an eating disorder makes this arc even more crucial for Heartstopper season 2.

As important as it is to portray Charlie’s eating disorder well, doing so may also make it more difficult for Heartstopper season 2 to keep its audience, who likely won’t be expecting such a serious and upsetting shift in tone. After a season in which, even around coming out, Heartstopper strayed away from anything too dark, choosing instead to linger in lighthearted moments between family, friends, and Nick and Charlie’s developing relationship, exploring such a serious mental health condition may turn away some viewers. Keeping the comedy elements of the show that endeared audiences while also ensuring this storyline is given the respect it deserves will likely be the hardest thing for future seasons of Heartstopper to pull off — though given how it has handled its source material up until now, the Netflix adaptation of Heartstopper should be able to accomplish this.

Heartstopper‘s most important storyline will also be its hardest arc in season 2 and beyond. However, the serious shift in the graphic novels did not seem to deter readers from picking up the next installment in the series, which is a good sign for Heartstopper‘s future success on Netflix. Now the streaming platform only has to renew the series to guarantee that viewers can have more of the show to watch and love.