ben hope failing to run faster than charlie, then dramatically falling onto the ground, making minimum effort to make charlie feel insecure and then start crying when he gets told off is so funny to me
I want to talk about how the first time I watched Heartstopper I kept expecting terrible things to happen. (Please note, I had not read the comic yet.)
Charlie has a crush on the star rugby player? Oh no. He’s gonna get fucked over so hard. Plz be careful Charlie. (Channeling my inner Tao here I guess.)
Ben is a dick? Oh no, Charlie’s going to keep going back to him anyway, isn’t he? Are we going to have to deal with this through the whole show?
Nick likes Charlie? Oh no, they aren’t going to talk about it because ~reasons~.
Harry shoves Nick at Tara and Charlie disappears? Oh no, they aren’t going to talk about it…wait, they are? Where’s the catch?
Ben appears in the hallway…Oh god, is Charlie going to end up going back to him??
Charlie and Nick kiss, then Nick runs off? I’m just gonna brace myself for an unnecessarily angst-ridden misunderstandings plot arch.
Nick asks Charlie to keep things a secret? Insert accidental outings and gossip cycles here, I guess.
Tara is having a hard time being out? Braced myself for an entire arch where she blames Darcy and their relationship is on the rocks for the rest of the show.
Bullies after Charlie? Fully expected Nick to stand by and wring his hands and then make excuses.
Imogen asks Nick out and he says yes? Guess it’s time to deal with an excruciatingly dramatic love triangle.
And it isn’t just the bad stuff. I also fully expected Nick to take off across that rugby field and drop Charlie into a full on movie star kiss in front of the entire school at the end. While I admit that would have been very satisfying, it really didn’t suit their characters at all….and yet. When I think back, I really expected it for a second.
—-
Anyway, I think the fact that I expectedthese things to happen is actually more important than the fact that they didn’t, because my expectations didn’t come out of nowhere. They developed because that’s how TV is usually written these days and that’s…honestly that’s really fucking weird. (If you think about it, even the sparks of romances in Stranger Things have really unnecessary levels of would you please just fucking talk worked into them.)
It’s especially weird now, because this show proves that you don’t NEED contrived drama to tell a really good story.
I hope we see more stuff like this, queer focused or not.
Bad queer character tropes that Heartstopper subverts:
- Queer character says/does homophobic things to repress their feelings and protect their straight image: Nick is confused about his sexuality, but he never turns to homophobia or toxic masculine behavior in order to ward off rumors about his sexuality
- Queer character breaks up with partner because they’re closeted: Charlie breaks things off with Ben because he doesn’t actually care about Charlie and is emotionally abusive, not because Ben is in the closet. When Nick and Charlie start dating, Charlie respects Nick’s desire to keep things a secret for the meantime.
- Queer character must be “flamboyant” or display “effeminate” or “tomboyish” traits: Ironically, Tao (the “token straight friend”) is the most “extra” and flamboyant character. Additionally, Nick’s interest in traditionally masculine activities such as rugby does not preclude him from being queer.
- Someone catches queer couple being intimate and outs them to everyone: Isaac walks in on an affectionate moment between Nick and Charlie but never says anything about it, even if he can detect the attraction between the two of them. No one walks in on Charlie and Nick sharing their first kiss in public at the bowling alley. They can just enjoy the moment together!
- Queer character pretends or tries to be straight by dating someone of the opposite gender: While Ben does fit this trope, Nick subverts it when he cancels his date with Imogen and tells her that he doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. And contrary to expectations that Imogen might be jealous and retaliate in some way, she accepts that Nick doesn’t like her and appears to be supportive of his relationship with Charlie at the end of the show.
- Parents reject their child when they come out: Charlie’s parents are seen being supportive of him and expressing concern about potential bullying. When Nick comes out to his mum, she is completely accepting, telling him she loves him, hugging him, and apologizing for saying anything that made it difficult to confide in her.
- Female characters kiss for the enjoyment of male characters: When Nick sees Tara and Darcy kiss at Harry’s party, he is empowered to pursue his own feelings for Charlie and be himself. He doesn’t objectify or fetishize them in any way.
- Trans characters can’t be in straight relationships: Tao and Elle clearly have feelings for each other, and her being trans doesn’t matter in the slightest!
- Queer character must signal acceptance of their identity through dramatic public announcement: Nick could have done this by kissing Charlie in front of all the other students after running off the field during Sports Day, but instead, his moments of self-acceptance are quiet, intimate celebrations (e.g., Nick telling Charlie he is “definitely bisexual” and saying “Oh my god, I like you so much. And I love liking you” to Charlie on their beach date)
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue. Purple,pinkandindigotoo. I’m covered in the colours of you, every single hue, of purple and blue. Covered in the colours of you.
