Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Promise
Denis Kimathi
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Despite being a stressful period where you must study beyond your mental threshold, the end-of-term exam is a joyous occasion. It signals the beginning of a break.
It was an extra special break for Truham and Higgs on Heartstopper Season 2 Episode 3 because the Paris trip was coming up soon, and you know how those are. It's always fun to hang out with your friends and schoolmates in a non-academic setting.
Nick was excited about it because that meant five days with his favorite person in the world, without their parents watching them like hawks.
Five days of romance in the most romantic city in the world. Paris! (Say that in a French accent. Like how the French say it.)
Slight problem, though. Nick was still not out.
Being out is great and all, but like anything else, the obsession with it can be unhealthy.
Nick: Still couldn't come out to any of them.
Charlie: Nick, it's fine. There's no deadline.
Nick: I know, but it's just annoying when people think we're, like… Best bros.
Coming out is a delicate thing someone should do when they're ready, and they should do it for themselves. Some people never come out, which is okay, too.
Nick's obsession with coming out became toxic. It didn't seem like he wanted to come out for the right reasons.
His situation was a little complicated. He had come out to some of his closest friends and family, and it had gone great. That allowed him to be with Charlie without caring, but they had to be careful outside the home or their friend group.
Nick had tasted the freedom that someone felt from being out and wanted more of it. He tried to make Charlie happy and keep his promise of coming out.
Being on the same rugby team with Charlie, it was important to him that the lads knew something was going on, so they weren't surprised if they caught them kissing or if he stared at Charlie for longer than usual.
Rugby Lad 1: I know you and Charlie are really good mates.
Nick: Um… Yeah. Yeah.
But the opportunity kept escaping him.
When their Coach caught them kissing in the store room, it was a short jot reminding him of what could happen. Lucky for him, not only was she supportive, but she was gay, too.
Meeting other queer people organically removes some of the loneliness queer people feel. On learning that she was gay, Nick smiled. Maybe he wasn't alone so much, and based on her story, things will get better.
Besides the internal pressure, external pressure seemed to be mounting in Nick's life.
Ben Hope had made a harsh comment about how he and Nick were similar, Tori was protective of her brother, and Nick was on the receiving end, not forgetting Tao, who Nick thought was waiting for Nick to mess up so he could say I told you so.
All this pressure was enough to overwhelm an adult, let alone a high school kid -- no wonder he felt sick.
Nick is lucky to have Charlie, and he knows it.
Charlie didn't actively pressure him into anything. He was always ready to help, and after discovering he was allowed to feel anything else apart from being sorry, he was leaning into his anger. Even Harry was intimidated by Charlie telling him to piss off.
I wouldn't have blamed Charlie if he'd knocked the teeth out of Harry's face.
Speaking of Harry, he appeared less and less, and given that the rugby lads had iced him out, he was about to get a proper lesson in treating people better.
His loneliness from not having people around to laugh at his stupid jokes might make him reconsider his behavior. But bullies rarely change, so time will tell.
Tao was on a journey of his own. He'd finally accepted he had feelings for Elle and asked her out. Thankfully, she said yes!
How could she not when he looked like he stepped off the set of a 1980s greaser movie like The Outsiders?
The internet is a resource; a haircut can do wonders about someone's attractiveness.
Tao was looking to impress, and he went all out. Too bad it had the opposite effect.
Elle: Why did you cut your hair?
Tao: Well, it just looks better like this, doesn't it?
Elle: But you always liked it long. I hope you didn't cut it for me.
Elle had been friends with Tao for so long, and she knew him inside out. It is a problem that can make or break a friendship turned into romance.
When you know someone well, you like or dislike certain personality traits.
Elle fell for the carefree Tao, who wouldn't watch a movie he didn't like. She fell for the Tao with long straight hair and who did weird things like twerk anywhere or switch accents.
The proper Tao, who sat through a movie he hated with greaser hair, was foreign to her. She wasn't fond of this Tao.
No wonder the date was a disaster!
Tara accidentally said the big words elsewhere, and Darcy didn't bat an eyelid.
Darcy: Paris is basically like a five-day-long sleepover. You're gonna be so annoyed with me after that.
Tara: Aww. But I love you because of how annoying you are. I mean… Uh…I didn't mean that in an "I love you" way. That… That was just a casual "I love you." That's not me asking you to say it back or anything.
The first, "I Love You," is special to most teenagers.
As viewers, we can see Darcy loves Tara, but Tara needs to hear it. It couldn't have been that hard to say unless she didn't love Tara. How could she skedaddle away as if Tara had said some generic English phrase?
I thought the other shoe would be that they argue over mundane stuff, but maybe this is the hurdle they must cross.
Isaac Henderson wasn't looking for someone, but someone found him. James seemed enamored with Isaac and wanted to spend time with him.
Yet, Isaac was distracted. He kept looking around at everyone kissing. Did he want to do that soon or never?
"Promise" showcased the pressure someone planning on coming out might be under and how harmful that can be, especially when it comes at them from all corners.
Charlie proposed that Nick stop the coming out plan, but will he be able to stick to it?
Nick feels like a bad person for having Charlie hide, and where Charlie's feelings are concerned, Nick doesn't think rationally.
Extra thoughts
- Nick and Charlie's love is so pure it makes me go feral. There is no rush towards anything. They communicate well and help each other through complicated feelings. They are not afraid to show affection to each other. When Charlie smelled Nick's head, I was dead.
- Tao and Elle make a cute pair. Hopefully, they end up together, but it was important they experienced a bump in the road on their first date. It prevented them from changing to fit in with the version they want to present to the other person.
- Can someone check if Mr. Farouk is okay? All that angry shouting cannot be good for the heart.
What did you think? Chime in in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
