Another great episode of this amazing show! I hope you all enjoyed, because I certainly did, though these broken gaydars almost sent me over the edge, lmao 😂 If you want to see the extended cuts of episodes 1-5, head on over to Patreon and join the $10 tier. You can also watch the extended cut of this episode by joining the $5 tier, and if you want to watch the RU-vid cut of next week's episode early, you can access that at the $1 tier RIGHT NOW! Also, remember to tell me all your stories about broken gaydars and coming out, as well as if you've ever taken an "Are You Gay" quiz! Inquiring minds would love to know 😆
I don’t think Nick is in denial. Denial is when you refuse to admit you want to cross those boundaries. If you don’t know where are those boundaries (bc you never thought about them) you just get confused. In Nick’s case nobody (incl. himself) ever questioned his assumed straightness, so why would he be aware of straight/gay boundaries (like touching another boy’s hair is ‘gay’) ? The litmus test here is when his Mum tells him he’s so much more himself when around Charlie: he stops for a second to think about what this might mean, bc he knows everything feels so ‘right’ when he is with Charlie. HE knows Charlie is gay but his Mum doesn’t: that sets him thinking. Nick obviously has a close rapport with his Mum. Trust and truth are not an issue btw them. Did she hit on something here ?, he wonders. When he has the urge to take Charlie’s hand he knows he’s about to cross that boundary. Alone in his room he realizes he’s at that point: Who am I ? What’s happening to me ? It’s very scary for someone who never had any doubt about his sexual identity. BTW my favourite moment of all 8 episodes is here: when Charlie ‘spaces out’ and Nick gets closer and asks : What ? Whassup ? He’s a total golden retriever in that moment: poised, confident yet totally dedicated to the task at hand: understanding and helping Charlie. The very definition of empathy at work.
I am 37, and I never ever thought Heartstopper would be of interest to me. I thought I was way outside their target audience, but as Kit and Joe both said, it is meant for everyone, every age. I wish we had something like Heartstopper when I was a teenager back in the late 90s, early 00s. I am gay, and secondary school was tough. A lot of homophobia in my school which made coming out a no no. I was Charlie's age around the year 2000, and even with the new millennium, our school was filled with a lot of homophobes. Thankfully it is so much better now.
Elle was a boy in Truham. She transitioned while there but was not comfortable as everybody there knew her by her dead genre/name/pronoun. That’s why she switched to the girls school (Higgs) in the middle of year 11. She, Darcy and Tara are the same age/year as Nick, Ben and the rugby boys. Charlie, Tao and Isaac are in year 10.
This show is also my happy place. And Charlie did realize that Nick wasn't straight and let himself be talked out of it by Tao. But Tori, his sister, was absolutely correct in her observation that he's not straight. Now it's time for Nick to figure out what that means for him and his feelings for Charlie moving forward. Because he is one smitten kitten (and yes his freckles are adorable).
Nick isn't new. He's just new to Charlie because they're in different years. I'll try to resist any more explaining/correcting, since half the fun (for us) is watching you discover things. But I felt you should know that because it seems to be distracting you. As you may have guessed, a new reaction video is like red meat to Heartstopper fans. We worry that you might miss iconic moments or critical dialog (of which there's a TON), so please feel free to pause the playback for long comments, rather than speaking hurriedly while the program is running. Enjoy!
Yup, that is a rainbow. :) There are so many rainbows and various pride flag colours all over the place, in the form of actual literal rainbows, but also in clothing colours, wall colours, umbrellas etc. The first time Charlie sees Nick there are rainbow lens flares all over the place. Isaac is supposed to be an ace character, though it isn't made explicit in the show, there were people, mostly ace people afaik, who picked up on it. :)
Did you miss that Elle is their trans friend that transferred from Truham (all boys school)? It's revealed during the breaktime convo that Charlie, Tao, and Isaac in ep.1 where Tao says he keeps buying her apple juice.
Yes, the character was not a part of the original friend group, he was a replacement for the character Aled Last, who was felt to be too developed already.
@@gabrielprescott8827 I don't remember Alice saying that but it could be true. The only thing I remember hearing is some speculation that one of the new characters they're bringing in (I think his name is James) might be a possible interest for Isaac. And you are right that someone can be gay AND asexual, sorry for the way I worded that.
There are some things we need to remember when thinking about gaydars, etc. These characters are 14 - 16 years old (Charlie will be 15 soon, Nick recently turned 16) Also, Nicks reputation as a masculine "rugby lad" is widespread in the school and there has probably been no need to question it so far. Old reputations die hard and Tao is convinced that Nick is playing games with Charlie. He also has seen Charlie suffer at the hands of Nicks peers and he doesn't want a repeat. We (and Tori) have also seen some things that the friends haven't.
I think that even if Charlie thinks Nick isn't 100% straight, or is being flirty, he doesn't want to believe it and get his hopes up or lose Nick as a friend. I can only imagine being an out gay 14 year old that's been bullied for being gay. You wouldn't want to be "too gay" on the off chance that someone has a problem with it, and you wouldn't want to make a move and lose a friend. I don't think it's necessarily that Charlie is being dumb about it, I think he's trying to be safe.
So fun watching you watch Heartstopper for the first time! This show is so awesome! I am gay but pushed those feeling down and passed as 'straight' for so long. It was so scary to finally admit it to myself. I shocked a lot of people when I finally came out. Many accepted it but a few just couldn't - sadly. This show deals with Nick's coming to terms with his sexuality so beautifully.
Of course being 40 it's a different time I grew up, but sometimes even if all the signals say someone is likely gay you still assume they are straight in your head when you're a teen because the social disaster of making a move that results in a mess is a nightmare. Sometimes I was so scared and double doubting everything I saw that I was ready to discard more than one guy who now I see was clearly flirting with me because in my head there was no way he was gay.
Charlie is 14 you have to remember. He doesn't have a lot of life experience. For that matter, neither does Nick. I remember when my daughter was in high school (early 2000s) her best friend M-- was gay. He had a crush on a straight boy that knew he was gay and this kid teased M--- for quite awhile (while simultaneously teasing my daughter---the kid was a major tool). That is definitely not Nick. Point is, I think you're giving high school kids, barely out of middle school, a lot of credit for sophistication. ETA: BTW, M---became a family friend and we attended his gorgeous wedding to his long time partner this past June. ETA: Nick isn't in denial. He just hasn't had a crush on a boy before. It's new territory to him. Keep watching and try to ignore your cynicism. This show is going to subvert every trope. Just let go and don't try to predict. And again, keep in mind these are basically children and this is the rare show that recognizes that.
You asked for a story: I'm bi. I'm a 55 yo Gramma. My first exploratory experiences were with my best friend when I was 11 and she was 12. I do not think for a moment she was queer (lost touch after moving back to New England from Arkansas where we lived for a couple of years). I think she was curious about sex. She was seriously boy crazy in fact. She collected all the fanzines of the day. This was the mid-70's so we're talking 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat featuring Shaun Cassidy and Leif Garrett, neither of whom interested me. Oh yeah, also Scott (barrrrf) Baio. I was interested in Freddie Mercury and the drummer from the Bay City Rollers (mainly because I liked the drums). I also liked Greg Evigan from "BJ and the Bear" and Bo Duke from the Duke's of Hazzard. I was particularly drawn to Kristy MacNichol, especially the way she killed in the Battle of the Network Stars (it's on youtube). Before her it was Jody Foster and Kim Fields/Ike Eisenman (Escape to Witch Mountain). I was also really fascinated with Jody from SOAP (and eventual the lesbian he hooks up with---because it was that kind of show) and Jack from Three's Company. This is the kind of representation we had. A sweet straight guy and a suicidal gay guy who's storyline is filled with so many problematic tropes I don't have time to go into them.
You'd be surprised how many reactors have *no* comment on Nick touching Charlie's hair. I can only think maybe they're just too overloaded by all the sparkle from the rest of the scene? Same with the brief but deliberate shot of the ink smiley on Charlie's hand during his second (not-into-it) kiss with Ben.
I am 37, and I never ever thought Heartstopper would be of interest to me. I thought I was way outside their target audience, but as Kit and Joe both said, it is meant for everyone, every age. I wish we had something like Heartstopper when I was a teenager back in the late 90s, early 00s. I am gay, and secondary school was tough. A lot of homophobia in my school which made coming out a no no. I was Charlie's age around the year 2000, and even with the new millennium, our school was filled with a lot of homophobes. Thankfully it is so much better now.
You say straight boys don't touch other guy's hair... let me tell you, SOMETIMES, straight guys do THE MOST and it can be hella confusing. I've been in Charlie's position a few times where you just don't know. And I've got it wrong a couple of times. Or they are just deep in the closet.
Idk, that's some sus behavior 😒 Lol, jk 😆 You're right, straight boys can be very confusing, especially in high school! My high school bf literally kissed the homies, and (as far as I know) he identifies as straight to this day, so they really are out here doing the most!
@Leighton Reacts THE MOST... And it's not just in high school, let me tell you. Even as adults they be doing confusing shit. But actually in a way it's good. Because I think when straight boys normalise "non-sexual" intimacy with other guys, I think homophobia will also decrease. Us gays will just have to learn not to read too much into it.
amusing/wholesome anecdote. my fathers best friend has kids the same age as me and my siblings, as does my mum's best friend. over the course of six years, two years gap in between each, the youngest child of each of the three families came out as gay or lesbian. our familys lovingly dubbed us the gay generation. at any party/event all three families attend it is tradition to get a photo of us gays, while our cishet siblings cheer for us. and yes, each time, none of us realised until the other came out. really we should have coordinated it better 🤣
if you look closely at group chat text in the end you can see Isaac saying "@charlie_spr! hope he's secretly gay" (you can only see the message for like a second as part of their previous conversation)
