[GVSV Reacts Ep001] Straight Veteran Watches Heartstopper S1E1 & S1E2 for the First Time 

I'm in my 50's and absolutely would have loved to have a gay story that was this wholesome when I was a teen.

There is adult representation of that joy, (usually bittersweet though.) You're missing the point that for *most* LGBT+ people, we didn't get to have what you consider a very normal and important part of our adolescence. While straight kids dated, kissed, cuddled, broke up, got back together, went on dates, teased each other about who they liked, etc. etc. Many of us spent that entire period terrified that anyone would find out we weren't straight! That meant that every single one of those interactions listed above had to be a lie for us, for our own safety. Seeing teens able to be open and be themselves and experience that normalcy/honesty with their peers is simultaneously joyous and heartbreaking.

As a gay man in his 30s this show meant so much to me. Gay shows have always been full of trauma, sex and even death. This show is just full of love and joy while still being completely realistic and relatable. It’s why so many lgbtq people, of all ages, love it so much. Great reaction!

I don't think the straight guy understands there has been no show like Heartstopper before because he kept saying of course Charlie and Nick get together, there's no tension, blabla. So he needs to watch more gay shows where everyone ends up dead or traumatised 😅 Also if you paid attention earlier Charlie said none of his friends are gay. Kinda weird accusing Tao not being straight when the character and everyone else said they’re straight. You can pause the show when you want to talk instead of missing crucial scenes

16:15 Some notes: they're not actually children; they're adolescents. And adolescence is a special time of life, both sexually and otherwise. In the past (and for some people even now), many gay people didn't or couldn't come out until their 20s, so they missed out on the more _genuine_ adolescence that their classmates got. That's why Heartstopper is so beloved by LGBTQ people of all ages. For young people it gives hope. For older people, it gives comfort -- the comfort of knowing that the crap we put up with back then won't have nearly the same ill effects (on those just beginning to discover themselves), as it did on us. Yes, there's also some melancholy, but the pure joy of the show outweighs it.

wonderful reaction ❤ as a trans person, i wanted to acknowledge the amount of effort put into being respectful towards the community, and i wanted to share some general tips about referring to trans people that may be helpful to you or anybody who doesn’t have much experience with trans people. - Generally, trans people don’t like hearing “I wouldn’t have realized that she/he wasn’t a ‘real’ woman/man,” since it can feel invalidating to their identity. The best tip I can give is to drop “real” from your vocabulary when it comes to trans people (it’s quite the sore spot for most trans people). - You can usually say “I didn’t realize that she/he wasn’t a cisgender woman/man”. Cisgender refers to anybody who is not transgender, so you two would be considered cisgender men. You can also say “he/she passes (as male or female) very well,” as a similar comment. - It’s okay to say “I couldn’t tell you were trans!” (or the similar “you don’t look trans”), but I would suggest avoiding the phrase, since often, the reaction from a trans person would be, “Well, what do you think trans people look like?” It’s often said as a compliment, but often comes off as a backhanded compliment to the community as a whole. - What matters mosts is your approach. You were very respectful and open in this video about how you didn’t know all the lingo, and sometimes that’s all we want to hear. As long as you’re open to discussions where trans people can inform you of their personal boundaries, nobody will fault you for any mistakes! thanks again for such a great video with open and honest dialogue! if you have any questions on trans people, feel free to reply, I’m not offended by any questions that come from a place of wanting to understand ❤

@12:10 i love this - recognising just from Ben's mannerisms that he's the type of person who can't handle being told no.

@17:00 Schitt's Creek might be the only example of adult queer joy that I've seen in a film/tv show.

Ages at time of filming. Joe Locke/Charlie (18 playing 14/15), Kit Connor/Nick (17 playing 16) I think Corinne/Tara was the oldest at 22 playing 16. Most of the main cast were at most within 2 or 3 years of their character ages. The actor playing Harry, for example, was actually exactly the same age as his character (16).

You’re not wrong about the speed at which the relationship develops. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the next few episodes, so I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but season 1 covers about 4 months, and season 2 is less than 2 months. People like to joke that “Charlie fell first, but Nick fell harder.” Nick didn’t just fall for Charlie, the poor boy catapulted himself off the commitment cliff like Wile E. Coyote chasing after the Road Runner, and left a Nick Nelson shaped hole at the bottom. Nick was smitten, which most fans find endearing, if not realistic. But Heartstopper isn’t made to be realistic, it’s supposed to be a light fluffy sweet love story. At least Season 1 is. Season 2 is more serious, and Season 3 is gearing up to break our hearts, so brace yourselves…

47:00 Yes, but this series not only shows some happy, healthy relationships. It also provides an emotional language that really fits for so many people. Really enjoyed your discussion, thanks!

Gonna put on my producer hat for a moment. 1) sound balance needs to be fixed. 2) Lots of reactors out there with lots of different styles. The ones that do well pay attention to the show. For the most part you did that, but there was at least one entire scene you had story time on top of. Comments and reacting are great, but if you're going to have a whole conversation, you should consider pausing the show. Pausing also helps fight RU-vid's copyright bots, so don't be afraid of it. 3) There will always be people who throw a fit because you paused in their favorite spot or edited out something they think you should have reacted to. It's just a fact of reactor life. Some viewers feel entitled. 4) The more you do this, the more you'll loosen up and it'll start to feel natural. Keep at it.

17:00 The best example I can think of of adult queer joy is the Spanish Netflix series Smiley. It came out after Heartstopper's first season, but similarly leans into the romantic comedy tropes for its gay characters. And that is relatively new in media. The characters have no trauma around being gay. They are just dealing with difference in age, differences in caareer aspirations, differences in relationship expectations and the complications of meddling friends and other plot complications pushing them apart. If you go back to the 1990s, that queer joy was there in the Tales of the City books and PBS/Showtime series, but the romantic foibles of the LGBT characters weren't centered: They were just part of the mix.

Episode 1 covers about a month & episode 2 is basically another month. So it’s been 2 months since they met & became friends. Book 5 that you guys have right there actually has the whole timeline of the story at the back - shows how time unfolds in calendar form.

Sometimes I have found that looking at external information from interviews etc, can be helpful. The author Alice Oseman and the actor who plays Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) have both pointed out that --- For Nick's entire 16-year lifetime (until becoming friends with Charlie), Nick had always assumed he was straight; it was not even a question that he asked himself; his being straight was "a given." Not only that, Nick had always been perceived by others to be straight. (There are episodes and dialogue that lend support to or confirm those points.) *** *** Kit Connor's understanding of the character of Nick (especially in first season) is that Nick is very innocent. *** *** From lines of dialogue, we find out that others' perception of Nick's sexuality was based on "what he looks like". In an interview in British GQ, Kit Connor says: "The idea that you can tell someone's sexuality based on the way they look, the way that they talk, the way that they walk, the way that they dress, is quite frankly, ridiculous, and it's really quite harmful. In Heartstopper, one of the strong messages that it sends is the fact that to do that, is frankly wrong."

39:40 it's always better to ask whatever questions you have, if your heart is in the right place. Yasmin Finney, the actress that plays Elle, is in fact trans. Regarding the actors being, in real life, what they're representing in the show, it's not like that entirely. Most of these actors are at the beginning of their adult lives right now, figuring themselves out like everyone else at that age. Kit Connor has said he's bisexual but the rest of the main cast aren't defining their identities so specifically (nor do I think Kit is either. you should look up what was done to him online in regards to his sexuality).

The straight vet seems really uncomfortable and painfully unaware of what life is really like for gay people. Which youd think wldnt be the case given one of his supposed closest friends that he has known for 30 years is gay 🙃. 1. Its totally normal at that age to be unaware of your sexuality esp if you like both genders. If you are able to be in a straight presenting r/s you dont really think about the possiblity of liking the same sex b/c its easier just "being straight". Straight is the default. Straight is "fitting in" and thats one of the major themes teens struggle w/, wanting "to fit in" 2. Tao is straight, b/c he identifies as being straight. Denying someones sexuality cause they dont fit your definition of what it looks like is a jerk move. Thats the same mentality that leads to outcasts in highschool and in society in general, to be called "gay" as an insult. Tao is just unapologetically himself. He is geeky and "wierd" and he doesnt care what ppl think of him. He will be true to himself even if it makes others uncomfortable/cringe etc b/c its a *them* problem not him

This show is so wholesome. I hope he likes it! I feel like I cried so much at a teen show for being 33 because I wish I had this kind of show when I was younger. I'm just mourning the life that could have been if only I found myself at a younger age. I did not realize and fully accept I was gay until my late 20s.

I’m only midway through the video but I appreciate the talking about events on the show and having one person that’s seen the show already to answer questions for the other is a great method to make sure important information is being shared. While this is my first video I’m seeing from your channel and I’m not too sure of the dynamics, I’ve gathered that your two have been friends for a while and both pretty open to queer culture. I think it’s important that SV hears about Heartstopper being called an “idealistic fictional queer story” from the perspective of most queer experiences (even today) doesn’t happen to the standard this show portrays. While there’s some darker themes/ issues in the show it is still an easily accessible show with many supportive characters that usually aren’t seen in real life. Also this is one of the few queer media representation where the ending isn’t sad or results in the death of one of the couple. Much of gay stories are about AIDS, hate crimes, homophobia, and darker themes whereas this show is a lighthearted queer teenage romance that so many of us didn’t get to experience when we were young. It’s nice to see and it’s great that younger generations have this show to set a standard for their relationships with friends and family. I get that SV is walking around eggshells on these topics, you can tell that he’s wanting to be respectful and comfortable with what he’s addressing in their conversation. Good video guys and look forward to the rest of the seasons.

Yeah, Tori is the Wednesday from Heartstopper

hey bearded guy, you're doing great. unclench. 🤪

One more comment: You explaining the importance of this show for kids today made me absolutely bawl my eyes out. The way this show would have changed my life ...😢

I loved that this show sparked so many personal reminiscences for both of you, and side thoughts. I was interested in all of Them. I’ve seen other reactors pause the show they’re watching whenever they have more than a single phrase to say, and it is critical to them not missing out on crucial information and character moments in a first time watch. I’d really love for you to pause shows in the future. I think Carl is right about Ben noticing Nick’s smiley mark on Charlie and getting jealous. AND at the same time Charlie is thinking how nice Nick is to him compared to Ben. I love how Carl can clearly see Nick already catching feelings by last scene ep 1. Carl, I think a vocabulary word you are missing is cisgender, In comparison to a trans person, either mtf (male to female) or ftm (female to male, a cis-male or cis-female is the vast majority of us that never feel a burning discomfort with the gender of the bodies we were born into. There’s no need to go around using ‘cis’ in everyday language, but it’s hella useful in discussions involving trans people as distinct from cis people. (Cis comes from the Latin meaning ‘on the same side as’, ‘aligned’.). Your inner gender is aligned with your outer gender. So Elle is played by a trans woman, not a cis woman. AFAB (assigned female at birth) and AMAB (assigned male at birth) are extremely useful acronyms in the medical setting and general discussion not only because people can medically transition now, but also because of the massive rise in Intersex babies/people. Intersex babies are born with genitals that are neither clearly male nor female.. Technically a birth defect, but we don’t want to go around calling people’s genitals defective. Can you imagine the depth of the self esteem hit? The rise in petrochemical products (that act as Endocrine Disruptors), since the 1950s have resulted in a rise in Intersex babies from 1 in 100,000 births, to 1 or 2 in a thousand births, depending on nation. The estimated rate of Intersex people in the USA population is 1.7%. Many doctors and parents decide that the child will have a better life growing up with a clear gender, and perform surgery on the genitals of babies giving their best guess of what they ‘should’ be. Unfortunately, half the time they guess wrong. A pubescent ‘boy’ starts growing breasts. A pubescent ‘girl’ starts growing a facial hair. An obscene amount of these teenagers commit suicide. Looking at the XY or XX chromosomes of these Intersex babies doesn’t help. They have been exposed to Endocrine Disrupting pollution in the womb so strong that it has overwritten the DNA plan for their bodies. And now their hormonal Endocrine system may be set up to express hormones that are unvorrelated with their DNA. In short, their phenotype: their body that is built, does not match their genotype: their genetic code. In a very similar way to the phenotype of Thalidomide Babies not matching their genotype.

1st off to you BOTH Thank you for your service ❤ LOVE this consept Gay / straight friendships , came cuz of Heartstopper, SV you are good my man as a Bi male your questions were heartfelt & important to ask & understand , Gay / straight sometimes people know straight away they will spend their lives together meeting early , my dad knew a week in a 1/2 in he was going to marry my mom, almost 50 yrs later still going strong. i wish also i had this growing up

I appreciate what Alex is trying to do on this channel with regard to explaining/showing Heartstopper. I also appreciate Carl's willingness to look into this show and to try to understand a different perspective in viewing it. 💖💜💙

I love watching Heartstopper so much. I'm still learning your names but I really enjoyed listening to the dude on the right try to explain why this show is so personally meaningful to him despite it perhaps having this surface level appearance of being something that's been done time and time again... for straight and only straight stories, that is. I'll be tuning in for the rest of these reactions for sure and not to take any attention away from it but if you're already accepting suggestions for the future, I'm going to go ahead and suggest Young Royals because the third (and final) season aired earlier this year and I miss it already. If you're cool with subtitles, watching it in the original Swedish language offers the best experience in my opinion. It retains all of the original emotion and performance of the actors despite them also doing their own english dubbing.

You weren't a gay teen. 100% wasn't EASY. you think we just passed notes?? Are you nuts?

So, as a 44 yo fan of the graphic novels when I heard Netflix was making a live action adaptation I was terrified they'd ruin it (even when I heard the author was heavily involved) But honestly they couldn't have done a more excellent job.

I love Heartstopper. I really love the perspective you two bring to it. You can really stand to bring the volume up on the show you are watching as you react to it. It will help us watch the video with you.

I've watched this show a lot. (I have been studying it as well as studying the channels that have reaction videos on RU-vid.) Alex has taken on a difficult job here. He has already seen the episodes in advance, so he knows about key events as well as, most likely, a lot of the dialogue. So he has a lot of information at his disposal. BUT because of copyright considerations, he has to edit out some portions. Now, if the viewers of this channel have already watched the show all the way through (and it's possible some of them have watched the episodes more than once) - then the fact that Alex has had to skip scenes or sections of dialogue, is not likely to get in the way of the viewers' understandings of the points he is trying to make about the scenes or dialogue. Such viewers will probably 'get it'; the “Missing Information” from his replay of the video is likely to be still available in those viewers' memories. BUT if other viewers, such as Carl, have not seen the whole episode, then they will not have key pieces of information to help make sense of what is going on, and their judgments of some meanings may be off. *** *** *** For example, in season 1, episode 1, Charlie goes to the art room for lunch. We know from the teacher's dialogue that Charlie has, prior to this episode, hidden out from bullies in the art room. We find out that it took Charlie 3 months of getting bullied before he told the teacher about it, after which the teacher was able to take care of that problem. This time, Charlie is explaining that his “boyfriend” (Ben) treats him disrespectfully (by, for example, pretending he does not know who Charlie is). The teacher asks whether Charlie has talked to the “boyfriend”; Charlie says no. Teacher asks whether Charlie wants to break up with the “boyfriend”; Charlie says he doesn't know. The teacher eventually asks Charlie whether he has talked to his friends about this situation. Charlie says no, because his friends wouldn't “get it.” *** *** ***When the teacher asks why they would not 'get it', Charlie reveals that his friends (Tao and Isaac) *** *** aren't gay. *** *** When I watched other Reactors commenting on (Tao and Isaac) the friend group at the picnic table, the Reactors have assumed that they are gay. Why do they assume that? Because they are in a friend group with Charlie, who is out as gay. It is not until Charlie reveals that they are not gay, that the Reactors realize their own assumptions had led them astray. I re-watched Alex's showing of this episode again and checked the transcript. A lot of that information had been edited out. As a result, Carl also presumed that those guys were gay. The information that they were not gay is needed in order for viewers to assess events in future episodes; otherwise, the viewers will misjudge motivations and the meanings of future dialogue. *** *** I know some Reactors have other people do the editing, but if they do their own editing, they have the chance to make good decisions about what to leave in. (What do my viewers need to see or hear in this scene to understand the observations I'm make about it?) *** *** *** That said, I sympathize with Alex for having had to take on a challenging job. 💖💜💙

Y’all are doing great! Can’t wait to see the rest of the reactions.

Massive respect for Carl. What a great individual being really respectful and mindful of sensitive topics. The world would be better if we had more Carl’s 👍

Tori always pops up out of nowhere! 😂 And please watch the entire show. Season 3 is coming next month.

Thanks for the video review guys!!! BTW, Why are we whispering? 😊we may need to boost the volume gain or get closer to the mic? (on a separate note: So you know, assuming someone's sexuality ((bisexuality is a real thing)) or guessing about the length for a relationship to flourish is considered inappropriate. With love, when you know, you know. Explanation necessary? Nah... )😊 There is already a lot to unpack in twenty some minutes per episode within eight episodes. When has love made any sense or be clean cut anyway? Does it matter if is gay or straight? Love just is. Is not representation what matters here. For me, it Is the romantic side of this series that was important. The attractiveness of the show is that love goes on beyond labels.

28:45 They alluded prior that Tao is often mistakenly perceived as gay (per Charlie's comment), which thematically is about misperceiving someone as being gay/queer for stereotypical reasons (in Tao's case that he's on the feminine side, slight of build, into art/performances, etc.). Now, while in real life there is little confirmation relative to the _actor's_ -- William Gao's -- sexuality or dating history, it can be that his RL queer sensibility is (as intended) bleeding through the characterization. But some straight people do indeed have "queer" qualities, just as some totally gay men (for example) can have all of the conventional heterosexual male qualities with no stereotypical gay/queer ones... but are still 100% gay. Same thing, just mirror-reversed, with Tao. 34:30 You might be missing it because it can go by fast in context-reference, but these first two episodes cover a span of over 2 months -- it's not just an immediate infatuation on Nick's part. (On *Charlie's* part, yes, lol -- he was properly smitten when he first saw Nick.) In the first episode, alone, the events we see take place over a period of a month, as it started during the first week of January (just getting back from Christmas break), and by the time Ben assaults Charlie it's February (as Charlie says to Ben when the latter asks him why he's wearing a coat, then saying "lame" when Charlie says "It's February..."). There are other blink-and-you'll-miss-it time-cues throughout the season (both this one and the next season), with time ironically moving much faster in this initial episodes then slowing down the further we go along. (Seasons 1 and 2 cover the time from the beginning of January of the year in question and end one the first weekend in July of that same year; S-3 will cover that summer and into the following first semester of the next school year.)

Guys, great reaction, Kudos to SV for being open to learning about the emotional void that may blanket LGBTQ kids and how beneficial this kind of representation can be. And GV, thanks for your eloquent explanation on how so many scenes and dialogues in this beautiful series cab move you so much. Just because we're able to relate on a personal experience basis. BTW, maybe you've heard about it already, but a movie with young adults that's funny, endearing, heartwarming and overall delightful, is Red, White and Royal Blue. Certainly less cuddly and innocent and more adult and raunchier than Heartstopper, but a really good movie to react to. And of course, I'm subscribing. Much success!

Well done gents and Carl - you navigated the minefield of how to ask about the actors playing the characters very well 🙂(from a UK watcher)

Kit Conner the actor who played Nick was 18 when they were filming season 2.

Season 3 would be on October 3, waiting for the reactions.

Thanks for your service! If you guys like Joe Locke, he’s going to be in the upcoming Agatha All Along show which seems like a witchy queer show if you want to react to those episodes. PS is that a key blade tattoo on your arm?

When you change to just showing your faces, it throws me off that you switch places 😂

Can’t wait to see the rest of the episodes of the three seasons

The facial expressions LOL 😂

“Start him off easy” .. well, yes. This is definitely not Torch Song Trilogy.

Loved this reaction! ❤ Had some really fun conversations. I'm excited for the reactions of the next episodes. Hugs from Brazil 🇧🇷

When y'all were talking abt how Ben feels and why he keeps looking a certain way at Charlie and Nick when they would hang out tgt I don't think it's cuz Ben was acting that way just cuz he also likes the boys...I think the main reason is that he's jealous of how Charlie and Nick are very close with each other even in public without caring abt what ppl think abt them...I think Ben wants to and wishes he can be like them and it's killing him inside so he puts all his anger and frustration from his internal conflict with himself on Charlie to make himself feel better

Y'all need to react to RED WHITE AND ROYAL BLUE. Young adult gay joy.

It's a little bit odd/funny to me how (20 minutes in) that "Straight Vet" was all like "Oh I didn't even know" about all the gay/queer stuff.... it was a little unsettling to me, but also funny. I don't QUITE know how to feel about that....

Sure hope you guys will react to the rest. (You'll see your subscriber count spike if you do.) I also hope Carl can relax a bit...😎

Great 1st effort. Red, White & Royal Blue is the queer fairy tail we all need!

I LOVE HEARTSTOPPER!❤

This was amazing - you guys are great

Noah's Arch if anyone remembers, was also an example of an adult queer series

This is such a beautiful series, the best LGBT series of the decade 🥹🩵

11:00 I feel like Ruby is a much better physical contact sport than American "football"

You should add Young Royals to your list but it’s much heavier then Heartstopper. Excellent though!!!

I would love for you guys to react to Close (2020). A Belgium movie. It was an Oscar nominee. It is one of the best movies I ever watched, it's a masterpiece.

If you wanted to watch a adult love story Red white and Royal blue is a happier gay love story. I would also recommend that you read the book it goes way more into details about the story.

Plss more heartstopper reacts ❤❤

this is a cute dynamic the two of you..Most of my friends have often been straight,, I think we often underestimate how perceptive straight people can be about our situations, because we tend to think the worst or underestimate them, but anyone can struggle in highschool, or with relationships etc. Also I feel like even though this show focuses on highschool, they deal with a lot of trauma many gay kids have gone thru and it is cathartic to see how things could of should of been. Also they are young people deal with adult issues .

I think its great that the 2 actors became instant best friends and are frequently seen in public together and the athletic one was shamed by trolls for taking acting work from lgbt people so he replied i am a member of the lgbt community fools. He was only 17 and felt forced to come out which is sad .

First time on the channel and I'm 15mins in. Imo the guy on the right you need to stop explaining the whole plot and just let your partner watch. And left guy seems uncomfortable to be watching and disinterested. Sorry just my first impression

Where is the second part? 😅

Let's do this!!

💙Nick&Charlie💛

I still say that's a stupid/ weird reaction for Ben to have when Charlie just said "Hi". If you were walking down the hall at school and A kid you do not know said hi to you you would do one of two things, either say hi back and keep walking or just ignore them and keep walking. By Ben stopping and saying " why are you talking to me" it just makes him look suspicious.

Sv do you understand the teenage emotional spectrum these days?? Just asking because I'm probably 10 years older than you pair and I look at it like how I saw the world and realised how much easier (not always) it is for kids of today and how they don't have to worry about being sent to jail for being homosexual and all the fighting we (me) had to do to get where they are now. I find you just close your mind to certain things and think like I did about how I grew up, plus maybe some predujices you may of had growing up.

They are 17 year olds in this season

How about Red, White, and Royal Blue? (though it did come after Heartstopper) OK...you sort of lost me when you started saying that straight actors should now play gay roles. That would mean that gay actors can't play straight roles. That means they'd starve--there are not enough gay roles for all the gay actors. Get real on that. And all of the actors, I'm pretty sure, were 18 or older other than Joe Locke (Charlie) who was 17 in Season 1 and it was his first role ever. Kit Connor (Nick) has been an actor since he was about five or six, I think. On the other hand, I agree 100% with your thoughts about representation--so critical and totally missed by me--now as an old gay man! BTW, Red, White, and Royal Blue has two (presumably) straight actors playing the queer roles, and it's one of the best-done films I've ever seen. Also, Top Gun may be the most homoerotic movie I've ever seen. LOL

This video apparently has 2k dislikes. Where did the dislikes come from? I don't dont see too many people disliking the video. But alright, I suppose the concentration on the show wasn't too big and there was a lot of distractions. Edit: the dislikes are actually 14, either the video was dislike botted or the information was inaccurate

React to Riverdale in the future

Alex, I thought I was all cried out from repeated HS viewings, but your final comments have made things pretty wet here...

Same GV same

hi are u going to dpo the rest of this season and season 2 and season 3 season 3 is cameing out this oct 3rd