I dunno if it's just me, but I've noticed that there's this sort of vulnerability to Nick. I don't know how Kit Connor does it, but he's able to provide a lot of info on Nick's state of mind with expressions alone.
I think with Imogen we have to keep in mind that we as the audience are privy to a lot more insight into Nick's mind than Imogen is. She has no clue he's currently crushing on Charlie or questioning his sexuality. All she knows is that he's sweet and jokes around with her, is "obviously" straight, they've been friends for forever, and he did invite her to Harry's party first (didn't spend much time with her but she could definitely have chalked that up to him just being awkward or Harry dragging him away). While she's a little delusional about the degree to which he likes her, I think from her perspective she has every reason to believe that he might like her back, and Nick definitely doesn't do enough to deter that. Honestly, I kind of wish I'd been a bit more like Imogen at that age, confident and forward and up-front about my feelings with the people I care about. She's got a helluva lot more balls at 16 than I do at 32 lol.
Absolutely. And she's a teenage girl with a crush on a popular (apparently straight) boy. It's not so abnormal behaviour when you think about it that way.
She's also a genuinely nice person. Look at the brilliantly framed scene when Charlie gets hurt. Charlie's friends all look very concerned. Nick's friends are laughing and mocking - except for Imogen, who looks horrified and concerned for Charlie. I hope that as Nick transitions into Charlie's friend group, he can bring Imogen with him, because she really seems to fit the popular crowd about as well as Nick does (ie only superficially).
I think there's also just the fact that we, as the audience, are mostly seeing Imogen from the perspective of a potential obstacle keeping Nick and Charlie apart, rather than a fleshed out character in her own right. I think people give Tao more hate than he deserves for the same reason.
@@etherealclarity one of the things I really liked about how the show handled Imogen was that it didn't do the stereotypical misogynist "girls exist to be evil roadblocks" thing. It teased that a little bit and then said "joke's on you; this is not that kind of bar."
@@tophergerkey definitely! This show does that a lot - makes you worry that they're going to go for the dramatic trope but instead has characters deal with things in a relatively mature and realistic way. It's part of the reason this show is so lovely and refreshing.
Gosh it's refreshing to see someone understanding Tao and his perspective cause the amount of hate he's getting is honestly astonishing. There's also something very true the author said and it was that at that age your friendships are the most important parts of your life and even more so when you have a very small but very close group. So when the behavior of one, who is your best friend, changes, when he starts spending less time with you it's scary and you might feel like you are slowly loosing your friend. At that age, you dont think like an adult thinking "oh it's ok, him spending his time with someone else that i dont like isnt a big deal", nope teen brain goes "I am getting left behind".
Yes! Tao is actually my favorite characters -- you can't blame him for what he believes. Straight people sometimes lead on gay people for attention. In Tao's perspective, he only knows that nick is interested in girls and the fact that he's friends with people who treat Charlie like crap. I also love Tao being afraid of losing his friends. Friendships drift apart even when there's no malicious intent. He's scared of losing that, just like anyone else would.
I understood tao up until he stayed angry at charlie out of spite. He knew charlie had mental issues but still decided to "stay angry at him for a bit longer". To me that meant he didn't even think about how charlie might feel after the horrible message tao sent him before and only cared about his own issues. Charlie already had enough on his plate but still had to take tao's feelings into consideration. Now I just dislike tao.
@@Lilithly //Spoilers// First of all, except maybe Tori, none of the characters know the full extent of Charlie's mental health issues so it's not really fair to blame Tao for something he doesnt know. Same with "charlie already had enough on his plate". Tao does not read minds as far as I can tell. Second, the timeline between the end of episode 7 and Sports day really isnt that long. I'm pretty sure it happens during the same week. I'm not saying Tao lashing out was ok, but I understand why it happened and every emotions going through Tao's head. He's behaving like a normal human being, like a teenage human being. He spends the season being scared of being left behind > his insecurities are validated when he learns he's the only one who didnt know about Nick and Charlie > He lashes out > Needs time away to process his emotions and also trying to make Charlie feel a little bit like he felt > feeling guilty about his behavior and making up with Charlie. This all seems like a pretty realistic process of emotions to me. You can dislike him if you want, but I'll keep on saying that the huge amount of hate his character has been getting is really unjustified
Tao’s a really complex character. He feels very protective of Charlie because he carries the guilt of accidentally outing him in school (in the graphic novel), thus his behavior most of the times. He’s just trying to make things right in his own teenage way by protecting Charlie from the unwanted mess he created. I really hope season 2 will bring all of these mental health issues into the table to bring even more awareness and discussion. ❤️
@@alexandremendesf i avoid mentionning comic stuff cause we actually dont know if the outing will be in the show. And actually it's not even why he's protective in the comic because he doesnt know he outed him until volume 3. But yes overall he has every reason to feel protective over charlie
Something I find interesting here is that none of the awkwardness of the final scene would have happened without Harry's interference. Imogen was likely just going to congratulate Nick on the game, and ask him out later in private, but Harry peer pressured her into asking in front of everyone, which she obviously wasn't comfortable with. Similarly, in private Nick could have much more easily turned her down, but in full view of their "friends," he had to worry not only about himself, but about humiliating Imogen in front of everyone. In short, Harry is awful and everything is his fault (or Ben's).
i think you are the first person i've watched who noticed the detail of nick having that twisted memory of charlie in the rugby scene and it made me so happy! even though it was quite sad, the whole scene with him being on the floor and nick struggling to decide if he should reach for him or not, with the rugby boys and their friend groups in the background, plus that little moment where he remembers charlie being way sadder and more disappointed than he actually was was so well done. it showed how much nick was struggling and the fact that he _also_ had these intrusive little thoughts, it wasn't only charlie, because he felt so guilty about keeping them a secret. so amazingly well done!
Finally someone understands tao's pov, i really like that they made his character much more complex than in the graphic novels. Also, many people forget that he's 15 y/o and most of his attitude comes from his fear of being alone. I'm just saying that he's character is very human (and interesting), hence he will probably have a very good arch.
Hey guys! So, my drive that holds all of my reactions is currently failing and it corrupted the raw files for this episode and episode 5 (coming Monday/Tuesday). Luckily I still had the uncut version for my patreon but without the raw files I couldn't cut away when I was talking (unless I had paused the episode as I cut those in my uncut as well) meaning I couldn't include as much footage as usual. Its a shame but I am glad I was still able to put something together for you guys! Episode 6 onwards will all be good and have my usual touch heh
*nick/charlie do/say something disgustingly sweet to each other* _... "i don't know if I can keep watching this show"_ well if that isn't the most relatable reaction of all time lmaooo
And when he says, “Stop!” As if the show hasn’t already told you in the name that it might make you call out Stop because the sweetness is just too much.
It's nice seeing someone who doesn't immediately dislike Tao lol. Like he's a bit overbearing sometimes yeah, but tbh I've been in the situation of a close friend starts crushing on or dating someone new and kinda leaves you behind. I'm sure lots of people have been really and it always sucks, so I fully get what Tao is worrying about there. Plus the added part of Tao assuming Nick is probably just like the rest of the rugby team, i.e.: Harry, and will treat Charlie the same. So like, idk I think his actions really aren't all that crazy. Love seeing your reactions!
If Tao is such a good friend (his words, not mine) and loves Charlie so much, maybe he should trust Charlie when he tells him that Nick is not another stereotypical straight rugby jock? Maybe trust Charlie's judgement a little bit? Or does he just "love" Charlie as this fragile object that needs his protection? I understand that Tao's behavior comes in no small part from his own insecurities; he's a well written character. But that doesn't make him any less annoying.
@@naiderl maybe he should but maybe also Charlie has done this before? Crushing on someone who is never going to return his feelings. Maybe Tao just doesn't know that Nick is a different kind of person than Charlie has crushed on before. I mean yr right about Tao and his own insecurities but I think his protectiveness comes from a very genuine place.
@@naiderlNick has not proven himself (yet) to be anything but a stereotypical jock. The burden is not on Tao to figure out otherwise, especially when Nick was mostly complicit in the bullying + with Charlie keeping their romance a secret from him. We know Charlie literally develops ED and self-harms in the books because of the bullying, it’s ridiculous to think Tao should just be like “oh I’ll trust Nick just because Charlie says so”.
@@applecarameled Nick has exactly ZERO things to prove to Tao. His relationship is with Charlie, not with Tao. And if Tao was anything remotely similar to a good friend, he would give Charlie at the very least the benefit of trusting that he knows what he's doing. Treating Charlie like a baby that needs to be protected from his own decisions is borderline toxic behavior. Moreover, if Tao is going to act actively against Nick (like say, throwing a ball at him when he has turned his back), the burden is definitely on him to make sure he has judged Nick correctly, to avoid acting like a petty, possessive jerk.
You know what I just realised.? Everybody is talking about the first kiss that was so big and important but it was ,I think, only for Nick not for Charlie maby the actual kiss was but after the kiss not anymore becouse he felt like sh*'t afterworts becouse of what happend. 3:26 I think that this is the most important kiss becouse you see Charlie in the door realising that Nick likes him too. The moment you see here is ofcourse exelent too but you see it from the moment he puts his shoes on. If you look at th full episode you can see Charlie standing in the door. So I think this kiss is the most important for both of them
I love how empathetic you’ve been about Tao. Admittedly I too was harsh on him on my first watch through but after seeing a few others’ reactions I learned to give him more grace.
imogene just simply has a crush. Nick is literally not telling her that he is not interested and sometimes people can’t see the signs for themselves. it’s not her fault tbh and i don’t find it annoying i find it unfortunate
Um... she was literally going around telling people Nick and her were *_together_* That was a straight up lie, girl was definitely crossing some lines and I don't blame anyone for finding it annoying.
@@Peter-jv3fv she is a child. nick still have her attention (even though as a friend) for example: inviting her to the party after harry says invite someone (you know what he meant by that) complimenting her outfit and taking pictures with her and accepting her date and just being the nice guy he is. she was feelin herself and so she was like they are “BASICALLY” going out. and remember “going out” doesn’t mean dating because even charlie and nick were only going out before they became boyfriends so Imogen (obviously wrongfully) said they had a thing
@@Peter-jv3fv i see what you mean, but i think imogen genuinely thought nick was into her. so in her eyes they were ‘basically together’. it wasn’t until he explained to her that he isn’t that she backed away, but still very clearly supports and cares about him
@@Peter-jv3fv you're 100% correct and I hate being that person but I'm gonna be anyways: if roles were reversed and imogen was an overly clingy guy who won't get the hint and literally lies to other people about being together with a girl the audience knows is in a same-sex relationship (or "assumes" they're together because the girl... is being nice), the internet would not be nearly as forgiving lol she gets better by the end but it really isn't hard to see why she's annoying at this point in the show...
Imogen is just a girl having a crush. Don't be so harsh on her. She just genuinely likes him. As for Nick, I love how he's feeling so bad about the secret thing as he doesn't want to be another Ben and it's just so cute to witness how he really isn't and shows it by sincerely caring about Charlie more and more.
It's funny that Harry's accent is lower class, when he's supposedly massively wealthy. Tobie Donovan, who plays Isaac, has a great behind the scenes vlog.
I guess it's supposed to be "new money", hence all the _flash_ at his 16th birthday party. You know that put-down Tao did on him, "It must be hard when your only personality trait is rich bellend"...it's almost perfect because it's true. But I think it would have been even better to add, "...oh wait, the money's Daddy's, so what does that leave?"
Something that i've noticed that happens sometimes with kids from rich backgrounds. Due to social stigma that can happen with having a privilageded background is that they subconsciously try to distance from the "signifiers" of wealth and go the other way purposefully. Such as taking on a more "common" accent.
Absolutely love the insight of your comments and how you always take a moment to stop and think what the character understand of the situations without the privileged information we as the audience have. I really liked how you immediately realized Nick would have to say yes to Imogen's invitation. And as someone else commented, it is important to higlight how Harry also pressured Imogen into making that invitation. Seriously, I wouldn't be friend of that guy for nothing in the world. Can't wait to see your reaction for the next chapter!
Yes, about Nick needing to say yes. It always puzzled me when people say that he should have said “No” given what people know of the Nick character and the situation, that Nick literally had no choice but say yes.
I absolutely love how well you explain Tao! So many people think he’s just annoying and hate him, but he’s just a really complex character. I actually relate to some of the stuff a lot, I just never said my thoughts out loud and kept it inside, making me go insane 😂😂 love your reactions!
Did you notice that when they were kissing under the umbrella, Charlie was under the yellow part and Nick was under the blue part. Then when Charlie left Nick positioned the umbrella so that he was under both the blue and yellow part.
I love your reactions, they are always nuanced and thoughtful when faced with more... ambiguous situations or characters. Thank you for sharing them with us!!
At my school all the popular kids always purposely had the same intense Londoner accent like Harry’s and for some reason it’s one of the reasons why this show just feels so relatable for me 😂
Back in the day, I was Imogen. I asked out my friend who I assumed was straight. He, like Nick, was very nice and said yes. But we actually went on the date and it was a disaster - he was clearly miserable. He came out to me a couple years later. So I can relate a lot to Imogen.
i really love how empathetic you are. it is so incredibly refreshing to hear someone actually try and see all these characters different points of view and not immediately judge them. :D
This show is the best representation I have seen. The acting is superb particularly Kit and joe are superb and completely believable. Kit and Joe should have a bright future in film and theater. Lighting and symbolism ,ie., lighting, colors, cinematography . A+ on the whole production.
I don't know if you noticed - but whenever Nick wears a hoodie, it's the one he lent to Charlie in episode two. I bet he never washed it after Charlie wore it. 💕💕💕
FINALLY a reactor who understands Tao!!!! i love him so much. he is so protective of charlie and loves him so much!! he is so loyal and he has so many abandonment issues! i feel so bad for him and i relate to him so much!
I actually loved Imogen from the beginning! 😂 Maybe because she was so relatable to me, as teen girl. She’s such good friends with Nick from when they were younger and has a huge crush on him. She was happy during the party after confessing because there’s this weird stereotype that a guy always has to go after the girl. So she’s just keeping all these feelings tucked away and so when she confessed, i think she was just so happy to finally have it out in the open. She didn’t know what Nick was going through at all and was just acting based on the knowledge that he was single and straight 😂
And he does like her as a person. His reaction about the hair tussle is not all because there’s been an obvious change in him since he kissed Joe and he’s reflecting on the fact that someone noticed. There’s friendship there, he does like her as a person, and the interaction was not un pleasant - was full of camaraderie. Imogen just wasn’t in on the full story.
What you and the other reaction videos i’ve watched pertaining to ep 4 is Isaac is the very first person to know Nick and Charlie are going out. When Isaac is having lunch with Tao, he tells Tao “they’re in the honeymoon phase.” Tao replies, “it’s not like they’re going out…” “Unless, they are,” Isaac retorts. He knew before going to the nurse’s station (after the St. John’s rugby match) where he finds Nick with Charlie; antiseptic wipes! Lol
Its easy to get annoyed at Tao, but people gotta remember that the viewer sees so much more than he does. Tao only ever sees Nick when hes with his yr 11 friends, he never sees Nick and Charlie alone.
You’re so right about Tao’s perspective, and I think the other thing is that he thinks like why is Charlie, the gay kid being bullied, trying to protect Nick, the straight popular guy who gets everything he wants. From his pov it just makes no sense and is really backwards and I respect him for trying to stand up to the bullies for his friends
The way I and pretty much everyone who has watched this show immediately felt protective of two fictional characters is insane. Lmao! Harry and Imogen are so touchy and I’m just like GET AWAY FROM MY LITTLE BROS. 😂😂
Gosh, youre reactions are so smart. It's refreshing. You're not trying overly hard to crack jokes at the detriment of the show, and you're also not trying to be purposely contrarian, all while making great observations! Subbed
I'm so addicted to watching reaction vids for Heartstopper but so many people are doing them one episode per week, so I've watched 20 different reaction series for this show and most of them are just now getting to the cliffhanger at the end of this episode. The torrent of frustration has been honestly fascinating to witness lol. Love your take on the series so far, especially in regards to Tao. I had a very similar friend in high school who was similarly dramatic {although his view was that the thing that was going to drive his friends away was that he wasn't funny or entertaining enough), so I'm happy to see someone who isn't just writing him off as selfish and annoying.
Everything about the show is extremely well done… also, it’s so wholesome. So many shows are not just dark, or dark and graphic, but so many rooms haven’t been painted in 70 years. lol It shows how much the audience (gay and straight) would like to see some wholesome programming that has a good story line and not cheesy and has great production value. The score is like none other and the soundtrack fabulous; they act as two other characters. I also like the freedom the creators feel to use lighting and colouring and animation, believing in the audience going along and still having the whole show feel so very real.
Did Ben ask Charlie to keep it a secret? From what we saw, I don't think there was much *asking* going on. Ben just tells Charlie "don't tell anyone about this" - presumably this is something he says often when they meet up, and at no point does he seem to care about how Charlie might feel about it. Whereas Nick asks Charlie if it would be ok to keep it a secret, and then trusts Charlie to keep it - we never see him bring it up again, not even in the next episode when there's a moment where it would have been totally understandable to bring it up.
I’ve never seen a reaction channel like this that I have actually fallen in love with the creator you are so amazing so intelligent and have a wonderful smile
The two big differences between Ben and Nick are 1) that Ben *orders* Charlie not to tell anyone while Nick *asks* if "they" can keep it a secret. It's a "You better not ..." versus "Could you cooperate with me?" and 2) Ben only wants to make out with Charlie, treating him as an object, but Nick also wants to talk to him and spend time with him as a person.
Im so happy to see a reaction of this show where there’s a bit of compassion towards Tao. I feel like even if we put aside the real reason why Tao is how he is… these are still teens. And I feel like people picking him apart are expecting a level of maturity and self awareness that isn’t just automatically built into a teenager. As a teen you’re still learning how to process certain things and how to react to them. Nick is a bit more communicative and expresses his feelings clearer compared to other teens but that shouldn’t be automatically expected from every single teenager.
holy shit i've never seen someone be so understanding of Tao?? or at least to this extent, it's so easy to just hate on his character or complain that he's being childish but this is the same thoughts i have as well
I genuinely enjoy watching your reaction to each ot the eps because I've had the exact same reaction when I first watched it I love this show and I've watched the entire series 5x
I'm actually happy you said that about Tao. Cause yeah, the show is made to make us be on Nick and Charlie's side, but from Tao's point of view, there are very good reasons to hate Nick and try to protect Charlie. Even though, yeah, you're right, he needs to let his friends do their own mistakes to grow as persons. Actually, even though (for all the reasons we all know) Nick is my favourite on this show, Elle and Tao aren't that far behind, but for reasons not shown yet, so I won't say anything more :p On a quick note about the scene in Charlie's bedroom at the start of the episode, it is my favourite scene from this season. I just love how vulnerable and honest Nick allows himself to be because Charlie makes him feel so safe. It's a great scene. I just love it. And I gotta say : you're really good for not melting at every "Hi" Nick and Charlie exchanges. I just can't, they're so friggin' cute XD Imogen gives some cringy vibes, for sure, but I do like her. I almost feel sorry for her most of the time, up to this episode, but I ended up liking her as well (spoiler : yeah, I love everyone in this show except for those made to be hated, like Ben and Harry). And it's all for now, but I'll definitly watch your next reactions. Glad I've found your videos, I love the way you react to these scenes :)
Honestly i love hearstopper so much and i first came across your channel just because of it. But now i comeback to your channel only for the reason that you are soooooooo cutteee and you remind me of nick, i love your eyes❤️
Honestly Imogen isn't a bad character, but obviously, because we have a different POV we often dislike the character we see as an obstacle. She's a girl having a typical crush on her guy friend who she assumes is straight. She is literally the reverse of Charlie. The only difference is, when Nick is nice to her and like when she plays with his hair or he invited her to the party, it makes her think that she has a chance, just like how Charlie held on to the idea that he and Nick could be more before confirmation with the kiss. AND she's confident enough to put herself out there and actually ask the guy she likes out. In her mind she's a girl with a chance with a guy who seemingly accepts her signals. The difference is... we root for Charlie, cause obviously, GAY. But that doesn't mean Imogen has done anything bad.
To be fair, I feel like that ball throwing scene told a lot about what kind of a person Nick is. He went to check in on Tao (I mean, at least he tried), and then when Tao didn't gave him, the star rugby player, the ball back, it was like he was embarrassing him in front of his "friends" and challenging Nick to take the ball back, which he didn't. He just kinda nodded and went about his way. And then Tao hit him with the ball (while Nick had his back turned), which as much as I understand his anger, he shouldn't have done. Nick has done nothing to him. Now, should Tao throw the ball at Harry instead? Hell yeah. And then Nick had the opportunity to confront Tao, since he didn't do anything to deserve that, but instead he just looked like a kicked puppy. He calmly took the ball and went away without a single word. It really shows how Nick is just such a sweetheart.
In the typical teen show, we would be applauding Imogen for having the courage to ask the popular boy out for a date instead of just sitting back hoping he will make the first move. I agree that doing it so publicly was stupid though.
I think there's another point to the parallel/foil of Nick vs Ben that a lot of people don't really notice, or at least talk about. 🤔 See, this is obviously brand-fucking-new for our golden retriever boy Nick. He has very clear reasons for wanting to keep this a secret for now. He isn't worried about his popularity or whatever, and definitely not his "friend" group, considering their assholelishness (particularly Harry). He's just, as he said himself, so, so confused. Yeah, there's an element of fear, given what he saw in his google search and all, but it's more to do with sheer immensity of how this challenges his sense of self. He's talked about it with Charlie, asked if it was okay that they keep it a secret while he works through this, etc. _Nick communicated. He asked for Charlie's consent._ Ben, on the other hand, has known for some time. Since at least a while before Charlie was outed the year prior as that's why he came to him in the first place. He knew that, if he emotionally abused Charlie enough, he could use him to get what he wanted- to kiss a boy. He never talked to Charlie except to manipulate him into kissing him again, never opened up to him, refused to acknowledge him in public, their "meet-ups" were always when and where he wanted, essentially ordered Charlie not to tell anyone (even though our boy wouldn't anyway), _and this had all been going on for several months._ And then he has the absolute _gall_ to attack Charlie out of jealousy and internalized homophobia. Charlie is right- the two situations are indeed completely different. One is healthy and uplifting and sweet whereas the other is outright toxic.
Show: Charlie thinks Nick likes Tara, runs off on his own, bumps into Ben. Viewers: Oh great, now he's going to get back with Ben because he thinks Nick doesn't like him and Nick's going to see them together and back off and it's going to drag out into pointless drama to delay them being together. Show: Er, no, Charlie's going to tell Ben to shove it, he and Nick are going to kiss and they'll be together by beginning of the next episode. Then Nick will agree to go out with Imogen because he's put on the spot... Viewers: Oh great, he's going to go out with Imogen, Charlie's going to find out, they're going to have a fight and it's going to drag out into pointless drama to delay them being together. Show: Er, no, he's going to text her to let her know he can't go and then meet up with her to explain... Viewers: Ah, so then she's going to turn into uber-woman-scorned-bitch and constantly sabotage him and Charlie throughout the rest of the show... Show: NO, she's going to be understanding and thank him for being honest. Viewers: ...Wait, you mean this teen show can have drama without it being stupid pointless drawn-out drama? Omg, I love this!
Fun fact, it isn't said in the show explicitly, but the coach saying a lot of gay people are good at sports is a call out to her being gay in the graphic novels the show was based on!
Thank you so much for explaining the difference with the keeping it a secret between Ben & Nick :) So well spoken. Imogen is really a nice person :) I love her. I get the bitter feeling xD I have a daughter and a lovely partner but still this made me wanna go back to the very first love. The feeling that you get a text and just smiling like a idiot to your phone xD
When I was a teen girl, I thought I was bi; my boyfriend was the captain of the football team, and their team was like the opposing team in this scene. He was so much older looking that at even the young age of 13 that he was thrown out of a female friend’s house by her father because he thought him to be a grown man (he had a fully developed moustache and was 6’1 with broad shoulders”). They were just doing math homework-he was tutoring her and there was nothing between them. At any rate, most of his friends were nearly as big or bigger and looked a good 5 to 10 years older than most other guys in high school. And so some of the older looking students in American programming don’t look all that unusual for me. lol Another boy who’d pursued me for a while was 6’6” and a star on the basketball team and another the handsome lead in the school plays, who I did date a few times before telling him I wasn’t interested. No, I was NOT at all popular nor even close to being among the most attractive girls in school. I was this nerdy, and for the most part, a loner of a girl-no friends in my year-who stood up to other people’s bullies and bullying teachers and felt like an outlier for the most part. Friends-in other years-told me that boys were afraid of me. So, at least hats off to the few who made an effort. That said, I was incredibly confused by the attraction of these otherwise popular boys. (When the captain of the football team pursued me, his teammates couldn’t figure out why… I mean, I wasn’t a desirable cheerleader; I was a nerdy Charlie in some respects and fearless, not a trait you see in girls, and not trying to impress them more importantly… What was the appeal? My boyfriend told me it was my confidence in myself.) It was a few years later out of the blue my brother told me that I was one of the coolest girls in school; he didn’t go to school with me but he’d run into people who realised he was my brother (our distinctive last name) and this is what he was told, and weird reactions at a 10 year reunion from people kinda of confirmed that. (Too funny and too bad I was so clueless in HS. Heck, if I’d known, I had a Rebel Without a Cause sort of rep-a movie with homosexual undertones-, I might have felt a bit freer to actually be the full me.) His said he’d been told it was because it was obvious I didn’t care what people thought of me. Well, obviously I did care because I didn’t come out-I mean, I thought I was bi but my gut was telling me I was likely a lesbian and too frightened to act on it. I put distance between me and girls I found attractive as advised by the teacher in Heartstopper. And it was painful when I was thrown in with them for some project. One girl, whom I had a massive crush on for years, admitted to me after a while that she’d always been afraid of me, and you could see the relief on her face that I actually didn’t bite ,I was friendly, and we were able to banter. My God, I thought she’d picked up my attraction and I was mortified in the moment. NO ONE was out back then, and homosexuality was only whispered about (the same for teen pregnancy). The public and church discourse hadn’t turned toxic yet (that was a few years off), but the fact that there was nearly ZERO representation and what there was was hidden behind decency codes with tragic storylines, which left me with the impression that there was no worse life sentence than to be gay and have to be closeted for your whole life. I think being in the closet is likely part of the reason I was otherwise brave to other people’s bullies and wouldn’t accept shite from anyone. I needed an outlet for all that angst, and if anyone found out, being someone not to be messed with might have it’s advantages. I did try to come out to a friend in another year I thought might also be gay, but she swiftly changed the subject, started dating a guy, and married him a year later; years later she came out as gay. I actually came out to the footballer I started dating with just a few months left in school, but since I was confused, he was willing to go along and see where the relationship went… marriage is where it went when it ought not… when I needed to have dated some girls so it could have become clear to me that I was not bi-romantic and truly only had sexual but not romantic feelings for boys whereas girls were the whole package. Years wasted. This is why representation is so incredibly important and why gay people and their allies need to keep standing up and make sure kids are not forced back into the closet… people need room to find themselves. Gay straight alliances are needed as well as other representation in school. My life trajectory would have been so very different if I’d had that. I have no doubt that I would have come out if there had been representation generally and we’d had a GSA, and maybe, I’d have gotten a chance to realise that I liked kissing girls more. Sorry that was long… didn’t mean for that to turn into that… the memories just tumbled out once I started thinking about the size of the footballers in my High School and my boyfriend.
Did anyone notice that the two different colours of the umbrella as a percentage of the whole foreshadow that Nick is bi-sexual (and close to his 62% score)?
I dunno if it's just me, but I've noticed that there's this sort of vulnerability to Nick. I don't know how Kit Connor does it, but he's able to provide a lot of info on Nick's state of mind with expressions alone.
yes! i think it is his eyebrows, they are so expressive.
kit connor is a phenomenal actor. he played nick so well
Yes, his face expresses so much, and that is not easy to do!
Yesss like I don't know but you can just feel everyone's emotions but especially Nick’s
It's the amount of emotion he can put out in his face. He's able to show so so much emotion in his face idk how he does it but it's amazing
6:40 "god bless his little heart, that was practically slow-motion" I CACKLED SO HARD--
I think with Imogen we have to keep in mind that we as the audience are privy to a lot more insight into Nick's mind than Imogen is. She has no clue he's currently crushing on Charlie or questioning his sexuality. All she knows is that he's sweet and jokes around with her, is "obviously" straight, they've been friends for forever, and he did invite her to Harry's party first (didn't spend much time with her but she could definitely have chalked that up to him just being awkward or Harry dragging him away). While she's a little delusional about the degree to which he likes her, I think from her perspective she has every reason to believe that he might like her back, and Nick definitely doesn't do enough to deter that. Honestly, I kind of wish I'd been a bit more like Imogen at that age, confident and forward and up-front about my feelings with the people I care about. She's got a helluva lot more balls at 16 than I do at 32 lol.
Absolutely. And she's a teenage girl with a crush on a popular (apparently straight) boy. It's not so abnormal behaviour when you think about it that way.
She's also a genuinely nice person. Look at the brilliantly framed scene when Charlie gets hurt. Charlie's friends all look very concerned. Nick's friends are laughing and mocking - except for Imogen, who looks horrified and concerned for Charlie.
I hope that as Nick transitions into Charlie's friend group, he can bring Imogen with him, because she really seems to fit the popular crowd about as well as Nick does (ie only superficially).
I think there's also just the fact that we, as the audience, are mostly seeing Imogen from the perspective of a potential obstacle keeping Nick and Charlie apart, rather than a fleshed out character in her own right. I think people give Tao more hate than he deserves for the same reason.
@@etherealclarity one of the things I really liked about how the show handled Imogen was that it didn't do the stereotypical misogynist "girls exist to be evil roadblocks" thing. It teased that a little bit and then said "joke's on you; this is not that kind of bar."
@@tophergerkey definitely! This show does that a lot - makes you worry that they're going to go for the dramatic trope but instead has characters deal with things in a relatively mature and realistic way. It's part of the reason this show is so lovely and refreshing.
Gosh it's refreshing to see someone understanding Tao and his perspective cause the amount of hate he's getting is honestly astonishing. There's also something very true the author said and it was that at that age your friendships are the most important parts of your life and even more so when you have a very small but very close group. So when the behavior of one, who is your best friend, changes, when he starts spending less time with you it's scary and you might feel like you are slowly loosing your friend. At that age, you dont think like an adult thinking "oh it's ok, him spending his time with someone else that i dont like isnt a big deal", nope teen brain goes "I am getting left behind".
Yes! Tao is actually my favorite characters -- you can't blame him for what he believes. Straight people sometimes lead on gay people for attention. In Tao's perspective, he only knows that nick is interested in girls and the fact that he's friends with people who treat Charlie like crap. I also love Tao being afraid of losing his friends. Friendships drift apart even when there's no malicious intent. He's scared of losing that, just like anyone else would.
I understood tao up until he stayed angry at charlie out of spite. He knew charlie had mental issues but still decided to "stay angry at him for a bit longer". To me that meant he didn't even think about how charlie might feel after the horrible message tao sent him before and only cared about his own issues. Charlie already had enough on his plate but still had to take tao's feelings into consideration. Now I just dislike tao.
@@Lilithly //Spoilers// First of all, except maybe Tori, none of the characters know the full extent of Charlie's mental health issues so it's not really fair to blame Tao for something he doesnt know. Same with "charlie already had enough on his plate". Tao does not read minds as far as I can tell.
Second, the timeline between the end of episode 7 and Sports day really isnt that long. I'm pretty sure it happens during the same week. I'm not saying Tao lashing out was ok, but I understand why it happened and every emotions going through Tao's head. He's behaving like a normal human being, like a teenage human being.
He spends the season being scared of being left behind > his insecurities are validated when he learns he's the only one who didnt know about Nick and Charlie > He lashes out > Needs time away to process his emotions and also trying to make Charlie feel a little bit like he felt > feeling guilty about his behavior and making up with Charlie. This all seems like a pretty realistic process of emotions to me.
You can dislike him if you want, but I'll keep on saying that the huge amount of hate his character has been getting is really unjustified
Tao’s a really complex character. He feels very protective of Charlie because he carries the guilt of accidentally outing him in school (in the graphic novel), thus his behavior most of the times. He’s just trying to make things right in his own teenage way by protecting Charlie from the unwanted mess he created. I really hope season 2 will bring all of these mental health issues into the table to bring even more awareness and discussion. ❤️
@@alexandremendesf i avoid mentionning comic stuff cause we actually dont know if the outing will be in the show. And actually it's not even why he's protective in the comic because he doesnt know he outed him until volume 3. But yes overall he has every reason to feel protective over charlie
Something I find interesting here is that none of the awkwardness of the final scene would have happened without Harry's interference. Imogen was likely just going to congratulate Nick on the game, and ask him out later in private, but Harry peer pressured her into asking in front of everyone, which she obviously wasn't comfortable with. Similarly, in private Nick could have much more easily turned her down, but in full view of their "friends," he had to worry not only about himself, but about humiliating Imogen in front of everyone.
In short, Harry is awful and everything is his fault (or Ben's).
"Harry is awful and everything is his fault (or Ben's)." And the motion passes by unanimous consent!
@@tjsingletonjr and @tophergerkey, why the use of OR? Shouldn't it be "Harry is awful and everything is his fault (and Ben's)?"
i think you are the first person i've watched who noticed the detail of nick having that twisted memory of charlie in the rugby scene and it made me so happy! even though it was quite sad, the whole scene with him being on the floor and nick struggling to decide if he should reach for him or not, with the rugby boys and their friend groups in the background, plus that little moment where he remembers charlie being way sadder and more disappointed than he actually was was so well done. it showed how much nick was struggling and the fact that he _also_ had these intrusive little thoughts, it wasn't only charlie, because he felt so guilty about keeping them a secret. so amazingly well done!
Finally someone understands tao's pov, i really like that they made his character much more complex than in the graphic novels. Also, many people forget that he's 15 y/o and most of his attitude comes from his fear of being alone. I'm just saying that he's character is very human (and interesting), hence he will probably have a very good arch.
Hey guys! So, my drive that holds all of my reactions is currently failing and it corrupted the raw files for this
episode and episode 5 (coming Monday/Tuesday). Luckily I still had the uncut version for my patreon but without the raw files I couldn't cut away when I was talking (unless I had paused the episode as I cut those in my uncut as well) meaning I couldn't include as much footage as usual.
Its a shame but I am glad I was still able to put something together for you guys! Episode 6 onwards will all be good and have my usual touch heh
Sittin in the waiting room for Mon/Tues
I was curious why this one was significantly shorter lol.
*nick/charlie do/say something disgustingly sweet to each other*
_... "i don't know if I can keep watching this show"_
well if that isn't the most relatable reaction of all time lmaooo
And when he says, “Stop!” As if the show hasn’t already told you in the name that it might make you call out Stop because the sweetness is just too much.
Bro, I’ve been refreshing your RUclips channel for the past couple days waiting for more Heartstopper. Love you and your reactions.
Saaame 😂
Same same!!!!
ME TO OMFG
Same. 😭😂😂
same though
It's nice seeing someone who doesn't immediately dislike Tao lol. Like he's a bit overbearing sometimes yeah, but tbh I've been in the situation of a close friend starts crushing on or dating someone new and kinda leaves you behind. I'm sure lots of people have been really and it always sucks, so I fully get what Tao is worrying about there.
Plus the added part of Tao assuming Nick is probably just like the rest of the rugby team, i.e.: Harry, and will treat Charlie the same. So like, idk I think his actions really aren't all that crazy.
Love seeing your reactions!
If Tao is such a good friend (his words, not mine) and loves Charlie so much, maybe he should trust Charlie when he tells him that Nick is not another stereotypical straight rugby jock? Maybe trust Charlie's judgement a little bit? Or does he just "love" Charlie as this fragile object that needs his protection? I understand that Tao's behavior comes in no small part from his own insecurities; he's a well written character. But that doesn't make him any less annoying.
@@naiderl Oh my god somebody else that actually gets it.
@@naiderl maybe he should but maybe also Charlie has done this before? Crushing on someone who is never going to return his feelings. Maybe Tao just doesn't know that Nick is a different kind of person than Charlie has crushed on before. I mean yr right about Tao and his own insecurities but I think his protectiveness comes from a very genuine place.
@@naiderlNick has not proven himself (yet) to be anything but a stereotypical jock. The burden is not on Tao to figure out otherwise, especially when Nick was mostly complicit in the bullying + with Charlie keeping their romance a secret from him. We know Charlie literally develops ED and self-harms in the books because of the bullying, it’s ridiculous to think Tao should just be like “oh I’ll trust Nick just because Charlie says so”.
@@applecarameled Nick has exactly ZERO things to prove to Tao. His relationship is with Charlie, not with Tao. And if Tao was anything remotely similar to a good friend, he would give Charlie at the very least the benefit of trusting that he knows what he's doing. Treating Charlie like a baby that needs to be protected from his own decisions is borderline toxic behavior. Moreover, if Tao is going to act actively against Nick (like say, throwing a ball at him when he has turned his back), the burden is definitely on him to make sure he has judged Nick correctly, to avoid acting like a petty, possessive jerk.
6:18 in the comics it’s confirmed that ms singh is a lesbian and she was referring to herself and her wife here :)
You know what I just realised.? Everybody is talking about the first kiss that was so big and important but it was ,I think, only for Nick not for Charlie maby the actual kiss was but after the kiss not anymore becouse he felt like sh*'t afterworts becouse of
what happend. 3:26 I think that this is the most important kiss becouse you see Charlie in the door realising that Nick likes him too. The moment you see here is ofcourse exelent too but you see it from the moment he puts his shoes on. If you look at th full episode you can see Charlie standing in the door. So I think this kiss is the most important for both of them
I love how empathetic you’ve been about Tao. Admittedly I too was harsh on him on my first watch through but after seeing a few others’ reactions I learned to give him more grace.
imogene just simply has a crush. Nick is literally not telling her that he is not interested and sometimes people can’t see the signs for themselves. it’s not her fault tbh and i don’t find it annoying i find it unfortunate
exactly! i think she genuinely had no idea nick didn’t like her that way
Um... she was literally going around telling people Nick and her were *_together_*
That was a straight up lie, girl was definitely crossing some lines and I don't blame anyone for finding it annoying.
@@Peter-jv3fv she is a child. nick still have her attention (even though as a friend) for example: inviting her to the party after harry says invite someone (you know what he meant by that) complimenting her outfit and taking pictures with her and accepting her date and just being the nice guy he is. she was feelin herself and so she was like they are “BASICALLY” going out. and remember “going out” doesn’t mean dating because even charlie and nick were only going out before they became boyfriends so Imogen (obviously wrongfully) said they had a thing
@@Peter-jv3fv i see what you mean, but i think imogen genuinely thought nick was into her. so in her eyes they were ‘basically together’. it wasn’t until he explained to her that he isn’t that she backed away, but still very clearly supports and cares about him
@@Peter-jv3fv you're 100% correct and I hate being that person but I'm gonna be anyways: if roles were reversed and imogen was an overly clingy guy who won't get the hint and literally lies to other people about being together with a girl the audience knows is in a same-sex relationship (or "assumes" they're together because the girl... is being nice), the internet would not be nearly as forgiving lol
she gets better by the end but it really isn't hard to see why she's annoying at this point in the show...
Imogen is just a girl having a crush. Don't be so harsh on her. She just genuinely likes him. As for Nick, I love how he's feeling so bad about the secret thing as he doesn't want to be another Ben and it's just so cute to witness how he really isn't and shows it by sincerely caring about Charlie more and more.
It's funny that Harry's accent is lower class, when he's supposedly massively wealthy.
Tobie Donovan, who plays Isaac, has a great behind the scenes vlog.
I guess it's supposed to be "new money", hence all the _flash_ at his 16th birthday party.
You know that put-down Tao did on him, "It must be hard when your only personality trait is rich bellend"...it's almost perfect because it's true. But I think it would have been even better to add, "...oh wait, the money's Daddy's, so what does that leave?"
Something that i've noticed that happens sometimes with kids from rich backgrounds. Due to social stigma that can happen with having a privilageded background is that they subconsciously try to distance from the "signifiers" of wealth and go the other way purposefully. Such as taking on a more "common" accent.
@@deamondemelza Like the "Mockney" accent that Guy Ritchie (stepson of an actual Baronet and an ex-public schoolboy himself) uses.
Absolutely love the insight of your comments and how you always take a moment to stop and think what the character understand of the situations without the privileged information we as the audience have. I really liked how you immediately realized Nick would have to say yes to Imogen's invitation. And as someone else commented, it is important to higlight how Harry also pressured Imogen into making that invitation. Seriously, I wouldn't be friend of that guy for nothing in the world. Can't wait to see your reaction for the next chapter!
Yes, about Nick needing to say yes. It always puzzled me when people say that he should have said “No” given what people know of the Nick character and the situation, that Nick literally had no choice but say yes.
You are so emotionally intelligent. It's a joy to hear you understand and talk about all the complex feelings the characters have.
I absolutely love how well you explain Tao! So many people think he’s just annoying and hate him, but he’s just a really complex character. I actually relate to some of the stuff a lot, I just never said my thoughts out loud and kept it inside, making me go insane 😂😂 love your reactions!
I look forward to these every week!
I love how you explain Tao for people… it’s so on target.
Did you notice that when they were kissing under the umbrella, Charlie was under the yellow part and Nick was under the blue part. Then when Charlie left Nick positioned the umbrella so that he was under both the blue and yellow part.
The blue and yellow theme is *strong* in this series - look out for this wherever it pops up, if you're reading this, Harry.
Reminds me of the same colours used in Call Me By Your Name
Did you also notice that the two different colours as a percentage of the whole foreshadow that Nick is bi-sexual (and close to his 62% score)?
I love your reactions, they are always nuanced and thoughtful when faced with more... ambiguous situations or characters. Thank you for sharing them with us!!
I like your reactions to this show because you have great and quick insight into why the characters behave the way that they do.
At my school all the popular kids always purposely had the same intense Londoner accent like Harry’s and for some reason it’s one of the reasons why this show just feels so relatable for me 😂
Back in the day, I was Imogen. I asked out my friend who I assumed was straight. He, like Nick, was very nice and said yes. But we actually went on the date and it was a disaster - he was clearly miserable. He came out to me a couple years later. So I can relate a lot to Imogen.
Been following along with these videos after watching the show a million times and love your reactions
i really love how empathetic you are. it is so incredibly refreshing to hear someone actually try and see all these characters different points of view and not immediately judge them. :D
This show is the best representation I have seen. The acting is superb particularly Kit and joe are superb and completely believable. Kit and Joe should have a bright future in film and theater. Lighting and symbolism ,ie., lighting, colors, cinematography . A+ on the whole production.
I don't know if you noticed - but whenever Nick wears a hoodie, it's the one he lent to Charlie in episode two. I bet he never washed it after Charlie wore it. 💕💕💕
A towel? No-one? I thought it was kinda strange to just let him drip all over the place. I loved the umbrella scene for many reasons. 😍
Lol I was so mad when he walked in dripping 😭😭 like, I need to get you some dry clothes before you make a puddle in the room
FINALLY a reactor who understands Tao!!!! i love him so much. he is so protective of charlie and loves him so much!! he is so loyal and he has so many abandonment issues! i feel so bad for him and i relate to him so much!
Thank YOU so much for understanding Tao's character, oh my God!
I actually loved Imogen from the beginning! 😂 Maybe because she was so relatable to me, as teen girl. She’s such good friends with Nick from when they were younger and has a huge crush on him. She was happy during the party after confessing because there’s this weird stereotype that a guy always has to go after the girl. So she’s just keeping all these feelings tucked away and so when she confessed, i think she was just so happy to finally have it out in the open. She didn’t know what Nick was going through at all and was just acting based on the knowledge that he was single and straight 😂
And he does like her as a person. His reaction about the hair tussle is not all because there’s been an obvious change in him since he kissed Joe and he’s reflecting on the fact that someone noticed. There’s friendship there, he does like her as a person, and the interaction was not un pleasant - was full of camaraderie. Imogen just wasn’t in on the full story.
What you and the other reaction videos i’ve watched pertaining to ep 4 is Isaac is the very first person to know Nick and Charlie are going out. When Isaac is having lunch with Tao, he tells Tao “they’re in the honeymoon phase.”
Tao replies, “it’s not like they’re going out…”
“Unless, they are,” Isaac retorts.
He knew before going to the nurse’s station (after the St. John’s rugby match) where he finds Nick with Charlie; antiseptic wipes! Lol
Its easy to get annoyed at Tao, but people gotta remember that the viewer sees so much more than he does. Tao only ever sees Nick when hes with his yr 11 friends, he never sees Nick and Charlie alone.
been loving these reactions. you’re very insightful and actually react with more than just ‘oh my god’s. excellent videos!
You’re so right about Tao’s perspective, and I think the other thing is that he thinks like why is Charlie, the gay kid being bullied, trying to protect Nick, the straight popular guy who gets everything he wants. From his pov it just makes no sense and is really backwards and I respect him for trying to stand up to the bullies for his friends
The way I and pretty much everyone who has watched this show immediately felt protective of two fictional characters is insane. Lmao! Harry and Imogen are so touchy and I’m just like GET AWAY FROM MY LITTLE BROS. 😂😂
Really love your reactions!!! Got so happy to see another upload. Can't wait to see the rest!
Gosh, youre reactions are so smart. It's refreshing. You're not trying overly hard to crack jokes at the detriment of the show, and you're also not trying to be purposely contrarian, all while making great observations! Subbed
I enjoy how you don't hate on Tao and understand his perspective he gets so much hate
1:40 THAT's my favorite of their kiss !
Your reactions are so good, you actually put yourself in the characters pov!
Nick was wearing the blue jumper Charlie wore in the snow. Nick will wear that several more times. Nick is blue and Charlie is yellow.
Love your reactions! Nick is such a sweetheart ❤️
I'm so addicted to watching reaction vids for Heartstopper but so many people are doing them one episode per week, so I've watched 20 different reaction series for this show and most of them are just now getting to the cliffhanger at the end of this episode. The torrent of frustration has been honestly fascinating to witness lol.
Love your take on the series so far, especially in regards to Tao. I had a very similar friend in high school who was similarly dramatic {although his view was that the thing that was going to drive his friends away was that he wasn't funny or entertaining enough), so I'm happy to see someone who isn't just writing him off as selfish and annoying.
I am bloody loving your reactions to this show 😭!! I can’t wait for you to watch the rest of it :)
Just discovered your reaction videos a few days ago. I love "rewatching" the best bits of the show like this with your comments.
i literally checked this morning to see if u dropped the new vid and here we are now 😻
Love your reactions!!
Everything about the show is extremely well done… also, it’s so wholesome. So many shows are not just dark, or dark and graphic, but so many rooms haven’t been painted in 70 years. lol It shows how much the audience (gay and straight) would like to see some wholesome programming that has a good story line and not cheesy and has great production value. The score is like none other and the soundtrack fabulous; they act as two other characters. I also like the freedom the creators feel to use lighting and colouring and animation, believing in the audience going along and still having the whole show feel so very real.
Your self-restraint in doing only one episode a week is amazing
Did Ben ask Charlie to keep it a secret? From what we saw, I don't think there was much *asking* going on. Ben just tells Charlie "don't tell anyone about this" - presumably this is something he says often when they meet up, and at no point does he seem to care about how Charlie might feel about it. Whereas Nick asks Charlie if it would be ok to keep it a secret, and then trusts Charlie to keep it - we never see him bring it up again, not even in the next episode when there's a moment where it would have been totally understandable to bring it up.
I’ve been reading loving your reactions and your commentary on Heartstopper! 🤍
I’ve never seen a reaction channel like this that I have actually fallen in love with the creator you are so amazing so intelligent and have a wonderful smile
The two big differences between Ben and Nick are 1) that Ben *orders* Charlie not to tell anyone while Nick *asks* if "they" can keep it a secret. It's a "You better not ..." versus "Could you cooperate with me?" and 2) Ben only wants to make out with Charlie, treating him as an object, but Nick also wants to talk to him and spend time with him as a person.
Just in Heartstoppers was renewed for the second season and and third season🎉
I just realized that Tao's dad is not in the picture. Perhaps some of his insecurities stem from a feeling of abandonment..
That is what I have been thinking also.
I NEEDED THIS, thank you so much!!
Im so happy to see a reaction of this show where there’s a bit of compassion towards Tao. I feel like even if we put aside the real reason why Tao is how he is… these are still teens. And I feel like people picking him apart are expecting a level of maturity and self awareness that isn’t just automatically built into a teenager. As a teen you’re still learning how to process certain things and how to react to them. Nick is a bit more communicative and expresses his feelings clearer compared to other teens but that shouldn’t be automatically expected from every single teenager.
McCormick, who plays Harry, actually has that accent IRL.
I freaking love your insight!
every kiss that nick and charlie have gives me so many butterflies 🦋💖
holy shit i've never seen someone be so understanding of Tao?? or at least to this extent, it's so easy to just hate on his character or complain that he's being childish but this is the same thoughts i have as well
I genuinely enjoy watching your reaction to each ot the eps because I've had the exact same reaction when I first watched it I love this show and I've watched the entire series 5x
Isaac is an ICON
Yes to more Isaac
I hate that I have to wait another week for your next one!!😫
and prepare yourself for epesode 7, if you dont cry, idek
I'm actually happy you said that about Tao. Cause yeah, the show is made to make us be on Nick and Charlie's side, but from Tao's point of view, there are very good reasons to hate Nick and try to protect Charlie. Even though, yeah, you're right, he needs to let his friends do their own mistakes to grow as persons. Actually, even though (for all the reasons we all know) Nick is my favourite on this show, Elle and Tao aren't that far behind, but for reasons not shown yet, so I won't say anything more :p
On a quick note about the scene in Charlie's bedroom at the start of the episode, it is my favourite scene from this season. I just love how vulnerable and honest Nick allows himself to be because Charlie makes him feel so safe. It's a great scene. I just love it.
And I gotta say : you're really good for not melting at every "Hi" Nick and Charlie exchanges. I just can't, they're so friggin' cute XD
Imogen gives some cringy vibes, for sure, but I do like her. I almost feel sorry for her most of the time, up to this episode, but I ended up liking her as well (spoiler : yeah, I love everyone in this show except for those made to be hated, like Ben and Harry).
And it's all for now, but I'll definitly watch your next reactions. Glad I've found your videos, I love the way you react to these scenes :)
Honestly i love hearstopper so much and i first came across your channel just because of it. But now i comeback to your channel only for the reason that you are soooooooo cutteee and you remind me of nick, i love your eyes❤️
Love yours reactions and comments, you are very funny ❤
Oh my god thank you I need more of this
so glad you see tao this way, where a lot of people fail to do so. great observations!
HARRYYY, HEARTSTOPPER JUST GOT RENEWED FOR TWO MORE SEASONS
Never clicked so fast on notif
Good news! Netflix has picked this show up for two more seasons!
Honestly Imogen isn't a bad character, but obviously, because we have a different POV we often dislike the character we see as an obstacle.
She's a girl having a typical crush on her guy friend who she assumes is straight. She is literally the reverse of Charlie. The only difference is, when Nick is nice to her and like when she plays with his hair or he invited her to the party, it makes her think that she has a chance, just like how Charlie held on to the idea that he and Nick could be more before confirmation with the kiss. AND she's confident enough to put herself out there and actually ask the guy she likes out. In her mind she's a girl with a chance with a guy who seemingly accepts her signals.
The difference is... we root for Charlie, cause obviously, GAY. But that doesn't mean Imogen has done anything bad.
I've watched a few reactions, and they often talk over and don't catch that Nick asked if Tao was okay before asking for the ball.
Don’t worry Harry, the next episode is a great resolution between nick and imagine.can’t wait to see your reaction. 👊😁. Btw, hi from the states🌹🇺🇸
I love your channel I'm on the same wavelength. Your the best
To be fair, I feel like that ball throwing scene told a lot about what kind of a person Nick is.
He went to check in on Tao (I mean, at least he tried), and then when Tao didn't gave him, the star rugby player, the ball back, it was like he was embarrassing him in front of his "friends" and challenging Nick to take the ball back, which he didn't. He just kinda nodded and went about his way. And then Tao hit him with the ball (while Nick had his back turned), which as much as I understand his anger, he shouldn't have done. Nick has done nothing to him. Now, should Tao throw the ball at Harry instead? Hell yeah. And then Nick had the opportunity to confront Tao, since he didn't do anything to deserve that, but instead he just looked like a kicked puppy. He calmly took the ball and went away without a single word.
It really shows how Nick is just such a sweetheart.
When you start playing the episode, I just immediately wet my eyeballs. I seriously think I might be broken and irreparable right now. 😭😭
In the typical teen show, we would be applauding Imogen for having the courage to ask the popular boy out for a date instead of just sitting back hoping he will make the first move. I agree that doing it so publicly was stupid though.
"have you told nick cause i dont think he knows" you are so funny 😭 also Imogen gets better later on and is supposed to be alot better in season 2
I think there's another point to the parallel/foil of Nick vs Ben that a lot of people don't really notice, or at least talk about. 🤔
See, this is obviously brand-fucking-new for our golden retriever boy Nick. He has very clear reasons for wanting to keep this a secret for now. He isn't worried about his popularity or whatever, and definitely not his "friend" group, considering their assholelishness (particularly Harry). He's just, as he said himself, so, so confused. Yeah, there's an element of fear, given what he saw in his google search and all, but it's more to do with sheer immensity of how this challenges his sense of self. He's talked about it with Charlie, asked if it was okay that they keep it a secret while he works through this, etc. _Nick communicated. He asked for Charlie's consent._
Ben, on the other hand, has known for some time. Since at least a while before Charlie was outed the year prior as that's why he came to him in the first place. He knew that, if he emotionally abused Charlie enough, he could use him to get what he wanted- to kiss a boy. He never talked to Charlie except to manipulate him into kissing him again, never opened up to him, refused to acknowledge him in public, their "meet-ups" were always when and where he wanted, essentially ordered Charlie not to tell anyone (even though our boy wouldn't anyway), _and this had all been going on for several months._ And then he has the absolute _gall_ to attack Charlie out of jealousy and internalized homophobia.
Charlie is right- the two situations are indeed completely different. One is healthy and uplifting and sweet whereas the other is outright toxic.
That London accent....all my secondary school life 🥲😄
Show: Charlie thinks Nick likes Tara, runs off on his own, bumps into Ben.
Viewers: Oh great, now he's going to get back with Ben because he thinks Nick doesn't like him and Nick's going to see them together and back off and it's going to drag out into pointless drama to delay them being together.
Show: Er, no, Charlie's going to tell Ben to shove it, he and Nick are going to kiss and they'll be together by beginning of the next episode. Then Nick will agree to go out with Imogen because he's put on the spot...
Viewers: Oh great, he's going to go out with Imogen, Charlie's going to find out, they're going to have a fight and it's going to drag out into pointless drama to delay them being together.
Show: Er, no, he's going to text her to let her know he can't go and then meet up with her to explain...
Viewers: Ah, so then she's going to turn into uber-woman-scorned-bitch and constantly sabotage him and Charlie throughout the rest of the show...
Show: NO, she's going to be understanding and thank him for being honest.
Viewers: ...Wait, you mean this teen show can have drama without it being stupid pointless drawn-out drama? Omg, I love this!
I just found your channel and I'm loving your reactions! I can't wait for you to react to episode 5!
Fun fact, it isn't said in the show explicitly, but the coach saying a lot of gay people are good at sports is a call out to her being gay in the graphic novels the show was based on!
I also love that it is an Asian woman as the PE teacher/coach of the rugby team at an all boys school
LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO
Thank you so much for explaining the difference with the keeping it a secret between Ben & Nick :)
So well spoken.
Imogen is really a nice person :) I love her.
I get the bitter feeling xD I have a daughter and a lovely partner but still this made me wanna go back to the very first love.
The feeling that you get a text and just smiling like a idiot to your phone xD
When I was a teen girl, I thought I was bi; my boyfriend was the captain of the football team, and their team was like the opposing team in this scene. He was so much older looking that at even the young age of 13 that he was thrown out of a female friend’s house by her father because he thought him to be a grown man (he had a fully developed moustache and was 6’1 with broad shoulders”). They were just doing math homework-he was tutoring her and there was nothing between them. At any rate, most of his friends were nearly as big or bigger and looked a good 5 to 10 years older than most other guys in high school. And so some of the older looking students in American programming don’t look all that unusual for me. lol
Another boy who’d pursued me for a while was 6’6” and a star on the basketball team and another the handsome lead in the school plays, who I did date a few times before telling him I wasn’t interested. No, I was NOT at all popular nor even close to being among the most attractive girls in school. I was this nerdy, and for the most part, a loner of a girl-no friends in my year-who stood up to other people’s bullies and bullying teachers and felt like an outlier for the most part. Friends-in other years-told me that boys were afraid of me. So, at least hats off to the few who made an effort. That said, I was incredibly confused by the attraction of these otherwise popular boys. (When the captain of the football team pursued me, his teammates couldn’t figure out why… I mean, I wasn’t a desirable cheerleader; I was a nerdy Charlie in some respects and fearless, not a trait you see in girls, and not trying to impress them more importantly… What was the appeal? My boyfriend told me it was my confidence in myself.)
It was a few years later out of the blue my brother told me that I was one of the coolest girls in school; he didn’t go to school with me but he’d run into people who realised he was my brother (our distinctive last name) and this is what he was told, and weird reactions at a 10 year reunion from people kinda of confirmed that. (Too funny and too bad I was so clueless in HS. Heck, if I’d known, I had a Rebel Without a Cause sort of rep-a movie with homosexual undertones-, I might have felt a bit freer to actually be the full me.) His said he’d been told it was because it was obvious I didn’t care what people thought of me.
Well, obviously I did care because I didn’t come out-I mean, I thought I was bi but my gut was telling me I was likely a lesbian and too frightened to act on it. I put distance between me and girls I found attractive as advised by the teacher in Heartstopper. And it was painful when I was thrown in with them for some project. One girl, whom I had a massive crush on for years, admitted to me after a while that she’d always been afraid of me, and you could see the relief on her face that I actually didn’t bite ,I was friendly, and we were able to banter. My God, I thought she’d picked up my attraction and I was mortified in the moment.
NO ONE was out back then, and homosexuality was only whispered about (the same for teen pregnancy). The public and church discourse hadn’t turned toxic yet (that was a few years off), but the fact that there was nearly ZERO representation and what there was was hidden behind decency codes with tragic storylines, which left me with the impression that there was no worse life sentence than to be gay and have to be closeted for your whole life. I think being in the closet is likely part of the reason I was otherwise brave to other people’s bullies and wouldn’t accept shite from anyone. I needed an outlet for all that angst, and if anyone found out, being someone not to be messed with might have it’s advantages.
I did try to come out to a friend in another year I thought might also be gay, but she swiftly changed the subject, started dating a guy, and married him a year later; years later she came out as gay. I actually came out to the footballer I started dating with just a few months left in school, but since I was confused, he was willing to go along and see where the relationship went… marriage is where it went when it ought not… when I needed to have dated some girls so it could have become clear to me that I was not bi-romantic and truly only had sexual but not romantic feelings for boys whereas girls were the whole package. Years wasted.
This is why representation is so incredibly important and why gay people and their allies need to keep standing up and make sure kids are not forced back into the closet… people need room to find themselves. Gay straight alliances are needed as well as other representation in school. My life trajectory would have been so very different if I’d had that. I have no doubt that I would have come out if there had been representation generally and we’d had a GSA, and maybe, I’d have gotten a chance to realise that I liked kissing girls more.
Sorry that was long… didn’t mean for that to turn into that… the memories just tumbled out once I started thinking about the size of the footballers in my High School and my boyfriend.
Heartstopper RENEWED!!!!!!
Can't wait for your ep 5 reaction 🥰👏
Did anyone notice that the two different colours of the umbrella as a percentage of the whole foreshadow that Nick is bi-sexual (and close to his 62% score)?
we alll need partners like Nick
I totally relate to it making you feel bitter :D felt the same was sort of jealous :D