Tom, I'm assuming the focus on sex is because it is the happy part of the season. From a marketing standpoint, I think Netflix is trying to do two things here: 1) I think they're trying not to spoil the more dramatic, important part of the season, hence the secrecy, and 2) I think they're trying to appeal to the audience who expects a lighter, fluffier, happier Heartstopper, which, assuming it follows the comic, they won't get in the first half of the season, which Joe, himself, described as sad. Based on the titles, I would assume that most of the story lines involving sex converge in the last three episodes, especially for Nick and Charlie, so I don't think it's the focus of the majority of the season. There should be some cool conversations about sex and sexuality, as well as body image, which I'm looking forward to (and I hope they didn't cut, because I think they are important). I also can't imagine it being super graphic since Alice has said they don't think that really fits with the feel of Heartstopper. I'm imagining it'll be about the same level of graphic as the graphic novel, which seems just about the right amount, but who knows?
Great reactions! I agree with what you said about the mentions of sex, I'm also on the ace spectrum and I feel like there is so much more to relationships than only sex. But I am interested in seeing how this goes in the show. I'm super excited for season 3 though! Side note: I'm also a Scorpio and I feel like I'm the opposite of how they are portrayed by others lol
13:49 Just to pick up on this point, the series is rated a 12+ in the UK, which would suggest some nudity but not full frontal (nothing explicit as say, Bridgeton which is rated a 15+) and sex discussion. Not sure how frank the discussion could get with regard to… insertion objects and external devices (trying to not trigger RUclips’s filter here…) Interestingly the BBFC is about to update its guidelines, so HS’s rating may change in the future as they are tightening up on what can be shown. I must admit I assumed as well there was going to be a duvet involved and a lot of stars involved a la the comics 😂
Update: I’ve gone down a research rabbit hole and this is the official guidance the BBFC publish if a film or TV series is going to get a 12 rating: “There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it should be brief and discreet. Sexual activity may be portrayed briefly and discreetly. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be verbal references to sexual violence provided they are not graphic.”
Just because the director mentioned a “moment of insertion” when doesn’t mean the scene itself will be graphic. I don’t know how to say this without getting really explicit myself lol but he was probably guiding the actors through certain reactions and feelings they wanted to capture, I don’t think that means we’ll be seeing nudity or anything in a lot of detail.
Ok, so "light spoilers" = revealing Tara and Darcy's entire arcs for the season. Great. 🙂👍 I listened to this podcast episode in public and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Maybe YOU'RE a lesbian and you don't even know it! I also have several questions about the "moment of insertion". 😅 I agree with your sex rant at the beginning. Having watched the season, I loved how those scenes were focused on the emotional connexion side of things. I'm not a fan of all the jokes turning these tender moments into something vulgar. But maybe that's only because I'm also ace. Who knows.. The way Kit says the lines (and his buzzer phrase) in Nick's voice! 😅 Amazing. In S1E5, Charlie says "I was born to race" and Tao says "I was born to kill aliens". Lots of confusion there. 😋
When I heard that Tara was gonna have a panic attack in this season I was honestly quite shocked, but the longer I’ve sat with it, the way more it makes sense to me. Like she’s always the person that people go to for things, but she never goes to other people. I think back to s2 ep8 when Darcy was missing and Tara didn’t tell anyone what was going on. I don’t even think she fully told Nick, just mentioned that Darcy wasn’t there before going out to look for them. As for the mention of sex, I do understand why they’re talking about it a lot because it was a main complaint that a lot of people had, but in a way, I feel like it’s taking away from the importance of them tackling serious mental health problems. It’s already confirmed that Charlie’s mental health will play a big role in this new season, yet they aren’t really talking about it at all in the promo for the season which concerns me a little bit, but I do know that no matter what, it’s still Heartstopper and will most likely be done in a very tasteful manner like the discussions we had in s2
Thank you for brining up the constant mentions of sex, if I didn't know what I was getting into, I'd think I'm about to watch a new season od Sex Education instead. But the shooting must've been funny, Kizzy and Cori might've had "the moment of insertion", but at least there was no random fart like when Kit and Joe were shooting a sex scene (talk about an ice breaker 😄). Nevertheless I feel like they're trying to cover up Charlie's mental health journey which is the main focus of this season and I'm not really happy about that. We had a discussion on a HS related discord the other day that Nick, Tori and Aled could use a group therapy on how to stop putting others before themselves to the point that they damage their own mental health in the process had and based on what Cori said I guess we're adding Tara to the group as well. I'm also happy that Darcy has somewhere to go from her toxic so called mother, because in comparison with her, even David has a chance to make up his mind, but she's absolutely disgusting.
Gotta love cats, just forever toddlers making problems lol I love Kizzy and Corinna. They bounce off each other so well and are very awkwardly funny in a good way if that makes sense. I didn't really notice it until reading these comments and hearing you now. (Like idc about the 'realism' cause even Kit and Joe joke about the fact that irl Nick and Charlie would have been doing stuff much soon) But they have been talking about the SEX in this season a lot. Which also makes me curious if that's a big reason Netflix has been posting about it so much this season is cause they think it will draw people in more. It might be because i'm a comic reader and I know what else this season is bringing, but I also really don't care about the 'Sex Sex Sex'. While I will be happy and giddy watching the relationships develop to that point, I am so much more excited to see the characters develop and the more "dark" things coming. I can get People in Love doing the Tango elsewhere, it's only in Heartstopper where I can connect with Tara having a Panic Attack cause she's "the fixer" and doesn't know how to cope with her own problems. And only here can I see Nick and Charlie building a strong relationship of trust and support over Charlie's eating disorder and eachother's anxieties. I'm here for the longhaul of ups and downs everyone will have lol As well as the fact the show is focusing so much on other characters that we dont get in the comics that I want that so much more over "the moment of insertion" XD With Tara's panic attack I am curious if it has to deal with Darcy's changes cause she sees Darcy changing so much and still loves her but also doesn't know how to feel herself or about their relationship. Maybe she's worried Darcy will leave her after the They/Them moment. And yeah we stan Darcy's Grandma now, I cannot wait to see her in the actual show!! I've also never gone too much into Asrtology either, very vague adjectives that some people can connect to lol I feel some of my Starsign's but I also feel like if you focus on it too much you force those characteristics on yourself. I am also SUPER biased against "character growth" relationships, especially if you go into it expecting that. I used to know some people who talked about dating someone bad for them cause it would be character growth and it's like "Or...you could not and just date to be happy?". If you learn from a relationship then that is good, but it just feels icky to think of a relationship/breakup in the term of just needing it for you to grow. Shout out to gaslighting Joe into thinking Tao's line was his XD Also very good on the answers lol
I’m going to wait to watch your video Thom, because just listening to this podcast episode I found it way too spoilery and don’t want to see the visuals yet. I’m planning to give the next two podcast episodes a pass until October too. I find it extremely annoying and weird that Netflix is spilling all these plot details before the season is out for us to watch ourselves. At least Joe and Kit’s episode was vague so new fans will still be surprised by the main storyline lol. Looking at the other comments, I’ve also been taken aback by how heavily they’ve been leaning into sex in the marketing. I don’t have any problem with them depicting other characters being sexually active and their journeys there, but from the way Netflix has been promoting this season it feels like that’s going to be most of the season’s focus, and we’re getting a cutesier Sex Education this time. I feel like some non-comic fans might be in for a bit of a shock with Charlie’s mental health storyline lol.
I’m so glad you brought up the s*x and how much Netflix is advertising it. I’m also on the ace spectrum and personally don’t see the need to bring it up this much 🤷 but I do know it’s also just different people talking about it. I’m also kinda sad cause I felt like most of the interviews are focused on the s*x, but this might just be me 🤷. This might be an unpopular opinion but I don’t love the mullet on Darcy. I love it on Kizzy but for some reason in my mind I just don’t vibe with it on Darcy. Maybe it will grow on me through the season. The clip we saw of the hair cut part is really nice tho. But I love the lesbian non binary representation. Also I’m telling me little dululu self that the “moment of insertion” is just their lips lmao
I agree with you 100% on everything you just said so far in this video still watching🩷 I will tell you I am a little scared for the season, but still so excited💯 also what is happening how freaking graphic are we getting like, bro what
Tom, I'm assuming the focus on sex is because it is the happy part of the season. From a marketing standpoint, I think Netflix is trying to do two things here: 1) I think they're trying not to spoil the more dramatic, important part of the season, hence the secrecy, and 2) I think they're trying to appeal to the audience who expects a lighter, fluffier, happier Heartstopper, which, assuming it follows the comic, they won't get in the first half of the season, which Joe, himself, described as sad. Based on the titles, I would assume that most of the story lines involving sex converge in the last three episodes, especially for Nick and Charlie, so I don't think it's the focus of the majority of the season. There should be some cool conversations about sex and sexuality, as well as body image, which I'm looking forward to (and I hope they didn't cut, because I think they are important). I also can't imagine it being super graphic since Alice has said they don't think that really fits with the feel of Heartstopper. I'm imagining it'll be about the same level of graphic as the graphic novel, which seems just about the right amount, but who knows?
Great reactions! I agree with what you said about the mentions of sex, I'm also on the ace spectrum and I feel like there is so much more to relationships than only sex. But I am interested in seeing how this goes in the show. I'm super excited for season 3 though!
Side note: I'm also a Scorpio and I feel like I'm the opposite of how they are portrayed by others lol
13:49 Just to pick up on this point, the series is rated a 12+ in the UK, which would suggest some nudity but not full frontal (nothing explicit as say, Bridgeton which is rated a 15+) and sex discussion. Not sure how frank the discussion could get with regard to… insertion objects and external devices (trying to not trigger RUclips’s filter here…)
Interestingly the BBFC is about to update its guidelines, so HS’s rating may change in the future as they are tightening up on what can be shown.
I must admit I assumed as well there was going to be a duvet involved and a lot of stars involved a la the comics 😂
Update: I’ve gone down a research rabbit hole and this is the official guidance the BBFC publish if a film or TV series is going to get a 12 rating:
“There may be nudity, but in a sexual context it should be brief and discreet. Sexual activity may be portrayed briefly and discreetly. Moderate sex references are permitted, but frequent crude references are unlikely to be acceptable. There may be verbal references to sexual violence provided they are not graphic.”
Just because the director mentioned a “moment of insertion” when doesn’t mean the scene itself will be graphic. I don’t know how to say this without getting really explicit myself lol but he was probably guiding the actors through certain reactions and feelings they wanted to capture, I don’t think that means we’ll be seeing nudity or anything in a lot of detail.
Ok, so "light spoilers" = revealing Tara and Darcy's entire arcs for the season. Great. 🙂👍
I listened to this podcast episode in public and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud. Maybe YOU'RE a lesbian and you don't even know it! I also have several questions about the "moment of insertion". 😅
I agree with your sex rant at the beginning. Having watched the season, I loved how those scenes were focused on the emotional connexion side of things. I'm not a fan of all the jokes turning these tender moments into something vulgar. But maybe that's only because I'm also ace. Who knows..
The way Kit says the lines (and his buzzer phrase) in Nick's voice! 😅 Amazing.
In S1E5, Charlie says "I was born to race" and Tao says "I was born to kill aliens". Lots of confusion there. 😋
When I heard that Tara was gonna have a panic attack in this season I was honestly quite shocked, but the longer I’ve sat with it, the way more it makes sense to me. Like she’s always the person that people go to for things, but she never goes to other people. I think back to s2 ep8 when Darcy was missing and Tara didn’t tell anyone what was going on. I don’t even think she fully told Nick, just mentioned that Darcy wasn’t there before going out to look for them.
As for the mention of sex, I do understand why they’re talking about it a lot because it was a main complaint that a lot of people had, but in a way, I feel like it’s taking away from the importance of them tackling serious mental health problems. It’s already confirmed that Charlie’s mental health will play a big role in this new season, yet they aren’t really talking about it at all in the promo for the season which concerns me a little bit, but I do know that no matter what, it’s still Heartstopper and will most likely be done in a very tasteful manner like the discussions we had in s2
Thank you for brining up the constant mentions of sex, if I didn't know what I was getting into, I'd think I'm about to watch a new season od Sex Education instead. But the shooting must've been funny, Kizzy and Cori might've had "the moment of insertion", but at least there was no random fart like when Kit and Joe were shooting a sex scene (talk about an ice breaker 😄). Nevertheless I feel like they're trying to cover up Charlie's mental health journey which is the main focus of this season and I'm not really happy about that.
We had a discussion on a HS related discord the other day that Nick, Tori and Aled could use a group therapy on how to stop putting others before themselves to the point that they damage their own mental health in the process had and based on what Cori said I guess we're adding Tara to the group as well.
I'm also happy that Darcy has somewhere to go from her toxic so called mother, because in comparison with her, even David has a chance to make up his mind, but she's absolutely disgusting.
I'm happy to see Darcy gos to her nan, when i came out my grandma was the first and she was also supportive, she was born 1926
The joy of being your cat's servant. 😂
Gotta love cats, just forever toddlers making problems lol I love Kizzy and Corinna. They bounce off each other so well and are very awkwardly funny in a good way if that makes sense.
I didn't really notice it until reading these comments and hearing you now. (Like idc about the 'realism' cause even Kit and Joe joke about the fact that irl Nick and Charlie would have been doing stuff much soon) But they have been talking about the SEX in this season a lot. Which also makes me curious if that's a big reason Netflix has been posting about it so much this season is cause they think it will draw people in more. It might be because i'm a comic reader and I know what else this season is bringing, but I also really don't care about the 'Sex Sex Sex'. While I will be happy and giddy watching the relationships develop to that point, I am so much more excited to see the characters develop and the more "dark" things coming. I can get People in Love doing the Tango elsewhere, it's only in Heartstopper where I can connect with Tara having a Panic Attack cause she's "the fixer" and doesn't know how to cope with her own problems. And only here can I see Nick and Charlie building a strong relationship of trust and support over Charlie's eating disorder and eachother's anxieties. I'm here for the longhaul of ups and downs everyone will have lol As well as the fact the show is focusing so much on other characters that we dont get in the comics that I want that so much more over "the moment of insertion" XD
With Tara's panic attack I am curious if it has to deal with Darcy's changes cause she sees Darcy changing so much and still loves her but also doesn't know how to feel herself or about their relationship. Maybe she's worried Darcy will leave her after the They/Them moment. And yeah we stan Darcy's Grandma now, I cannot wait to see her in the actual show!! I've also never gone too much into Asrtology either, very vague adjectives that some people can connect to lol I feel some of my Starsign's but I also feel like if you focus on it too much you force those characteristics on yourself. I am also SUPER biased against "character growth" relationships, especially if you go into it expecting that. I used to know some people who talked about dating someone bad for them cause it would be character growth and it's like "Or...you could not and just date to be happy?". If you learn from a relationship then that is good, but it just feels icky to think of a relationship/breakup in the term of just needing it for you to grow.
Shout out to gaslighting Joe into thinking Tao's line was his XD Also very good on the answers lol
I’m going to wait to watch your video Thom, because just listening to this podcast episode I found it way too spoilery and don’t want to see the visuals yet. I’m planning to give the next two podcast episodes a pass until October too. I find it extremely annoying and weird that Netflix is spilling all these plot details before the season is out for us to watch ourselves. At least Joe and Kit’s episode was vague so new fans will still be surprised by the main storyline lol.
Looking at the other comments, I’ve also been taken aback by how heavily they’ve been leaning into sex in the marketing. I don’t have any problem with them depicting other characters being sexually active and their journeys there, but from the way Netflix has been promoting this season it feels like that’s going to be most of the season’s focus, and we’re getting a cutesier Sex Education this time. I feel like some non-comic fans might be in for a bit of a shock with Charlie’s mental health storyline lol.
Sorry I couldn’t comment on the previous video but I’m just loving the podcast. Low-key jealous of Tia Kofi honestly.
10:56 😂 excuse me….?!
Have you read Nick&Charlie? And did you not enjoy it?
I have read Nick & Charlie, and I enjoyed all the parts that were not focused on that particular plot device. :P
@@thom_is_trans understandable 😉 also didn’t enjoy the plot twist, but that ending made up for it 🥰
I’m so glad you brought up the s*x and how much Netflix is advertising it. I’m also on the ace spectrum and personally don’t see the need to bring it up this much 🤷 but I do know it’s also just different people talking about it. I’m also kinda sad cause I felt like most of the interviews are focused on the s*x, but this might just be me 🤷. This might be an unpopular opinion but I don’t love the mullet on Darcy. I love it on Kizzy but for some reason in my mind I just don’t vibe with it on Darcy. Maybe it will grow on me through the season. The clip we saw of the hair cut part is really nice tho. But I love the lesbian non binary representation. Also I’m telling me little dululu self that the “moment of insertion” is just their lips lmao
They keep talking about their s3x scenes bc it's something new for them and thay have fun talking about it🤷♀️
🥰🥰
I agree with you 100% on everything you just said so far in this video still watching🩷 I will tell you I am a little scared for the season, but still so excited💯 also what is happening how freaking graphic are we getting like, bro what