*This review contains spoilers for Heartstopper season one episode one*
Episode Synopsis
Meet:
Stuck in a secret relationship, shy Charlie starts to crush on Nick, the school’s popular rugby star, and joins the team against his friends’ advice.
Cast
Kit Connor – Nick Nelson
Joe Locke – Charlie Spring
William Gao – Tao Xu
Yasmin Finney – Elle Argent
Tobie Donovan – Isaac Henderson
Sebastian Croft – Ben Hope
Jenny Walser – Tori Spring
Best Character of The Episode
This has to go to Mr Ajayi; the art teacher who lets Charlie sit in his classroom at lunch. His character was changed slightly from in the graphic novels, Mr Ajayi is originally the art teacher at Higgs, not Truham. But it was great to see him before the Paris trip as I really like his character.
In the first episode, he has an important conversation with Charlie about his “boyfriend” and I love how no-nonsense he is. It was also great to see an older character that Charlie could confide in.
Best Supporting Character
He’s only in the show for about a minute but Mr Lange has to take the cake as the best supporting character. He assigns Charlie’s seat next to Nick in his new form group and without him, they probably never would have spoken to each other. Big shoutout to Mr Lange, you are a Heartstopper legend.
Favourite Scenes
It would feel ridiculous to not mention the very first ‘heartstopper moment’ – these are when you hear the cute music with the animations on the screen. The heartstopper moments are some of the best scenes in the series and the very first one has to be the best. When Charlie sees Nick for the first time it seems like time stops for him and you see the iconic Heartstopper leaves float across the screen. At this point, you can already sense a connection between them and it’s so god damn cute I could cry.
Another favourite scene of mine is the little montage of “Hi’s” between Nick and Charlie. The absolute look of joy on Charlie’s face when Nick talks to him in the corridor is adorable and the fact that he isn’t afraid to speak to him in public is a huge thing for Charlie. “Hi” was the very first thing they said to each other so it makes this scene all the more special.
The last of my favourite scenes from episode one is when Nick is training Charlie in rugby practice. The music, the chemistry, and just everything about this scene is perfect. Especially when Nick praises Charlie for doing well and you can spot the moment where he starts to get feelings that are possibly more than friendship. *Chefs kiss*
Best Quotes/Lines
Alice Oseman did an amazing job of writing the script for the series and it really shows in the hilarious one-liners from the characters. My absolute favourite line in episode one has to be the “how dare you” from Charlie when Nick gets pen on his hand. I love this line for multiple reasons; one it’s dripping sass, two it’s a flipping adorable interaction and three you can see just how comfortable Charlie is around Nick.
I love how Nick is often referred to as a golden retriever because he really is. Tao gives us the line everyone was waiting for “The one who looks like a golden retriever”. Truer words have never been spoken Nick Nelson is 100% a golden retriever but so is Kit Connor. Perfect casting if you ask me.
The first time we meet the iconic that is Tori Spring is with the blunt but hilarious line of “Why is your face like that?” to Charlie. Tori is one of my favourite characters and the fact that she is so blunt makes her so funny. This was a great introduction to her character and Jenny Walser plays her amazing.
Another excellent line from Charlie is when Nick is asking him to join the rugby team but Charlie thinks he’s too small. Nick doesn’t disagree with him so he comes out with yet more sass with “So you’re saying I am small and weak”. The casual flirting and the confidence of this boy, sky high apparently. Joe Locke did such a great job, he really is Charlie.
Favourite Outfit
Most of this episode is spent with the characters in their school uniforms or rugby kits so there aren’t really any standout outfits. The uniform is cute though, and after watching a few times I have noticed that the Truham badge on their blazers changes with the seasons. In the first episode as it is winter the tree has no leaves and is covered in snow.
Favourite Setting
This has to go to the art classroom. Over the course of the series, you see it develop as Charlie grows as a character. It’s such a small thing but the attention to detail in this series is immaculate.
Best Musical Moments
The opening absolutely has to be mentioned. I am quite literally obsessed with Baby Queen thanks to Heartstopper. Want Me is an iconic song and it’s such a fun, upbeat way to start the series.
The rugby training scenes with Dover Beach by Baby Queen also need to be mentioned. It’s one of my favourite songs on the soundtrack and its
Don’t Delete The Kisses by Wolf Alice at the end of the episode when Nick and Charlie text each other for the first time. The smile from Nick when he gets the text from Charlie melts my heart every time. It really feels like the beginning of something special.
Thoughts/Opinions That Don’t Fit Into A Specific Category
I detest the character of Ben Hope (ew) but Sebastian Croft did an incredible job, despite him being the literal opposite of his character. Ben is obviously an important character to allow Charlie to grow and he also brings Nick and Charlie together in a sense. I’m not trying to give Ben any sort of redemption, he’s the worst, but Charlie confides in Nick about the situation and it brings them closer.
I know a lot of people that haven’t read the graphic novels are not huge fans of Tao, but I actually really like him in the show. William Gao did a great job of bringing him to life, and actually, he made Tao funny. Let’s be honest he’s not the biggest laugh in the graphic novels.
I’ve now seen the first episode six times, I’m still not bored of it and I don’t think I will ever be. Heartstopper really means a lot to me and I’m glad that it got such an incredible adaptation.
Did you enjoy episode one of Heartstopper? Let me know in the comments!
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