Euros Lyn | Heartstoppers: Meet / 2022 [Season 1, Episode 1]

disenchantment and delight

by Douglas Messerli

 

Alice Oseman (screenwriter), Euros Lyn (director) Heartstoppers “Meet” / 2022 [27 minutes]

[Season 1, Episode 1] 

Returning to Truham Grammar School, Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) is excited to pick up again on his last school year’s romance with Ben Hope (Sebastian Croft), and as he enters the school he rushes immediately to the empty library—which we soon discover has been one of Charlie’s favorite places to hang out. But although Ben as told Charlie to meet him there, he’s a no-show, texting that should meet at the break instead.

    Accordingly, Charlie trudges off to his new classroom with somewhat of a heavy heart. That is, until he assigned a seat next to the very cute Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), one of the most popular boys in the school and the star rugby player of Year 11. Nick, so his teach explains, is a year older than Charlie.

     Charlie begins his walk through the crowded classroom more than a little downhearted. But once he gets a glimpse of the ruddy faced cutey, he literally stops in his tracks, as, for the first time since the film has begun, a smile crosses his face. Both a bit shy, particularly Charley, they share the profound greetings of “Hi.”

     Soon after he finally meets up with Ben, both briefly discussing their Christmas breaks before getting down to business, kisses exchanged. But almost as quickly Ben leaves the music room, Charlie left a bit confused and miffed by their awfully brief encounter.

      Meanwhile, in the school halls, Charlie and Nick continue to run into each other, each time greeting the other with the simple word “Hi.” But the word grows warmer and friendlier each time to say it until, after the 4th instance, they find that they’re both walking down the hall together to the same room. Nick seems to be doing his homework in the process, and Charlie is perfectly ready to tell him the answer. Yet Nick’s replay, “But then I won’t learn,” says something profoundly deep about him already this early in the series. Although he may be a jock, he is serious about his education and is not seeking the easy way out of his lessons.

      Yet a moment or two later they encounter Ben walking the other way, Charlie greeting him. To his astonishment Ben answers: “Why are you talking to me. I don’t even know who you are.”

     Ben, however, speaks to Nick. Charlie asks if he’s friends with Ben, and Nick says that since they’re in the same year they sometimes “hang out” together. But Nick clearly perceives there’s something wrong about the situation.

      At lunch, Charlie hangs out with his friends Tao and Isaac, but Tao is frustrated since yet again, for the second day in a row, he bought another bottle of apple juice for their friend Elle, who’s now attending an all-girl’s school since, apparently having announced the previous school year that “he” was now a “she,” Elle having evidently become transgender. She had been a regular part of their little group of Truham outsiders.

      In the midst of Tao’s complaint that their group has become simply a trio, he notices that Charlie’s eyes are focused on the nearby court in which Nick is heavily engaged with several other boys in a half rugby, half wrestling match. Tao wonders what sitting next Nick, Charlie and he might even talk about, but Charlie enthusiastically proclaims they do talk, recalling a particular event when Nick’s pen exploded blue ink across his own hands and shirt. But Tao warns him against Nick insisting that “He’s exactly like the guys who bullied you last year.” But Charlie declares, “He’s different. He’s nice.” It’s apparent that Tao is also afraid of their dwindling “group” turning into a duo with just him and the overweight, asexual, basically uncommunicative Isaac.

      Tao interrupts the conversation as he finally hears from Elle (Yasmin Finney) at Higgs Girls School, telling her about Charlie’s new infatuation with a rugby player. Elle plays up her new school as being better than Truham, texting to Tao that “everyone is really nice,” but we notice she sits alone, and when Tao asks if she’s made new friends, we realize that she is lonely and lost. Throughout this first episode, we watch Elle finally develop a friend in Tara Jones (Corinna Brown) and her girlfriend Darcy Olsson (Kizzy Edgell), allowing her find her own matching “trio” the outsider boys at Truham.

      But it quickly gets worse for Tao, when, after observing Charlie to be a fast runner in track, Nick invites his new friend to join the rugby team, and after some thought and Tao’s protests, Charlie agrees. Nick has explained that they have enough players for the team, but they’re not allowed to play with a reserve. But joining up with the team, requires Nick to show the basics of rugby to Charlie, and they now spend a great many hours together after school and even in their breaks.

      Tao and Isaac attempt to talk him out of it, but with no success. And Charlie continues, even when he overhears Nick’s fellow rugby players question the wisdom of including a gay boy on the team. “Does he even like sports?”

     Meanwhile, as Charlie discusses his sexual situation with the unnamed Ben with the gay sympathetic art teacher Mr. Ajayi (Fisayo Akinade), it becomes increasingly apparent to him that he needs to breakup with his clandestine boyfriend. Indeed, his decision is made even clearer when he sees Ben with a girl, the two of them holding hands and kissing. That night in bed, he texts Ben, telling him that he wants to break up.

       Now for the first time he and Nick have actual physical contact, as his friend demands he try to tackle him, etc. And gradually Charlie is brought into the rugby huddle, becoming one of the team even if his job remains to stand watching the others play the game. And at the same time, through tosses and tackles, we see Nick warming up in ways he can’t quite explain to Charlie’s presence.

       Ben insists, however, that he and Charlie need to talk after school in the music room, a meeting to which Charlie hesitantly agrees to. Nick happens to watch him enter the music room after classes, and follows out of curiosity.

       When Charlie refuses to let him kiss him, Ben insists that he’s obviously scared of getting caught, which is how he also how explains Charlie’s insistence that they break up. Charlie points out, however, that everyone in school knows he’s gay, and that it’s obviously Ben who’s afraid of being found out. Charlie explains how hurt he was about the hallway incident and that Ben has not even told him about his girlfriend.

       Ben insists that he’s just not yet ready to “come out,” that he’s “figuring out his sexuality.” But Charlie vehemently insists that it’s not that. If it were just matter of figuring things out, he would have been there for him, of all people he’s someone who knows how it feels. What’s hurt Charlie is that Ben has never cared about his feelings. They meet up when Ben wants to, where he wants, when Ben feels like kissing a boy.

        Ben’s answer is the final bullet to the heart: “Well, it’s not like anyone else will want to go out with you, is it?” And despite Charlie’s refusals to be kissed, Ben pushes him against the wall to pour kisses upon him. Suddenly Nick’s hand pulls Ben off of his friend. “He told you to stop. Go on, piss off.”

      When Nick asks Charlie if he’s okay, his friend asks “Did you hear all that?” Yes, Nick admits, most of it. Charlie apologizes, but Nick reassures him that he has nothing to be sorry for. One can see Charlie’s total appreciation, even his admiration registering on his face. But Nick interrupts by telling him “Don’t say it.”

        The two move off in their different directions to their homes. But something has clearly happened between them, a new level in their friendship attained. As they each move off in their own direction, Charlie turns back to look, his now famous smile coming over his face again.

     We see Nick being driven home by his mother, barely responding to her questions about his practice, with obviously something much more serious on his mind.

        At the bus stop, Charlie tries to text Nick to thank him, but can’t quite find the right words.

        Finally, Nick’s phone rings, we reading Charlie’s message over his shoulder: “Thank you x.”

        And there is now a slight grin on Nick’s face as well.

 

Los Angeles, September 28, 2024

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (September 2024).