Secret
Episode 4 of Heartstopper wastes absolutely no time picking up where we left off. Nick shows up at Charlie’s door wanting to talk about what happened at the party. Up in Charlie’s room, Charlie hurriedly apologizes for the kiss and tells Nick he doesn’t want him to feel awkward. “I don’t want to lose you,” Charlie continues on. Nick stops him by kissing Charlie again, pointing out that this was 100% consensual. Breathing heavily, Nick admits he’s having a “gay crisis” and is confused over how he feels. That’s the reason he ran away. In order to figure this out, he needs some time to process his feelings. As the pair hug it out, Charlie smiles and hugs his partner tightly; an embrace to show he’s there for him. For the time being, Nick wants to keep this a secret at school. The thing is, Nick’s woes are made all the more difficult with Imogen constantly chirping up and playfully flirting with him. At lunch, Mr. Ajayi happens to broker a meeting between Charlie and Nick, as they meet and share lunch together. There, Nick admits that his friend circle are pretty boring, as all they really want to do is throw stuff at one another. However, all of his friends are obviously on the rugby team and this causes untoward pressure for Charlie as he finds himself forced into practicing his tackling, really leaning into this and committing to it. While this is going on, Elle and Tao start messaging one another, revealing that they miss each other. However, news about Tara and Darcy coming out spreads across campus, all the way across to Imogen as well, who shows up at the table asking questions She claims to be “an ally” and even brings up that she and Nick are an item. The big rugby match begins at St Johns, where the gang are joined by Darcy and Tara. Tao and Isaac are there to offer Charlie their support… and he’s going to need it. The boys they’re competing against are incredibly athletic and strong, taking a solid 35 point lead. When Charlie tries to tackle one of the boys to the ground, Charlie is hurt and ends up with a nosebleed. This also causes the whole match to be called off. Nick does show up to lend his support, with Isaac even spotting them together. Meanwhile, Tao and Elle get talking, with the former deciding to stay out of Charlie’s affairs after all. They do end up watching though as Imogen asks Nick out on a date. Not wanting to breaking her heart, and surrounded by all of his friends, Nick tentatively agrees to go with her. Poor Charlie!
The Episode Review
Heartstopper returns with another good episode, this time depicting the difficulties Nick is having in coming out and embracing his feelings. Of course, he’s feeling confused over how he really feels and that much is especially clear when it comes to how he feels regarding his sporty friends and how they treat Charlie. The whole inner conflict feels so raw and well written too, while the supporting characters have an equally endearing arc here. The ending does hint that we’ve got more trouble ahead though. Will Nick go on his date with Imogen? What does this mean for Charlie? We’ll have to wait and see!
