Heartstopper: Episode 4

4. Secret

Charlie apologizes to Nick for kissing him and goes on a verbal diarrhea about not wanting to lose him as a friend for doing something stupid, blah blah blah. Nick kisses him and confesses that he is having a full-on gay crisis and asks him a favor of keeping their thing a secret from everyone for now. Tara and Darcy deal with the repercussions and rumors at school now that their relationship is out in the open. The rugby boys are to battle it out with a much mature team, causing them to zero in on Charlie and his non-existent tackling skills. The whole gang go to the venue for full support on game day where Charlie is introduced by Elle to Tara and Darcy, the latter immediately getting comfy with her new gay friend and teasing him and Nick. Charlie gets injured as a sudden downpour bogs the game down. Nick wants to rush to his side but won’t in fear of revealing their budding relationship. He comforts him at the clinic later on, but Isaac walks in on them. Imogen asks Nick out on a date, to which he reluctantly agrees due to peer pressure.

So, are Rugby and American Football the same sport? Sorry, just a noob here. The tackling seems dangerous, though. Like, can’t you get a concussion from that? Nothing much happens in this episode, but it does stay true to its title. This is more like a case study on how society perceives LGBTQ+ relationships. If you can afford to be public about it, Tara and Darcy’s dilemma might be your outcome. If you keep it a secret, then you end up taking the same path Nick and Charlie are treading here. In a way, it doesn’t make a lot of sense given how this is basically a non-issue when it comes to heterosexual relationships. I mean, teenage pregnancies and consequent abortions are still a thing yet nobody seems to raise an eyebrow anymore despite easy access to info for its prevention. And then you see two guys or two girls showering one another with affection and people start to lose their minds. It is that double standard that this episode focuses on and eventually reminds us that, as a society, we still have a long way to go.

“Next thing you know, Charlie will be bringing the whole rugby team to our film night to make us watch Avengers or something.” –Tao Xu

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