Girls
Episode 6 of Heartstopper begins with Nick conflicted over how he’s feeling. He clearly likes Charlie but at the same time, still seems to have feelings for girls too. That much is especially apparent when he sits with his mum that night, and the pair watch Pirates of the Caribbean. As a kid, he’s always had the hots for Keira Knightley and those feelings seem to still be there for him. Meanwhile, Tara finds herself conflicted over how to feel at school as well. Since coming out, some of the students have been giving her funny looks in the hallway and there are plenty of whispers about her being a lesbian. These are hard to shake off. Darcy does her best to try and reassure Tara but it’s clearly something she’s wrestling internally with this new change. A big orchestra sees both the girls and boys school join forces, which also allows for some of our characters to catch up during school time. Nick is still confused over how he feels, wondering whether he could be bisexual. After sharing his feelings (and lunchtime) with Tara and Darcy, he eventually admits to the former that he and Charlie are together as a couple. This is something that certainly delights Charlie when he finds out some time later, while Nick realizes it feels good to be open about this. The subject of a double date is also brought up, but as we soon learn it’s a big ploy to try and turn this into a triple date given Elle and Tao have shown up too. Elle clearly has a crush on Tao but is reluctant to move on this. Given how many changes have gone on in her life thus far, it’s only natural that she’s unwilling to deep dive into this. While drinking milkshakes together, Elle takes offence to Darcy’s teasing, while it’s also revealed that Tao is the only one who doesn’t know that Nick and Charlie are an item. Charlie promises to tell him later on when the time is right. However, the gang are late for their rehearsal so they hurry off to make good use of their time. While there though, Tara overhears some of the girls whispering and mentioning how they shouldn’t look at her incase they get the “lesbian disease.” Tara has enough and bolts. In doing so though, Darcy follows after her and tries to talk her girlfriend around. Darcy admits that despite her grave façade and persona, the truth is she doesn’t know what she’s doing either. This gives Tara enough courage to head back on stage again.
The Episode Review
The sixth episode of Heartstopper changes tact slightly and focuses more on the supporting characters and their relationships. Charlie and Nick are still the focal point of this show of course, but the change is a nice way to angle a different feel to the series and flesh out these supporting characters a lot more effectively. It works wonders too and by the end of the episode, we learn more about Tara and Darcy, as well as receive hints toward Tao and Elle potentially becoming a couple in the near future. We’ll have to wait and see of course, as the series leaves everything wide open for the final two episodes.
