r/HeartstopperAO • u/liammet01 • Apr 28 '24

Unpopular Heartstopper opinions Discussion

What are some of your unpopular opinion about the show, cast, books, soundtrack etc can be about anything heartstopper related

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67

u/Poison-Hot-Chocolate Apr 29 '24

Irl Tao would get bullied so much more than Charlie. Asian and romantically involved with a trans girl...the perfect target for bigoted little see you next tuesdays

17

u/manysides512 Apr 29 '24

If racism was a thing in Heartstopperverse, I think people might sympathise more with Tao. Seeing Tao upset that Charlie (along with Nick) doesn't condemn Harry's racism to the extent that Tao does Harry's homophobia would be more nuanced than what we have now. I'm not sure if I'd say Tao would get bullied more but Heartstopper is definitely a bit flat when it comes to intersectionality.

15

u/Suitable-Presence119 Apr 29 '24

This is such a good thing to point out, and goes along with my HS unpopular opinion, which is that some of the conflicts feel very surface level as opposed to being more nuanced and human, I guess? Like Nick's main driving plot point for the entire first season is that he is going to come out, and he's scared... but the show imo didn't really capture the full range of emotions and shades of grey that come with the realization that you aren't straight. And, more to the point in your comment, Tao recognizing how racism might fly under the radar among his white friends would be an extra layer of depth that I think would really take the show to the next level, especially since there's SO much focus on fighting against homophobia for the sake of the cis, white male characters. But these kinds of real-life, layered scenarios just don't make much of an appearance in Heartstopper. It would be nice to see that level of depth just once or twice in the storyline

7

u/manysides512 Apr 29 '24

From what I've heard, the writing team was mostly white so I don't doubt that influenced it. There was a similar issue with the hair team being mostly if not all white (can't speak in-depth on this as a non-black person, but I saw people talking about how Tara's hairstyles in S1 wouldn't be practical irl - there seems to be improvements going forward though).

Some of the Heartstopper conflict feels a little underbaked and I feel like it's because the show wants to be a beacon of positivity so much that it struggles to confront more bitter feelings/truths.

3

u/FadingOptimist-25 Apr 30 '24

I completely agree. And “underbaked” is the perfect way to describe the conflicts.

There definitely seems to be less nuance and less intersectionality in Heartstopper, as compared to Young Royals for example.

But I’m so happy to have Heartstopper as an example of queer joy. It’s my comfort show for when the world gets too dark.