S02.E05: Heat

[secnarf]

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Rumours spread when Charlie wakes up with something on his neck; a group tour of the city's most famous sights reveals more than one major secret.

Aug 3 2023

[Bill1978]

OK this episode makes me want to return to Paris and revisit the Louvre. Or at least watch The Da Vinci Code again haha.

I'm still eyerolling at the amount of times Nick demonstrates some form of PDA towards Charlie where anyone could catch them. This time it was holding Charlie's hand as their ran up the stairs of The Eiffel Tower.

As a teacher who has taken many overnight excursions in my career, I am relating to both teachers during this trip to Paris. Mr Ajayi, is me at the start of the trip while Mr Farouk is me by the end of the trip.

Also, great to see that there does appears to be a female teacher on the trip (or at least a female chaperone). It was beginning to feel weird there wasn't a female supervisor - only because in Australia we are required to have at least one of both for overnight excursions involving boys & girls, and I've assumed the UK are similar.

[lovett1979]

Especially given the hickey, it seems very dangerous for Nick and Charlie to spend so much time so close to each other this episode. Since everyone know Charlie's "gettin' some" you'd think their first guess would be the guy that he spends all his time with, holds hands with, stares into each others eyes with, etc. I suppose the purpose of Charlie's mom being surprised to hear Nick is queer (he's sporty and lad-ish, lol) is that most people see him similarly and just would never consider he might be the one?

I love how angry Tao is at Nick for giving the hickey, though. And James' repeated proclamations that it wasn't him is so sad but cute. I love that after he gets Charlie's assurance that Isaac knows it wasn't him, he then worries for a second that maybe it was actually Isaac, so adorable!

I realized we never see Sahar meet the guys so it's not clear if/when she's made aware of Charlie being gay and/or him and Nick dating (but it being a secret). She meets the girls at their school, and then they are all sitting together at the Paris trip meeting and she's rooming with Elle and Tara and Darcy and they're all exploring Paris together (where Nick and Charlie are awfully close to each other). But at the start of this episode, when Tao is chastising Nick, she is sitting there with them and seems fully up to speed. Interesting that Nick had no problem with a new person knowing everything, but having a hard time telling his friends and family.

Edited August 7, 2023 by lovett1979

[xander874]

I agree the holding hands, especially at the Eiffel Tower, was a bit much for people trying to be covert. I get that Nick is not "stereotypical" but it would be so obvious to me they are a couple.

Of course, I'm not the demographic for this show as I am an old man. I think it's so cute that a hickey is this big dramatic event. Oh to be young. But I love it so much.

Also, is that the end of Charlie's eating disorder storyline? I don't need it to drag but it seemed resolved pretty quickly.

Finally, is Isaac not out? Someone mentioned that Charlie and James are the only gay guys on the trip. Isaac is so underdeveloped that I realize I know very little about him other than he likes books (and James).

[lovett1979]

2 hours ago, xander874 said:

Finally, is Isaac not out? Someone mentioned that Charlie and James are the only gay guys on the trip. Isaac is so underdeveloped that I realize I know very little about him other than he likes books (and James).

I think in trying to not label Isaac before the show was ready to, they may have made things a little confusing. In the first season, Charlie says his friends aren't gay (when Mr Ajayi asks if he can talk to his friends about the situation with Ben). But then Tao refers to himself as Charlie's "token straight friend." So Isaac is neither gay nor straight (nor bi because Charlie's "bisexual people exist" in episode 2 is not delivered in the way he would if Isaac was bi himself). 

In Season 2, yes it's mentioned that Charlie and James are the only gay guys on the trip, but also no one seems surprised that something is possibly going on between Isaac and James. And Isaac does seem somewhat interested in him, but is not sure if he's having the "right" feelings.

Spoiler if you haven't watched the rest of Season 2

Spoiler

By the end of this season, he will figure out that he is (likely) asexual. And I think Alice knew that's where they were going with his character and that's why they didn't label him as gay or straight in season 1. I don't know enough about asexuality to know if there can still be a same-sex or opposite-sex nature to the orientation so Isaac may still be oriented to other boys but does not feel the romantic or sexual attraction? Tobie Donovan, who plays Isaac, is gay and the show has aimed to cast with some authenticity so I guess there is a gay tinge to his asexuality? Does that make sense? But Isaac never felt it fully enough to warrant "coming out." And his friends just accept him without labels (and I think he is so quiet and such a bookworm that the other students don't even register him as a person).

 

[lovett1979]

One of the things that I love about this show is how we are constantly learning things about the characters that help explain their previous actions. In season 1, Tao says that he thinks Charlie didn't tell him about Nick because he was afraid he'd say something stupid and accidentally out him to the other boys at school. Not sure about anyone else, but this always struck me as a somewhat tangential and specific thing for Tao to think Charlie would be worried about. Well, now we find out that it was him accidentally outing him last year that led to all the bullying. This makes so much sense as to why Tao would fear the same thing happening with Nick, and also Tao's overprotectiveness and worrying about bullying with Charlie last season. Tao has been haunted by this (accidental) transgression to the point where it has taken over much of his thinking. I think finally telling Charlie, and receiving Charlie's forgiveness and love in response, was really healing for Tao.

(continuing this thought in S2E8 thread)

[JustHereForFood]

Is there any reason at all, why Charlie could not just wear a scarf? Or a shirt with a collar? If he doesn't have one, Tao wore one in this episode, he could have lent it to him, it would probably hide the hickey. 

Isaac telling Harry off was my favorite moment.

[lovett1979]

13 minutes ago, JustHereForFood said:

Is there any reason at all, why Charlie could not just wear a scarf? Or a shirt with a collar? If he doesn't have one, Tao wore one in this episode, he could have lent it to him, it would probably hide the hickey. 

Lol, I'm addicted to Heartstopper reaction videos on YouTube. Literally every one of them are like "just get some makeup from the girls," "a little concealer goes a long way," "it's Paris, wear a turtleneck or a scarf" when the hickey is revealed. The fact that Charlie didn't even consider any of this is kind of naïve and sad.

[Bill1978]

4 hours ago, lovett1979 said:

Literally every one of them are like "just get some makeup from the girls," "a little concealer goes a long way,"

In the book, there is a scene where Tara & Darcy do offer makeup - but I can't remember if it's before or after the boys go down to breakfast. My gut says after as I'm remembering one of them saying' Why didn't you just come to us' 

[Sesquipedalia]

So this thread has covered most of the implausibilities I came here to see if everyone else noticed, lol. One not mentioned from the previous episode is Charlie calling off his hotel room make-out session with Nick for fear of getting caught even though everyone sharing the room already knows about them. But meanwhile holding hands in front of the whole school is fine . . . ?

One moment I loved in this episode though is when a guy yells at Nick that he gave Charlie the hickey and Nick yells back "What if I did? Jealous?" The tone and attitude of Nick's reply really does make him sound like the jock everyone would assume is straight. The show maybe doesn't do enough to establish that up to the point of meeting Charlie, Nick had always been just one of the (straight) guys, but this is a reminder of his former identity and helps explain why everybody isn't clued in to the obvious. Nick has always been seen in a certain way, and people can be oblivious to what's right in front of them when it doesn't fit with their expectations.

I am curious why Harry is suddenly sticking up for them and whether this will ever be explained.