Heartstopper season 2 ending explained: What happens on prom night?

Season two has arrived on Netflix, and fans already want the Heartstopper ending explained. 

Heartstopper took Netflix by storm last year when the first adaptation of Alice Oseman's popular graphic novels was released. The story follows two school boys: Charlie, who is openly gay, and Nick, a popular rugby player. The pair form a romantic connection, and the heartwarming tv show sees them figure out how to navigate their relationship, along with a supportive group of friends. 

And now that Heartstopper season two is out, it's all Netflix subscribers seem to be talking about once again, with many wanting to know more details about the cast and where Heartstopper was filmed. And some keen fans have already raced through the eight new episodes and want to have the Heartstopper ending explained. 

Heartstopper season 2 ending explained

At the end of Heartstopper, Nick comes out and shares with the world that he is in a relationship with Charlie. Prom night had become something of a deadline for him if he wanted to show up with Charlie, but in the end, he decided to share his sexuality by posting a picture of them on Instagram instead. 

Meanwhile, Tara is worried because she hasn't heard from her girlfriend Darcy since the night before, not knowing that Darcy's homophobic mum had told her she 'looked like a lesbian' in her prom suit.

This turns prom night into a fretful occasion, with Charlie left shaken after two students question him and Nick about their relationship status and invalidate Nick’s bisexuality.

Nick expresses to Charlie's friend Tao that he thinks the attention is getting to Charlie and admits that he doesn't know much about how bad the bullying was for him - to which Tao replies that he doesn't know much either. This only leaves Nick more concerned, especially after he noticed Charlie hadn't been eating.

When the group finally arrives at prom, Tara and Nick have a conversation about how to talk to someone about something they don’t want to talk about - with Nick worrying about Charlie's eating and the bullying he experienced, while Tara is still worried about Darcy's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Isaac goes to the library to find a book on asexuality, after questioning his own sexual identity when he struggled to feel anything towards James, who he kissed on the school trip to Paris.

Elsewhere, Elle tells her new boyfriend Tao she wants to study at Lambert, an art school that has a thriving queer community but is far away from home, while teachers Mr Farouk and Mr Ajayi make plans for a date, following the night they spent together in Paris.

After a tense evening, the gang decides to leave and head back to Nick's house, where Darcy eventually shows up. But Tara has already gone looking for her and has an altercation with Darcy's homophobic mother at her house. 

This leads to Darcy later opening up to Tara, and revealing that she hadn't wanted Tara to know how difficult her home life is, and that she wasn't out to her parents.

And one brief moment in the Heartstopper finale also called Nick's friend Imogen's sexuality into question, as she is seen looking captivated by bass player Sahar, who she knows is bisexual, while she is performing in the band at prom.

What happened at the end of Heartstopper?

In Heartstopper season two's closing scene, Nick asks Charlie about the homophobic bullying he experienced prior to their relationship.

Charlie opens up to Nick and shares how painful it was for him, revealing that he would self-harm at times, but he promises to let Nick know if he ever feels "bad" again.

After the heart-to-heart in Nick's bedroom, the pair nearly exchange 'I love yous', but Nick is cut off by his mum returning home. In the final shot, Charlie types out a DM proclaiming his love for Nick, but the season ends before the viewer sees him send it.

Alice Oseman, the author and illustrator of the original Heartstopper books, told Netflix's Tudum, "I wanted the viewers to feel like that hadn’t come out of nowhere and that we had felt that journey through the season."

She added that in her books, the heartfelt conversation happens earlier in Charlie and Nick's relationship, but said, "We felt like it needed to be later [in the series], because we wanted to show the journey of Charlie slowly feeling like he can open up to Nick about this really serious thing that has happened to him."

Will there be a season 3 of Heartstopper?

Yes, Heartstopper has been renewed for a third season. The news was announced back in May 2022, after the success of season one, when seasons two and three were announced at the same time.

As for what to expect from the next season, those who have read Alice Oseman's graphic novels may have a good idea, as the show is expected to follow the same story. 

Speaking to Netflix's Tudum, however, Oseman kept her cards close to her chest. She said: "People who have read the comics will know what is going to happen, but I don’t want to spoil it for people who haven’t been reading the comics.

"I think [Season 2’s ending] just sets up that conversation for next season. We know that Charlie loves Nick, and I think we know that Nick loves Charlie as well. It’s just about when and how they’re going to say that to each other."

We've also delved into the finales of other popular TV shows, and explained the ending of Wolf on BBC, and the ending of Hijack on Apple TV. If you're a cinema goer, we've explained the ending of the Barbie movie too.