--- title: Breaking Down the Emotional Ending of Heartstopper Forever description: Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman on bringing the beloved series to an end with a new movie canonical: https://time.com/article/2026/07/17/heartstopper-forever-ending/ author: Barry Levitt article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-07-17T21:44:56.111Z article:modified_time: 2026-07-17T21:44:56.261Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Breaking Down the Emotional Ending of Heartstopper Forever og:description: Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman on bringing the beloved series to an end with a new movie og:url: https://time.com/article/2026/07/17/heartstopper-forever-ending/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79827d599fcafcd5/6a5a9e8f1046597c03894436/Heartstopper_Episodic_Image_58.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Heartstopper_Episodic_Image_58.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Breaking Down the Emotional Ending of Heartstopper Forever twitter:description: Heartstopper creator Alice Oseman on bringing the beloved series to an end with a new movie twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79827d599fcafcd5/6a5a9e8f1046597c03894436/Heartstopper_Episodic_Image_58.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Creator Behind _Heartstopper_ Helps Break Down the Emotional Series-Ending Movie > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Barry Levitt](https://time.com/author/barry-levitt/) ## Barry Levitt Levitt is a contributor for TIME. Jul 17, 2026 9:44 PM UTC  Joe Locke and Kit Connor Joe Locke and Kit ConnorSamuel Dore/Netflix by [Barry Levitt](https://time.com/author/barry-levitt/) ## Barry Levitt Levitt is a contributor for TIME. Jul 17, 2026 9:44 PM UTC [Alice Oseman](https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2024/7023644/alice-oseman/)’s _Heartstopper_ has [become a beacon of joy](https://time.com/6301556/heartstopper-netflix-season-2-fans/) for queer people of every age. First published as a series of comics, then [adapted into a Netflix show](https://time.com/6170853/best-tv-shows-april-2022/), the universe is growing even bigger this summer with the new film _Heartstopper Forever._ Oseman has returned to the world of _Heartstopper_ in multiple formats and across them all, there remains the same steadfast ethos of love. “No matter what difficult things you might be going through in your life, there’s always joy, hope, friendship, and love to be found. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” says Oseman. _Heartstopper Forever_ effectively functions as the show’s series finale, giving a feature length farewell to Nick (Kit Connor), Charlie (Joe Locke) and their group of friends as they get ready for the next phase of life. Nick and Charlie have been at the [center of the show’s love story](https://time.com/6254600/best-tv-rom-coms-streaming/), going through the heights and pitfalls of young love over three seasons. This is a more mature [version of _Hearstopper_](https://time.com/6276424/best-shows-netflix/) than audiences will be used to. ”It felt like a natural progression for these characters,” says Oseman. That doesn’t mean it’s lost any of the trademark charm or whimsical nature that made it such a hit. We spoke to Oseman about the ending of _Heartstopper Forever_, why Nick and Charlie had to go through such turmoil, and if she thinks they’ll really be together—forever.  Joe Locke and Kit Connor Netflix At the onset of _Heartstopper Forever_, things are going great for Nick and Charlie. But the end of the school year looms over them, and as Nick is a year older, it means he’ll be going to university while Charlie remains at school. And Nick is planning to go to University in Leeds, a 4.5 hour drive from where they live. The stress of the upcoming move slowly fractures their relationship, and they break up during a party, where Nick tells Charlie, “I’m only happy when I’m with you,” to which Charlie responds “I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to be.” With tears in their eyes, they agree to part ways. Having Nick and Charlie end their relationship—a relationship genuinely adored by the _Heartstopper_ fandom— was not a decision Oseman made lightly. “Nick and Charlie love each other so much, but sometimes they ignore their own issues to try and help each other,” says Oseman. “There’s a slight feeling of codependence between them, and I think many people will feel that more and more as the story goes on.” In _Heartstopper Forever_, Nick spends so much time caring for Charlie and helping him through his eating disorder that he loses sight of who he is as an individual, which leads to self-loathing and overwhelming anxiety. “For them to really step into their futures together, I felt like they needed to figure that out about their relationship,” says Oseman. “That comes to a head in this breakup, where they convince themselves that the other person will be better off without them—it’s such a Nick and Charlie way to break up.” Though _Heartstopper Forever_ expresses the pair's heartbreak over their relationship ending, there’s plenty of good news: they do, in fact, get back together. After some difficult time apart, Nick and Charlie reunite at the beach—the very same one where they first said they loved each other at the end of Season 1. Throughout the film, friends constantly remind Nick and Charlie that they’re soulmates. But as the pair learn, love is a lot more complicated than that. “I don’t believe in the concept of soulmates,” says Oseman. “It’s an interesting contradiction, because Nick and Charlie do feel like soulmates. But I think the conversation Nick has with his mum towards the end is so important.” In that conversation, Nick’s mother (Anna Maxwell Martin) tells him, “Love isn’t some cosmic force. It’s a choice. It’s a choice you make every day.” “It’s so important because it expresses the idea that they are choosing to love each other. To commit and move forward together, despite their issues and anxieties. They’re not perfect, and they don’t have everything figured out. But they choose to go into life together, and I think there’s something beautiful about that. It’s something they both want, and they’re doing that together,” says Oseman. “The fact that they’re able to work through those issues and get back together, it lets us know by the end of the film that they are now so strong together that they could be okay for the rest of their lives.”  Kit Connor and Joe Locke Netflix In the film’s epilogue, _Heartstopper Forever_ gives us quick snippets of everyone’s futures. Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) head off on their interrailing trip, and Imogen (Rhea Norwood) surprises Sahar (Leila Khan) at a gig to see her perform. Isaac (Tobie Donovan) starts writing his first novel, and Tao (William Gao) goes to Berlin to surprise Elle (Yasmin Finney) at art school, reigniting their romance. In _Hearstopper Forever_, nobody’s story is completely finished, and Oseman has a reason for not providing definitive conclusions. “Life doesn’t end when you turn 18—there’s a whole rest of your life to live. I didn’t want to jump too far into the future because I think that would leave people frustrated. If we jumped to when they were all 30, people would feel like ‘Oh, we’ve missed 12 years of story.’ I think it’s nicer to leave them at the moment when they’ve become adults, and we can imagine for ourselves what might happen. You feel content to let them go and live their lives,” says Oseman. In the final scene, Charlie gets on the train to visit Nick in Leeds. Nick excitedly waits for him at the train station, and takes him to meet his new friends. That evening they dance the night away at a gay bar. The next morning, the two cuddle in bed, and Charlie presents Nick with a gift: a scrapbook full of their memories, with plenty of blank pages for a lifetime of memories to come. They head off to breakfast, and the film ends. “I wanted to end with them together on an ordinary morning,” Oseman says of the final scene. “It’s not a particularly special day. It’s just Nick and Charlie being themselves, and there’s something I think that is so true to the essence of what _Heartstopper_ is, which is just ordinary people living ordinary lives. Yet there’s so much love there, and so much sweetness, that it felt like a natural place to end things.” As Nick and Charlie head off to have breakfast, it’s a moment that feels like an ending, but a brand new beginning for them, too. There’s just one question that will likely linger for _Heartstopper Forever_ fans: Do Nick and Charlie stay together forever? “People can imagine whatever they want,” says Oseman. “But in my opinion? 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