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theotheristhedoctor · 2 years

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For season 2, can we get more Imogen?

I know she was just a character created for the show to give Nick some more angst, and to a certain extent is a way to avoid having to put personalities on the other Rugby lads (which then highlights Nick's isolation).

BUT

I think there's actually a lot more that could be done with her character:

(1) Firstly, as mentioned, she is the only character with an established positive friendship with Nick. This means that in terms of developing his "coming out" story, she's the perfect replacement for the Rugby Lads (who tbh even in the comics felt a bit forced).

(2) She's already been shown to be a bit "classic straight" awkward about the gays ("I'm an ally" / "thanks"). Who else would be better to deliver the "he's a really good mate" line?

(3) She's an established 4th female character, which means she can come to Paris with the group. That gives you the fabulous options for Token Straight dynamics, in particular with Elle. There's also definitely something to play with in terms of her hanging around with the boys at break; exploring what it means to be a straight girl who just wants to do masculine things would fit very neatly into the themes of the show.

(4) She's been established as actually quite a mature person? She doesn't out Nick, even though he stood her up and rejected her. As a 16-year-old popular girl, she could easily have revealed that he didn't like her; instead she lets him off the hook. Without being OOC she can still be written as awkward but willing to learn, which moves the dynamic away from the patronising "teach a straight to ally" stories and into something more realistic (whilst still being very awkward and funny).

(5) Tao would LOATHE her to start with, which allows his character to develop a bit more. Tao and Nick can now establish a friendship based on a mutual love of Charlie. This is however a bit of a magic bullet to fix Tao's key flaw: jealousy/fear of loneliness. Imogen, as someone who could strike up a friendship with Elle about girly things Tao doesn't get, gives him a new challenge.

(6) Similarly, Charlie having to share Nick's time and attention a bit might help develop some of the co-dependency issues that we get in the comics, without creating some silly love triangle (real or imagined). Nick already rejected her romantically, so spending time with her can only be about wanting a friend, but it would still require Charlie to accept that he doesn't get to own every minute of Nick's life.

(7) Imogen meeting Nick's mum, and the awkward "so how do you know Nick" "Oh he stood me up for a date after my dog had died" would be very funny, particularly given Olivia Colman's acting.

#Heartstopper #Imogen is a good addition

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