🤐 SPOILER ALERT 🤐

Much like Charlie (Joe Locke) himself, Heartstopper Season 2 fans are probably surprised to see Ben (Sebastian Croft) pop up outside the Lambert queer art show in Episode 7. But there’s more to the scene than sheer shock value: The moment is also Ben’s Heartstopper goodbye. As creator Alice Oseman told Tudum, “Ben’s role in Heartstopper is now complete.”

Now that Season 2 is out, Oseman and Ben’s portrayer Croft are ready to dive into the momentous farewell. 

Ben’s place in Heartstopper Season 2 is a departure from Oseman’s comics of the same name; the character doesn’t appear beyond Volume One. Oseman said their intention with the series has always been to “broaden and expand the story” fans of the comics know and love. “As Season 2 begins to unpack the trauma that Charlie carries with him due to his toxic relationship with Ben and the bullying he has faced in the past, I felt Ben’s presence was necessary to properly address those topics,” Oseman explained.  

In Ben’s final scene, he and Charlie tackle those themes head-on. Ben reveals he will be leaving Truham for the upcoming school year and apologizes to Charlie. He admits he’s a “messed up person” and likes Charlie — Ben just isn’t ready to be out like him or Nick (Kit Connor), who’s bisexual. Rather than simply accept Ben’s apology and move on, Charlie details all the painful ways Ben’s toxicity impacted him — and continues to do so. 

“You don’t get to ambush me into forgiving you,” Charlie says. “I really hope you become a better person so you don’t hurt anyone else. But I don’t want to be there to see that happen.” 

Croft was pleased his “incredibly complicated” character wasn’t handed an easy conclusion. “Alice and I both felt strongly about him not having a redemption arc,” he told Tudum while filming Season 2 in November 2022. “It’s a really beautiful way of having these two people who have been through a lot — and Ben’s been horrible to Charlie — to have that conversation and explore it on a deeper level than I felt like we got to do in Season 1.” 

Oseman believed it would have been “needlessly cruel” for Charlie to offer Ben “any form of redemption arc on-screen,” no matter his ability to improve in the future. “Particularly as the aftershocks of Ben’s manipulation are still causing Charlie pain,” they said. “Ben can become a better person, but Charlie should not have to witness that, endorse it, or offer any forgiveness. And so he won’t.” 

Samuel Dore/Netflix

Charlie ends the conversation holding Nick’s hand and leaving. For Oseman, Ben exists as “a parallel to Nick, an anti-Nick.” Both boys are “coming to terms with their queerness,” as Oseman said, but approach the journey in a very different manner. “Ben takes a much darker and more toxic path, and Nick’s confrontations with Ben fuel Nick’s anxieties about remaining in the closet,” they continued. 

Yet Nick is on a separate journey from Ben. Later in Episode 7, Nick comes out to his father, Stephane (Thibault de Montalembert), and is happy with his decision. Ben, on the other hand, has a classic Heartstopper-style animated doodle of a rainbow ocean approach him outside of the queer art show. It’s an invitation to join the community. He walks away from it. 

“I really wanted Ben to have a Heartstopper moment in some way,” Croft said. “I see this beautiful world of Heartstopper and then Ben who can’t be welcomed in… I feel like lots of people would connect with that feeling of being scared to become part of the community and where you fit in.” 

While Charlie is happy to see Ben leave his life for good, Oseman will miss their “incredible friend” Croft. “He took on possibly the toughest role in the show and executed it with such intelligence and determination,” they said. The pair have had countless discussions since production started in 2021 about the character, his motivation, fears, and desires. 

“We were in constant debate about finding the line between Ben being unrealistically demonic and too sympathetic. I feel we found that line and I am so proud and honored that Sebastian has been a part of Heartstopper,” Oseman said. “I know that he’ll go on to do incredible things, and I will be cheering from the sidelines all the way.” 

Additional reporting by Tara Bitran. 

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