Heartstopper season 2 ended, the third outing follows Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor) as they take the next big steps in their relationship. While Charlie is eager to tell Nick "I love you" for the first time, Nick is preoccupied with figuring out how to address Charlie's eating disorder and depression in a ive way.

The rest of Heartstopper season 3 gives bigger roles to characters like Isaac Henderson (Tobie Donovan), Charlie's book-loving asexual and aromantic best friend, and Tori Spring (Jenny Walser), Charlie's antisocial sister. Although he doesn't get a full-fledged arc, Oliver's cameo is a fun moment for Heartstopper fans.

Oliver Appears In Heartstopper Season 3, But He's Not Charlie & Tori's Brother

Charlie & Tori Have A Younger Cousin Named Oliver In The Netflix Series

Although Oliver Spring finally appears in Heartstopper season 3, he isn't Charlie and Tori's younger brother. In Oseman's graphic novel series, Oliver is a minor character, but he's part of the story from the very first installment. Although the Netflix series cut Oliver from Charlie and Tori's family unit, Heartstopper season 3's Christmas episode, "Winter," provides fans with a fun Oliver cameo. One of Charlie and Tori's cousins, Oliver is much younger than his sisters — and more fun for Charlie and Tori to hang out with. In fact, Oliver fits right into the Springs' sibling dynamic.

Oliver's on-screen time is incredibly brief. He excitedly greets his cousins, who are dreading a big family Christmas and mostly keeps to himself during dinner. Fed up with how his family treats him, Charlie leaves the Springs' Christmas celebration to spend time with Nick and his extended family. Eventually, Tori shows up to take Charlie home. Looking to make the best of a tense situation, Charlie and Tori spend the rest of the evening playing Mario Kart with Oliver. The sweet, short-lived scene is a great reminder that Heartstopper's greatest strength is its sense of community.

Why Heartstopper Changed Oliver From The Book

The Netflix Series Is Able To Focus More On Charlie & Tori's Sibling Dynamic

Unfortunately, Oliver doesn't appear again before Tori Spring, who has a Heartstopper comic story that feels significant, Oliver is a minor ing character in the larger story. That said, it seems like Oliver Spring just wasn't pivotal enough in the graphic novels to make the jump to the screen.

Since Netflix's Heartstopper has a pretty substantial ensemble cast, it makes sense that the adaptation would want to trim its characters where possible. Tori already provides Charlie with a meaningful sibling dynamic, so it might have felt a bit redundant or unnecessary to also include the much younger Oliver. With just eight 30-minute episodes per season, Heartstopper's screen time is precious, so an Oliver Spring cameo makes much more sense.