‘Sometimes it feels like the only thing I can control in my life.’
Alongside all the cuteness, the second instalment touches on deeper, darker issues – such as Charlie’s struggles with food. While it wasn’t mentioned in season 1, the seeds were planted in a ‘if you know, you know’ sort of way. We’d see Charlie staring aimlessly into his cornflakes, swirling them around with a spoon before school, or hiding in his teacher’s classroom at lunchtime to avoid eating with friends.
‘I’m always cold!’, he argues, as Nick comments on the temperature of his hands before lending Charlie his own hoodie while out on a park date.Throughout it all, Charlie remains smiley and bubbly. He jokes with his pals, continues, hands in assignments despite struggling to concentrate, he never misses a day of school or makes excuses to avoid parties.
Things come to a head when Charlie and co. venture to Paris on their languages trip, resulting in him fainting, surrounded by the most beautiful art yet unable to take any of it in as his vision becomes blurred and his balance unstable.