Heartbreak High - Season 2 ⁞⁞ Series Spotlight

The Australian teen drama Heartbreak High recently released Season 2 on Netflix. The series continued the dramatic, and comedic, exploits of the Hartley High teens, including queer couple Darren (James Majoos) and Ca$h (Will McDonald). Their ups and downs were chronicled throughout the season as they were faced with several struggles. Picking up from Season 1, Ca$h began the new season in jail for his role in the attack on his classmate Harper (Asher Yasbincek), despite him not being involved in her assault and reporting his gang so they would be punished. This didn't extend to the villainous Chook (Tom Wilson) who remained free, despite being the primary perpetrator. Darren struggled to support Ca$h in prison, while remaining loyal to Harper. Chook looked to draw Ca$h back into his criminal ways after Harper dropped her case, leading to Ca$h's release. Ca$h committed himself to his freedom, despite Chook's looming presence. Darren & Ca$h also struggled with Ca$h's asexuality which conflicted with Darren's natural sex drive, bringing more conflict. When Darren spotted Ca$h with Chook, after the couple moved in together, they retreated to old habits, visiting a former hook-up only to cross paths with their former classmate Dustin (Josh Heuston) instead. A jealous Ca$h questioned the nature of their reunion, though both revealed it was non-sexual. This led Ca$h to break-up with Darren, as he didn't want to hold Darren back from the part of himself that Ca$h couldn't reciprocate. Darren joined the school's celibacy group in an attempt to control himself to get Ca$h back, but after a heart-to-heart with his nan, Ca$h decided to mend their romance, seeking Darren out at the season-ending school formal. The couple reunited just in time to escape the horrific fire that broke at the school.

In other happenings, Malakai (Thomas Weatherall) began the season still romantically attached to leading lady Amerie (Ayesha Madon), though as his bisexual awakening continued from Season 1, he found himself putting the brakes on her efforts to get more serious. He rejected the idea of labeling their relationship and wanted to keep things casual. This increased upon the arrival of new student Rowan (Sam Rechner). Malakai & Rowan grew close rather quickly, especially when Rowan revealed he was bisexual. Malakai's struggles mounted, affecting his mental health. He reached out to Darren, revealing his struggle. Darren urged him to tell Amerie the truth to save her sanity and be honest, since they both knew Malakai's sexuality wasn't going away. Malakai told Amerie the truth and they broke up, allowing Malakai to get steamy with Rowan. The two boys went public with their relationship, though it didn't last too long when the students all got high on a camping trip, leading Malakai to hallucinate and call Rowan by Amerie's name several times, turning him off. Rowan broke-up with Malakai, believing he wasn't ready for a new romance. Malakai was then stunned when Rowan & Amerie got together. Rowan's growing obsessive behavior worried Malakai, as he also dealt with the news that his mother's new job in Sweden would leave him with a decision to make about staying or leaving. After being urged to let Amerie be happy, Malakai held his tongue on his worries about Rowan and left town. Unaware of the fire at the formal, Rowan trapped Amerie in the school, forcing her to watch his video, revealing their past together as children, when Amerie spurned him, leading to him being bullied and his brother's inadvertent death. In the end, Amerie helped Rowan escape the fire and tried to make things right. 

In addition to the series' queer male storylines, Season 2 of Heartbreak High also continued storylines involving their lesbian characters, Quinni & Sasha, as well as the bisexual Missy.