The third and seemingly final season of the BBC/Max comedy showStarstruckis around the corner. The season already premiered in the UK on BBC iPlayer back in August. Now, we finally know when we’re getting our hands on the beloved comedy show. All six episodes ofStarstruckSeason 3will premiereon September 28on Max. The story of Jessie (Rose Matafeo,who also created the show), the 28-year-old Kiwi living in London with nothing figured out, and Tom (Nikesh Patel), the mild-mannered A-list actor, captured the hearts of audiences on both sides of the pond. As we celebrate the return of Jessie, Tom, and their odd but endearing group of friends, let’s look back at when we last left them off. Here’s everything you need to remember about Season 2 ofStarstruckbefore watching Season 3.
How Does Season 2 of ‘Starstruck’ Start?
Season 2 picked up right where Season 1 left off. Jessie doesn’t get off the bus to catch her flight back to New Zealand, and she and Tom decide to try out a proper relationship. Jessie has to now slot back into a life she was about to give up. Despite finally making things work with Tom, London life still isn’t going all that well for Jessie. She has to beg for her cinema job back from her supervisor, Joe (Joe Barnes), and still doesn’t have a second job after being fired from her nannying position. On top of all this, her best friend/roommate Kate (Emma Sidi) has already asked her boyfriend Ian (Al Roberts) to move in. As Jessie spends Christmas alone, Tom is hounded by his parents and smug doctor brother about why he doesn’t have a girlfriend and why he isn’t in better movies.
At Tom’s New Year’s Eve/Birthday party, absolutely nothing goes to plan. Jessie feels out of place in Tom’s glamorous world, which isn’t helped by Tom’s ruthless agent Cath (played to perfection by a never-funnierMinnie Driver), and has a rude run-in with Tom’s brother. But, despite their lives being worlds apart and Jessie being mistaken as a waiter more than once, they decide the next morning that they do, in fact, want to be boyfriend-girlfriend. Yay! Smooth sailing from here, right?Right?
Ben Makes Trouble for Jessie and Tom’s Relationship in ‘Starstruck’ Season 2
The big bad, so to say, of Season 2 is Jessie’s ex-boyfriend, Ben (Edward Easton). Ben has been referred to numerous times previously, and we’ve come to think of him as the dickhead and the reason Jessie stayed in England but who then broke her heart. When he calls Jessie to tell her his Nan died and that she’d be welcome at the funeral, she feels compelled to show her face. Even though it’s not the grandmother she actually liked, Jessie hangs out with Ben as they reminisce about their past and play games that result in Jessie breaking her arm, but it doesn’t stop there. Ben offers Jessie a job at the library he works at, which she accepts. She doesn’t tell Tom that she’s working with Ben, and continues hanging out with Ben under the impression it’s all totally friendly and Tom doesn’t need to know.
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Meanwhile, Tom is having a career crisis. After his action movie,Siege on Olympus, is a critical failure, he is second-guessing every professional move he makes. He’s shooting a film in Ireland that pairs him with the bombastic and eccentric director, Dave (Russell Tovey). Despite Dave being a less-than-ideal creative partner, Tom considers his offer to star in his next movie, which is shooting in Atlanta for eight months. Tom is visibly not too keen to leave Jessie for that long, but that all goes out the window when Kate lets the cat out of the bag.
Why Do Jessie and Tom Break Up in ‘Starstruck’ Season 2?
Jessie and Tom get into a spat over him calling her “kooky.” Jessie storms outside and when Kate comes home, she thinks they’re fighting over Ben, revealing to Tom that they are hanging out. (Although, he did have an idea after he saw “Bin” written on her cast.) Jessie doesn’t apologize and tells Tom he can’t be the boss of her. Tom is convinced that Ben still has feelings for Jessie, so she shouldn’t hang out with him as it’s disrespectful to their relationship. Jessie still won’t back down and Tom tells her that she’s a difficult person to love. It breaks down Jessie’s guard and visibly wounds her. Tom then leaves and Jessie, because she is just so good at making bad choices, rings Ben to come over. Ben tries to kiss Jessie, confirming Tom’s suspicions, but Jessie still doesn’t call Tom.
The final episode jumps ahead three months. Jessie, Ben, Kate, Ian, and Joe are out celebrating their friends Steve (Nic Sampson) and Sarah’s (Lola-Rose Maxwell) hen/stag party. Jessie and Ben have hooked up a few times since her breakup with Tom, and it’s clear Ben is gunning for something more, but Jessie is keeping him firmly at arm’s length (when she doesn’t want sex, that is). As the gang drinks warm champagne in the limo and pulls up to their first activity (crazy golf, to everyone’s disappointment), they see that Tom has come. Steve, without telling Jessie, invited Tom to his stag. This now firmly places Jessie between a rock and a hard place. Jessie and Tom haven’t spoken since the breakup and Ben wants to quickly make it clear to Tom that he and Jessie have gotten closer.
Do Jessie and Tom End Up Together in ‘Starstruck’ Season 2?
While playing laser tag, Tom finds Jessie alone and kisses her. When Jessie realizes that Ben has seen them, she runs after him. When he says that he wants to be with her and loves her, she finally says what everyone already knows — that he only loves the idea of her, and he’ll break her heart again. It firmly puts an end to their rekindling and is one major step toward Jessie gaining full clarity. While in the limo onto the next activity, Tom tells Jessie that yes, she wanted to be with him but “didn’t want to be in a relationship” with him, but Jessie doesn’t understand the difference.
The next activity is a boat trip on a lake. Tom, Ben, Steve, and Ian go in one boat while Jessie, Kate, Sarah, and Joe go in another. Ben tries to antagonize Tom with details of his and Jessie’s situationship, but Tom doesn’t stoop to his level (always the gentlemen). Meanwhile, Jessie tells the girls and Joe about what Tom said about her not wanting to be in a relationship, which the three others confirm to be true. Jessie has an epiphany and realizes she “Ben’d Tom,” meaning, she freaked out once they were in a steady relationship and mistreated him as a result. Jessie wants to apologize before Ben makes matters worse so she jumps right into the pond, swim-walks over to Tom, apologizes, confesses her love, but understands that it’s probably too late. As she awkwardly swim-walks back to her boat, Tom jumps in and grabs her as they kiss in probably one of the dirtiest bodies of water in the country. Romance isn’t dead!
What Can We Expect From ‘Starstruck’ Season 3?
The trailer forStarstruckSeason 3promises more awkward, hilarious, heart-aching, and hopefully, romantic moments for Jessie, Tom, and the gang. We know that Kate and Ian are getting married, with Kate looking to be about eight months pregnant. It appears Jessie and Tom have broken up, probably something to do with the fact that his job constantly pulls him away from London, leaving Jessie alone. Both Tom and Jessie have new love interests, but it’s unclear how happy they are about this. Will Tom and Jessie get back together for the umpteenth time, or will they realize that they’re actually better off apart? I’m personally gunning for the former option, but only time will tell!
All six episodes ofStarstruckSeason 3 hit Max on September 28.
