Aahana Swrup
The second season of ‘Heartbreak High’ brings new complications for Amerie Wadia— whose newfound resolve to be a better and more likable person gets off to a bad start with the appearance of an anonymous critic, “Bird Psycho.” The incognito hater is intent on reminding Hartley High of all of Amerie’s wrongdoings, which end up extending far and wide beyond her previous social blunder, the “incest map.” Consequently, while Amerie tries to prove her worth by running for the school captain, Bird Psycho continues attacking her in various ways.
In retaliation, Amerie and her friends find themselves undertaking the investigation to uncover her enemy’s identity while simultaneously dealing with the teenage drama surrounding them at all times. With the mystery surrounding Bird Psycho remaining consistently relevant, their secret identity easily invites the audience’s intrigue. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Bird Psycho and Their Personal Vendetta Against Amerie
Amerie’s lack of social likability amongst the student body of Hartley High is one of the first things that season two establishes. From her initial blunder of the incest map, which introduced the mandatory Sexual Literacy Tutorial course, to her general inclination for rudeness— the girl has displeased more than her fair share of peers. For the same reason, she decides to run for the Student Captain, asserting that between Sasha So’s overwhelming political correctness and Spencer “Spider” White’s misogynistic social irresponsibility, she can be the perfect candidate that the students need.
Nevertheless, shortly after Amerie’s declaration of the same intent, the Bird Psycho makes their presence known. Earlier, Amerie and Harper came across multiple dead birds intentionally left for them and mistook them as a threat against Harper. However, once Bird Psycho airdrops a graffitied image of Amerie to the entire school, they effectively establish their intent to prevent the girl from glossing over her past mistakes. As such, they create an online message board for people to share their grievances with Amerie— an option most people take good advantage of.
Thus, throughout Amerie’s campaign, the girl and her group of friends continue trying to decipher Bird Psycho’s identity, while the latter strikes back against her through various attacks. For instance, during the class’ camping trip, they reveal audio footage of Amerie and her friends insulting a variety of people while trying to figure out who Bird Psycho is. Nevertheless, in doing so, they steal Quinni’s phone and leave behind an obvious way to their identification.
As it would turn out, despite the list of complaints Amerie’s fellow students have accumulated for her over the years, it’s Rowan Callaghan— the brand-new student at Hartley High who decided to take aggressive action against the girl. Rowan moved to Syndey from Dubbo. However, the boy used to live in the city in his childhood and hung out with Amerie often as a kid. Back then, he was known by his nickname, “Spud,” and was used to admiring Amerie from afar as they both hung out in the same skatepark.
It wasn’t until a random bird got injured that Amerie and Rowan became friends as they started taking care of the bird, dubbed Eggo, together. Consequently, the two held a funeral for the bird after it passed away, compelling other kids to make fun of them for their perceived naivety. Therefore, in her pursuit to avoid social ridicule, Amerie pinned the funeral idea solely on Rowan’s shoulders, betraying the boy’s trust. As a result of the same, Rowan rushed back home in frustration, scaring his younger brother, Jett.
After Jett rushed out of the house to find their parents, who were across the street at a barbeque, the young boy got in a car accident and died. Thus, Rowan held Amerie in contempt all these years, pinning his brother’s death on the girl since the alternative would be to blame himself. Nevertheless, a part of him remains privy to the fact that despite her shortcomings, Amerie can’t be blamed for Jett’s death. For the same reason, he simultaneously pursues her romantically, periodically dropping his hatred toward her.
Rowan is unable to put his emotions in order around Amerie. As such, Bird Psycho’s attacks against the girl often coincide with her recently doing something particularly awful. In the end, Rowan’s reveal as Bird Psycho arrives on the heels of Hartley High’s literal crash and burn. Still, even though his search for retribution almost accidentally kills himself, Amerie, and Harper, his character remains colored in moral ambiguity. Ultimately, Amerie forgives Rowan for his misgivings, recognizing his behavior as a spectacular— but evident mistake.
Read More: Is Netflix’s Heartbreak High Based on a True Story?
