By Allegra Papera
Online Arts Editor
The second season of Netflix original series “Love” livens up the seemingly tired topic of romance
Season two of “Love” thoroughly entertains audiences with its raw sense of humor, the use of Los Angeles’ neighborhoods as a fitting backdrop to the lively subject-matter, as well as its honest way of tackling the topics of romance and self-improvement throughout young adulthood.
“Love” follows two young adults in Los Angeles’ entertainment industry: the beautiful and supposed “cool girl” Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) who is dealing with her alcohol, drug, love, and sex addictions and the dorky Midwestern boy Gus (Paul Rust) who moved to LA in order to make movies, but ultimately landed a job tutoring a child actress.
As both characters struggle with the failures of their own love lives, they cross paths and see something special in one another despite their struggling efforts to avoid romance in fear of getting themselves or somebody else hurt again.
Photos: Check out photos related to “Love” here.
The first noticeable aspect of the show for first-time viewers is its hefty use of sarcastic humor that entertains audiences while still keeping the show grounded. Both the show’s script and its actors, Jacobs in particular, work together in creating perfectly executed sarcastic lines that crack up viewers while still maintaining a realistic sense of humor.
The most outstanding part of the series is its use of the city of Los Angeles as a lively backdrop for the show, rather than just simply using dull sets located on a studio lot. With Mickey living in Silverlake, viewers get to see a plethora of shots of the colorful buildings located within the district of East LA, offering audiences an idea of young adult life in the now-trendy neighborhood.
Click here to read what Vox thinks about “Love”‘s season two.
What sets “Love” aside from most movies or shows surrounding the topics of love and relationships is that it broaches these subjects with honesty and realism. Instead of romanticizing the relationship between Mickey and Gus, the series actually manages to highlight the struggles endured by both characters, particularly Mickey’s struggle with alcoholism and a sex addiction. Because of these issues, the couple are constantly working together to ensure the progression of her self-improvement, offering viewers a down-to-earth idea of what love can really be.
Click here to read IndieWire’s thoughts about the series’ new season.
The only notable downfall of “Love”’s second season is its slow-paced plot. While each episode seems to tackle raw topics, there never seems to be any real forward-movement within the story, eventually leaving viewers to wonder what they are watching for, and if the monotony will ever come to an end.
Despite this single flaw, “Love” is an impressive series that manages to bring new life to an overdone topic by fusing realism into such a typically romanticized subject matter, make viewers laugh, and offer them a colorful look at Los Angeles.
Season two of “Love” was released on March 10 and is only available to stream on Netflix.
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