Netflix is doing a lot to produce a lot of original content. From Marvel series to Orange is the New Black, to Fuller House, the company took a calculated risk with Love from accomplished comedy producer Judd Apatow. For those who binge-watched this anti-romantic comedy last weekend, then you will be pleased to know that Season 2 is on its way. This is a Season 1 Review and Recap, and there are some spoilers ahead.
According to iDigitalTimes, Netflix believed in Apatow's vision that they ordered two seasons of Love from the get-go. So far, this is the only show that Netflix has ordered two seasons of, besides House of Cards, Netflix's first original series.
There is good reason to put a lot of faith in a series from Judd Apatow. The man has a proven track record of comedies that have a mix of the raunchy with the romantic, and Love is no exception. Netflix can watch Season 1 with 10 episodes, and there are 12 episodes coming next year at around the same time (Valentine's Day) in 2017. That, or it could come earlier, as the first two seasons could already be filmed. So far, the show has received a lot of praise, which shows that Netflix is on a really good track record as far as original shows are concerned.
If you haven't watched Love, I can spoil it very simply. It is a story of two people who meet and become fast-friends, and then become lovers, and then one of them goes in a different direction, part ways in the third act, and then come back together by the end. This is hardly a spoiler, as most romantic comedies have this same plot, in some form or the other.
Judd Apatow, who has done films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up, plays with this formula but does so in a way so it is new. In this case, Love shows how two people can't help but bring their emotional baggage into a relationship, and this can both separate them or draw them together. I earlier referred to Love as an anti-romantic comedy, but this doesn't mean it is without a happy ending, at least for Season 1.
Gillian Jacobs, who spent the last six years playing Britta on the awkwardly zany show Community, plays Mickey, the girl in this particular romance. Mickey is a self-admitted addict, not only of drugs and alcohol but sex as well. Her personality is much like her Community character Britta in that she is opinionated and headstrong, and she is a trainwreck. Mickey can hold a job at a radio station, but her own dysfunctions keep her from a successful or even an ordinary love-life. She has a problem making her relationships last and takes steps not to make them last. Several characters in the show have identified her as toxic, which is an accurate description, but the audience can still sympathize with her. Little is known about her backstory as to why she is this way, but she feels very realistic.
Enter in the guy, Gus, played by Paul Rust. Gus recently got out of a long-term relationship, and he works a good job a movie studio as a tutor to a young star. Like the actor himself, Gus is a writer and is about to make a big break.
Mickey and Gus meet at a convenience store, and they quickly hit it off. They spend the day together and become awkward friends. Soon they attend parties together just to be together, and Mickey unsuccessfully sets Gus up with her roommate Bertie (Claudia O'Doherty).
That date goes off terribly, and Gus admits his feelings to Mickey afterward, and they go out on a date. Oddly enough, they have sex beforehand and then Gus takes her to a magic show. At the show, Mickey behaves in an odd way and gets them thrown out. Gus is upset, but doesn't voice his hostility, and then they end up having sex again.
The next day, Gus invites Mickey over to his house to meet his friends. Gus's friends like to write theme songs for movies that don't have them, which is an odd habit that Mickey doesn't even try to relate to. Gus believes that Mickey won't come over, so he invites Heidi (Briga Heelan), an actress that Gus has befriended on the set of Wichita, show that Gus has begun to write scripts for. Mickey decides to attend Gus's party, but can't get into it and leaves announced. Heidi, on the other hand, stays and really gets along with Gus and everyone else. Gus and Heidi then end up spending the night and they have sex.
Eventually, Gus tries to forget about Mickey, but Mickey can't seem to forget about him. Gus then ends up breaking up with Heidi after she learns that she won't be on Gus's show anymore. Gus ends up lonely and posts a message on Instagram that Mickey uses to track him down. At the end, Gus and Mickey kiss after Mickey reveals what a mess she is.
In talking about Love, many would say that what was shown in Season 1 is the opposite. There is a lot of truth to that, as both of these characters are using the other to fulfill some desire. In all honesty, there are probably a lot of people who meet like this and eventually fall in love, even though the steps to committal love fall out of order and fall apart. What makes Love work is that the characters are aware of their problems, even if they might be taking the wrong steps to solve them.
Season 2 of Love will answer a question of whether or not Mickey and Gus will officially get back together, but perhaps the issue is whether or not they will stay together. Hopefully, Season 2 will not take the story in a direction that it should not go, because the show could have easily ended with episode 10.
