SCARY REAL ROM-COM! Season 2 of 'Love Life' Starring William Harper Jackson is Redefining the Rom-Com Genre!
If you're a fan of rom-com now, look no further than Love Life.
Love Life, the captivating anthology series on HBO just premiered its second season YESTERDAY. Believe me, you are going to want to jump onto this train now. William Harper Jackson plays a book editor named Marcus Watkins who, through his romantic and professional endeavors, confronts issues of romance, race, and reality. In a time that has been lacking in high quality romantic comedy content (in my personal opinion), this one answers the call for something poignant and personal. If you haven't watched the first three episodes yet, go check them out now! I'll still be here. If you're caught up, let's talk about why these three episodes set this show on the promising path to be the most revolutionary new member of the romantic comedy genre we've seen in a while.
Episode One: Mia Hines
Marcus is married. Like fully, one hundred percent, no questions about it, married. That's a unique way to establish the main character in a series which we know will follow a man on his quest to find love. He and his wife are at the wedding of Darby, played by Anna Kendrick, who was the lead of the last season. Marcus, outside of the party, meets Mia Hines, played by Jessica Williams, and sparks are clearly firing (but someone should grab an extinguisher because, as we have previously stated, Marcus is MARRIED.)
Love Life does a phenomenal job making sure we have no idea how to feel in the first scene of the show. Marcus doesn't cheat on his wife, but he may as well have. He should not have started emailing Mia, but technically nothing has happened between them. Should Marcus stay with his wife because that's what commitment in marriage means, or would they both be happier if they fought to find something more powerful. The show raises a lot of questions that I want answered. Is Marcus a bad guy or a good guy? At this point, I honestly could not tell. I think he might be a good guy that is not doing the right thing.
Marcus's wife, Emily, who is played by Erica Pappas, ends up finding the text messages to Mia. It does not help that in these text messages, Marcus is venting about his wife.
The episode ends here, but, I mean, we know this can't be good. Also, right at the beginning we have a subversion of the typical rom-com trope. Normally our main character is wronged in the first moments, spurned in some way that catalyzes their movement forward. This time our lead DID the wronging...interesting.
Episode 2: Paloma
As literally ANYONE WITH EYES would be able to predict, Emily leaves Marcus. Honestly, good for Emily. While I still don't know what to make of Marcus, Emily seemed like an AWESOME wife: nice, funny, smart, faithful, not texting random men that she met at weddings. Wherever she is off to, I hope she's happy! (WOAH...are they already setting us up for a season three?)
After a brief interlude at his sister Ida's, played by Punkie Johnson, house and being coaxed to go out by friends, Marcus finds himself on adderall at a bar with his sister, his sister's girlfriend, and Mia. The moment this show creates is simultaneously so real and awkward at the same time. The scene is not inherently awkward, but it does a beautiful job capturing the energy of, huh, weird group. BUT, much like the way social people operate in the confines of weird groups, everyone starts having a great time. Showing this approval of Mia is SO IMPORTANT. She seems perfect...but she also has a boyfriend... I think we need to just have a quick conversation about fidelity with this cast.
Marcus and Mia find themselves walking back from the bar together. Marcus, in a moment that AGAIN leads us to ask the question Is Marcus a good person?, Marcus blames Mia for his divorce. Honestly, I don't know what I think. It's not her fault, but is she blameless? She thinks she is. I think I'm on Mia's side. I mean, if the roles were reversed I would be on Marcus's. Yes, so far women he's encountered: 2, Marcus: 0. Unsurprisingly, Mia then walks away, not to be heard of again (at least, not yet).
Marcus then has a one night stand with a 22 year old named Paloma, played by Aline Mayagoitia. In a dorm room. This moment, and the entire show, point out a truth we know but often forget: love is INSANELY complicated.
Episode 3: Destiny Mathis
Marcus moves into his post divorce apartment. His friend Yogi, played by Chris "Comedian CP" Powell says that the apartment feels very "divorcey"...I mean, he's not wrong.
Shortly after this scene, Marcus is heading up to Michigan for his parent's 35th anniversary party. In light of his divorce, Marcus is particularly wary about going to visit his parents, specifically citing that they never liked Emily. This touches on such a REAL issue. It is as true in real life as it is in this show: if your partner doesn't get along with your family, it probably isn't meant to be. There are exceptions to every rule, but the trope of we-love-each-other-and-it-works-but-your-family-hates-me is INCREDIBLY unrealistic. The fact that the family never liked Emily, but so far everyone seems to like Mia (even though she may be gone forever, who knows) is very promising. Love Life is the perfect balance of rom-com romance with realistic deep feels, and I am HERE FOR IT!
Upon visiting home, Marcus again starts texting a girl he used to tutor in High School math, Destiny Mathis who is played by Yasha Jackson. He meets up with her at a bar. They seem to have a nice rapport and - oop, they're hooking up in a car! Very high school.
After she leaves, the voiceover comments that Marcus felt bad that he presented himself to Destiny as the same smart, good humored person he used to be, and not the, "demoralized hot mess he actually was." When we reconnect with people from our past, there is the desperate inclination to present ourselves exactly how the other person knew us. We ultimately want the same from them. However, having these moments where acting like your past self feels more performative than honest, is one of the most human experiences. Love Life picks up on these elements of the human condition beautifully. It makes this love story all the more real.
Speaking of more real, sometimes things become too real. For example, if your mom were to invite the person you casually hooked up with one night to a family party. This forces Marcus to sit in the midst of the awkward disparity he created for himself: coping simultaneously with the version of himself he is with his family and the version of himself he presented to Destiny. Neither of them are whole. Neither of them are comfortable. Being dishonest to yourself about yourself only breeds more awkward situations later.
Destiny feels the discomfort in the situation, and Marcus drives her home. There they are both confronted by Destiny's boyfriend (FIDELITY, PEOPLE!). Marcus gets trapped there, sitting in his car in the middle of this awkward fight, missing his father's speech entirely. When he finally gets home, his mother, played by Janet Hubert, tries to confront him about missing the speech. Marcus gets angry because the reason he MISSED the speech was because he was taking care of a situation that she created.
One thing leads to another, and Marcus and his mother end up having a really open conversation about how proud his mother is of him. He is surrounded by familial support. Love is not just romantic. Love is in family. Love is in friends. That love is just as important as the romantic kind. The show isn't called Love Person. It's called Love Life, and it does an excellent job of making it about just that: life.
This show is absolutely phenomenal. I cannot wait for the next three episodes to be released on November 4th. I'll be watching! Will you?
