Love Season 2

5/10 Well after the first season showed some great potential, the second season fails to live up to it as what worked and didn’t work in season one are essentially repeated except these two lead characters are even more of a chore to spend time with. The biggest problem with season two is that the relationship of Gus and Mickey is an extremely toxic one that shouldn’t exist. I understand what attracts them to each other but Mickey is a truly awful person and even though Gus is flawed himself and turns into a bit of a simp this season, the amount of crap they put each other through would make anyone with half of a brain walk away. There are a few episodes when they are getting along that are pleasant to watch but once things return to their normal toxic behavior, we just wonder why the hell they even stay together as they are not well suited for each other and Mickey should have stuck with her plan to not date for a year since she is still a hot mess. One of the best characters of last season, Mickey’s roommate Bertie is still fantastic but her romantic subplot this season didn’t do much for me and ended in a very anti-climactic fashion. The first season lacked some laughs but this season does so even more, substituting what should be some chuckles to counter balance all of the fighting and awkward moments but the laughs are few and far between with really only one episode making me laugh consistently. I still really appreciate the strong performances from the entire cast, especially from Gillian Jacobs and Paul Rust and we get some new cameos this season with David Spade being the standout. Adding some new faces to this season helped matters and the friendships continue to feel extremely genuine (I would rather ignore Gus and Mickey’s toxic relationship and instead have a spin off show dedicated entirely to Gus and his group of friends writing theme songs to films that lack them). The music also continues to perfectly suit the material and the pacing of each episode and the season overall works very well. Even though we repeat a lot of the winning aspects from the first season, the first season’s plot worked better as we were getting to know these characters and they hadn’t become an official couple yet. Yet season two highlights what an awful couple they are, how truly unlikeable Mickey is and makes me not want to spend more time with these characters. When our leads are at work, their interactions with their bosses and co-workers are way more fun and entertaining than anything shown when they are in their relationship together. I hope the third and final season ends on a high note but I’m not going to hold my breath. If this is love, I don’t want to be part of it.

#LoveAndOtherDrugs / #BlowingTheDistance / #DoesBertieMakeYouRandy? / #MisplacedRust / #OhMickeyYouAintFine / #ShroomForImprovement