“Looking” premiered last night on HBO and I fell in love with it. The characters are very loveable, they are fun, realistic, nice and cute. I don’t often feel that way watching a pilot, I often wonder if it’s actually a show I want to watch, how they can keep the story going for a whole season or several seasons, but not last night.
Last night, I kinda felt like “Looking for Now” was not a pilot, but an episode of a show I’ve already watched and I’m already following. It reminds me a lot of Sex and the City, without the voice over sure, but with the talks between friends, the drinks, the dates in the city.
Andrew Haigh and Michael Lannan really did a fine job creating those characters, and writing this first episode. I don’t know why but I’m pretty sure this will continue though the season. At least, I hope they do !
So, let’s not waste any time and let’s review what happened in this first episode ! “Looking for Now” was brilliant at introducing the main characters and starting up their storylines. Each of them had their own storyline going on and they also shared scenes together so they can talk (and drink and smoke joints too). I love that dynamic !
It really feels like Patrick is the main character, he is the one we mostly follow but still Agustin and Dom are well developed character, they are not just here to support Patrick’s character. Let’s find out about those characters :
Patrick : “it feels like I’m having a physical”
Patrick, played by Jonathan Groff, a 29 video games developer. He’s my favorite for now, the one I relate to the most, probably because we’re about the same age and I’ve been single a long time. The first time we saw Patrick, he was cruising in the park with a stranger ! Kinky boy. Clearly, they are showing he is experimenting and trying new things. Maybe he was more reserved before, we’ll see if they show flashback, but he is changing and evolving, I could real feel that.
The storyline with his ex boyfriend getting married was fun. His ex is a bit weird, inviting him to his bachelor party. He even has a bachelor party with his fiancé, which is even weirder. Anyways, I’m really enjoying this storyline, I hope we will see the gay marriage. The meeting in the bathroom was awkward but so funny. Patrick’s ex seems to be an asshole, quite pretentious. I’m glad they are not together, but do you think he will be back ? Maybe Patrick will spend one last night with him. I don’t know where this is going but this could be very fun.
My favorite scene with Patrick was his date. The first one was so horrible I could not help laughing out loud. It kinda reminds me of bad dates I’ve had before. First dates can be so fun, and exciting but sometimes it’s just awkward, you’re trying too much and it’s not even working. Sometimes, the connection did not happen. And that was that time for Patrick. His date, a doctor, was absolutely not a right date for him. He rejected him quite quickly and they split the bill literally.
But, on his way to the bachelor party, Patrick met up with a new guy : Richie (played by Raul Castillo). Richie was charming and hot. I really like how he came to him and the flirting. But Patrick did not give him his real name or real job. That was stupid because I could really feel a connection between those two and how glad I was when Patrick came to Richie’s party at the end. It was so lovely I had a giant smile on my face. Hope we'll see them again.
Agustin :”I’m not doing your laundry… Ever”
Meet Agustin, played by Frankie J. Alvares, the artist ! He is in his thirties and he’s a contemporary artist. I really like his character too, it makes me think of friends I have and it feels very real watching him. His first scene was so cute with his boyfriend, his very hot boyfriend actually, played by O.T. Fagbenle. They’re so cute together, Agustin’s decision, to moving in, out of the blue, was really cute. They’re a great couple. The writers picked the right character to be the one in a relationship. As he is an artist and a bit older than Patrick, Agustin and Franck’s relationship can be very modern and different. They can use him to explore what it means to be gay and in a relationship.
Their relationship moved to a next step and was tested quite quickly. While working on his piece, made of wooden chairs, Agustin met up with Scotty, his new assistant. He is very tall and very handsome. So, at night, when Agustin’s boyfriend came with beers to celebrate, three men were a bit wasted and talking about art and tattoos. When Scotty showed his, Agustin got closed to him and kissed him. Franck was watching and stood up so he could kiss Scotty while Agustin blew him. I really like the way they showed the threeway. It was very smooth and natural, that just happened and they enjoyed it.
At the end, Agustin and his boyfriend had a talk about what they just did. What kind of couples are they ? Is there any kind of couples actually ? Gays have a great opportunity, compared to straight people in love relationships, they can be who they want to be. They can make a couple as heterosexual people do, with the same rules and codes. Or, they can use their difference to create a relationship how they want it to be. Society doesn’t impose you to marry or to have kids the same way it does to heterosexual people. The concept of fidelity is less strong in the gay culture. So, I think the writers have a nice opportunity to tell a beautiful love story, outside of regular schemes.
Dom: “Is there an open bar ?”
And to conclude, we met Dom, played by Murray Bartlett, a fortish waiter. Clearly, he is the horniest one, he can become the new Samantha Jones. I like the fact that he is older than the two others. It’s very good for the story and that way, the show can represent our society better. It adds more reflections and opinions in the discussions.
So, Dom is a waiter and he kinda hates his job. He tried to seduce one of his co worker, a young one of course. Unfortunately, the young man didn’t respond to his charms, so it lead Dom questioning his look, his charms and his life. He is older, he is aging and still single. The life of sex and fun can not last forever. But, it doesn’t seem like he was to settle down… Except, he has an ex boyfriend, Ethan, who apparently is a total psycho. At the end of the episode, Dom tried to reconnect with him by leaving him a phone message, terrible idea. He was drunk and felt rejected so he called up his ex, who never did that ? I know I did, and many friends too. But I also really want to meet Ethan, to see how crazy he is and what kind of man should Dom go with.
My favorite scene with Dom was the one with his ex wife, played by Lauren Weedman. Yeah, the man was married and got divorced. Doris doesn’t seem to hold a grudge she married a gay guy. They’re so funny together, like two best friends, chatting and laughing. I love that scene and it’s a great way to add a woman to the show, being Dom’s ex wife. She is a fierce and strong woman. I really hope they’ll develop her character more and more. Maybe not this season, but after. I just want to see her on a date, preferably a bad one.
“Looking for Now” was a great start for “Looking”, now I really hope they will continue this good path. The first season only has 6 episodes, so each episode needs to be strong and interesting. They can explore many things in those 6 episodes, and only 5 left now.
This show can turn into a standard for a generation if the writers keep up the good work. I can’t wait for next week and an all new Looking !
Gay notes :
• Moustache is the thing for men in 2014, right ?
• Which your favorite character ? Patrick for now. And Richie. They'd make a cute couple !
• Dom and Patrick had sex before ! Do you think this will affect Patrick next relationship ?
What did you think of “Looking for Now” ? Will you keep watching this show ? What do you expect to see ? Hit the comments !
