When the first series of Love premiered on Netflix in February last year, it presented a view of modern romance that was completely unique. The second series, released earlier this month, follows in those footsteps, and once again provides a funny but painfully real insight into the modern world.
The show, written by Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin and Paul Rust, follows the awkward romance of Gus (Rust), a nerd who works as an on-set tutor, but dreams of becoming a scriptwriter. He spends his spare time composing theme songs to films that never had one, and at the start of the series meets Mickey, (Gillian Jacobs) a sex-and-love addict who spends much of the series combatting her inner demons while trying to function in normal society.
Love is genuinely one of the best and most realistic approaches to modern romance that I have ever seen. It presents life in LA in a brutal – but accurate – way, and shows Gus and Mickey’s relationship in a way that I’ve not seen done too often before. Their interactions seem incredibly organic, and are incredibly believable, thanks to both the acting and the writing.
The acting in the show is amazing, and each character is developed and brought to life spectacularly. Everyone in the show is crazy in their own little way, but so is everyone in real life.
Gus’s awkward confusion about what he and Mickey are to each other is adorable, and Mickey’s various addictions and struggles are shown in a genuinely sympathetic and lovely way. You really get a sense of the vulnerable girl hidden beneath the tough, rebellious exterior.
The two work together incredibly well, and explore their relationship in a realistic way; they both lean on the other for support from time to time, and their relationship is one of the most organic that I’ve seen in some time.
Though several of the events that unfold in the shows seem utterly ridiculous – including shrooms, police lockdowns and injured stuntmen – they still remain somehow plausible, and help make Love a really funny, but genuine series that I’ve fallen in love with over the past year. There are now 22 episodes online, and I honestly can’t wait for the third series – already confirmed – to come out next year!
Ellen Smithies
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Media Courtesy of Apatow Productions.
