Looking - General Discussion

[bunnywithanaxe]

Did you catch the groundbreaking ep where everyone sat around watching a Golden Girls marathon? My jaw dropped.

[Irlandesa]

I don't want to talk about Kevin. I know we need to talk about Kevin, but I don't want to talk about Kevin. OK just this-- following an employee up to their Guerneville Getaway? STALKING.

Far be it for me to defend Kevin and his office-focused infidelity but he didn't follow/stalk Patrick, he was summoned by Patrick. 

 

I wish HBO had shown two episodes tonight.  Or I wish I had the patience to wait and binge because this show is perfect for binging.  Tonight seemed like it was just 30 minutes to tell us where the characters are now.

 

I didn't hate the rave as much as Mark Blankenship but I do agree with him that it felt done.  And the thing is, they could've hit every plot point in this episode without it.  Did Dom really need to get high to explore his open relationship?  We all know Patrick certainly doesn't need to get high to have sex with Kevin.  And Agustin...well drugs made sense for him but even he was flirting with the bear before he got high.  The worst part about it was that it felt like the slow mo dancing went on forever in the middle of the episode. 

 

That said, I'm happy to have this show back but I think I'll be happier next week when the boys are back in San Fran and Richie and Lynn reappear.

[bunnywithanaxe]

Far be it for me to defend Kevin and his office-focused infidelity but he didn't follow/stalk Patrick, he was summoned by Patrick. 

 

 

OK, I must have gotten distracted and misinterpreted something. Still. The two of them. Sheesh.

[DrivingSideways]

OK, so season 2, this show is still aimless, humorless and boring.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Patrick panics over a small rash; Dom scopes out a restaurant location in the Tenderloin; Agustin makes plans with a new friend.

 

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I agree that the dancing went on for too long. And it seemed weird to me that they were so excited about this party in the woods. They live in San Francisco. There are parties like that all the time so what's the big deal?

 

I did laugh that the painting of Len though.

 

Oh, Patrick. How is it that his first and only instinct is seemingly every situation now is to hook up with his boss?

 

Strangely, Agustin didn't bother me at all this episode (which is weird since he annoyed me so much last season). I loved when he admitted that he was a mediocre artist and that it was better for the world that he gave up on his art. Finally, some self-awareness.

[Vapor]

I'm not sure if "aimless" is the word I'd use.

 

More like ponderous. It's basically "Indie Movie: The Series," so there's going to be times where all you're watching is characters getting lost (literally or figuratively or both), contemplating their lives, and talking about it all in vaguely sarcastic terms. It's not about the plot- there is almost none to speak of, and I don't think that's by accident.

 

It's not for everyone, surely. But I enjoy it as a quiet examination of certain facets of life. Our hangups, insecurities, fears, and regrets. Though maybe not as profound as that description might make it sound.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

HBO's inside the episode (according to the producers, the reason for the dance sequence is that they wanted to do a long tracking shot):

[SFoster21]

I agree that the dancing went on for too long. And it seemed weird to me that they were so excited about this party in the woods. They live in San Francisco. There are parties like that all the time so what's the big deal?

I did laugh that the painting of Len though.

Oh, Patrick. How is it that his first and only instinct is seemingly every situation now is to hook up with his boss?

Strangely, Agustin didn't bother me at all this episode (which is weird since he annoyed me so much last season). I loved when he admitted that he was a mediocre artist and that it was better for the world that he gave up on his art. Finally, some self-awareness.

Patrick is in love with his boss, so that's who he wants to have sex with. Makes sense to me.

Is A still turning tricks?

Edited January 12, 2015 by SFoster21

[romantic idiot]

A wasn't right? Or do you mean AJ? Don't know if he is in this season. I noticed the tracking shot while it was happening, but it didn't capture anything that interesting. 

 

I was a little annoyed with Doris for arriving at the house, breaking into Lynn's liquor cabinet, demanding drugs and that they go out (though yes, Auggie and Dom were bored), and basically turning the quiet time raucous. But I think that's supposed to be her charm so *shrugs*.

 

I will say that I love the performances in the episode. Patrick's confusion, Dom's confusion, Auggie's quiet disgust with himself - this show couldn't afford mediocre actors, so it's a good thing they didn't get any. 

[BooBear]

I didn't hate the rave as much as Mark Blankenship but I do agree with him that it felt done. 

That said, I'm happy to have this show back but I think I'll be happier next week when the boys are back in San Fran and Richie and Lynn reappear.

 

I just caught the mini marathon the other night and so I watched this opening episode. What a disappointment. Feels like this show uses promiscuous gay sex as its crutch. Hey we have nothing to say so lets do a sex show and think we are being edgy.  I was bored.  Also, did Patrick look like he had aged a bit? I thought he looked larger and older.  I will watch next episode to see if they get back on track but please no more filler episodes.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Patrick is in love with his boss, so that's who he wants to have sex with. Makes sense to me.

I don't think Patrick is in love with Kevin. I think he is intensely attracted to someone who is doubly off limits (because in addition to being his boss, he has a boyfriend) and that has driven his infatuation to an even higher level.

[Irlandesa]

I What a disappointment. Feels like this show uses promiscuous gay sex as its crutch. Hey we have nothing to say so lets do a sex show and think we are being edgy.

I'm surprised by this critique because last season one of the show's biggest criticisms was that there wasn't enough sex.  Or that it wasn't graphic enough.  This season they have supposedly 'fixed' that.  And now they'll be criticized for that which is why, as much as I'd love for show runners to listen to their audience, I completely understand why they don't. 

 

I don't think Patrick is in love with Kevin. I think he is intensely attracted to someone who is doubly off limits (because in addition to being his boss, he has a boyfriend) and that has driven his infatuation to an even higher level.

I agree with this.  In fact, I think right now there's a lot of shame in that relationship.  I don't think this show is aimless but Patrick definitely is.  He is and was obsessing with how things ended with Richie.  He's having an affair with his boss which he knew was wrong that it took him three months to tell his friends about it. Until the tree incident, it has been confined to the office.  "I can't end it" just screams of choosing not to control what he's doing.  Even bottoming unprepared for the first time felt more like a psychological move on his part rather than some intimate connectedness with Kevin.  Knowing what we know about him, he was trying to make  a statement for himself. 

And next week we learn that he had unprotected sex.  I'm guessing it was during that first time with Kevin unless we find out there was someone else.  Given how obsessed he has been with HIV/AIDS, having unprotected sex the first time he has sex with someone doesn't seem like a trusting move to me, it feels like a reckless move to me.

  That's what this affair is for him.  Reckless.  Different.

[shrewd.buddha]

We watched the first season back-to-back, with the "inside the episode" commentaries included - so I thought watching a live episode by itself might be a letdown .. and it sort of was..

 

Since all this 'stumbling through life while making every. single. cliched. mistake. and having lots of sex' thing was done thoroughly by Queer As Folk, it is almost more interesting to follow the story of the producers making a show about gay men making their way through life. 

 

Like others have said, I would like the show to throw us a few curve balls instead of rehashing every gay scenario we've already seen before. Can we see some gays living on the outskirts of town and raising chickens instead of clubbing? Are all three characters going to have revolving door relationships because that is how most of the new characters are going to be introduced? 

 

And for some reason the comment "He has a House In Virginia" just irked me. It's like nothing has changed since "He's a friend of Dorothy". Maybe it's just sad to me that the gay clandestine code talk is still a thing. 

 

I feel as if this show has already decided on its path and it's one that's been trod many times before (Girls, QaF, Sex&theCity, GoldenGirls). But it would be nice if there was one character who didn't make all the obvious blunders. 

Edited January 12, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[BooBear]

I'm surprised by this critique because last season one of the show's biggest criticisms was that there wasn't enough sex.  Or that it wasn't graphic enough.  This season they have supposedly 'fixed' that.  And now they'll be criticized for that which is why, as much as I'd love for show runners to listen to their audience, I completely understand why they don't.

Oh I agree they shouldn't listen to those who want more sex. I can't imagine a show about "looking" hetero people engaging in these kind of entire episode sex fests. It just didn't go anywhere or feel like it advanced the plot. It just seemed like a gay show cliche'. I also don't think Patrick is in love with Kevin.  I think he loves Richie and is using Kevin as a distraction so he won't have to face the fact that he isn't really ready to be in a serious relationship.

[Kat From Jersey]

...And for some reason the comment "He has a House In Virginia" just irked me. It's like nothing has changed since "He's a friend of Dorothy". Maybe it's just sad to me that the gay clandestine code talk is still a thing.... 

 

And yet Patrick didn't seem to know what it meant, unless he was just a bit slow on the uptake.  But they do seem to portray him as the naive, idealistic one of the bunch.

 

I did love when he hugged, and then kissed, the huge old tree!

[sugarbaker design]

Can we see some gays living on the outskirts of town and raising chickens

 

 

I would love to see that pitch to HBO execs!

 

Maybe it's just sad to me that the gay clandestine code talk is still a thing.

 

 

Doesn't every group have its own lingo or slang?

 

I'm glad the show's back, I missed these lovable goofballs.  I appreciated the focus on the main 3 characters for the first third or half of the episode and the reintroduction of Paddy's quest for self-awareness, Dom's journey getting older in a very gay world and whatever the hell Augustine is going through. 

 

I was so relieved to see Doris, I couldn't take another night of board games.  Paddy's boss must have it real bad if he shows up like that upon request, does the deed and then goes back home again!

[DrivingSideways]

Is "House In Virginia" something people say? I have a huge circle of gay friends and have never heard that.  Is that a thing?  It was really cloying to me.

 

One thing that gays, regardless of background or race, have in common, in humor.  I guess that's why it always offends me that this show is so dry and humorless all the time.  I don't expect it to be a laff riot or anything, but nothing on this show has remotely tickled my funny bone.

[Kat]

 

Strangely, Agustin didn't bother me at all this episode (which is weird since he annoyed me so much last season). I loved when he admitted that he was a mediocre artist and that it was better for the world that he gave up on his art. Finally, some self-awareness.

Agreed! I was so pleasantly surprised how much I liked Agustin. 

 

I'm very worried for Patrick's heart...it's going to get smooshed one way or another with this whole Kevin thing.

[MizStaken]

Well Patty sure has opened up (pun intended) to the joys of anal sex? Is this the same man, who just months before was saving that act for someone special and now he's doing it in the woods with his partnered boss. Boy things have changed. I'm not complaining mind you.

I think QAF did the whole Faeriey thing a bit better.

Not sure but I can't think that open relationships are good for anyone except the person whose idea it was in the first place. Why is monogamy such a hard thing?

I hope Scott Bakula gets to keep that painting.

[Irlandesa]

Oh I agree they shouldn't listen to those who want more sex. I can't imagine a show about "looking" hetero people engaging in these kind of entire episode sex fests. It just didn't go anywhere or feel like it advanced the plot.

It may not have advanced the plot but I do think it advanced characters---or at least some of them.  

 

I also don't agree that the episode was a "sex fest."  From what I recall, there were two sex scenes.  One was when Kevin and Patrick in the woods and the other was when Dom blew a guy.  Granted, Kevin & Patrick having sex in the woods didn't really reveal much about their characters other than they have been having an affair for three months, in the office and that Kevin still has a boyfriend. 

 

But I would argue that Dom & his hookup did reveal quite a bit.  Not only was it expositional but I think Dom closing the photo album was pretty interesting.  This is a man who is used to a variety of partners and who was pro-open relationships last season when they were discussing Agustin's threesome, yet he didn't want his boyfriend looking at him with another man.  I don't know what it means yet or if it means anything but I do think there's something to analyze there.

 

Not sure but I can't think that open relationships are good for anyone except the person whose idea it was in the first place. Why is monogamy such a hard thing?

Open relationships are bad news if one partner wants to be in an open relationship and the other partner really doesn't but agrees to it anyway.  Or there isn't good communication/trust.  Open relationships with two partners who want an open relationship and can establish boundaries can be perfectly fine. Heck, even better than fine without the stress of monogamy (which is hard for some people.) My ex-boss, who I never would have expected to be in an open relationship based on all sorts of applies stereotypes, was in one with his partner and was shockingly open about it.  The drawback ended up not being to their relationship but when they had a "third" live with them for a while who turned out to be a mooch and they had a hard time getting rid of him.

[Corgi-ears]

 

It just didn't go anywhere or feel like it advanced the plot.

 

 

Granted, Kevin & Patrick having sex in the woods didn't really reveal much about their characters other than they have been having an affair for three months, in the office and that Kevin still has a boyfriend.

 

Last season, Patrick was hesitant about letting Richie fuck him in the ass. In this episode, Patrick thought nothing about letting Kevin do the same, and the implication is that this has become de rigueur. So I think depictions of sex can advance plot and character.

Edited January 13, 2015 by Corgi-ears

[Miles]

Maybe I'm an easy lay. Maybe I'm just happy with the fact that we finally have a show with gay main characters that isn't a comedy (and yes, I'm including Queer as Folk in that). But I love this show, I love these characters and I loved this episode.

Sure it might have been done before, but what hasn't? "Simpsons did it" is a meme for a reason. The important thing is that finally it is done with some realism. Is this show showing all gay realities? Certainly not. But it's showing a gay reality. One show can't show every facet of life.

If somebody else wants to do a show about gay bankers, I'd be thrilled to watch it (as long as they find an interesting hook), but that isn't this show and I think that's okay.

I give you that there isn't a riveting plot, but there isn't one in Mad Men either. These kinds of shows are about the characters and I think we got a lot of insight into them this episode.

Like I said, maybe I'm just an easy lay, but from my perspective there are some unrealistic expectations put on this show. I guess we might be so starved for shows with gay characters that we want this show to fill that void completely, but no single show could.

Oh, Patrick. How is it that his first and only instinct is seemingly every situation now is to hook up with his boss?

To be fair, if my boss was Russell Tovey that would be my first and only instinct, too.

Not sure but I can't think that open relationships are good for anyone except the person whose idea it was in the first place. Why is monogamy such a hard thing?

Since there is more than one open relationship on this planet, I think we can savely say that a lot of people think it's a good idea. Why wouldn't two of those be in the same relationship and it thus be good for both of them.

Judging by the divorce rate monogamy just doesn't seem very compatible with human nature. Why is it worse to stay together and have sex with other people than to split up and do the same? Seems to me like monogamy is rooted in insecurity. It's the fear that he/she might find something better and leave you.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the king of insecurity and I don't know if I could ever do an open relationship, but let's not pretend that monogamy is something noble and romantic.

[DrivingSideways]

I give you that there isn't a riveting plot, but there isn't one in Mad Men either. These kinds of shows are about the characters and I think we got a lot of insight into them this episode.

 

This show is NO Mad Men.  Mad Men has compelling characters and a plot that advances each episode.

[shrewd.buddha]

I think the myth of the harmonious open relationship is about as realistic as the myth of the harmonious strictly monogamous relationship. Both types seem to suffer or benefit from expectations and assumptions. But the monogamous relationships seem to have a much simpler set of expectations and assumptions.  Open relationships seem ripe for unexpected consequences, scheduling issues, distraction of affection issues, etc, etc, etc. 

 

But if the show wants to tackle either type, I good with that, as long as it's done with warts and all (and not preachy). People who overly defend either side come off like those people defending Paleo diets or anti-immunization -- i.e. bug-eyed crazy..

 

And I think I do regard Looking to be like Girls or Sex&tCity -- so to me it's a comedy .. or dramedy..  Certainly Patrick would be regarded as the lovable loser and pivotal character. Dom is the Samatha, sexually motivated character (Blanch? ). I don't know what Augustin is. 

Edited January 13, 2015 by shrewd.buddha

[sugarbaker design]

I don't know what Augustin is.

 

 

Jaded, bitter, selfish...Miranda on a real bad day.

[txhorns79]

And yet Patrick didn't seem to know what it meant, unless he was just a bit slow on the uptake.  But they do seem to portray him as the naive, idealistic one of the bunch.

 

I had no idea what they meant.  I didn't understand the need for a euphemism.  

 

I was kind of meh on the episode.  I honestly feel like the characters are too old to be doing drugs and going off to a rave in the forest.  It felt like we got a small amount of plot advancement combined with a lot of filler.         

[Swansong]

 

I honestly feel like the characters are too old to be doing drugs and going off to a rave

Heh! I had the same thought and not just about them. Almost everyone at that rave looked they were possibly in their 30s or 40s. The episode was ok. I enjoy the show, but it tends to be a bit like fast food to me. I pretty much forget it the minute it's over.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Well, it's San Francisco. There are lots of people in their 30s and 40s at parties and raves in SF. Mr. EB has several coworkers even older than that who still go to Burning Man every year.

Edited January 15, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[romantic idiot]

Interesting, I wasn't sure how accurate they were about the casual drug use. 

Last season, Patrick was hesitant about letting Richie fuck him in the ass. In this episode, Patrick thought nothing about letting Kevin do the same, and the implication is that this has become de rigueur. So I think depictions of sex can advance plot and character.

And this is what is telling me that Kevin's attraction for Patrick is more that the lure of the "forbidden". I don't think Patrick would open up that way. What I thought I saw in the episode was a Patrick unhappy, who wanted to be in an 'out of the closet', so to speak, relationship with Kevin. But he still wants to be in that relationship. He does still feel bad about Richie, but really, there's nothing stopping him from dropping Kevin and going back to Richie, so I don't think he's languishing for lack of the latter and not the former. Unless the casual drug use is there to show how Patrick is addicted to Kevin or the shame. Seriously, though, while Patrick may have his insecurities when it comes to his family, the Patrick I saw last season, seemed to be a little too well adjusted to be caught in a shame spiral. I don't think he hates himself enough to do that to himself. I was also happy to see that the comfort and openness with each other that marked their Season 1 relationship is still there. Patrick didn't hesitate to (1) ask Kevin to meet him at night way in the woods (2) demand what he wanted (3) express his unhappiness with the situation. And while that may have been the X talking, Kevin didn't seem that taken aback, so...

 

I also noticed that Kevin took the trouble of coming out quite far to meet Patrick on just one phone call. They were also joking with each other. i know this is supposed to be because Patrick's an easy lay. but I don't see people going to all that trouble for that. I also noticed that Kevin wasn't misleading Patrick about the prospects of the relationship. I am waiting to hear why Kevin hasn't left John yet. 

 

But if the show wants to tackle either type, I good with that, as long as it's done with warts and all (and not preachy). 

I don't think that show is actually interested in showing a good open relationship.  Not to say that there aren't good ones out there, just that i don't think that's what the show is trying to do. I can't see any other reason why Dom was made to close the album. Dom hid the sex from Lynn's view, and he also didn't want to be reminded of Lynn for doing it. Dom's reactions too, showed that he was a little uncomfortable with the openness of the relationship. 

 

I had no idea what they meant.  I didn't understand the need for a euphemism.  

Maybe they just wanted to introduce that piece of slang for those in the audience who don't. And showcase Patrick's naivete.

[discorules]

I enjoyed the episode enough. I am starving for gay entertainment that isn't porn so I'm a pretty easy lay as someone else said above. Actually my favorite part of the whole show was hearing Sister Sledge's Lost In Music again. When dance music still had a groove.....

[DollEyes]

I liked it. As season premieres go, this was pretty good. Going to the woods was a great idea because it helped the guys relax and spend more time together. Lynn's cabin is as gorgeous as he is. Not even an ugly oil painting could make it or Lynn look bad. Leave it to Doris to crash the party. Doris' wanting to get away from the hospital because she couldn't handle her patients' deaths was understandable, but she should have at least brought her own booze instead of stealing Lynn's. Still heart her, though. Speaking of heart, I heart Eddie, the HIV+ bearish guy who works at a homeless shelter for gay/transgender youth. He's not only brought out the best in Agustin, it's the first episode where Agustin didn't get on my nerves.

 

  Re Dom & Lynn's arrangement, I have my doubts. Monogamy's not "perfect" by any means, but I believe that real relationships should involve two people-just two people.  If one person doesn't love the other enough to be faithful to them, then IMO they shouldn't be together in the first place. If you want to fuck around, then stay single, I say. Re the rave, while I agree that they're too old to be doing drugs and partying, the camera shot and "Lost In Music" made up for it because that song tied almost all of the main characters together. Re Patrick & Kevin, while they have chemistry and the sex scene was pretty hot, I doubt they'll last, for three reasons: 1) Kevin is still Patrick's boss; 2) Kevin still has a boyfriend and 3). As the rave proved, Patrick's not over Richie, not that I believe that Patrick's ready for/deserves him and on some level Patrick knows it, hence his affair with Kevin.  Chemistry isn't love, lust isn't love and sex sure as hell isn't love, either, whether it's on the floor, in the conference room, the break room or against a tree. Patrick and Kevin had better hope that none of their office-based booty calls were caught on film otherwise they're both fucked, and definitely not in the good way.

[sinkwriter]

Maybe I was just in a weird mood, but I thought the episode was funny. The guys playing Monopoly, everyone having a pact not to say anything about the odd painting of Lyn (until Doris shows up and says everything that they'd all been thinking, LOL), Patrick trying to be uber-enthusiastic about nature and kissing old trees and sipping mint tea (heeee), Patrick asking over and over again if the drugs were kicking in because he has no idea what it's supposed to feel like (that would totally be me, LOL), the 'faerie' in the forest who tried to keep up the enchanted presentation until they said they just wanted to know where the party was ("Oh... okay, well, you turn down that path and..."). All of that tickled me. 

 

What made me sad was Patrick and Kevin, because Patrick seems lost (lost in the woods, metaphorically speaking?). He's drawn to the mistakes he knows he's making, but he can't seem to stop himself. I don't know if he's trying to punish himself for screwing things up with Richie or ... I don't know. I haven't figured out Patrick yet. But I'm interested to see what happens next, and I like that he finally confessed to his friends about it. 

Side note: I really like the friendship between Patrick and Dom. I like the way the actors play it, I like the way it's written, I like that they can talk to one another and that Dom seems to notice when Patrick's being different or quieter or struggling with something and doesn't push about it, just asks if he's okay, giving Patrick the opportunity to talk about it or not. I like the comfortableness they seem to have together. It's just a really nice friendship.

[bunnywithanaxe]

Fuck. I like Kevin. FUUCK!

I forgot how fucking likable Russell Tovey is, damn him.

[Primetimer]

Patrick's adorable dopiness returns Looking to top form.

Read the story

[Ffiferoo]

Richie makes me so happy, I loved the scene with him and Patrick in the kitchen trying to not make it weird, and at the same time I find Kevin really endearing.  After not being impressed with Patrick last week, this episode reminded me of why I like him so much.  

 

Also more Bakula please!  

[Morbs]

I don't know why, I found season 1 so boring, but I'm really enjoying this season more than I thought I would.  Maybe I just love stories about affairs and mixing alcohol with E.

Edited January 19, 2015 by Morbs

[marsha]

This is the odd thing (for me) when it comes to this show: Paddy is the main character and ... I really don't care for him at all. I don’t actively ‘hate’ him but I find his weird naiveté both cloying and off-putting especially for a young man his age living and working in San Francisco in 2015. It makes me not care at all about whole ‘Oh, will it be Kevin or Richie?’ story line. I like both Kevin and Richie fine and wish their connection to the show didn't depend on Paddy.  I’d much rather see Kevin and John’s life or Richie and his friends and more of Dom and Lynn’s relationship explored (well just any scene that features Lynn).

 

Doris? ::eyeroll:: Frankly, she and ‘Auggie’ (bleh) can just join hands and merrily jump off the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

Apart from all that? Good episode!

Edited January 19, 2015 by marsha

[SFoster21]

I really like this show and always want more when it's done.

[Irlandesa]

I forgot how fucking likable Russell Tovey is, damn him.

He is.  He's also adorable.  But I guess I'm not conflicted about this because continuing affairs are often complex.  They're rarely just about sex.  There's friendship, laughter and emotional connections.  We've seen the physical side of things and in this episode, we saw the "adorable" side of things that make people have ongoing affairs.  With Patrick, we also saw some of the delusion.  "I'm not the one having an affair." 

 

And while he seemed to get it, those are the kinds of thoughts that end up easily pushed to the back of the mind, especially when he's "in" it.  Take the "I feel like I'm in this alone" conversation.  Kevin tells him he's not alone and it looks like Patrick believes that but in reality, he kind of is.   Patrick can talk all he wants about how bad Kevin's relationship with John is right now but Kevin's reason for wanting to keep it all a secret?  He didn't want it to end.  When the secrets and lies  of it all blow up, Patrick's support won't come from Kevin.

 

Also more Bakula please!

 

I just hoping Lynn can stay, even if it's a few short minutes each episode.  I really liked his little scene with Dom.   In the last thread, there was a discussion about monogamy and open relationships and which works better.  I don't think this show is trying to take a position on either one.  There are both gay and straight couples in working/dysfunctional monogamous relationships.  There are both gay and straight couples in working/dysfunctional open relationships.  All relationships have their issues that need to be worked out.

 

Patrick and Richie's relationship was monogamous but it wasn't monogamy that broke them apart.  Frank and Agustin's relationship was somewhat open but it wasn't that somewhat openness that ultimately did them in either. 

[Former Nun]

Mr. EB has several coworkers even older than that who still go to Burning Man every year.

 

 

Yep, my cousin (9 years younger than I) and his best friend take an RV to Burning Man every year.

 

Sign me 74 years old!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Patrick gets ready for his first official overnight with Kevin, who's also agreed to attend Dom's rugby match – though Kevin doesn't want Patrick's friends to know they are seeing each other. Agustín visits Richie to make amends and thank him for the night before. At breakfast with Doris and her new fling, Malik, Dom questions whether Lynn fully supports his dream of opening his own restaurant.

 

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Inside the episode:

[joelene]

Russell Tovey is a rare breed for me in that he's sexy cute. Usually it's one or the other with me but he pulls off both.

For all the talk about "dull" the show is I love the way it's portraying so many different types of gay relationships. Even if they're not all likeable I find them all interesting.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Owen: Where the fuck have you been?
Patrick: I was, uh, I went to a movie.

Owen: In the middle of the work day?

Patrick: Yeah, I had to refill the well of my creative unconscious.

 

Owen: Bedbugs. It's worse than ever. Movie theaters, hotels. I have a plastic suit I wear if I'm going to either one.

Patrick: You do not.

Owen: I do. I can get you one if you want.

Patrick: I'm worried about you.

Owen: I'm worried about YOU. You don't have a plastic suit.

 

Kevin: Did you say something to him?

Patrick: Say something to who? To Owen?

Kevin: You two were just whispering to each other.

Patrick: Oh, yes, that. Sorry, I was just telling him about that nice thick juicy foreskin of yours.

 

Noelle: Do you want me to look up a testing center in your area?

Patrick: No, I live in San Francisco. They hand those things out like coffee stirrers.

 

Patrick: I'm not really seeing anyone.

Richie: So you're just barely seeing someone?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, Patrick. When he said that Kevin's problems with his boyfriend are NONE OF HIS BUSINESS, I just shook my head.

 

I hate to admit that I can totally relate to his OCD/paranoia, but I have learned better than to google pictures of anything I think I might have.

 

And Dom, do you have any idea how much a parklet costs? He already needs $80K to put in the kitchen and get the restaurant started. A parklet costs about $50K.

 

Agustin is back to being a dick. He is accusing Doris of being rude? Pot, kettle. He spent all of S1 being a rude dick to his boyfriend and his friends which is why I couldn't stand him. I totally understand him lying to that guy at the bar about what he's been up to. No one wants their ex to hear that they're doing nothing.

[sinkwriter]

I think it was good for Richie to show up on Patrick's doorstep. I hope it continues to make him think about what he's doing and whether or not his affair with his boss is worth it. In a way, Patrick is as delusional as Agustin - they're both trying to ignore things about themselves and their lives and act like everything's good the way it is, and if they're not careful it's all going to blow up spectacularly in their faces.

[sinkwriter]

One thing I really loved in an odd sort of way is the sight of Lynn straddling Dom at the end of their conversation. I don't know why... I think it's because they've treated Lynn like this wise older guy in Dom's life and -- other than the spark of attraction when they first met in the sauna -- not really shown much of Lynn as a sexual being. We've seen pictures in his photo album and on his fridge, we know he has had boyfriends, but it was nice to see a moment with an "older" character showing that spark of flirtation and attraction and playfulness, rather than just sitting back on the couch being this benevolent presence in Dom's life. He's also sexy and is interested in Dom and I liked seeing it.

[sinkwriter]

The minute Patrick said, "Don't worry about me, guys, I'll be fine" (emotionally, in regard to his affair with his boss), I thought to myself, ohhhh, Patrick, this is going to go terribly wrong for you, isn't it? I don't know when or how it will happen, but I cannot see this ending well for him. Obviously an easy prediction, but no matter what, I'm interested in seeing what happens. I think Jonathan's doing a great job and I want to see him play this out.

[John M]

Is "House In Virginia" something people say? I have a huge circle of gay friends and have never heard that.  Is that a thing?  It was really cloying to me.

 

It might be a regional thing, I have personally never heard of "House in Virginia" but I have heard "The High Five" as in "Gurl, you know she has the high five, right?"

Edited January 19, 2015 by John M