Love, Victor’s second season kicks off in a promising way that’ll keep you around for the rest of the episodes and hopefully for another season, considering we finally get to see everything that is set up pay off by the season’s conclusion.Â
The first season was a tentative spin-off of the popular 2018 film Love, Simon starring Jurassic World’s Nick Robinson. It followed teen Victor Salazar (Michael Cimino) as he navigated the ups and downs of his family life and figured out his sexuality and more about himself as a person. He also messaged Robinson’s Simon Spier for advice throughout the season which gave the show a similar feel as the film. While season one largely focused on Victor and his journey with learning who he is, the second season carries that idea and adds a bigger concentration on the side characters to give us a better idea of who is in Victor’s life.
It starts out right where we left off, with Victor telling his parents that he’s gay. His sister Pilar (Isabella Ferreira) is supportive, but his parents don’t know what to say. It then skips ten months and we catch up with Victor in real time, where things with his family haven’t really gotten much better. On top of this, his parents are also separated. As hard as this slight fallout is to watch, it’s a bit of a refreshing change from media such as Love, Simon where the protagonist’s parents are, for the most part, very accepting from the start. This story can speak to other people watching who understand what this is like and can show others watching what reality is like for many members of the LGBTQ+ community.
This is something that feels significant about this show. They often discuss homophobia, for example when a few of Victor’s basketball teammates don’t want to change with him in the locker room after he comes out to the school. However, they also make it clear that being gay isn’t the only thing that makes Victor who he is and that people still hold a lot stereotypes even in 2021; Victor himself is confused why people who never spoke to him before are now asking him for skincare tips and Victor’s dad Armando(James Martinez) is also told he shouldn’t make every conversation with his son suddenly about being gay.
Speaking of Armando, he makes an effort to learn more and says that they should love Victor no matter what, but his mother Isabel (Ana Ortiz) is less accepting. In the first three episodes, she is visibly uncomfortable around and rude to Victor’s boyfriend Benji (George Sear) and can’t tell Victor that she accepts him when he asks. This will undoubtedly build up more later in the season, but here’s to hoping Isabel actually begins to listen to her son and accepts him for who he is because it’s really hurtful to watch. Someday, she may even join Armando at the meetings for parents with LGBTQ+ kids, run by Simon’s father (Josh Duhamel).
Another interesting aspect of this season is the focus on the side characters. When we pick back up with Victor, he and Benji have been happily dating, hanging out regularly with Felix (Anthony Turpel) and his popular girlfriend Lake (Bebe Wood). Felix was a really intriguing and funny character in season one, and we get to learn more about his home-life, with his mentally ill mother, and some of the struggles that he has, such as his overdue rent. This is another storyline that will hurt your heart, but it’s honestly nice to see them explore different themes and show the hardships many of the characters are facing.
Victor’s ex Mia (Rachel Hilson) has some struggles of her own, with her dad and his new girlfriend barely paying attention to her and dealing with rumors after her and Victor’s breakup, as well as facing him everywhere. She’s also conflicted about her love life and seems to find a potential spark with a college student, but we’ll have to see where that goes. Though Victor and Mia seem to reconcile at the end of episode three, it’d really be nice to see them build their friendship back up. Victor was dealing with a lot figuring himself out, but this did lead to hurting Mia. If they can really move past this, there’s potential for a good bond between them and a way to incorporate both of them into the story in a seamless and new way.
As far as the rest of the characters go, Andrew (Mason Gooding) seems to be mostly over Mia – although she may not really be totally over him – and defends Victor from homophobes at school, but something says he’ll likely have a bigger role later in the season. Pilar helps Felix out with some of his struggles, and she seems to still be harboring a mini-crush on him. Who knows what’ll happen there, but Felix seems pretty devoted to Lake. Maybe Pilar will get a fresh storyline of her own!
Victor and Benji have their fair share of issues too. Though things are going well between them, the added stress from Victor’s family has the potential to strain their relationship in ways. Also, it seems that they’re going to discuss race more this season which is really compelling and an important discussion to bring to the table in Love, Victor. Hopefully, this can give more representation to people of color, especially LGBTQ+ people of color, who are watching and amplify their voices this season.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see a number of things happen this season. Victor’s mom accepting him seems like a possibility before the season ends. So does more development for Victor and Benji’s relationship. It’d also be great to keep a spotlight on the side characters who also have exciting stories to tell, and it seems like the writers want to do so, so fingers crossed.
As a whole, even though the show isn’t the greatest one ever made or has a cheesy rom-com-ish feel every once in a while, season two really does take it up a notch and expands on what was already an actually interesting spin-off. It also keeps a really important conversation at the forefront of the show. These are the kind of stories that should be told and can resonate with viewers. If someone is considering watching, it’s definitely worth a shot. Love, Victor Season Two seems like it’ll carry on the same feeling as season one while giving the characters more depth and keeping the story fresh.
Love, Victor Season 2 is now streaming on Hulu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7iyAHFoih8
