The second season of Judd Apatow, Lesley Arfin and Paul Rust's Netflix original series Love picks up in the parking lot where the first season left off — with Mickey unloading her baggage on Gus, admitting that she's a recovering alcoholic and sex and love addict, and explaining that she thinks she should take a year off from dating.
A series of unexpected inconveniences keep the pair stuck together for the remainder of the night, despite Mickey's desperate attempts to get some space — like, desperate to the point of a full-blown police chase — all of which serve to build the sexual tension that indicates it's gonna be a long 12 months of being just friends.
The ensuing episodes reside in that space of emotional uncertainty and undefined boundaries, allowing for an abundance of heartfelt and hilarious moments along the way.
We learn that Mickey's newfound sobriety doesn't make her the greatest shroom guru for others, but it does let us get a clearer look at her developing relationship with Gus (whose pop culture references to Warren Beatty, It's Complicated and Michael Landon from Little House on the Prairie reveal plenty about his own character, too).
Those looking for their rom-com fix won't be disappointed as the season wears on, but realists can rest assured that the interactions between Gus and Mickey never fully lose the confusing, complicated realness that made them so compelling in the first place. And whenever things do seem to start stabilizing a bit, there's always a blow-up fight, an encounter with an ex or a job-related issue that leaps out to reveal their human flaws and veer the clichéd happily-ever-after off course.
There's also tons of additional action to digest, thanks to the rightfully upped screen time given to Mickey's roommate Bertie (and her pathetic mooch of a boyfriend, Randy) and Gus's Hollywood teen witch-playing pupil Arya (and her infuriatingly childish stage parents, complete with a pretty great guest role from David Spade as the young actress's dad).
In its sophomore season, Love proves it's still able to bring together genuinely sweet moments with laugh-out-loud lines. Whether it's letting viewers in on revealing text message conversations or expertly implementing comically timed farts, there's still enough heart and oddball hilarity to hold the show together throughout its increasingly far-fetched storylines.
A series of unexpected inconveniences keep the pair stuck together for the remainder of the night, despite Mickey's desperate attempts to get some space — like, desperate to the point of a full-blown police chase — all of which serve to build the sexual tension that indicates it's gonna be a long 12 months of being just friends.
The ensuing episodes reside in that space of emotional uncertainty and undefined boundaries, allowing for an abundance of heartfelt and hilarious moments along the way.
We learn that Mickey's newfound sobriety doesn't make her the greatest shroom guru for others, but it does let us get a clearer look at her developing relationship with Gus (whose pop culture references to Warren Beatty, It's Complicated and Michael Landon from Little House on the Prairie reveal plenty about his own character, too).
Those looking for their rom-com fix won't be disappointed as the season wears on, but realists can rest assured that the interactions between Gus and Mickey never fully lose the confusing, complicated realness that made them so compelling in the first place. And whenever things do seem to start stabilizing a bit, there's always a blow-up fight, an encounter with an ex or a job-related issue that leaps out to reveal their human flaws and veer the clichéd happily-ever-after off course.
There's also tons of additional action to digest, thanks to the rightfully upped screen time given to Mickey's roommate Bertie (and her pathetic mooch of a boyfriend, Randy) and Gus's Hollywood teen witch-playing pupil Arya (and her infuriatingly childish stage parents, complete with a pretty great guest role from David Spade as the young actress's dad).
In its sophomore season, Love proves it's still able to bring together genuinely sweet moments with laugh-out-loud lines. Whether it's letting viewers in on revealing text message conversations or expertly implementing comically timed farts, there's still enough heart and oddball hilarity to hold the show together throughout its increasingly far-fetched storylines.
