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Looking, HBO’s gay comedy-drama is back, and things look set to be better than ever.
‘Looking for the Promised Land’ started slowly as Patrick takes Agustín and Dom to the woods for a weekend of solitude, rehab, and tranquility. What follows were some tedious walks (in which Agustín says a 1,400-year old tree would be a good tree to get fucked against – I’m liking Agustín so much more already) and board games as Patrick tries to forget what happened in the season finale last year.
But enter Doris, and anarchy rains. After raiding Lynn’s liquor cabinet, she persuades the threesome to party, and they enter the woods to find the Promised Land.
Man, that looked like a fun party. Soundtracked by Hercules & Love Affair’s ‘Blind’, the foursome take ecstasy and dance the night away. It’s genuinely nice to see Patrick having fun, for once, as the drugs take hold of him.
It’s very different to season one, and already I can tell that things have changed for the better here. Patrick is more easy-going. Agustín seems prepared to better himself, and maybe redeem himself in the eyes of pretty much every viewer. And Dom finally has a boyfriend, one which lets him fuck about.
Admittedly, Doris hasn’t changed, but that’s probably for the best. She was brilliant (if underused) in season one, and she is brilliant this time round too. Hopefully she’ll appear more now that she’s been upgraded to a main character. That’s if she manages to escape those damn lesbians…
It soon transpires that Patrick is feeling a lot of guilt, and that’s why he arranged the weekend away. After getting it on with a cute guy in a cap, Patrick makes a mysterious phone call, and out pops Kevin, who promptly fucks Patrick against a tree. It’s perhaps a daring sex scene to air, but it isn’t graphic or gratuitous – it’s simply two guys shagging.
Cable TV (and in particular HBO) is renown for sex – just look at True Blood and Game of Thrones – so the sex in Looking should be seen through the same eyes. It’s sex. That’s all. It doesn’t matter if it’s between a guy and a girl, two guys, or a dozen guys.
Of course, with Looking, the happiness won’t last long. You just know it won’t.
Raúl Castillo has also joined the main cast as Richie Ventura so he’ll be popping back up before long, and surely a love-triangle will emerge. I’m not sure who I want Patrick to end up with as I love both Richie and Kevin. I’m on the fence for now, but I’m sure my opinion will change over the coming weeks.
I also think Dom’s relationship with Lynn is in trouble. There’s a bit of an age gap, and considering how hard Dom fought to get him last year he seems pretty quick off the mark to sleep with someone else. Expect bad things to happen. But so long as Agustín stays on the right path, Looking season 2 should be brilliant. I grew incessantly annoyed with Agustín last year but fingers crossed the writers have listened to the fans.
My only problem with Looking is that it leaves me desperately wanting more. 30 minutes simply isn’t enough. I cannot wait for next week!
