LOVE, VICTOR season one

 

LOVE, SIMON may be one of the best, if not the best movies ever. LOVE, VICTOR is a new HULU series that aired yesterday, all ten episodes of the first season. It starts off like a house on fire: great jokes, great puns, great characters who are likable, and interesting situation for our main character, Victor, who begins texting Simon from the movie, if not the book. Simon's in NY now and tries to give advice to Victor. Oh and for those of you who like to read these spoilers and then create drama later and complain that you were spoiled SPOILERS

 

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We also have many...many sub plots. Some reason other than Dad's job caused Victor's parents to move them from Texas to Atlanta, an Atlanta that is unrecognizable to me but whatever. We also have Victor's younger sister Pilar, who's energetic and lively but didn't want to move and Victor's youngest sibling, his little adorable brother Adrian. Felix becomes his best friend and tries to get with a girl he likes, the best and funniest character, who also is influenced by her news girl mom to be sort of shallow, Lake. Mia is a girl Victor has his eyes on. Benji is a very hot boy Victor has his eyes on.

 

The first four to five episodes play out like the best series ever made: the banter between all these characters is just perfect. BUT it's almost too perfect because episodes five through ten put them all through the ringer. Untouched by all of this is the solid growing friendship between Victor and Felix, a friendship that seems real and yet somehow quite funny, a lot like the TEEN WOLF coupling of Scott and Stiles, only far, far better and easy going. Love it.

 

THEN...we have the conflict. I guess the point is that Victor, being influenced by his sort of religious parents, his homophobic grandfather, and society and wanting to fit in, in general, starts to not act like himself. He delays telling Mia he might not be into girls. He kisses Benji on a work road trip that he has to get a suit on AND sleep over at a hotel. Okay, it was one kiss but Benji was with a boyfriend. Benji overreacts (and Victor needs to see him in the changing room). His boyfriend is, in Derek's own words, a dick. It's clear they will break up soon and that's a bad plot point. If Derek weren't so...unromantic, it might have worked better?

 

Pilar can't believe Victor lied to her. Mia's problems are so many that Victor's revelation that he's gay and finally knows it is delayed and it's annoying to us and to him but he's sympathetic to her. No one here is an out and out villain, even the bully sorta jock. Victor's parents have issues. His grandparents have issues. Mia acts like an idiot to her father's new girlfriend, who's just trying to be nice to her (Sophia Bush who is always great). I guess the conflict had to spread out over the last six episodes to make six episodes.

 

Don't get me wrong: Love, Victor is still head and shoulders over most shows any and every where but...

 

...it sort of gets sad and bogged down. Victor lies to his parents about a school trip, instead cutting school to go to NY to visit Simon and his hot boyfriend from THE FLASH ---actually from the movie and their super gay roommates in the most awkward of scenes. It's okay but seems to play out too well and yet I'm glad it did. I guess Victor changes from who he was in the start of the series...and acts...out of character...I guess that's the point of a kid trying to figure out he's gay from a very conservative family from a sort of homophobic state...he changes as he comes into who he is. He is a good person but starts doing things that...might not be what a good person thinks of doing

 

It's just the later part of the season is tough on seeing so many good people going through so many issues but I guess that's also the point.

 

Frankly the show makes me laugh out loud and makes me sad. I wished I had a show like this around when I was 15 and 16 or anytime in between 16 and now. It would have changed my life and made me aware of more of myself and what it actually was I was going through. I didn't and my life pretty much was ruined. A show like this and a movie like LOVE, SIMON are good for people questioning who and what they are. It's good. It can change lives. I just wish it could have changed mine a long time ago. I wouldn't be in the mess I am in today.

 

In any case, it's worth a look and I do hope they get a second season.