Originally I wasn’t going to watch the series but seeing Gillian Jacobs as Mickey, one of the main protagonists, I decided to give it a go. Netflix Original Series’ have always been winners with me, with my current favourites being Daredevil and Narcos. In the case of Love, I managed to binge-watch it in 3 days. I am, what my boyfriend calls, a crazy binger.
Personally, I was never rooting for the two protagonists to be with each other – and that’s the whole premise of the show. Judd Apatow is a great producer who manages to capture what love really is. Not the classic scenario of two people meeing, going on a few dates, and living happily ever after. Instead he chooses to depict real situations that happen in every day life. From obsessing over the other person’s social media accounts, to being cared to tell someone that you like them.
In their own ways, the characters are both as bad as each other. First off you have Mickey, who is emotionally unstable and an addict of all kinds. However as the show progresses the reasons behind the way she is are slowly revealed and you begin to understand her as a character. Initially I did not enjoy her character that much, as the pacing of the show was slow until episode 7, and there wasn’t much backstory to her. However by the end of the show she quickly became my favourite. We finally got to see how emotional she can really be.
Next up is Gus, the shows stereotypical nice guy. Love made me realise that even those who you believe to be nice can be just as manipulative as others. As a character that started by ending his relationship to his cheating partner, I felt for him. But his actions from then onwards were unjustifiable to me. It became clear to me that I was disgusted with who he was and that he became the shows antagonist for me. It was his disregard for someone's feelings that inclined me to feel this way. All of this became abundantly clear in episode 7.
Gus and Mickey have their first date in episode 7. While it starts off strong, the moment they’ve finished their meal it becomes clear they aren’t meant to be. Gus has planned for the two to go to a magic show, and right from the start Mickey does not want to but goes in order to please Gus. The fact that Gus is consistently trying to convince Mickey that she needs to relax and enjoy the magic show proves that he is not respecting her views. Mickey, on the other hand, is not seen as a compromising date either. Although she does try to understand Gus’ appeal towards magic, she could have approached it in a better way. Instead, what Apatow has given us is two people who want to make it work but aren’t willing to put in the effort – something which occurs in every day life.
Aside from the acting and writing, one of the other standout things with this show is the title sequence. The simplicity of the font and music is what made the show so appealing to me. Rather than focus on images, Apatow has chosen to focus on the word love – the word being made up of different symbols that are constantly changing in an animation style. Rather than having lyrics in the theme song, it allows for the title sequence to be short– very much like the protagonists relationship.
Personally I found the ending to be very mixed. On the one hand the pace of the show really picked up and I was happy that Mickey’s character could finally admit to someone that she was an addict. Yet I didn't enjoy the idea of the two protagonists deciding to give their relationship another try. I understand from a basic plot point that they had to for there to be a resolved ending, one that fares better with viewers and an upcoming season. However I would have rather enjoyed the two of them moving on with their lives – a situation that occurs in real life.
Another element of the show that I did not enjoy is the unnecessary sexual scenes. This is something that bothers me about almost all Netflix shows. What once started as something that allowed the company to standout is now used in everything as a way of trying to keep audiences. An act that we have now become desensitised to it. I’m aware that some scenes were beneficial for the plot of Love; in particular scenes with Mikey due to her addiction, but there were some that had no value. In episode 9, Gus is seen receiving a blowjob from the actress he slept with in the prior episode yet it holds no value. Instead, Apatow could have easily just shown them heading into her trailer together so the act is implied.
Overall I’d give the show a 7.5/10. Love has its very own voice and feel, with a lot of that being due to the show playing the opposite of its title. None of the characters are who you assume they are, which is great, and the performances are pretty good. Love is rewarding due to its surprisingly contrary qualities and is a show that I have very much enjoyed bingeing.
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