#hbo looking

[callmebrycelee]

happy 40th birthday

jonathan groff

[mikelogan]

LOOKING 1x02 Looking for Uncut

a recreation of this set

[morewinepod]

The Pilot Project: HBO's Looking - I'ma Need More Wine Podcast

Happy Wine Wednesday! I am so happy to welcome Terence B. Johnson back to the podcast this week for another installment of our special serie

Be sure to check out my discussion with Terence Johnson about the pilot episode of HBO’s Looking. We talk about the pilot’s understated, yet compelling approach to introducing us to the characters. We swoon over Raúl Castillo and I play a fun game in which I speculate character trajectories based on their pilot introductions and Terence tells me if I’ve got the right read on the character. In a world of reboots, we share our thoughts on what we would do if placed in charge of a new iteration of the series. As always, we keep the main discussion spoiler free and all you have to watch is the pilot. Grab your wine and join us!

[tropicalneon]

You have to bury your dead real good, you know – so they don’t come back and haunt you. (c)

[halflingkima]

“Do you wanna try?”

[therachelperspective]

TV + MOVIE | Looking (2014-2015) + Looking (TV Movie, 2016)

I am categorizing this under the same denomination as Firefly in that they were both seemingly good shows with potential, cancelled after 1 to 2 seasons because of low ratings. Show of hands who else calls that system bullshit 🤚

THE SHOW

Admittedly, Looking is nowhere near the same caliber as its predecessors (read: The L Word and Queer as Folk), but had it been given a chance, I think could have become something good. I was invested in these characters enough to be bummed when I realized I had finished the first season. Then again, that happens with short episodes and short seasons; it all goes by too quickly. As soon as you start to get into it, it’s over.

I didn’t think it was super groundbreaking setting this show in San Francisco (it really makes total sense given the LGBTQ community the city has), and most of the time, the pace of the narrative seems fairly sluggish. But slow isn’t always bad; it was refreshing not having a scandal every second in a television show. And just because it lacked that type of intense drama doesn’t deem it bad or not worth watching.

What I found most disappointing was that, in its two seasons, I didn’t feel that Patrick had nearly as much character development as Dom or Agustin. While I was invested enough in his story to care whether he ended up with Richie or Kevin (I’m still undecided about who I’m rooting for), overall as a character Patrick’s personality remained entirely the same through most of the series. The few moments in season two where he stood up for himself to Kevin were somewhat redeeming, but a lot of his character was stagnant. Dom showed some ambition and pursued his restaurant, and Agustín became a much more selfless person as he started working for a youth shelter… But Patrick only ever really sought relationships and whined to his friends when things weren’t working out for him and/or were not the way he imagined. I recall a moment during the series when he was ranting about what he wanted in a relationship, but not once did I ever hear him talk about those things to the people he was dating before actually dating them. It was honestly no surprise when things didn’t work out. I will say, as a habitual television viewer, that it was, however, more intriguing to see the reserved lead character be such a main focus of the show, rather than the more sexually driven character placed at the forefront – like QAF’s Brian Kinney or The L Word’s Shane.

When I reached the end of season two, I was glad knowing there was a 90-minute TV movie to really give it some closure. I mean, they could have let the show just end as is, letting everyone use their imaginations as to how the show ended up, and it would have worked just as well, but adding a longer finale episode (a TV “movie”) will most likely give it a more to a true close. Just another reason why cancelling shows so quickly makes no sense to me. In the case of both Firefly and Looking, BOTH of them came back for a final movie to wrap up everything that needed wrapping. Why not just let the series continue a little longer, and let it conclude in a more natural way than trying to force concluding answers to lingering questions into a couple of hours? 


A few other notes: I loooooved seeing Daniel Franzese – Damien from Mean Girls – as a supporting character (he was such a beautiful bear), and honestly he was one of my favorites in the show. But Scott Bakula could have been skipped. I would like to talk to the casting director about why they believed Scott Bakula was the best choice for the role of Lynn. Doris and Dom’s friendship is the best, and the history between Dom and Patrick is one I don’t think I’ve seen before, which I liked. I’m just always jealous of TV show friendships and how close they are to one another.

THE MOVIE

The finale begins with a nine month flash forward; Patrick had since moved back to Colorado to “work things out,” and was returning to San Francisco for **SPOILER** Agustín and Eddie’s wedding! All of the cast has returned – which is a feat in my eyes, considering the finale was filmed a little over a year after the last episode of the show.

Let’s be real, though... this was just a 90-minute vehicle for us to figure out who Patrick would end up with. The other characters had their respective scenes about what was going on in their lives (Dom with a successful food window; Agustín and his marriage; etc.), but the movie mostly revolved around stolen kisses and longing glances for Patrick’s central arc.

Also, will someone please inform me on why Frank was still around – in both the show AND the movie – after his breakup with Agustín? I don’t believe he really added anything to Agustín’s arc other than a very, very brief “Will they or won’t they get back together?” scene. Maybe he stuck around to illustrate how small the gay community is in San Francisco? Patrick did comment on that at one point. Yes, I’ll just stick with that.

There was a scene I did relish where, upon arriving at a coffee shop to discuss business, Kevin completely reamed Patrick about who he was as a person during their relationship and it was so wonderfully accurate about Patrick’s character in the show. But dare I say, in the time between show and finale, Patrick did seem to have matured. Not much, but enough where you felt he was more level headed to deal with whatever romantic venture he would take on next. And while I couldn’t help but root for both of Patrick’s romantic interests – they both had their good moments – I believe he did end up with the right person.

OVERALL

I enjoyed the show; I did. But not where I feel so strongly about it, like other reviewers online. I’ve seen a lot where they make it sound like Looking is the crown jewel of LGBTQ television.

Looking does have qualities that other shows do not (including, apparently, much more lax rules about nudity; thank you HBO), and I love Jonathan Groff while also becoming new fans of some other actors... but I guess for me, it was something to cross off from my watch list and to pass the time. I typically rate what I watch (movies and shows alike) based on whether I would want to own it and/or if I would want to watch it again... and I don’t think I would for Looking. If it would have aired longer, and I were given more material to base my opinions off of, maybe I could get on board with its so-called brilliance. But for now, it was entertainment – because where else could I see Jonathan in a leather vest?!!?! – and it’s time to move on to my next binge.

[frank-o-meter]

I’ve been watching season 2 of the Netflix series “Mindhunter”. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s a fictionalized version of how the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy was created - trying to better understand the minds of serial killers.

The first season was good but intense - a large portion of the story telling is the agents interviewing convicted murderers using actual transcripts. So adult and gruesome things are discussed.

I started watching season 2 - not realizing it but I saw 5 or 6 episodes in a row. I think I need to give it a break before finishing it. Each week they interview another killer and it’s starting too feel like they are relishing providing the details of the crimes. I also made the mistake of reading about one set of killers on Wikipedia and unfortunately I read too many details. Ugh!

The following includes some vague (hopefully) spoilers.

The main character is Holden Ford (played by Jonathan Groff) based on actual agent John E. Douglas. In many ways the fictional version is similar to Fox Mulder on “X Files”. He has brilliant instincts but is unaware how he comes across to others AND he works in a basement. I liked the character more in season 1, but in season 2 they keep saying that his intuition is invaluable but at the same time he’s sort of clueless and self centered. In fact, in the first episode (season 2) he gets a dressing down by a superior that is deserved - “You vainglorious little shit.”

I like the order guy on the team, Holt McCallany as Bill Tench. He’s a solid actor. This season they are spending a lot of time on his family and the storyline just feels a little too convenient in support of the main story. Yes, they can show how working on these case can affect their home life, but their home life shouldn’t come so close to their investigations.

Anna Torv plays as Wendy Carr, a civilian psychologist on the team. I’m surprised Torv didn’t become a big star after her years on the Fox “Fringe” series. She was great. Her role here is less showy here. But her being a lesbian should only be a backstory element. I don’t need to see her love life.

Because by bringing that in, it begs to ask about Holden’s love life. No girlfriend this season so far. I keep expecting him to be revealed as gay too. Is that because I know the actor is gay? I don’t know.

(UPDATED: I just came across a post I made awhile back about “Looking” on HBO. It starred Jonathan Groff as well. My comment about him was “His awkward naïveté is unbelievable not charming.” That very similar to the problem with his character on “Mindhunter”. Is he a one-trick-pony?)

[rooftopprendezvous]

I watch Looking every summer and it’s unbelievable that I always notice something new. E. g. Agustin is first horrible to Richie, then they become friends and he encourages Patrick to be friends with Richie as well and then he tells Patrick that he shouldn’t cling to Richie because Richie deserves better than being a rebound after Kevin.😭 It’s also interesting that Patrick attacks everyone else but Richie during his Halloween party rant. He brings up Dom’s attempts to get a restaurant, 1/2

2/2 Agustin’s money and alcohol problems, Kevin’s cheating and he’s mean to Brady but about Richie he only tells that he’s a good and kind guy. I also wonder why Patrick’s friends want to throw Kevin and Jon out of the Halloween party but they happily hang out with Richie and Brady although Patrick is equally upset about them. Btw I am sure that Jon must have known that there was something between Kevin and Patrick.

this gave me so many feelings because the movie aired three years ago today. so first let me congratulate you on your excellent life choices. i never finished my last rewatch and i’m dying a little inside because i miss the cast and the show so much. 

agustin was truly a shining star by the end of the series. i think he was at least trying to change and be a better person, a better friend, before he met eddie, but gd did he ever step up and show what a good and decent person he was after he met eddie. and i loved that his loyalty was to patrick but that didn’t stop him from saying hey richie is my friend too and if you only go to him because your sad about kevin then you’re a dick and it’s doomed (hello paraphrasing). 

oh my god the halloween party! i cringe my whole way through that party. i think at one point i might have actually died from second hand embarrassment. god i love my messy bitch of a son. but honestly i almost felt saying how perfect and what a good guy richie was was actually a little bit of a dig. but yeah they wanted to throw kevin out because, one he wasn’t invited, and two he showed up with the boyfriend he was cheating on just to throw it in patrick’s face. i think they all assumed patrick was over richie because of what happened with kevin. also i got the impression that patrick invited richie. they had that whole conversation about being sad if the other wasn’t in their lives anymore and i think they were really trying to give being friends a shot. and listen if jon didn’t know before that party, he sure as fuck had some suspicions by the time they left.  ugh i need to do that rewatch!