 |
| Photo Credit: HBO |
So we've come to the end of the road
for the second season of Looking.
Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending how you want to read into
the murky final scene—for Patrick, his road has a huge fork in the
middle of it. While it checks in on Dom, Doris and Agustin, “Looking
for Home” belongs largely to Kevin and Patrick, with a move-in day
devolving into an all-night argument that lays bare just how
fundamentally different their views are on relationships, love and
fidelity.
Though the big fight, like most, starts
from something small—Patrick seeing Kevin's active Grindr profile
at a very white (as no people of color are present) Christmas
party/potential orgy they're invited to by new neighbors Jake and
Milo—it doesn't come completely out of nowhere. From going public
post-Jon and the dinner with Patrick's mother Dana to now moving in
together, these two have been going through their relationship at
break-neck speed, despite friends' misgivings (Agustin and Dom think
the move is too fast) and judgment from family (Megan). Patrick tells
Kevin Dana's decision to, as he put it “implode our family,” has
liberated him from the pressure of having something to live up to.
However, as“Looking For Home” brilliantly illuminates, it doesn't
free him or Kevin from having to have important conversations about
what they expect from a relationship.
And as you might have guessed, their
views don't exactly mesh. Kevin comes from the “it's just sex, I
love you,” school of thought, while Patrick is a student of hard
line monogamy. Or, to put it another way, Patrick is a romantic and
Kevin's a realist. Despite his breezing past the red flags, it's hard
not to feel for Patrick when he says Kevin's revelation will make him
wonder what he's up to every time he walks out the door; but at the
same time, it's hard not to nod in agreement with Kevin as he cites
examples--like their affair, or Patrick sleeping with him while he
was with Richie or his initial giddiness at what he later dismisses
as the “KKK butt orgy”--that show Patrick isn't as straitlaced as
he thinks. There is no right or wrong viewpoint in their argument. It
is only a question of whether their viewpoints can co-exist to build
a lasting relationship.
After the arguing finally dies down,
Patrick slinks out of bed and goes through his boxes, finding the
scapular Richie once gave him, and visits his shop the next day. He
doesn't make any dramatic gestures, but tells Richie he doesn't to
talk, and just wants to stop to looking like a middle-aged lesbian
and get a hair cut.
“You ready?” Richie asks, clippers
in hand. “I'm ready,” he replies, a look of quiet confidence
washing over his face. It's an ambiguous ending. Does Patrick mean
he's ready to pursue things with Kevin, despite the obstacles
involved, or does he want Richie back? What is clear is that after
two seasons of flailing, Patrick now seems to know what he wants in
a relationship. The rest of us will have to wait until next year to
see what that is.
Other Thoughts:
--Dom and Doris made amends this week,
but not in a “you're my bestie, let's move back in together” way.
Though each apologizes for individual low blows thrown during their
fight, both admit their friendship is dysfunctional, and they need to
start living more separate lives. Dom turns down Doris' money, saying
he needs to open his restaurant on his own. Unlike the recent past
though, his request doesn't come from a bratty, insecure place, but
from acknowledging that standing on his own is important for his own
personal development. The last shot of Dom standing outside his
restaurant, its neon lights shining on him as he sips a celebratory
beer, is a small moment of triumph.
--Agustin got the least amount of
screen time, but since he and Eddie's story pretty much wrapped up
last week, it made sense we wouldn't spend much time with him. That
said, the short scene where he, obviously happy and content with
Eddie, comforts Patrick over the phone after he discovers Kevin's
Grindr profile (while dishing to Eddie he may not need to look a new
roommate after all), shows just how far the character has come this
season.
--Am I the only who got Flotsam and
Jetsam vibes from Jake and Milo? I have expected them to say “Poor,
sweet, child,” in unison to Patrick at one point in that opening
scene.
--“Who doesn't want to know what
other homos are lurking in the shadows?”
Comments