Welcome to The A.V. Club’s Love binge-watch. From Friday, February 19 through Sunday, February 21, A.V. Club contributor Shelby Fero will be watching and reviewing every episode of Netflix’s new romantic comedy. You can watch and comment along with her here, or chime in on the individual episode reviews. For those watching the show at a more moderate pace, reviews by Molly Eichel will run daily starting Monday, February 22.
Calling Gus right after their kiss, Mickey makes plans with him for the next night, even if those plans have to be at midnight. To Mickey, it’s not necessarily a booty call… but, at the same time, she has no other frame of reference for the proper steps a relationship takes. Gus peacocks around the backlot, sure that he’s getting “va-judge,” even picking up a brown leather jacket from wardrobe to properly set the mood.
At Gravity, Mickey’s thrown into a lowkey anxiety attack. Dissatisfied with his nightmare call-ins, Dr. Greg instructs his staff to act as plants. Mickey gets on the line, fluctuating between flippancy and real questions, like, how does she not fuck everything up with a guy despite a myriad of impulse control problems? Say what I have about Dr. Greg in the past, his advice is sound: Mickey cannot magically cure herself with a stable relationship. Instead, she needs to face up to her flaws, and resist the urge to use Gus the way one uses any substance. She weakly argues that she is trying, and in a moment of sensibility she calls Gus to possibly postpone their midnight hang sesh. But as quickly as her maturity comes, it goes, and instead of explaining herself to Gus, she fakes a meeting and bails on the call. But love isn’t like heroin: You can’t quit cold turkey. So suddenly this thing that we’re told is our biological imperative, the point of being alive according to all of Gus’s blu-rays, is as dangerous as vodka for an alcoholic.
The rest of Mickey’s night is spent debaucherously spiraling out with Andy Dick as her spirit guide/rock bottom sherpa, while Gus spirals out stone cold sober. They’re parallel freak outs are entertaining, but it’s not clear whether Mickey learns anything as a result. And Gus’s frustration over staying later and later on set–and his brushing off of a very pretty blonde actress whose career he surprisingly doesn’t ruin with advice–makes it clear how much he wants to see her, but we already knew that. There’s no dull moment, though, and the two nights–while very different–represent two archetypical LA nights. It’s a bridge of an episode, but a flashy, sturdy bridge. It’s the San Mateo bridge of mid-season episodes: not quite as flashy as the Golden Gate, but gets the job done.
Grade: B+
Random Thoughts:
- They took the train! These brave, brave souls.
- Andy Dick kills it as Andy Dick
- Andy asking Mickey which meeting she goes to, before suggesting the one he attends, is either tragic or beautiful. Both? Who is to say, really? Me! I’m to say! I say both!
- Who are these punks on set of Witchita? Thank god the name “Arya” is written one million times in the background so we don’t feel too lost.
- “Still hard tho” is a solid text, Gus, my man
- The crafts service guy is the eyes and ears of a studio, and don’t you ever forget it