Looking - season 2 (2015) - Patrick, Dom, Augustín and Co. reach the height of their potential

♥♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best LGBT Movie/TV-series of the Year
+ Best San Francisco Movie/TV-series of the Year
+ Most Under-Appreciated Movie/TV-series of the Year

The sun-glazed, happy poster for the second season of Michael Lannan's Looking

Looking is the probably most exciting and best new TV-series out recently; an original HBO series based on its creator Michael Lannan's 2011 short Lorimer, its first season ran in 2014. The show has build its audience, but, regrettably, HBO still decided to cancel it earlier this year. Fortunately, they will at least round it off with a 2-hour TV movie special, set to shoot later this year, which I can't wait to see, although after 2 great seasons, it already makes me sad to (probably) part ways with the characters of Looking so soon.
The totally reality-based drama/romance/comedy show continues to revolve around the three great gay friends Patrick (Jonathan Groff (Glee (2010-15))), Augustín (Frankie J. Alvarez (The Good Wife (2015), TV-series)) and Dom (Murray Bartlett (Guiding Light (2007-09))), who live their lives in San Francisco, dealing with different aspects of modern life.
Here's an ultra-short recap of the 10 episodes (the second season is two episodes bigger than the first):

1. The friends are on a short vacation to Lynn's (Dom's open-relationship boyfriend, played by Scott Bakula (Behind the Candelabra (2013))) summerhouse, where they attend a forest party, and Augustín meets his new love-interest Eddie (Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls (2004))).
2. Patrick's relationship with his British boss Kevin (Russell Tovey (Pride (2014))) develops, while he undergoes an HIV-panic.
3. Doris (Lauren Weedman (Hung (2009-10))) meets her new love-interest Malik (Bashir Salahuddin (Nailed (2006))), and the friends attend Dom's gay rugby game.
4. Dom breaks up with Lynn; Eddie gives Augustín a job at the help center for transsexual teenagers, and Patrick's project of getting Kevin out of his old relationship drags out.
5. Augustín's outlook improves from being with Eddie, while Kevin still can't tell his Jon that it's over. Patrick helps past lover Richie (yummy Raúl Castillo (Bless Me, Ultima (2013))) retrieve an ice-truck, and they patch up their friendship.
6. Patrick makes the horrible decision of throwing a Halloween party and invite his lovers past and present, with partners. Doris and Malik, adorably, dress up as Sonny & Cher.
7. Doris, Dom and Patrick make a trip to Modesto for Doris' father's funeral and SPOILER get into an accident. Home again, Patrick is ready to be with Kevin 100 %.
8. Kevin and Patrick attend the Gaymer X video games conference that shows some less flattering sides of the gay community. Doris decides to help Dom purchase his dream, a 'chicken window' (a Portuguese chicken take-away place.)
9. Dom and Doris' friendship suffers a crisis, while Patrick presents Kevin to his mother, who has shocking news.
10. Patrick and Kevin move in together and are instantly invited to a big party in the building, where a small thing gets them into a big argument. Augustín celebrates an art opening with Eddie at the center, and Dom mends things with Doris and returns to his new business.
 

From left to right, Lauren Weedman, Russell Tovey, Frankie J. Alvarez, Jonathan Groff and Daniel Franzese as Doris, Kevin, Augustín, Patrick and Eddie attending Dom's rugby game in episode 3 of the second season of Michael Lannan's Looking

- What can be so great about that, you might think, if you read the recap above without having seen a minute of the show.
Looking is very real and the friendship, relationship, and sex mechanics it presents are often recognizable and always both well-written and astonishingly played to a fault by the stellar cast, who seem to revel in the chance to shine with the reality-grounded, funny, human, three-dimensional characters that this show gives them.
While the first season successfully established the characters and the dynamics of the show, the second season here elaborates on them all, presents more issues, more funny 'catastrophes', more sex and drama played out in the inviting San Francisco locations with more great music. It grows from an astonishing first season into a colorful, uplifting, poignant rendition of modern life in one of the most exciting cities in the world. A real gift, pulsating with true zeitgeist.
All the more reason to scratch one's head that HBO, supposedly the home for quality TV-series, has decided to pull its plug so soon.

Best episodes:

5: Looking for Truth
Written by Lannan, Tanya Saracho (Devious Maids (2013), TV-series)
Directed by Andrew Haigh (Weekend (2011))

10: Looking for Home
Written by Haigh, Lannan, John Hoffman (Good Boy! (2003))
Directed by Haigh

Related posts:

Top 10: Best gay-themed titles

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Looking - season 1 (2014) - Look for something real with your new Frisco friends

Stars dressed up for Halloween in Michael Lannan's Looking

Watch the trailer for the second season here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: None
= Unknown
[Looking has been nominated and won countless awards. Its ratings seem to have been in the neighborhood of 300k-700k viewers. It is available with HBO streaming now.]

What do you think of Looking's second season?
How do you feel about its canceling and coming TV movie special?

Looking - season 1 (2014-) - Look for something real with your new Frisco friends

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best San Francisco Title of the Year

Jonathan Groff in focus, Murray Bartlett nearer and Frankie J. Alvarez in the back on the poster for Michael Lannan's Looking

Looking is HBO's new spectacular romance-drama series about 3 gay friends in the San Francisco Bay area and their various work, relationship and family situations. It is based on a short by its creator Michael Lannan, Lorimer (2011), and its 1st season runs 8 episodes of approximately 25-30 minutes each.
Although all 3 friends are leads, we spend more time with Patrick (Jonathan Groff (Frozen (2013), voice), the sweet country boy-atheist-computer game designer. The other two are sommelier Dom (Murray Bartlett (August (2011)), who is perhaps 10 years older than the others, and Augustín (Frankie J. Alvarez (Aphasia (2014), short), an artist's assistant, who is the only one of the three who is in a steady relationship.
Since the season only spans 8 episodes, I will present the plot of Looking structured thus:

1: Patrick suffers an unsuccessful date but meets a sweet Latino doorman named Richie (Raúl Castillo (Lorimer) on the Metro. Agustín and his boyfriend Frank have a threesome.
2. Despite his roommate friend Doris' (Lauren Weedman (Date Night (2010)) advice to the contrary, Dom sits down with a former, abusive lover. Patrick makes a bad second impression on Richie.
3. Patrick makes a fool of himself towards his new, British boss Kevin (Russell Tovey (Pride (2014)). Augustín gets fired and picks up his own former identity as an artist. Dom wants to start his own restaurant.
4. Patrick flirts with his boss but goes off and reignites his spark with Richie. Dom pitches his restaurant idea to the older owner of a local flower shop, Lynn (Scott Bakula (The Informant! (2009)), while Augustín's art becomes about a male prostitute he meets, CJ.
5. We stay with Patrick and Richie for the entire episode, as Patrick takes a day off to hang out with Richie. They go to the planetarium, the coast and Richie's 'señora' soothsayer and share sexual and other personal information.
6. Dom turns 40 and finds himself at crossroads between more mature relationships and continuing to lay young guys, as Lynn agrees to finance a pop-up restaurant event. Augustín arranges a three-way with Frank and CJ, filming it for his project, and trashes Richie, when Patrick introduces him as his boyfriend at Dom's birthday.
7. Dom prepares his new venture. Augustín gets dumped by Frank, when the truth of the now dumped art project is revealed. Patrick drags Richie to his cousin's wedding, but radiates so much stress that he alienates Richie and has to go alone.
8. Patrick SPOILER neglects stepping up to Richie's expectations and instead gives in to his boss's advances. Augustín takes drugs and ends up back where he started, as Patrick's roommate. Dom's pop-up restaurant is a success, but he has been unkind to Lynn in the process and, as their professional relationship is brought to an end, he embraces and kisses him.

Looking soon proves an excellent new acquaintance: The first episode provides a sweet introduction to the three great main characters, who are specific in each their own way and hold different, individually relatable personalities. For me it was already in the course of the second episode that I really got hooked to Looking and began to see its ambition:
The series is an honest, deeply relatable celebration of modern, urban gay life. Yet Looking will definitely also resonate with many heterosexuals, because its honest portrayal of its characters' issues concerning careers, identity, love, their families and futures transcend their sexual orientation.
Besides the great writing from the 6-person writing team, this is also due to the spectacular performances that the series' 5 directors have wrung from the cast who have clearly created strong bonds with each other and their characters: Groff is magic as our often very funny hero, who so often says and does the wrong thing, but still has our undiminished support. Bartlett shows us some of the angst of reaching 40 without much to show for it, and Castillo is gold as down-to-earth, sincere hottie Richie. All of them can do breezy, smart dialog scenes as well as show weaknesses and insecurities. Additionally, Weedman has to be singled out for her great performance as Dom's hilarious friend Doris.
Looking's main director with 5 episodes to his name is Andrew Haigh, who also distinguished himself with affinity for gay drama-romance in the great Weekend (2011).
The series contains a fine selection of new, hip music and older classics in the gay scene from Erasure, The Smiths etc. - You can hear a selection of it here. The show is at times incredibly romantic, but ultimately SPOILER it chooses ambiguous, conflicting realism over wide-eyed romance, (even if some of us were cheering for that...)
Looking is an almost perfect series for its time: Its depiction of the conflicts of gay life and concept of 'looking' and framing the younger adults who are trying to 'find something real' are spot on as told through its charming, winning, real characters.
HBO has renewed it for a 10-episode 2nd season, debuting in January. - So if you haven't gotten acquainted with Looking yet, now is the time to get it on DVD or stream it and get ready for the next season!

Best episode:

5: Patrick and Richie share a day of romance and companionship

Related posts:

2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

Watch the trailer for the 1st season here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: None
= Unknown

What do you think of Looking?
Any related shows or movies that you want to recommend?