The episode opens in the fanciest apartment this program has ever shown us. Kevin is looking to move out of Pat and Ag’s pad and into someplace decidedly more expensive. He buys it on the spot, probably as penance for making the realtor listen to a detailed description of the positions they’ll be fucking in later. (They act embarrassed that she overheard, but presumably they knew she was in the next room. Besides, how much shame can you really have when your eventual goal is to fuck in a highly visible location?)
Across town, Dom is pissy that Doris hasn’t been helping enough with the chicken window, but his level of catty childishness really goes through the roof when he learns that “Uncle Bunny” (fingers crossed for a Lady Bunny cameo next week) will be contesting the will and holding the whole inheritance hostage for a few months. Though Mustache is ready to dole out the blame, Doris is having none of it. She didn’t force him to buy a bunch of stuff before the money came through, she didn’t have to give him the money at all, and oh yeah, her dad just died. She storms off and is completely justified in doing so; I nearly marched out of my bedroom in solidarity.
That evening, Patrick brings Kevin to meet his mother. Though Mom has never met one of Pat’s gentleman callers before (and this time even he admits that he’s too old to be saying that), she gets along with the Boss rather well. Unfortunately, the real reason she’s being so nice is because she knows that Pat is having tension with his sister, and she’s taking them to the zoo to force them to hash it out. It’s never clarified why she thinks the zoo is the best place for a serious discussion about feelings, but I suspect it’s because this family doesn’t have a lot of experience with serious discussions about feelings.
The next day, Patrick continues to display his family’s inability to have private discussions in private by exploring whether to move in with Kevin while they lie on one of the test beds at the mattress store. Nothing is resolved because it’s a big question and they can’t hog the PosturePedic all day because other people to figure out their sleep numbers too, you know?
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Ag shows up at the center trying to be casual about the fact that he might be going on PrEP. Eddie is short on snide remarks about this because he has bigger fish to fry: his mural artist is gone and he’s not sure how he’ll ever find another queer-friendly artist in San Francisco. You may as well ask him to find hay in a haystack. Literally the only other two people in the room, Ag and the non-gender-normative homeless teen, are readily equipped to create a mural, and the problem is solved almost instantly. Freakout rights revoked, Eddie.
Things are the exact opposite at the zoo: there’s a lot to freak out about, but Patrick’s family is all passive-aggression and subsumed rage. Their idea of blowing up is feeding quinoa chips to giraffes even though the rules forbid it. Way to lash out.
Shockingly, when Ag runs into Frank, Eddie is suddenly totes calm. There’s a weird tornado of romantic tension during their meeting that makes no sense because if someone treated me the way Ag treated Frank in the first season, then I’d never leave the house without the tools needed to set that person completely on fire, JUST IN CASE.
Back among the wild animals, sister Megan is continuing to be the bitchiest bitch that ever bitched because I guess her husband’s friend is friends with Kevin’s ex and she feels like that’s worth more loyalty than the connection to her immediate family. She’s a winner. Mom thinks about laying down the law, but she’s not the type to blow up, so instead she calmly reveals that she’ll be leaving their father because she fell in love with someone else. Her plan, apparently, is to unite her children with the bond of trauma. Patrick briefly considers disagreeing with his mother’s choice, but she subtly reminds him what a steaming pile of hypocrisy that would be, and he falls in line. Checkmate, Mom.
And now, everyone has to face a tough reality and make a tough choice. Unfortunately, few of the characters on this show have shown themselves to be particularly good at displaying maturity or thinking ahead. Saying that Patrick has “decided” something is like saying that your leg “decides” to kick when the doctor hits your knee with that little hammer.
Dom tries to win Doris back with frozen yogurt, but realizes that his peace offering might be insufficient when he sees her packed suitcases. As it turns out, she’s tired of supporting him so thoroughly that he has come to expect total, unquestioning subservience, and she’d rather not feed that situation anymore. She’s not indebted to him and she’s missing out on the happy life she could be leading with Malik because she’s guiltily obsessing over her gay roommate. It’s like how Will & Grace would have ended if one of them had gotten a therapist in the first season. She decides to stay at her boyfriend’s place, but kindly leaves Dom with the froyo. Calories usually make situations like this easier to accept.
Over at the Center, Eddie brings up that he got introduced to Frank as a “friend” yesterday. I’m pretty sure that Ag responds by reminding Eddie that he’s been avoiding the b-word all season, but I couldn’t be sure because I was screaming out loud at my television that he’s been avoiding the b-word all season. They fix it by deciding to say the b-word (which is “boner,” obvs) and then kissing.
We end with Patrick returning to the fancy apartment, which is now Kevin’s for real. The final tough decision: Pat will move in with his boyfriend. My favorite part about this choice is that he makes it because he wants to spend Christmas with Kevin here. Which, bee tee dubs, he could do without actually moving in. It’s not like when December rolls around, Kevin is going to be all, “Sorry, residents only.” Or maybe he would. That’d be a hell of a season finale.
Cam
Ok, again, I don’t know who Chris J Kelly is, but I have laughed out loud reading these recaps. It was a close call for favorite comment this week, but I think this one wins it for me,
“She’s not indebted to him and she’s missing out on the happy life she could be leading with Malik because she’s guiltily obsessing over her gay roommate. It’s like how Will & Grace would have ended if one of them had gotten a therapist in the first season.”
LOL!
As for this episode, The show is really growing on me for season 2, this is one of the first that I think I have enjoyed the entire way through, but I’m thinking there might be a problem with everybody when Patrick’s Mother is turning out to be the hero of the show. First for sticking a pin in his self centered view last season and now in this one being the only voice of reason that seems to get through to him.
As for Patrick, The writers still seem to think he is the favorite character and everything has to center on him and his 17 year old personality. Again, it’s very much like what Glee did with “Mr. Shoe” until they realized that the audience just wasn’t that into him.
And lastly, My theory, I don’t think Kevin actually dumped John. I’m guessing that John isn’t stupid or blind, and figured out what was going on after the Halloween party, and dumped Kevin.
When Patrick finds out that Kevin switched the story there will be a big hysterical blowout and he will throw a tantrum, you know, because it’s Wednesday and it either relationship issues or Dunkin Doughnuts closing early, but SOMETHING was going to set him off. And that will be the season cliffhanger. Will irritating Patrick and the cheater boss break up? (Oh, and some stuff will happen to other people that the show won’t focus on because it isn’t about Patrick)
wilfredo267
@Cam: As for Patrick, The writers still seem to think he is the favorite character and everything has to center on him and his 17 year old personality. Again, it’s very much like what Glee did with “Mr. Shoe” until they realized that the audience just wasn’t that into him.
l am so 100% with you on this.This is why l think the viewers have been leaving the show. lf it doesn’t get a third season the writers have no one to blame but themselves.
redcarpet30
These recaps make SO much more sense if you read them in the voice of Chelsea Peretti’s character Gina from Brooklyn Nine Nine.
redcarpet30
Yeah I think the focus needs to be off Patrick for a while. He’s become the Augustine of this season. And this whole thing with Kevin seems doomed. He hasn’t had any moment where he connects with him the way he’s connected with Richie last season when they went to that psychic or when they had that van ride.
With that said, Patrick is a hot mess who doesn’t deserve Richie. But he’s set himself up for failure with Kevin.
NG22
It’s always fun when Mama Murray is in town. She’s always been a catalyst for Patrick’s development, and that continues. The writers established her as Patrick’s foil — in the middle of her own love triangle. Dana’s admission demonstrated how easy it is to judge people in such situations, but how difficult it is to be in the situation. Megan only saw Patrick’s reality when Dana shared her own.
Kevin and Patrick’s relationship is accelerating at an unabated pace, but it seems to work because they’re on the same page. I was unsure whether there would be any tension or issues between them following to bumpy incubation period of their relationship. So many people thought Kevin was a bad guy for cheating, but I think he’s a good guy who made a bad choice. Patrick and Kevin do not have a guaranteed future, but they seem to have genuine love now.
The fight between Dom and Dorris was incredible. It was fascinating, logical, dramatic, and necessary. Everything Dorris said makes perfect sense, but I still understand Dom’s thinking. He never tried to settle down, so it never occurred to him that Dorris might want to for her own fulfillment. Once again, the writers are taking the opportunity to flesh out Dorris’s own needs and desires as an individual distinct from her relationship with Dom.
And finally, how awesome was it to see Frank again? He looked great, he slayed with his snappy dialogue, and the scene was just so intriguing. Augustine and Frank seemed to still have chemistry, and Eddie was projecting nonchalance while clearly feeling jealous and that perhaps Augustine was disrespecting him with the delayed and casual introduction.
I can’t wait for the next — and perhaps last — episode. I’m sending so much love to the full cast and crew. It’s a pleasure — and increasingly a privilege — to watch.
Faulk
Patrick is doing so much out of fear, this relationship is not gonna end good. Dom was such an ass, and i’m happy Doris realised what unhealthy relationship they have.
@Cam
But John told to Patrick sister that Kevin broke up with him, hasn’t he?
Cam
@Faulk:
I wasn’t sure if he told her that Kevin broke up, or if he was over there, and sad, but that they didn’t specify. If they did, then I missed it!
Faulk
@Cam
Just rewatched the scene. Either the sister doesn’t know it either, because she also thinks that Kevin left John, she said “he just announces i’m leaving you, who does that?”, but i get where you coming from. I could swear i saw in John’s eyes that that he was suspicious of Patrick and Kevin at that Halloween-Party.
Wilberforce
The show is geting better.
Tombear
Patrick will move in with Kevin which leaves Ag without a roommate. Doris is fed up with Dom so I see Dom moving in with Ag and Doris is going to either move in with Malik or Malik will move in with Doris in Doris’ and Dom’s apartment without Dom there of course!! Sorry to be a spoiler for the last episode!
Fang
Honestly, Patrick has the emotional range of a toddler and his mother dropping the ball about “thinking about leaving” her husband, her children’s father, was really silly. Who tells their children that they’re simply *considering* leaving their children’s father unless you are super tight with them? I thought the whole thing was weird, and I predictably wanted to punch Patrick because of his aggravating, childish reactions and annoying facial expressions (not sure if this is a critique of Patrick or the actor). And Patrick’s sister’s feigned incredulity is just obnoxious, and that’s the writers’ fault. Honestly, the writers are basically on point with this show now with the exception of Patrick’s story line. Let’s bring it in, folks, please. Because it’s painful.
I really like Ag and Eddie’s story line. Their relationship is adorable and their stories bring up relevant issues.
Dom is hot and whenever I see him, I fantasize about what could happen if I got on all fours.
I miss Richie, whom is a perfect blend of sexy and adorable. Bring him back, plz.
Love the recaps! Keep em coming!
Cam
@Fang:
YES! I forgot about the sister, ugh, they had her playing it so over the top. Ugh.
Fang
@Cam: I hope your theory is right. It will admittedly be less of a cliffhanger because you predicted it, but it will be so effing satisfying to see Patrick cry at the fact his whole relationship with Kevin is based on a lie…which BTW should not be surprising because he was THE OTHER MAN. smh.
Jere
Just to be clear, the issue between Patrick and his sister is that Jon, Kevin’s ex, is the sister’s husband’s best friend. That’s why Kevin was at the wedding in the first season. Jon is, apparently, now hanging out on their couch wondering why Kevin ended their relationship. Her concern about the holidays is valid because Patrick (in her view) just brought the awkward because there is no way she can tell her husband that his best friend can’t be around at Christmas because her brother is now dating the guy’s ex. I mean, the sister was totally being a bitch about it, but her anger and her concerns are valid here. There are far more constructive ways that she could have approached this issue and I think that’s what the mother was trying to facilitate. Sadly, her daughter is a bitch.
Cam
@Jere:
I think my issue with it was, in a family like Partrick’s, I am surprised that both children seem to act ridiculously emotional. You would think that the way they were brought up they would handle things in a much more cold, WASPish passive aggressive fashion.”
Off topic, but if you want to REALLY appreciate “Looking”, watch the pilot episode of that train wreck that Ellen was producing. HORRIBLE, very bad, overly broad, horendeously loud laugh track to cover the fact that it wasn’t funny.
I mean, we critique Looking because it is on the right track. That Ellen monstrosity should be put out of its misery after the 1st episode. In fairness I only made it through 5 minutes before I couldn’t take it anymore, maybe it got better.