Lets talk Love, Victor Season 2
Spoilers Ahead throughout the entire post, if you dont want Love, Victor Season 1 or 2 spoiled this post is not for you:
I made a post after Season 1 aired that harshly criticized the show for its piss poor queer representation and storytelling. I still stand by the things I said about Season 1... but Season 2?? Wow. I have to say I feel a noticeable shift in the right direction and I’m extraordinarily excited for the future of the show.
S2 shaped up to remedy a lot of the things I felt were really lacking from S1. As far as queer storytelling goes. (Note: I have gripes about the overall quality of the show but I'm not interested in fixing that). S1 proved to be a poorly written, tropey, straightwashed mess and S2 manages to make that more apparent. Now S2 is still poorly written and tropey, but my god am I so happy to see this show actually flesh out the queer main characters’ romance, drama, and story arch. We got Benji/Victor going through highs and lows, Rahim brining some desperately needed “feminine gay” energy, along with his and Victor’s budding romance, and last but not least Lake’s new potential girlfriend. Also I don't know about anyone else, but sistren... I was gooped by that. Truly did not see that coming for Lake!
Of course, there were still moments where I was like, “chile why am i watching these straighty’s be straight” but I think thats just the spirit of pride month possessing me because Victor/Benji really shined bright here. They really got a proper queer romance that felt substantial. It felt ALOT more balanced than in S1. As a result though, I feel as though it put a lot of responsibility on their storyline to do all the representing through most of the season. Fortunately Rahim came in at the perfect time to really expand on the queerness of the show. *cough* As it always should have been *cough*. His introduction really helped refocus on the core of the show: Queer people, existing in an overwhelmingly straight society, who then seek out community with other queer people. His budding romance with Victor also felt pretty welcome. Its nice to see queer people have multiple romances, and love triangles and choices to make. Options! Is it realistic? Nah, not really. Is that why its perfect for a fictional show? YES!
Lastly, I have to give Lake her own spotlight, because I am elated to see potential for bi representation. Finally. I remember how this show was marketed for S1. Since its clear they aren’t going to do that with Victor, I’m so excited to see it could happen with Lake. I just wish they didn't wait till S3 to flesh that out.
All in all, this season MASSIVELY improves on queer storytelling than the first season. Even the side plots with each character didn’t feel like it distracted too much from the overall queerness being explored. I still have my hesitations about this show, but I’m feeling how I did with Love, Simon. I feel excited for the generation of queer kids watching this show who might grow up seeing their stories and hopes play out on screen. Might have just brought a tear to my eye
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