OK, I want to start this off by being clear: I did not like Looking at first. I thought the characters and the show were well written, and I thought it was a pretty groundbreaking take on the LGBT community — one I hadn't seen before. That wasn't the issue. I didn't like it because it was slow moving and ultimately lacked stakes. You can't lean on the fact that you're making a show about gay people and not worry about anything else. I expected compelling story lines that got me really wrapped up in the characters, and in my opinion, that's not what I got. I wanted to be able to look at the show outside of the characters' sexuality, to say the stories were SO good, it didn't even matter if the characters were gay or straight. It just wasn't that compelling. I wasn't at the edge of my seat until the sixth episode in the season. And that's a problem, since season one only has eight episodes.
But, after a slow start, and nearly half a season of waffling, I finally got hooked. The last three episodes of the season were great television; they had me at the edge of my seat, crafting hopes and wishes that would ultimately get dashed or fulfilled. I got what I was "looking" for all along: a really great show that had three-dimensional gay characters to boot. Take a look at my personal journey with Looking — in GIFs. Source: HBO
Back when the show was being shot, the creators gave a Q&A and discouraged the comparison. It totally is, for the record.
Everyone really wanted to like the show, myself included. It was hard to hear someone gushing about it and then see their face when you say, "I'm just not that into it!"
This reaction is especially relevant to those of us watching with a parent.
Philz Coffee, Zuni Cafe, El Rio, Dolores Park, ALL OF IT.
. . . and cold hands and possible hand jobs.
Like I said, we are plunked right into these characters. This couple suddenly has a threesome, and we don't even know how they feel about it or if they've discussed it. Hell, I didn't even know their names, and I wasn't even confident they were together. Too much too soon.
Most of the time I'm on MUNI, I'm either squished between, like, 10 other people or trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
Kevin (Russell Tovey) is Patrick's adorable boss who has amazing ears.
Just when we thought it wouldn't get better, it got better.
Esta Noche, for the record, is a dive in the Mission. I mean, maybe it's just me and my friends, but we've never once looped that place into our plans for the night.
Come on, he's almost 30. It's not that uncommon.
It's like a 15- to 20-minute train ride. Tops.
They easily could have cut that in half.
I don't know what it was, but I didn't think Patrick and Richie were a good fit. Richie is so cute and sweet, but in the end, the two just didn't mesh. Source: Interscope Records
Sorry, everyone, I'm just not a beard guy. Source: Cartoon Network
Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of Richie either, but I'm not going to mock him to his FACE.
I seriously can't even remember his boyfriend's name. I can barely remember Agustín's.
After, like, the whole season of wishing Patrick and Kevin would finally just get it over with and hook up already, it totally happens, and I was totally ecstatic about it.
I don't know what changed. Part of it was that the show actually got exciting in the last few episodes. The other part was acknowledging that I was being a little sensitive, and that the show was never going to be perfect, and that I should be OK with that.
Yes! Looking got picked up for a second season, and I'm (finally) on board and very excited.