Paloma
Episode 2 of Love Life Season 2 begins with Marcus and Emily’s relationship breaking down. Subconsciously, this appears to be what Marcus wanted too, as Emily moves out and Marcus finds himself forced to keep busy. We’ve all been there, that strange limbo period as you try to get over your ex while simultaneously move on with your life. Everything is fine… right? Well, we pick up a month after the divorce with Emily. Marcus is still awkwardly messaging Mia while his things are displaced between work (which boss Josh tells him he needs to clear out asap) and his sister Ida (who isn’t best pleased with Marcus’s living arrangements) Yogi meanwhile, decides he needs to “get some”, which includes setting up an impromptu work do, complete with drinks and Adderall. Marcus skips out midway through to meet his old friend Kian but things take an awkward turn when he introduces an acquaintance, Isabel, to the mix. Feeling like a third wheel, Marcus skips out and decides to see Ida instead. Only, given he’s completely wired up on Adderall he finds himself having trouble not acting like a hyperactive child. Anyway, as fate would have it Mia rings and decides to come and hang out. Things take a bad turn when Marcus calls out Mia for her flirty looks and the way she’s been messing with him. He doesn’t outright say it but you Can tell he blames her for his relationship with Emily breaking down. Eventually she walks away, leaving things on an awful note as Marcus to head back inside. Marcus ends up talking to a woman named Paloma. She’s 22 and still at grad school but is eventually convinced to head back to her dorm. The security guard there shoots a knowing glance his way as Marcus struggles to keep it together. In Paloma’s room, things are a little awkward, especially when Paloma continues to ask for permission to proceed and starts giggling. She also moans really loudly and fakes an orgasm too. After a couple of seconds things just peter out into nothingness, leading to Marcus leaving unfulfilled and regretting his choices. Taking a walk, he ends up outside the apartment he once held so many memories with Emily. Gone. In the blink of an eye.
The Episode Review
The middle chapter of Love Life’s trio of chapter dropping today takes a slightly different turn, this time leaning into the limbo point between relationships. For anyone who has been in a long term relationship and then suddenly found themselves alone and wondering just what the heck to do next, this chapter perfectly exemplifies all those feelings in one place – right down to the unfulfilling feeling of trying to replicate the passion and joy you once had with someone. While this in itself is good, Marcus himself is somewhat of a one-dimensional character. He doesn’t quite have the same charm that Darby did last season – partly thanks to Anna Kendrick’s bubbly eccentricity – and it’s harder to see layers of depth to his character because, well, there isn’t much there. Paloma is just a blip in Marcus’s bumpy road to perfect love and it would seem as if either Emily or Mia will be coming back into the picture later on, especially if the trajectory for how this season seems to be paying homage to season 1 is any indication. Either way, this chapter is a definite improvement over the first, although it still remains to be seen if Marcus can carry this show as well as Darby did the first time around.
