‘Love’ provides gritty, fresh take on modern relationships

 

"Love" is a Netflix original that doesn't feel like any of their other content — and different from any show I have ever seen.

The premise of the show revolves around two people who are in dead-end relationships or have just had their heart broken, depending on how you look at it.

Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) is a talk show producer with drug, alcohol and sex addiction problems. She is with her initial boyfriend who she leaves every week only to have sex when they get high together. This leads her down a path of sure destruction.

Gus (Paul Rust) is a tutor for the children on the TV show “Witchita” and is an aspiring writer for the show. His love life is not any better than Mickey’s, as his girlfriend tells him that she no longer loves him. He falls into a deep depression and walks down a similar path as the female lead.

Their paths finally cross when Gus heads to a gas station where Mickey is yelling at the clerk over the price of coffee.

"Love" begins when Gus picks up the cost of Mickey’s coffee and pack of cigarettes.

There are lots of twists and turns, including Gus garnering the interest of an actor on set who by most standards is a perfect 10.

Somehow, the little geek makes her fall for him with his charm and genuine attitude towards others. However, Gus loses himself along the way and you question whether he really is the nice guy.

Mickey uses Gus to fill the void that the drugs and alcohol left. This leads to her turning into a borderline stalker, showing up at his work and home unannounced. But does she love him?

I went into this series with fairly low expectations and maybe that was not fair of me. I am a huge fan of romantic comedies and figured I would give it a shot.

It shattered the molds established by predecessors, and I am hopeful for a second season. The show took me on a journey that I feel is not far off from what everyday people go through.

Love is not always a fairytale that movies portray and sometimes set unrealistic expectations for.

I binged watch the first season in a couple days as it had me hooked from probably the second episode.

The first episode is kind of slow, but the build towards the two main characters meeting ends up being worth it. The show is paced well and does not feel rushed. It gets just enough laughs through jabs of satirical writing to keep you smiling. It's not exactly the most uplifting show and can at times be a downright depressing look at love.

I will say that this is not a show for the family. There is a lot of cussing and some form of sex or nudity in every episode.

If you are not offended by any of this, then I think you should give "Love" a chance.