Looking for Sanctuary
Monday, March 16, 2015 at 5:01PM
Hi Kids, it's your host Nathaniel. I'm subbing for much hipper gay Manuel who has been doing a great job recapping "Looking" this season all while preparing to defend his thesis -- Overachiever! Meanwhile I've watched from the sidelines desperately worried about this shows possible cancellation. Whereas I had a pure simple crush on the show in Season 1, now in Season 2 I'm basically admitting full thorny adult love. Which worries me. Happy endings aren't really this show's strong suit. And I don't mean that euphemistically... unless you count that time that it got in Augustin's eye. OUCH!
"Looking for Sanctuary" after the jump...
So naturally I get possibly my least favorite episode of the season, one that felt not like filler but dramatic blueprints being slammed down in the writer's room for Season 3. There is only one episode left so it was bound to happen. Let's just say there weren't many laughs and half hour running time doesn't always mean comedies. (Sorry Emmy... you had to draw a line in the sand we support you. But surely you know that people will keep kicking at it.)
What happened? Eddie (Mean Girls' Daniel Franzese who has been a wonderful addition to the show) finally admitted that Agustín was his boyfriend despite constant denials of the same, Agustín metaphorically and literally (albeit offscreen) picked up his paintbrush again; Dom & Doris "broke up" in a very painful confrontation about their co-dependency ("a fag and his hag").
The best thread was Patrick's mom Dana (7 time Emmy nominee Julia Duffy, and worthy again for this guest star role) attempted to broker a rapprochement between her spoiled children, narcissistic son Patty and judgmental daughter Megan (Kelli Garner)... at the zoo of all places. (This is a subject for another post but I love the way this show deals with class, not a topic often discussed on television since Patrick is obviously from a wealthy family and his friends are not. It's never the subject but it snakes through so much behavior) Not for nothing Megan is the one who calls Patrick narcissistic and yes, that's bitchy but if it walks like a duck and it talks like a duck...
The family fight leads to a confession from mom (she's thinking of leaving their father) and Patrick emotionally panicking, chucking caution to the wind and agreeing to move in with Kevin even though they've been official only since roughly the last time they ate carbs.
Best line of the episode I wish I could off-handedly use:
“It's pronounced ra-ˌprōsh-ˈmäⁿ and that wasn't it.”
Best Doris moment: Lauren Weedman's expanded role has been so good for this show, both for humor and drama. The undercurrents of her character's manic quipping she's exposed have really been something including this episode's stinging but honest dramatization of the way close friends fight, and the way people turn their troubles into weapons of self pity, however pitiable their troubles may in fact be. She suddenly wants deep unspoken patience and sympathy for her mourning phase when in every single instance she's shrugged off sympathetic outreach about what she needs and whether she's okay. The episode could have easily been called "Looking to Have It Both Ways" with supporting MVPs Doris and Eddie as its unofficial mascots.
Most gif-worthy moment: Alas, I don't know how to make gifs anymore now that Adobe got rid of ImageReady (*sniffle*) so I just opted for whatever I could find on the net. So I'm going with this adorable impishness of the mattress shopping -- the salesman does not appreciate their sex jokes.
But this gif is pretty great out of context.
People are always measuring these guys on some abstract "are they representative enough" principle. How do they measure up for you?
Previously: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8
QUESTION? If Looking doesn't return for Season 3 *sob* will you be writing fan-fiction about how long Kevin & Patrick / Agustín & Eddie last. Or maybe you'll write short stories about one of the following miracles: Megan pulls that stick from her ass; Dom finds a boyfriend who fully supports his juicy chicken; Audiences and Emmys notice how good this show is and HBO renews it.
Reader Comments (10)
Re: gifs. Do you have Photoshop? That's how I make 'em.
Re: the show. I'm stunned that Agustín has become the most adult-behaving of the three main protagonists and is in the relationship I find most adorable, sexy and real. That's what I call character rehabilitation.
Russell Tovey: every mom's dream son-in-law. (He said with just a trace of sarcasm.)
Paul - you'll have to email me. I have Photoshop but can't figure out how to make gifs with it. They were so easy in ImageReady since it was designed specifically to make them unlike Photoshop which is all purpose. I can't find one control that looks anything like a folder with frame by frames.
To me, the Dom & Doris storyline felt really rushed-- it escalated far too quickly and felt rather forced. Like you say, blueprints for a future season.
Is it inevitable that Richie ends up telling Patrick that he's broken up with Brady in the last scene of Season 2? Or will they make it a happy(ish) ending in case it's the series end?
What Evan Said: The episode felt a little rushed, given how many big moments were unfolding. Doris and Dom's fight -- not major enough to lead to a "break up." Megan's snark: too intensely lobbed at Patrick, but then not intense enough when her mother told her she's leaving a 40-year-marraige. I too felt the next-to-last-episode rush to conclude story lines.
What Paul Said: Augustin is this season's unlikeliest hero. Frankie Alvarez deserves major props for taking this character out of the gutter and into redemption in a totally believable way. (Plus, he's one of the best ever straight-actors-doing-convincing-gay-kissing-on-TV.)
What Nathaniel Said: My favorite moment was also Julia Duffy's, when she asked Patrick, "Do you want a Xanax? Because I have some." The sing-song way she delivered the second half of that offer was priceless.
It is breaking my heart that this probably won't be renewed given the abysmal ratings. Which is sad because this is honestly the best show on television. I feel given the development we've had in season 1 and the plot machinations in this season - it's almost unfair that they won't get a chance to wrap it all up. :(
Rahul: They kept The Wire around for 5 seasons. That wasn't strictly because it got strong ratings.
@Nathaniel, dying to know, do you ship Patrick & Richie or Patrick & Kevin. For me, it's Richie ALL THE WAY. I can't help thinking Kevin is just a hot body in search of a green card.
what this episode gave with the return of frank (yay!) it took away with the doris/dom fight (noooo!)
this show reminds me of sex and the city where the supporting players are so much more interesting than the annoying lead
Jase - neither. Is that allowed?
par -- i was so excited for Frank's return. shoulda mentioned it
This episode was WEIRD. The Dom/Doris fight, while it made a kind of emotional sense, came more or less completely out of the blue - unlike most things in this very careful, subtle show, it came across as a writers' contrivance. The stuff with Patrick (both with Kevin and with his family) was actually more difficult to watch than that epic meltdown at his Halloween party (adorable bed-jumping notwithstanding). It's like the slowest of slow-motion car crashes at this point. Although, what his sister said about him getting a free pass from their parents because he's gay? That is the show at its sharpest.
Thank GOD for Eddie. Daniel Franzese is SO GOOD, and the scenes with Augustin were pitch perfect. I am shipping those two so hard.