Welcome to The A.V. Club’s Love binge-watch. From Friday, February 19 through Sunday, February 21, A.V. Club contributor Shelby Fero will be watching and reviewing every episode of Netflix’s new romantic comedy. You can watch and comment along with her here, or chime in on the individual episode reviews. For those watching the show at a more moderate pace, reviews by Molly Eichel will run daily starting Monday, February 22.
As by now you may have realized, everything in “Love” plays out in near-real time. It creates a perpetual slow burn, but allows the character’s and their motives room to breathe.
While Gus hangs with an Allstar UCB 401 improv class at his apartment, making up title songs for movies that don’t have title songs–or, as Allen puts it, “The dorkiest thing I’ve ever heard”–Mickey gets ready for her old friend Shaun’s party with Bertie, who’s possibly her only current friend now. While Mickey regales Bertie with tales of wild, topless nights, while conspicuously alone besides her Aussie roommate, Gus’s super lame–but obviously very fun–hang again highlight the differences in our two lead’s lives. Up until this point, Mickey has maintained the upper hand in whatever it is they’re doing, but with “Party In The Hills,” we see the dynamic shift as Gus demonstrates his worth (maybe you’ve heard of the D.E.N.N.I.S. System?) and Mickey confronts ghosts from her past.
Mickey nonchalantly invites Gus to Shaun’s party, refusing to admit her motives behind the text, claiming that “I just think he’d be really fun at a party.” No, you don’t. No one has ever once thought that about Gus. And, lo and behold, he is not especially fun. Showing up embarrassingly on time, he offers to wash off the busy couple’s patio furniture for their guests (doing a frankly above and beyond job of it). His minor gaffes continue to pile up: First, he tattoos “sarcoma” on a guy’s back, later he hides in the bathroom to call Cori after Mickey ditches him. But taking his friend’s advice to chill out a little does him a lot of good, as he inspires a sweet jam sesh to spontaneously generate in the living room, and catches the eye of a partygoer who is so cool that she pulls off wearing a giant t-shirt as a dress.