Love, Victor makes a triumphant return as Pride Month comes to a close
By Jake Tickle, English Literature, Third Year
With Season 1 covering a range of topics from Victor’s navigation of his sexuality whilst having a girlfriend, his parents' own relationship problems and Felix and Blake’s budding romance, Season 2 had a lot to live up to.
And the time has finally come. After much anticipation and Pride Month in full swing, Disney + has finally dropped the very first episode of Love, Victor Season 2 - and what a ride it has been so far.
We start the episode with Victor coming out to his parents as we saw at the end of Season 1 and let’s just say it doesn’t go terribly, but it doesn’t go well either. Victor proceeds to reflect on his summer so far: Victor and Benji are finally a couple, and they’re making out a lot. Blake and Felix are together too (everyone loves an underdog) and Mia is M.I.A (pun intended) at summer camp after discovering Victor kissing Benji. Yikes.
family is sometimes not about blood, it is about surrounding yourself with people who understand and love you for who you are
As the episode progresses, we get a look into Victor’s home life as well as his relationship with Benji. His dad is fine with Victor being gay, albeit slightly awkward, whilst his mother is clearly not quite comfortable with the idea. This tension soon culminates when Victor invites his friends and Benji over for dinner. When his mother sees them acting like a couple, it climaxes in an awkward and tense exchange between Victor and his mother.
Love, Victor is doing what its predecessor Love, Simon (2018) fell short on. It explores the realities of being a queer person of colour, from a working-class background and a not-so-perfect family - and that’s what makes it so special. Love, Victor aims to show the ups and downs of life as a queer person, and how family is sometimes not about blood, it is about surrounding yourself with people who understand and love you for who you are. This sentiment is echoed by Benji towards the episodes climax, tapping into a reality so many queer people are faced with daily.
As the episode draws to a close, it opens up all the new branches of the storyline that we can expect, and we get a few short snippets of each of the characters. From Victor’s mother attending Church (maybe she’s looking to God for guidance on coming to terms with Victor’s sexuality?) to Felix coming home to his mentally ill mother, Love, Victor is never quick to shy away from important themes.
Who knows what shape this season will eventually take, but we can be sure that there will be more drama and a whole lot more gay along the way.
Featured Images: IMDB & Disney +
What did you think of the premiere?