In a time when TV shows tend to lean toward over-the-top, flashy storytelling, Love takes the prize for “telling it like it is.” The Netflix series ditches the “new norm” to deliver a brilliant, surprisingly realistic blend of fiction. Directed mainly by James Bolenbaugh and Robert Vukasovich, the series aired for three seasons from 2016 to 2018. It focuses on themes central to emotional resonance, relatability, conflict, and tension.
At its core, the show recognizes the place of trust in romance and the attraction that can come from differences. It tells the story of two people, Mickey Dobbs (Gillian Jacobs) and Gus Cruikshank (Paul Rust), who are inconsistent and ridden with emotional baggage. Amid their struggles and attempts to create a trusting relationship that will last, the story draws a fine line between the daily meaning of love and finding it in the oddest places.
How Does ‘Love’ Differ From Other Romantic Comedies?
Many romantic movies and TV shows share a lot of similarities in terms of their themes and plots. However, Love taps into a different dimension, showing how unromantic romance can be. It ditches the rose-stained glasses often attached to relationships and embraces the grittiness of it all. In many love stories, there is often a portrayal of perfection in the characters, or something close to it. But this is not the case for Mickey and Gus. While Mickey suffers from some type of borderline syndrome, Gus has a nerdy and awkward personality, making them well-blended characters.
The far-end disparity between the two does not exaggerate what love is or the high expectations that come with fictional characters. All or some of these can easily be missed in many romantic comedies while Love brilliantly explores them more compellingly. Even with its adaptation of a different approach to love, the series still incorporates both serious and lightheaded moments. It showcases interesting humor, fascinating dialogue, and some form of awkwardness; thereby setting it apart from regular everyday romantic comedies.
Like many other unique series, Love has its fair share of similarities with a few shows. A notable example is Man Seeking Woman – an FXX romantic comedy that aired from 2015 to 2017. Like Love, its main character Josh Greenberg (Jay Baruchel) is awkward and tries to find love after a breakup with his long-term girlfriend.
RELATED: These 10 Rom-Coms Will Turn You Into a Certified Romantic
Netflix’s ‘Love’ Smartly Captures the Intricacies of Modern Relationships
The journey and development of Love is typical of modern relationships. The plot largely matches the different phases in love; from the hurt of past relationships to finding love and navigating through life’s uncertainties with someone. The story and characters exhibited very real conflicts and emotions, especially through the main characters, Mickey and Gus. Mickey’s vices are that she’s heavily reliant on alcohol, love, sex, and deceit. Then there’s Gus whose deal is that he is emotionally needy and ignorant about common social cues. However, through their differences, they found a relationship that was perfect for the pair of them.
The struggle to keep sincerity at the center of their relationship is plain to see in Love. For instance, in Season 2, Mickey was dating Gus but hooked up with Justin (Chris Redd) and found ways to sweep it under the rug. In addition to that, like many typical relationships of this era, theirs was under constant scrutiny by just about everyone around them. This was most especially the case with people who believed the affair was too fast and wouldn’t last. However, as far as Mickey and Gus were concerned, they cracked the code and theirs was a coupling that was destined to work.
As in the case of Mickey and Gus in Love, Bertie’s (Claudia O’Doherty) life and love affairs are connected to modern relationships. Like in many relationships today, she finds herself in a love triangle with Ryan (Mike Mitchell) and Chris (Chris Witaske) and is left with the option of choosing either of them or being sneaky with both men. Moving on from love affairs captured in Love through the characters of Gus and Mickey, and Bertie with Ryan and Chris, the series captures the intricacies of bonds of friendship as seen in the case of Bertie and Mickey.
For a realistic look at romance, Love is available to stream on Netflix.
