Hulu’s ‘Love, Victor’ Matures in Second Season of Groundbreaking Series

Photo courtesy of Hulu.

SPOILER WARNING.

Love, Victor was released on June 17, 2020 on Hulu. The series follows a teenager who is on the verge of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, and struggling with his sexual orientation. It’s inspired by and set in the same world as the 2018 film Love, Simon.

In contrast to season 1, season 2 focuses on the aftermath of Victor coming out to his parents. It also follows him and his relationship with Benji which is tested by his family and a possible new love interest.

If we were comparing season 1 and season 2, season one was the child and season two is the maturing teenager. Season two explored more mature themes than season one. The maturity levels in this season opened doors to interesting storylines and important conversations.

The second season gave us a lot of relationships, possible relationships, and even some breakups. There were moments where we wanted to cringe because of how awkward things were between some of them.

Victor and Benji: These two went through a lot this season together. In the first few episodes, they seem happy but this begins to change in later episodes. It is evident how much Victor cares about Benji and Benji wasn’t being the best boyfriend to Victor.

Lake and Felix: These two went through a lot this season as well. If you haven’t watched and you’re a fan of these two together, you might not be happy what’s going to happen with them. We do see how much Lake cares for Felix but she doesn’t share how she feels but instead shows it with extravagant dates.

Mia and Andrew: I think most of us knew that there was still a spark between them. It’s clear how much Andrew cares about Mia and her wellbeing which is rare in teen shows like this. They share genuine chemistry.

Pilar and Felix: These two are my favorite pairing. There’s just something about them that I love so much. They both care about each other. Felix seems more free to be himself when he’s around Pilar. The first season teased them to us but this season gave us more than a tease.

Season 2 addressed two important conversations: accepting your child for who they are and the importance of mental health awareness.

Throughout the season, Victor’s mother struggles to accept Victor’s sexuality. I found this perspective interesting because most of the on-screen portrays I’ve seen of kids coming out to their parents have the father as the one who struggles to accept their child. I liked that the writers flipped the script here.

Victor’s family is half Puerto Rican, half Colombian-American, and incredibly religious. This made the situation even more intense and confusing. Along with Isabel’s struggle, she took it out on Benji. Her relationship with Victor was tested a lot.

She does learn to accept him for who he is but, again, it wasn’t an easy trip there. This storyline showed how important it is for parents to accept their children.

He’s my son. That’s who he is. I have to.

Armando, Victor’s father, says this line to Isabel. It resonated with me because he loves his son and he would do whatever it takes to make sure that he continues to be loved regardless of the circumstances.

Mental health was another subject of exploration this season. We finally meet Felix’s mother who struggles with depression, anxiety, and other issues. We discover that Felix is the one who takes care of his mother, Dawn. Down the line, she is entered into a mental hospital where she goes to recover and get better. Felix stays with the Salazars while his mom is recovering. It takes a toll on him and he becomes in denial as his life crumbles.

Character development plays a key role in this season for many of our favorite characters. Victor is more comfortable with his sexuality, Andrew becomes more charismatic and caring, Felix’s happy-go-lucky persona is a facade for what’s going on at home, Armando becomes independent, and so on.

Television has the ability to do amazing things with character development because there are multiple seasons or the character faces many obstacles to get where they want to be.

Yes it is. Season 2 definitely dives deeper into the characters and explores important themes.

If you love Love, Simon, you will love this show. It’s set in the same world but has a different story.

Highly suggest you give it a watch.

 

Love, Victor is streaming exclusively on Hulu.

Creators: Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger

Cast: Michael Cimino, George Sear, Isabella Ferreira, Anthony Turpel, Rachel Hilson

Producers: Nick Robinson, Shawn Witt