【sadomasochistic eroticism】

The sadomasochistic eroticismbest and worst thing about any TV anthology is its ability to reset and start from scratch. This leads to everything from consistently masterful storytelling (the episodic Little America) to pale recreations of greatness (American Horror Storyin perpetuity). With its second season, HBO Max's Love Lifeintroduces a new protagonist and perspective, realizing something close to its true potential.

Season 2 moves away from Anna Kendrick’s Darcy (she literally steps aside to make way for the new lead in episode 1) and on to William Jackson Harper as Marcus Watkins. In following Marcus through pivotal chapters in his relationship history, Love Lifefinally makes space for Black people and queerness in a way that Season 1 didn’t dare — and it is here, with just a modicum of faith in its audience, that the show creates something worthwhile.

The season brings on Mixed-ishand Tuca & Bertiewriter Rachel Williams as show runner (joining Sam Boyd and Bridget Bedard) along with a diverse team of writers and directors. The shift in viewpoint casts Love Lifein a whole new light, reframing even its Season 1 weaknesses as strengths. The mystery narrator (Keith David this time) feels suddenly inspired. The pacing, which often covers months or years in a single episode, is consistent and not disorienting. Love Lifedoesn't drown you in emotion like some shows, but ruminating from a distance on the big picture now works in its favor.

William Jackson Harper is finally allowed to be hot in "Love Life." Credit: hbo max

Harper is a magnetic leading man, spreading his wings in the main role just as one would expect after seeing him in The Good Placeand The Underground Railroad. He makes Marcus likable despite some textbook bad choices — including an emotional affair, rushed intimacy, and a night with a college student — his comedic cocktail of fumbling awkwardness and boyish charm keeping us somehow in his corner. Jessica Williams plays Mia, an evergreen crush popping in and out of his life throughout the season, their shared chemistry enough to catch your breath in the first episode alone.

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Love LifeSeason 2 also serves its secondary characters better, perhaps reflecting Marcus's own capacity for empathy compared to Darcy. Comedian CP nearly runs away with the whole thing as best friend Yogi, whose arrival in any scene guarantees several minutes of howling laughter, and Punkie Johnson delivers a warm, grounding performance as Marcus’s sister Ida, who gets more attention than even the idea of queerness did in Season 1. The show is still Lovesicklite in its best moments, but there are worse things than resembling a beloved series that isn’t even making new episodes.

Improved as it is, Love Lifeis still clinging to the safety of its roots. Marcus is a book editor, a career pulled straight from the romcom job bucket (or the shared TV universe I am convinced is occupied by both Youngerand The Bold Type). He’s a successful, lovelorn millennial from the Midwest who makes a mystery salary that can afford a spacious one-bedroom apartment in New York City. He's the show's second cisgender, heterosexual lead, and won't be its last. This show still has so much to explore in terms of sexuality and gender, age, socioeconomic status, disability, and more — but there’s a very real chance now that it will try.

Ida (Punkie Johnson) gives brother Marcus (William Jackson Harper) some tough love. Credit: hbo max

With new leads every season, HBO could continue to switch out writers, directors, and show runners for the remainder of Love Life. That alone offers ample opportunity to tell stories from all across the wide world of romance and let creators from different backgrounds take control of the narrative. As it continues to leave Season 1 behind, Love Lifehas a chance to be one of the most inclusive and diverse television shows of our time.

The first three episodes of Love LifeSeason 2 are now streaming on HBO Max, with three new episodes Nov. 4 and the final four on Nov. 11.

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