Love Life: Season 2/ Episode 1 “Mia Hines” [Season Premiere] – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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While fans of season 1 will miss Darby, our new lead, Marcus, has a smooth transition as he takes the reins of Love Life.

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Aired	10/28/2021
Network	HBO Max
Directed By	Sam Boyd
Written By	Rachelle Williams-BenAry, Sam Boyd

Newly Noted

Characters

Marcus Watkins (William Jackson Harper)

Marcus is a book editor for Sutton Court Publishing who does his best to advocate for people of color, but it doesn’t always go well. Trae Lang, a young man he tries to sign, shows why since Marcus is seen as a translator for more urban people and between being considered similar to Lavar Burton and Barack Obama, he wants an escape.

However, what doesn’t help is one of the few, if not only, women he had a serious relationship with, Emily, he is married to and feels disconnected from.

Trae Lang (Jordan Rock)

An author that Marcus loves the work of, for his story focuses on an alternate reality in which Haiti was never colonized.

Yogi (Chris Powell)

Marcus’ best friend who is in a committed relationship and pretty much focuses on his job, family and avoids any kind of situation like Marcus got himself into.

Mia (Jessica Williams)

Mia is one of Darby’s co-workers at Wetherlys auction house who entertains Marcus’ attention until her boyfriend comes home.

Emily (Maya Kazan)

Emily is Marcus’ wife who he has been with since college, and who works nights. Which sometimes complicates their relationship.

Groups & Organizations

• Sutton Court Publishing: Marcus’ employer

Recap

The Handoff – Darby, Marcus, Mia, Emily

So, Marcus and Darby don’t speak to each other. We just see Darby getting married to Magnus in 2016, and Marcus and his wife just so happened to be invited. However, while Emily is partying and really living up the moment, Marcus is trying to get away from the party, and that is when he meets Mia. Someone who, like Marcus, has a significant other, but the only difference is Mia is dating a guy, and Marcus is married.

But, with Marcus getting to talk about his work and enjoying Mia’s company, they exchange contact information, originally so he could send her a copy of Trae’s work.

Making Bryant Gumble Look Like Malcolm X – Marcus, Trae, Yogi, Emily

At Marcus’ job, he prides himself on taking the best-selling books, like the one he is working on for a social media influencer, in exchange for getting to publish books like Trae’s, which don’t sell well but make his job worth it. However, when he takes a meeting with Trae, it doesn’t go well. Trae seems to want someone who could translate his work for a white audience, and Marcus trying to dap him up and seem down doesn’t seem to work for him. Heck, even when Marcus code switches, it just leaves him feeling like this might not be the right match, though he loves the Obama appeal.

That whole situation leaves Marcus with a complex, and he talks to his best friend Yogi about it, who co-signs what Trae said, as does his wife, Emily. In fact, she takes it a step further and notes he does remind her of Lavar Burton, and since this is turning her on, she asks if he would ever get an earring?

Next Lifetime – Mia, Emily, Marcus, Yogi

Because Emily and Marcus’ schedules are opposite most days, since he works days and she nights, there is a lot of autonomy and trust built into their relationship. The kind which has led to Marcus having what he considers harmless crushes, but Mia is different. When it comes to Mia, despite both being in committed relationships, it seems he might be willing to risk it all, which Yogi tells him not to do.

However, Mia is new, makes herself available, is exciting, and also Black. Which seems to be something Marcus realizes he kind of misses. Not dating a Black woman but having someone get him on that cultural level, it seems. Though it should be noted, this could also be a complex from Mia painting the picture that Marcus is the kind of Black guy who doesn’t date Black women.

But, as things get too deep, Marcus discovers Mia is dating Amar’e Stoudemire, and with that, he decides it’s time to walk away from Mia. Unfortunately for him, though, Emily has done some snooping, and she is well aware of everything Marcus has said about their marriage and her.

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. So, Marcus is about to end up divorced, right?
2. What is Yogi’s wife like?
3. Is Yogi the only friend Marcus has?

What Could Happen Next

1. Considering how Love Life is set up, either Marcus will have a string of crushes that border on affairs or will end up divorced and thrown back into the dating cesspool.

Review

Highlights

A Seamless Transition

With it being nearly a year and a half, it is easy to forget what happened with Darby, and though seeing her brings up old memories, there is also the reminder her story is over. So being back to 2016, which is between episodes 4 and 6 in season 1, and having the trade-off when Darby married Magnus was smooth. Plus, with Emily knowing Darby, there is the chance for her to pop in every now and then when we miss her.

But, I’d say Harper is in line with Kendrick, personality-wise, and it makes it, so the energy stays the same and the tone as well.

Culture Is Brought To It

We love how the new season starts because it acknowledges and embraces Marcus being Black and being in an interracial relationship, and being at a job where he is maybe one of the few Black middlemen, as Trae would call it. Heck, let’s even add in Trae and Yogi being different from Marcus and that being acknowledged. Never mind Mia throwing in that Marcus seems like the type who’d only date white girls.

All of this brings a realness and comedic appeal, which, yes, frustrates Marcus, yet also gives you a real-world view of how life can be when someone has you pegged as Marcus is.

Mia Was Funny

Since Williams didn’t become a go-to actress and has kept active but hasn’t been the lead of a movie since 2017 and is inconsistently seen on television, her role as Mia reminds you of why she seemed like the breakout star from John Stewart’s stint on The Daily Show. She’s funny, charming, generally has good chemistry with her scene partner, and while it isn’t clear what she and Marcus might be in the future, she doesn’t seem to be just for an episode, so fingers crossed.

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