“Love” is a 10-episode Netflix original series created by Judd Apatow, Paul Rust & Leslie Arfin. It sets out to give a new, more down-to-earth approach to the trials and tribulations of beginning a relationship. Rust plays Gus Cruikshank, a nerdy film fanatic who hopes to someday be a writer, yet works for a TV show as an on-set tutor. Gillian Jacobs, best known for her role as “Britta Perry” on the NBC series “Community”, takes on the role of Mickey Dobbs, a program manager at a satellite radio station who is struggling with her sobriety.
I’ll be honest, I’m always interested in these kind of stories. The ones that take the emotional spectrum that we all deal with every day and lay it out on the screen for us to witness from a new perspective. I first heard about this series while perusing through the many different choices on Netflix one night and checking out the trailer. At first, I thought it may turn out to be similar to the 1995 Richard Linklater classic “Before Sunrise”. But oh boy, was I wrong! And that’s not a bad thing. Quite the opposite.
Right from the first episode, I was hooked. Rust and Jacobs are a great pairing, really capturing what it’s like to first meet someone, awkwardness and all. Really, Jacobs is the showstealer. It’s such an interesting look into the way she portrays Mickey, who’s at a pretty ugly place in her life when she meets Gus. Seriously, she’s an addict with a cocaine-addicted ex-boyfriend who finds herself in a shouting match with a gas station attendant because she can’t pay for her coffee when she first meets Gus. Jacobs captures that perfectly.
As the series progresses, we are taken on a journey with these two characters, and all the people in their lives. Australian actress Claudia O’Doherty plays Bertie, Mickey’s new roommate who seems to be impossibly optimistic at all times, always having a grin on her face or a good compliment for anyone. Gus’ ex-girlfriend is played in the first couple episodes by actress Milena Vayntrub, who you may remember as the AT&T girl in those commercials where she’s helping customers. Tracie Thoms plays Susan Cheryl, the head of the studio where Gus works. And Judd Apatow’s daughter, Iris, portrays Arya, the child actress who Gus is in charge of tutoring.
Speaking of Judd Apatow, his style is all over this. From the comedy, to the pacing, to the sudden appearance of Andy Dick in an episode. The series is filled with classic one-liners, with one of my favorite coming in episode 2, when Gus is arguing with his ex over his blu-ray collection: “You can’t just watch these online. These blu-rays have exclusive special features ya bi*ch!”
All in all, I definitely encourage all of you reading this to give the show a watch and see what you think of it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and honestly was upset that there are only 10 eps. Still, a second season has been confirmed to land on Netflix in 2017, and I will be immediately watching once it becomes available. Until next time…
