North Texas Daily

Content warning: Spoilers ahead

Have you ever been confused about your love life? Have you struggled on that journey of self-discovery while multiple crazy things in your life are happening around you? Well, you are not alone in this new series called “Love, Victor,” available on Hulu, where the main character is on a journey to find himself while figuring out his sexuality.

Before I dig deep into this new series, I suggest you watch “Love, Simon” which is a romantic comedy about gay teens, as this show is set in the same universe as the beloved movie. Simon (Nick Robinson), a white, upper-middle-class teen, keeps a huge secret from his family and friends: he’s gay. When someone threatens to tell his secret, he is left to come to terms with himself. He later kisses the guy of his dreams on top of the Ferris wheel in front of the whole school. His story becomes a folk tale in the hallway of his old high school.

Victor (Michael Cimino), a working-class Latino from a very religious family, was forced to uproot his life in Texas and move to Atlanta. He wants to be able to be like Simon in a way that he feels comfortable with showing his sexuality in public without shame. In Texas, it was hard for him to express who he truly was with the group of friends he had, but this move to a new town suggests he will be free to explore his attraction to men.

As he takes on this new high school, his awkward neighbor and only friend Felix (Anthony Turpel) takes him under his wing. In the first episode, Victor has his chance to tell everyone he is still figuring out the dating department and wants to explore his attraction. He chokes up when talking to the beautiful and popular girl Mia (Rachel Hilson) and says there is not a girl back home waiting for him.

The social pressure of dating is much harder than he thought as he catches a glimpse of Benji (George Sear) drinking from a water fountain. At this moment, ladies and gentlemen, I knew how this show was going to end. And it would not be a teen show if we did not have a bully, right? Well, welcome Andrew (Mason Gooding), the popular bully on the basketball team who has deep feelings for Mia and later catches Victor kissing Benji. All of this makes his coming out slightly messier than much on-screen representation.

The character of Simon is still incorporated into “Love, Victor.” Victor messages Simon in each episode, telling him about what is going on in his life. He tries to explain that dating Mia is what is right for society while holding back his feelings for Benji. But Simon comes off as this white savior giving Victor advice on how to handle each obstacle that comes his way. Victor later finds out in episode eight that Simon does not have everything figured out, but he seeks help from his Black boyfriend and openly gay roommates to help guide him on the correct path of self-discovery. Victor wants to be like Simon and be able to come out without the fear of rejection from everyone around him.

After spending the weekend with Simon in New York, Victor discovers there isn’t just one way of being gay. The LGBTQ+ community is much bigger and wider than he thought, and he just has to find his place and stick to it. This showed Victor he doesn’t have to be like Simon, and he was okay with that as he sat in the gay night club in New York. When he returned home, he had to decide between telling Mia the truth about his true feelings or continuing to hide from the truth.

Go ahead and run over to Hulu to see the outcome of this crazy teen show. With 10 30-minute episodes, you will be finished in no time. If you are like me, you will be able to predict the outcome before you get to the end.

Final rating: 3.75/5

Featured Image: Courtesy Hulu