Looking premiered tonight on HBO! Catch up on the highs and lows of life in San Francisco for three gay friends with our full recap below!
HBO’s latest series Looking follows the lives of three gay men and their extended circles of friends in San Francisco. In the first episode of the series, “Looking for Now,” the characters are introduced without the drag that sometimes follows a premiere. Right off the bat, viewers are let into their group and gain a bit of knowledge of each member as the episode unfolds.
The episode opens with Patrick, played by Jonathan Groff, in a forested section of the park meeting up with a man for a quickie. Awkwardly fumbling through his first time doing this, Patrick tries to make conversation, until his cell phone ultimately kills the mood for both sides. Luckily, his friends Dom and Agustîn are there to mock him for the walk home.
Once at home they open up a bottle of bourbon, and Patty, as his friends call him, requests that one of them accompany him to the bachelor party of his ex boyfriend. Although Patrick is aware that their relationship ended for a reason — he was boring — Patrick cannot help but become nauseated by the barrage of Facebook photos featuring the happy couple. We’ve all been there, right?
Meanwhile, his roommate Augustîn and his partner Frankie are in the room next to Patrick making plans to move in with one another. Patrick feigns enthusiasm, but begins to realize that perhaps his search for a date on OK Cupid may now need to contribute to the rent as well. Augustîn is an artist and works on constructing sculptures with attractive handymen. However, his creativity is hindered by the awful projects he must build.
Dom, the oldest of the group by at least a decade, sits with his roommate and long time friend, complaining about the successes of others and measuring himself up against them. He discovers that an ex, Ethan, one who threatened to kill him once, is making a boatload of money selling real estate in L.A. Dom is seemingly stuck in a rut and thinks about trying to make it in real estate as well. For now he’ll settle for sitting on the couch watching The View and waiting to get laid. That is until it is time to wait on the finance workers of San Francisco.
Patrick works for a video game company as a level designer. He blends with the San Francisco tech crowd in his zip up hoodie, jeans and layered button ups. His morning chat on OK Cupid lands him a date, but not without his coworker catching his use of winkie face emoticons, sparking another round of mockery at his attempts. His date, with an oncologist, turns out to be a complete dud. An uptight person from the outset, he interrupts Patrick to say that they should end the date and quit while they are ahead. Then he splits the check by what they ordered.
Augustîn’s assistant for the day, Scotty, has an interesting evening after Frankie shows up to keep them company. After a few drinks, Frankie and Augustîn are treated to a view of Scotty’s new Dolly Parton tattoo and with a nod of approval, lust takes over.
On the MUNI, the public transportation, after his awful date, Patrick meets a guy who is quite smitten with his nervous disposition. He takes Patrick’s failed date’s business card from his pocket and Patrick goes along with the charade, playing oncologist for the rest of the ride. When he turns down an invitation to go out with the guy at the bar he works at, Patrick turns up at his ex’s bachelor party.
Dom puts on a good show for a while, complaining about his failed attempts to have sex with the young waiter at his restaurant. Honestly, how old does he look in daylight versus candlelight? Patrick runs into his ex in the bathroom where he hears the last thing that could possibly want to hear that night. Not only is his ex happy, he never has to worry about dating ever again.
Back in the party, Dom and Patrick watch the grooms-to-be get lap dances from a stripper with a giant bear head. Dom tells Patrick he put in his time, but it is time for him to find someone to go home with. Before he heads off, Dom tells Patrick he needs to stop worrying about what his mother would think or what anyone would think. Patrick, alone again, decides to bail on the party and go to the bar where the guy from the MUNI works.
The end of this episode concludes with an overview of where everyone leaves off. Dom, the eldest and most stuck member of the group, sits on his couc,h leaving a message for an ex in Los Angeles. Augustîn and Frankie discuss if they are going to become “one of those couples” and what it will mean if they disagree on how to define what they are. Patrick enters the bar with a smile, attempting his third tactic over two days to try something new.
The town itself, San Francisco, plays a large role shaping the show and the characters. The possibilities in a town of transplants from all over the country and world create an atmosphere where anything is possible.
Watch Looking season 1, episode 2 “Looking for Uncut” at 10:30 p.m. ET on January 26.
We want to hear your thoughts on this topic!
Write a comment below or submit an article to Hypable.