Tonight’s all new Looking takes viewers to the leather-clad streets of San Francisco for the Folsom Fair. Read our full recap below to see what you missed!
Does Patrick have a shot at real romance? Tonight’s episode of Looking, “Looking for $220/hr,” sets Patrick out of his comfort zone, but serves up a much needed confidence boost. Meanwhile, Dom and Agustîn look ahead to their future careers.
Workin’ for the weekend: Patrick and his new boss Kevin put in the hours on a Sunday to prep a game for a presentation the upcoming Monday. Patrick is missing out on the Folsom Fair, the celebration of leather subculture in San Francisco, in order to work, for which he feels indebted to Kevin for. Kevin’s initial understanding of the fair was something featuring vegetables and cakes for grandmothers. He was not expecting the chokers and ass-less chaps that took over the streets.
Taking a break from development, Patrick and Kevin talk about Kevin’s long distance boyfriend. Kevin admits that having someone who understands the passion he has for his work and the sacrifice he took to move away from Seattle to pursue it makes him lucky. However, the adjustment to not seeing someone and then readjusting to having their presence around is quite the unfortunate trade off. When John, Kevin’s boyfriend, calls from a cab on his way from the airport, Kevin has to run off for a bit.
Kevin’s politeness wears on Patrick as he offers to bring him food and cancel the presentation so Patrick can enjoy the day with his friends. Patrick, taking pleasure playing martyr, continues on working and tells Kevin to enjoy his time with John. Poor, delusional, Patrick.
Buds or “Buds?” Dom ignores the Folsom madness and heads over to meet up with Lynn at Bud’s flowers. George, the co-owner of the shop, pimps out Lynn and insists that the two have lunch. At lunch, Dom describes his father’s business of peri peri chicken, a Portuguese-style cooking, and the rough time he had with the interstate-located restaurant. Dom explains that he took Lynn out because he wanted some advice from him about opening a business.
Lynn puts on a front of feigned sarcasm when he asks Dom if the lunch was a meeting and not a date. Dom presses a little harder on Lynn and even offers to make him dinner that night to show him the direction in which his restaurant will go. Lynn politely declines and offers to look over a business plan and pass it around to a few people he may know who have the ability to invest. Dom races against his own internal clock that approaches 40 rapidly.
Dine and Dash:Patrick heads down to the streets and dons a leather vest, sans shirt, at the insistence of his friends. Agustîn drags him over to the Rentaboy.com tent to meet CJ for lunch. Agustîn expresses his admiration for someone who is paid to fulfill a part of someone’s intimate needs that they do not reveal to even their significant other.
Agustîn asks CJ to play a role in an upcoming artistic project. CJ brushes off the “artistic” element and jumps straight to business. If Agustîn is willing to pay $220/hr, CJ will do whatever he wants. With a deal struck, Agustîn now has to deal with the reality that he just hired a prostitute and that a small bite of meat is not sitting well with his vegetarian colon.
Back at Patrick’s office, feeling a bit better, the leather-clad group plays video games and jabs Patrick for living a fantasy life with Kevin. Agustîn explains that what Patrick finds appealing about his relationship with Kevin is exactly the part of CJ that he wants to capture. Intimacy is more than sex. It is what a person wants to be comfortable asking for from the person they are with. At the end of the day, Kevin and Patrick share something they both want, but Kevin goes home to another man.
The reality hits Patrick the hardest when Kevin returns to the office and the two work into the night. Kevin admits to Patrick that he appreciates his ability to see the finer points of their job. When the decision to continue or cancel the presentation leads Kevin to ask Patrick if he will join him for a dinner that John hates, Patrick takes the opportunity to leave. Admirably, Patrick takes the chance for personal growth and steps away from a dangerous dead-end with Kevin.
The Stud: Reunited with his friends at The Stud, Patrick spots an unrequited flame. Patrick heads across the bar to find Richie. As the two strike up an uncomfortable conversation, Patrick jumps into an apology. The guy Richie met the other night was one who let others cloud his ability to function. It seems that it is not too late for the real Patrick to make an impression on Richie and the leather night comes to a close on the dance floor.
Watch Looking season 1, episode 5, “Looking for the Future,” Sunday, February 16 at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO
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