Love, Victor : Perfect Summer Bubble Round Table Review
Finally the time has come: Love, Victor is back for a whole new season. Let’s see what’s gonna happen this time. Episode 1 of Season 2 is called “Perfect Summer Bubble”. Are you guys ready for some more Creakwood drama? Joining me (Rike) on this round table review are Serena, Lena and Jen. Let’s do this!
Love, Victor : Perfect Summer Bubble Synopsis
As summer break comes to an end, Victor (Michael Cimino) grapples with his family’s reaction to his coming out.
Your opinion about this episode in general?
J: The first season ended strong and the second season picked up right where it ended, which was the perfect way to get back into things and keep people on the edge wanting more. I think the episode was the perfect setup for the rest of the season and even though there wasn’t too much yet going on plotwise, I think it was important to keep it this way because the coming out was such a huge step. I would have hated it if they would have rushed things all of a sudden, so all i can say is: what a great start!
S: This episode is a very strong start to the season. I’m very happy they continued where they left off last season. Seeing the response to a coming out is an important part of the process and I’m glad they didn’t just do the huge time jump. It’s a good episode to showcase what has changed and how the characters have been since the last time we saw them in S1. With Victor being out to his friends, his parents being separated and Mia (Rachel Hilson) just leaving without saying a word, there is a lot going on in this episode. It’s very clear after this that season 2 is going to focus more on the personal journeys and that it won’t be as wholesome as season 1.
L: Let’s be real here, everyone that watched the end of the first season was on the absolute edge of their seat for this season to air. I loved that we basically jumped right back into that intense moment of Victor finally coming out to his parents. I think this episode set up well for the start of the new season. Showing glimpses of everyone’s changes in their life through the summer and their struggles to be faced this season.
R: This episode made me realize how much I missed the show in general. Loved the way they continued right where they left off last season. I was excited to see the reaction in general and everything what’s yet to come. Also enjoyed the fact that we got to see a bit of every character and what they’ve been up to before and then after the time jump. This episode got a bit of everything. All the emotions, drama, friendships and relationships. I feel like they must overcome a lot more hurdles this season. Definitely not an easy job.
Season 2 picks up right where the first left off, with Victor Salazar telling his parents that he’s gay. Neither parent embraces who Victor is. What’s your opinion? Do you think they should have handled it differently?
S: Hmm this is hard. The problem with Victor and his parent’s is the fact that both have grown up religious and in families that aren’t as open minded as we see these days. Their response could have been a lot worse. I think Armando (James Martinez) shows this episode that all the changes are overwhelming to him since he kind of did lose his ‘family’ with the separating him and Isa (Ana Ortiz) had. I’m glad he is trying to come to terms with it and that it’s mostly just awkward between him and Victor. As for Isa, she frustrated me a lot this episode. Considering how close she and Victor were in the last season this was both a frustrating and very realistic way to showcase a response to Victor his sexuality. Her refusing to acknowledge the relationship between Benji (George Sear) and Victor was a sad reality that a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community deal with on a daily basis. I really hope this season can give her some character growth and that she learns to accept Victor for who he is. Seeing her pray just made me uncomfortable because part of me does feel like she was trying to ‘pray the gay away’. I liked her and the way she carried herself in season 1, but she is definitely my least favorite character after this episode.
L: First of all got to give a shout out to Pilar (Isabella Ferreira), who is an absolute queen and had a great reaction! Armando and Isabel honestly angered me here, as I’m guessing they did many others. I think we can all agree that this was far from a good reaction, on either of their parts. We have the cliche ‘when did you decide’ and ‘let’s talk tomorrow’, which I appreciate for the purpose of depicting the reality of a lot of people’s experiences, but of course I wanted it to go well for Victor. Solely for the aspect of realism and room to show growth in future episodes, I do like how they wrote this scene.
R: Their whole behavior made me angry. Like a whole damn lot. It was so uncomfortable to watch, but I’m also glad that it turned out this way. It doesn’t matter if your parents are religious or whatever. It’s always tough to take this step and tell your family about it, even though nowadays it shouldn’t be anymore. But that’s the truth. Of course you can have a family who accepts you the way you are no matter what. But that’s sadly not always the case. To be honest, the reactions can be even worse than what we’ve seen in those scenes and it’s making me sad and angry and a lot more. Everyone should be allowed to happily be in love with whoever they want to. Gender is kinda irrelevant. However, like Lena already said, Pilar’s reaction was the best. Thanks for being a supportive sister. We love that. Hopefully Armando and Isabel will be there for Victor sooner rather than later. Armando already took a step in the right direction. At least there’s hope.
J: Like the others have said as well, their behavior made me angry as well, however unfortunately reactions like this still happen in the real world as well, so I am glad that they are not shying away from those topics. I think his parents being so controversial and torn sets up for an interesting storyline that has potential for a lot of character development. I would love to see his parents grow, learn and understand and like Rike said, Armando is already slowly on the right track.
Yeah, I, I know. I get it. It’s… it’s a lot. It’s, it’s a lot for me too. And it’s a lot for me to wrap my head around. Isa, he’s my son, and it’s who he is.
Mia being away over the summer to figure things out. Meanwhile everyone around her seems to be happy and enjoying life. Do you think she’ll find the right one for her? Will she be able to figure out where she belongs?
S: Now I have quite the opinion of Mia. She was very used to a more privileged position when it came to her friends and family in S1 and I think her return in S2 and her response shows this. Victor mentions in the beginning of the episode how Mia just packed up and left for 10 weeks without staying in contact with anyone. It’s not weird for her to come back to a place that is different from what she is used to. I personally found her story frustrating to watch because I have been her before, in some places I still am. Which is why her response to everything was very frustrating to me. As a 16/17 year old it’s not easy to see your parents move on and even get a new child with someone when it’s been the 2 of you all those years, but it doesn’t mean she is not a part of that family anymore. Same goes for her friends and the fact that they have new groups to hang out with. Girly left for 10 weeks without contact and expected to be right back into her normal routine and that is not how that works. I feel like in a sense she needed to get the blow of everyone continuing life to realize that you can’t control life. She hated her mom for leaving her without contact, but she did the same thing to everyone else over summer. I hope she gets to grow and realize all of this and that we get to see her finding herself first before she ends up in another relationship again.
L: I personally think Mia has a lot of struggles, due to childhood abandonment issues and generally being left alone at home a lot, that she needs to work through. Therefore I am currently unsure if I’d want her to jump right back into dating. I am however positive that she will make her way and work on herself this season. She already came a bit of a way last season, with accepting her dad’s first serious girlfriend and her soon to be sibling.
R: First of all I gotta admit that I really felt sorry for her because of this whole Benji and Victor thing. Not saying that Victor is a pretty bad guy but Mia doesn’t deserve this at all. However, she has a whole damn lot to deal with herself like you guys already mentioned. It’s really tough and seeing everyone around her being happy and all that doesn’t make it easier for sure. Dating someone new is probably not the best decision. At least not like immediately now that she has to figure out some stuff first. Whenever she’s ready I’m sure she’ll find the right person. Fingers crossed. And I also do believe that she’ll be able to be happy herself. She deserves to be happy. But she also needs to accept a lot of things first in order to achieve this goal. Let’s see.
J: I truly hope that Mia will find happiness sooner than later, because in my opinion, she definitely deserves much better than what she has gone through within season 1. That being said, I don’t think she needs to find a relationship to be happy. Like the others have already said, she needs to figure out herself and her own struggles first. I’m curious to see how much of a role Mia will play this season and if we will see some plotlines from her completely separate from Victor and the gang. Personally, I’d be so here for that!
Seems like we’ll get to know Felix’s (Anthony Turpel) mother this season. We only got a glimpse of her in the last few minutes. Felix is trying everything to get some more money and help his mom. Do you wanna see more of this storyline?
S: Short answer: Yes. Of course I want to see more of this story. During S1 Felix spent a long time being the comedic relief and the supportive friend until we saw his apartment towards the end. I’m happy we get to see a physical mother and how Felix and her communicate. Seeing how his family has struggles paying the bills is the sad reality of what mental illness can do to a person. I’m not excited to see Felix go through it because he is my favorite character, but I’m going to trust that he will be able to trust his friends or someone that can help him so he won’t have to lose his house or something else.
L: Felix’s storyline is a very important one. Showing the struggle of living with someone with depression will resonate with a lot of people. And especially here it being the single parent of a teenager, who has not really confided in anyone on this issue and has been handling it all on his own probably all his life. The eviction notice looming over him broke my heart especially. It’s impressive that he fills these shoes, but they are certainly not his to fill. I understand however that the risk of him getting taken from her custody is too great for him to take at the moment.
R: Can I just give him a hug? My poor boy. He’s always so funny and tries to make everyone laugh and feel comfortable while he’s the one keeping this a secret. At least for most of the people he knows. It’s a lot to deal with but I’m happy that they’re addressing this topic because it’s important for everyone to understand this in general. Life isn’t always about being happy and healthy. There are struggles. Sometimes they’re small and sometimes they’re huge and you aren’t able to fight this on your own. But it’s hard for a lot of people to accept and find help. Maybe Felix should tell his friends about it so that he doesn’t have to pretend to be happy 24/7. Can’t wait to see more of this storyline.
J: I think Felix is a really interesting character and I’d love to learn more about him, his background and what’s really going on with his mum. Like the others have said, there’s definitely more to him than just being the supportive friend and the comedic king of the group and perhaps now is the time that someone else will be there for him.
We saw Victor being excited but also pretty much afraid about telling the whole school that Benji is his boyfriend. After what we’ve seen with his parents, how do you think the students will react to this news?
S: I feel like with everything we’ve seen from Creekwood in both Love, Simon and S1 of Love, Victor the students are going to be pretty ok about it. A lot of them will be supportive, but with a few bad apples that just weren’t raised to be decent human beings.
L: Everyone is different, so everyone will react differently. I am certain there will be mostly positive reactions and acceptance, but there will always be not so positive ones too. Victor is into sports and that is an especially hard place to be on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Personalities in sports are starting to be more open and times are changing, but we still have quite a ways to go and I’m sure the show will also depict this.
R: I do hope that most of them will just accept it whether they’re okay with it or not. But there are probably going to be some trouble causing people who’ll try to make their life at school and in general more complicated. Hopefully this won’t be too much to handle for Victor and of course Benji as well. Otherwise I guess they just have to kick some asses. As long as they have each other’s back I trust them to be alright.
J: I think we are going to see mixed reactions as well. While some students will be happy for them, I can imagine that others aren’t – and that’s how it unfortunately still is in the real world as well.
We would like to hear your opinion on the latest Love, Victor episode “Perfect Summer Bubble”. Let us know in the comments or via social media, and don’t forget to join us when we are back with another round table review for the next episodes.
If you need to catch up, don’t worry! Season 1 and 2 are available to watch on Hulu and Disney Plus.
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