The Pilot Project: HBO's Looking

Happy Wine Wednesday! I am so happy to welcome Terence B. Johnson back to the podcast this week for another installment of our special series, The Pilot Project.  We're heading to the Bay Area to discuss the pilot episode of the HBO's Looking.

We kick off the discussion with our respective Looking origin stories.  I examine why this amazing series was not on my radar when it debuted and concluded that it had everything to do with the unfortunate decision to pair the show with Girls.  Next, we talk about the decision by the writers to cut to the chase and just drop us right into the action with Paddy and his very awkward foray into cursing.  From there, we discuss our initial character impressions from the pilot.  This allows for a fun game in which I make predictions about the main characters based on the pilot episode and Terence lets me know if my predictions are right or way off base.

In a world of reboots, we share our thoughts on what our version of Looking what look like in 2022.  Returning to the Lena Dunham and Girls of it all, we discuss whether the constant comparison of Looking to Girls by reviewers was fair.  We also talking about the timing of Looking and how being set in 2014 informs the pilot's premise. I was surprised to find reviews of the pilot episode that described it as milquetoast - Terence and I talk about why this is wrong and why the understated approach works so well for this pilot.

As always, we discuss standouts from the pilot and end on a thirsty note.  It should come as no surprise that the both of these segments focus heavily on Richie.  Raúl Castillo is a revelation!

Thanks so much for listening! Friendly reminder - we drink, we know things, and we use adult language.  

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Did you like this episode of the The Pilot Project series?  Be sure to check out our prior episodes on Empire, Minx, Sons of Anarchy,  Abbott Elementary, Grand Crew,  Claws, True Blood, Orphan Black, The Walking Dead, Teen Wolf,  Euphoria, and The Sopranos.  And check out our episodes on iconic shows like Pose