Love, Victor Season 2 premiere recap: Perfect Summer Bubble

Love, Victor Season 2 returns with a bittersweet opening episode that perfectly encapsulates the tones of this season and its confident return. “Perfect Summer Bubble” picks up right where we left off in the Season 1 finale, with Victor coming out to his parents and sister.

Compared to the reaction Simon Spier got in Love, Simon, the reaction from Victor’s parents is downright icy. They don’t really say… anything, which is pretty much the worst thing that can happen when you come out to your family. Instead, Victor’s mom and dad decide to go to bed and tackle it another day.

Then we skip ahead ten weeks later, to the end of the summer. Victor touches base with Simon to tell him (and the audience) what’s happened during the past few months. Despite what Isabel and Armando said, they’ve both avoided talking to Victor about his sexuality since then. Victor’s dad is less awkward than his mom, who can barely even look at Victor.

Adding to the complications is his parent’s separation. Armando has since moved out and gotten an apartment. The separation is really happening.

Love, Victor Season 2, Episode 1 recap: Victor tries to hang on to his perfect summer bubble.

Outside of the Salazar household, things are much better for Victor. He’s spent the whole summer hanging out with new boyfriend Benji and things are just as fresh, exciting and sexy as one could want. While Mia has been off at summer camp (she and Victor haven’t spoken since the Spring Fling dance), Victor and Benji have spent their summer with Lake and Felix, who are still going strong after their big kiss at the dance.

But now summer is coming to an end and the perfect summer bubble has to burst. Victor is unsure of coming out at school and the weight of weirdness at home is weighing on him. In an effort to make progress with his mom, in particular, Victor invites Benji, Felix and Lake for dinner.

At this point, Isabel can’t even stand to look at Victor and Benji together. Seeing them kiss outside before coming inside to eat, she sabotages her homemade dinner. Instead, Isabel offers the teens money to go out for pizza, but Victor suggests they just order delivery.

Despite his efforts to save the night, Isabel ices Benji out and then makes an impromptu excuse to leave. The gang decides to head to a bonfire by the lake instead. There, Benji tells Victor that he’s allowed to be angry at his mom for treating him so poorly. She won’t even let Victor tell his little brother Adrian that he’s gay. “I just wish things could be as simple as you and me, Lake and Felix in our perfect little summer bubble.”

While there are no easy answers for his parental problems, Victor, Benji, Lake and Felix spend the rest of an enjoyable night together, even setting off a few fireworks to signal the end of summer.

Later that night, Victor confronts his mom and tells her that Benji is his boyfriend, she should address him as such.

Love, Victor Season 2, Episode recap: Mia struggles to find where she fits in upon returning home.

Elsewhere, Mia is having a rough time upon returning home. After spending a summer away, she returns to find that Andrew has moved on with a new girlfriend and her dad and Veronica are total mush around each other while preparing for the new baby. With Lake spending time with Felix and Victor, Mia isn’t sure where she fits in.

To make matters worse, we find out that Andrew sent her a care package over the summer, complete with a note that said, “I miss you and I want to be with you.” Finding out he moved on so fast must have stung. And while Lake extends an invite to the bonfire, when Mia shows up and sees the two couples together, she decides to leave without anyone seeing her instead of playing the fifth wheel.

Love, Victor Season 2, Episode 1 Odds & Ends

• Armando is faring better than Isabel with Victor’s sexuality, although he’s still awkward around his son and has taken to making up quirky nicknames for Benji rather than talk about things.
• Adrian is struggling to adapt to his separated parents, so he coaxes Armando into getting him a turtle that he can take from house to house rather than just leaving her at his dad’s place. “I already miss you half the time, I don’t want to miss her, too.”
• At the end of the episode, we briefly meet Felix’s mother! It appears she’s depressed and Felix is the one who often takes care of her, making sure she’s eaten and making money. There’s a “rent past due” notice on his fridge and he asks Victor if he can keep his job at the café past the summer rush. I’m guessing Felix’s money troubles and problems at home will be a big part of his storyline this season.

All ten episodes of Love, Victor Season 2 are now streaming on Hulu.