‘Looking’: Episode 5 in-depth recap
This week we leave Agustin, Dom, peri-peri and dubious sex workers behind, as Looking spends the episode focusing on the dynamic between Paddy and Richie, who hooked up again last week.
And although Frank, Agustin’s boyfriend, is nowhere to be seen, ‘frank’ is an apt way to sum up episode five, as the show becomes a bit more comfortable with sex scenes, there’s a quick shot of Jonathan Groff’s bum, and the physical and emotional elements of sex are the sole focus of the episode.
Having slept together a few times, Paddy and Richie are settling into a comfy kind of groove. Paddy is still being polite about Richie’s apartment, even though Richie admits it’s a dump, and they’re enjoying each other’s company so much that Paddy keeps on being late for work (wonder how Kevin feels about that).
Paddy eventually decides, after gentle encouragement from Richie, to bunk off work, and the two spend the day exploring San Francisco and getting to know each other, which is the ideal backdrop for us to learn a little more about what makes each guy tick.
After four weeks of trying to figure him out, it’s a smart of the show to spend a whole episode focused on its main character, as Paddy’s various neuroses, hang-ups and opinions have made little sense so far.
But, in brief, here’s what we learned. Paddy’s first gay sexual experience was giving a hand job to a classmate on the back of a bus on the way to ‘Computer Camp’. He used to be a bit chunky, he came out in the back of a car so his mum didn’t have to look at him, and he’s paranoid about getting HIV.
He’s also not very comfortable being a bottom, something Richie dubs ‘bottom shame’, and the two spend a lot of the episode discussing the politics behind sexuality; what does it convey when you’re the bottom in your relationship? Do your sexual preferences define you, as Paddy clearly thinks, or is Richie’s belief in fluidity and open-mindedness the way to be truly happy sexually? Paddy says he hates discussing relationships with his parents because he doesn’t want to impose his sex life on them, in the same way he doesn’t want to think of either of them having sex.
Week by week, Paddy begins to make more sense; his decisiveness in dealing with his feelings for Kevin last week showed some inner strength the earlier Paddy didn’t seem capable of wielding, while this week his fan-boying over Goonies merchandise in a cafe and his ridiculous impressions show that even when he’s totally weird he’s an incredibly compelling, charismatic guy.
And although the earlier episodes highlighted just how different Paddy and Richie were, here their compatibility is obvious, whether it’s discussing who is Ross and who is Rachel while staring up at the stars or sharing stories about their early sex lives while eating hotdogs.
Richie shares a few colourful details of his sex life, too; when he was 13 he used to suck off a teenage mormon who kept coming to their house to try and convert his Catholic family. He had braces, continues to hate his teeth (even though they’re probably the best set of teeth I’ve ever seen, ever) and he used to date an HIV positive partner.
As they discuss the effect eating pineapple has on your, well, you know, there’s something about Paddy and Richie’s relationship that’s strikingly similar to Paddy’s relationship with former roomie Agustin.
Both men are sexually experienced, outwardly confident and have a laid-back hippy vibe to them that someone as uptight and middle class as Paddy is immediately drawn to. And Richie is just cool. He likes moments of silence, even though Paddy likes to puncture them with rambling anecdotes about his sister’s impending wedding.
>Paddy and Richie’s episode-long soul-searching is sweet, endearing, a little awkward and kind of hot. The two are radically different people, both in their backgrounds and their lifestyles – consider the first episode, when Paddy was elated that OKCupid had set him up with ‘a Doctor’, and the fact he was unimpressed when he learned Richie was a doorman at a rather risqué club. Dom accused him of wanting to find a man that would impress his uptight parents.
But the two are now in the early throes of their relationship, when being entirely different makes them completely compatible, and as the episode comes to an end, it’s clear Richie is starting to have a positive effect on Paddy, who, in the most charmingly naive way possible, lets Richie know that he’s ready to be a little more experimental in the bedroom.
The thing is, Richie might be having a positive impact on Paddy so far, but what kind of positive effects will Paddy have on Richie? Richie seems so relaxed, so nonchalant – even when discussing his bad relationship with his father – and he’s only ever worried about paying his rent. Maybe there’s a bit more to him to be found out? Still, if this episode is any indication, that revelation could be quite beautiful.
Thoughts On The Episode:
The scenes where Paddy was going to get his fortune told by Richie’s psychic seemed a little stilted. I’m glad they didn’t bother with that whole thing and just went off to bed instead.
It was nice having a whole episode dedicated to just Paddy and Richie, who both got some much-needed character development and both became a bit more fleshed out. Here’s hoping the rest of the season focuses on some of the other characters, as there are just three episodes left!
Paddy’s relationship with his sister sounds interesting; in episode two, on his date with Richie, Paddy shrugged off any conversation about his family, saying Richie wouldn’t want to get him started. Since he discussed his parents quite neatly, and a future episode sees Paddy’s sister make an appearance, I wonder if she’s part of the problem…
Next Week:
Dom finally hits 40 next week, but isn’t sure how to define his relationship with Lynn. Paddy introduces Richie to his friends, but encounters hostility from a pricklier-than-usual Agustin.
> ‘Looking’: Episode 4 in-depth recap
> ‘Looking’: Episode 3 in-depth recap
> ‘Looking’: Episode 2 in-depth recap
> ‘Looking’: Episode 1 in-depth recap
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