Looking - Recap: I Asked Out My Boss While Straddling a Torpedo

Episode 3 of Season 1 of Looking, “Looking at Your Browser History,” brought about the completion of Patrick’s (Jonathan Groff) video game project and introduced us to his new boss, Kevin (Russell Tovey). Things started off on quite the odd foot for the two, but by the episode’s close, I was left under the impression that this will be a much needed healthy new relationship in Patrick’s life. Meanwhile, Augustín’s (Frankie J. Alvarez) endless sense of apathy finally came back to bite him in the ass, while Dom’s (Murray Bartlett) exhilaration following his takedown of Ethan led him to reconsider old dreams. Here is the Recap and Review of Episode 3 of Season 1 of Looking, “Looking at Your Browser History”!

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Episode 3 opened with Patrick’s proclaimed idea of Utopia; a celebratory launch party for Anal Naval Destroyer, his team’s latest video game project, aboard an actual navy ship. Seamen, free drinks, and an intriguing new British piece of eye candy captured Patrick’s attention all at once. There were a couple of interesting things to note about these scenes. Patrick’s mention that female characters in video games are intriguing because they stand for the underdogs of society was great commentary from the show. As someone who’s played video games since I was a child, I’ve always noticed that it’s one of the few mediums that hold female characters as true equals to their male counterparts, along with comic books. Gender is used as a kind of empowerment. Also, to continue with what I wrote about last week, I think the entire point of Looking up to this episode has been to show us that these characters are searching for their own truths just like everybody else. They’re not supposed to represent stereotypes of gay men or perfectly fulfilled human beings, which is why I felt some viewers were too quick to criticize. This is a television show, and these men need to grow for the purpose of our entertainment. For example, Patrick’s assessment of just how “gay” Kevin was from afar was not really who Patrick is. That was Patrick playing into the party crowd, giving his friend a laugh, and convincing himself that he is a certain way that he actually isn’t. By the time he was flirting with Kevin over a round of video games, straddling actual torpedoes from the privacy of a back room on the ship, there was no way this wasn’t going to blow up in his face. Not literally, of course. The torpedoes were fine, but Kevin turned out to be Patrick’s potential new boss, and a taken man at that.

Let me first give Frankie J. Alvarez props before commenting on how I find Augustín to be the least endearing of this trio of friends; however, I think we got a better understanding of the man during Episode 3. If someone is completely defined by their sense of utter apathy towards life, they’re probably not a very compelling individual, but that, funny enough, makes for a good TV character. We’re intended to feel for his boyfriend, Frank (O.T. Fagbenle), of course, who is almost oblivious to Augustín’s lack of interest in domestic life. Things might change now, though, as Augustín was promptly fired from his job as an artist’s assistant after criticizing his boss’ piece just days before her show. This didn’t seem like a woman who can’t take criticism. This seemed like a woman who wasn’t at all required to reward Augustín for doing absolutely nothing with his life.

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This led to some interesting breakthroughs with him as a character. Getting fired is obviously an excuse to stuff your face with cake, but that moment of coping also introduced us to CJ (T.J. Linnard), an out and proud sex worker. CJ is someone who knows exactly who he is and isn’t afraid to share that. Augustín, an artist who can’t even admit that he’s an artist out loud, was absolutely infatuated with this new guy, so much so that he seems to be considering the line of work for himself. See, this was a clever direction for Looking to take. From the start, we’ve been introduced to Augustín as an artist purely through his sexual exploits and pieces of his work from the past. The threesome from the premiere, to me, was meant to represent how his creative side plays into his sex life, but now we know that he simply has no actual artistic outlet anymore. How could he possibly maintain a healthy relationship with Frank if his expression as an artist has to come from sexploration? He can’t, and so he’s considering prostitution as a legitimate career path without even consulting his partner.

Dom had some of the best scenes this week. First, his workout dance class with Doris (Lauren Weedman) was not only a pleasure to watch, but any time Doris is on our TVs the screen it lights up. Also, Dom has a kind of charm about him that Augustín lacks at this point. He seems to be oversexed as well, but Augustín seems much more cynical and almost dead inside, while Dom somewhat feels like he has a ton of energy to put out there without a healthy means of doing so. Any lack of self-fulfillment is recognized by Dom, even if he has no clue how to go about finding it. Now, he has hopes of opening the restaurant of his dreams, but he lacks any funding whatsoever.

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Dom also visited a bathhouse during Episode 3 where we were introduced to Lynn (Scott Bakula) during his steam session. This is someone who immediately seemed like he could offer Dom the mental nourishment he’s been craving and real companionship in one form or another, but Dom inevitably ended up running off with yet another younger guy before even so much as hearing him speak. I mean, not even a single word. Looking did a great job here of highlighting Dom’s issue, which is that he’d rather bang it out with a piece of meat than actually grow up. He left the steam suggesting that he and Lynn head out on an actual date sometime, while he was literally out the door to screw some younger guy. This is interesting because the man who truly laid into Ethan at the close of last week’s episode is not that man who would make this decision, yet he is the man who had Dom so absolutely inspired during most of Episode 3.

Patrick’s apology to Kevin the following day at his office seemed to be his only hope of securing his job in the form of a spot on the team for Kevin’s new game. Kevin, catching Patrick entirely by surprise, whipped out Patrick’s company internet records and noted the massive amount of time spent on OK Cupid and Man Hunt. Patrick, sent into a tizzy over his assumption that Kevin, who seemed perfectly calm for what it's worth, must think of him as some sort of perpetual slacker or shallow flirt. He inevitably deleted his profiles and, instead, focused his personal time on creating a new female character for Naval Destroyer to impress Kevin. Kevin, who always intended to include Patrick from the start, offered him a position on his team and further admitted to being totally impressed with Patrick’s commitment. This is the point that Looking is trying to make. This is who Patrick is, and he’s beginning to realize that now. This is the man that Richie seemed smitten by on the train during the premiere, not the guy who googles dick pics or gets obsessive over sex. Patrick's Achilles' heel is his curiosity, and that works because being inquisitive is a very endearing quality even when it's to a fault.

I think that Kevin, while he began as a potential love interest, is the perfect mentor figure for Patrick. I like Dom plenty and I find Augustín to be developing really well as a character, but I don’t think either of them are good choices to turn to for dating advice whatsoever. They’re good friends to Patrick, but this show isn’t simply called Looking because they’re searching for partners. It’s called Looking because they’re searching for themselves in San Francisco. It’s a place where sex comes fast and easy, and a city that draws in gay men with the presumption that the dating options will be limitless. When the options look like an all-you-can-eat buffet, it’s obviously quite easy to get lost in the mix of your own life. Patrick has been in San Francisco for eight years, but you still have to take into account the fact that he most definitely did not come from a hometown full of gay men where being gay was nearly universally accepted. We're seeing these people now after the ether has begun to wear off and grown-up life is settling in, and this show is doing a great job of depicting this.

What did you think of Looking Season 1 Episode 3, "Looking at Your Browser History"? Did you like the symbolism of checking out someone's internet trail on a show where the three leads are searching for their true selves?

Thanks for reading my Recap and Review of Looking Season 1 Episode 3, "Looking at Your Browser History"!