With Love is a tv-series with an impossible to remember name, about an extended Hispanic-American family, including a gay son and a trans aunt. In Season 1, each episode was set during a major holiday. Season 2 seems to be about the wedding of Jorge and Henry (Mark Indelicato from Ugly Betty, Vincent Rodriguez III from My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,), so I reviewed Episode 2.4: "The Bachelor Party." Which of the guys is getting one? And, more importantly, will there be male strippers?
Scene 1: Santiago (Rome Flynn, left)) opens the door at 4 am. Dre (W. Tre Davis) and his girlfriend Annie criticize him for bulging in boxer shorts. Well, he can hardly help having morning wood. They're going to get married today because Dre has a lump on his testicle, and he needs Annie's insurance to check it out. But they want to get married in Las Vegas, and they have to drive because Dre is afraid of planes.
Scene 2: Establishing shots of Las Vegas. Jorge and Henry (left), plus two women and a man (maybe Nick, played by Desmond Chiam, top photo), walk in slow motion into their hotel suite. It has a crystal sculpture of a male torso.
They rush to claim their bedrooms. Jorge complains that he likes the credenza in Room A but the view in Room B, so...they move the credenza. What a diva!
Woman #1 asks Nick to share her room. He refuses because it would be too awkward, but she shows her boobs and says "No sex," so he agrees.
Scene 3: Dre, Santiago, and Annie from Scene 1, who are all black, driving through redneck country. They discuss the weird stuff about the girl Santiago was dating. then Annie criticizes for not wanting to get married: "it's not normal." Geez, lady, why so judgmental? Granted, there are two weddings in this episode, but still, some people don't experience romantic attraction, and some just like living alone.
Santiago wants to normalize people being single, but Annie disagrees: "You want a partner, you want kids."
Dre has to pee, so they pull into a scary redneck gas station. The attendant glares at them; they change their minds and drive away. Hey, where's the next scene where he posts his Black Lives Matter sign?
Scene 4: The guys in their suite. Suddenly "the gays arrive!": James and Jauvier (Scott Evans, Adrian Gonzalez, left). Why are the friends of a gay couple on tv always flamboyant stereotypes? They flirt with the one straight guy in the room, give Henry a penis-hat (he doesn't like it because it's too bushy; he likes his pubic hair trimmed), and zoom to the booze. Why are they always drunks?
Back in his partying pre-couple days, whenever Henry drank tequila, he turned into a loose cannon named Hank. "He's the reason I'm permanently banned from the Gap)." "He's the reason my wrist cracks when I make a limp-wrist gesture."
Everyone wants to go to the pool, except Hank: with his muscles and bulge, women are always hitting on him. They talk him into it anyway. Nick the Straight Guy acts as his anti-wing man, blocking all of the drink and sex offers. Hank suggests that he get with some of the girls himself, but he's mooning over one of the girls they came with (he gestures at them standing together, so I can't tell which).
Scene 5: The three driving to Vegas stop at a non-redneck place to pee. Santiago imagines that he sees his ex-girlfriend Lily (who is now in Vegas, being "just friends" with Nick the Straight Guy), walking in slow motion, her hair blowing in the wind. She gives him a flirty glance, then drives away forever. Maybe she'll show up in Vegas.
Scene 6: Everyone hanging out, the gays wearing pink bunny ears and having no trouble with the limp wrist gestures. They criticize Henry for not drinking. Hey, some people don't drink for religious reasons, some have an alcohol problem, and some just don't like it. It's his choice, jerks!
Cut to Nick the Straight Guy in the pool with his crush, discussing how people who are not right for each other can still be friends. They're shoved together and almost kiss. That has never happened to me once.
Back to Henry -- they peer-pressure him into drinking tequila, and he turns into Hank. It makes him horny, so he and his fiance Jorge rush into the room to have sex. But Jorge gets doused with booze, and while he is cleaning up, Henry/Hank rushes out to sex up some other dudes. They split up to look for him.
Scene 7: In the casino, Woman #2 sees the penis hat-- but another guy (Jeff Meacham) is wearing it! He tells a long story. Henry/Hank also orders a seafood tower in the casino restaurant, then leaves. We see him next at a disco, dancing with Bob the Cowboy and complaining about all the special treatment Jorge needs. "I need to be watered, too, Bob. Let's go!" I would consider that a hook-up invitation, but Bob doesn't.
I'm out of space, but here's what happens during the remaining 20 minutes; Everybody who is supposed to be together gets together. We see some bare chests. And the bachelor party turned out to be the hanging-by-the-pool scene, No male strippers. The end.
Beefcake: Lots of Henry and Nick the Straight Guy. The pool scene is beefcake-deprived. I was hoping to see the beset-upon waiter, Gerard (Jared Wernick), but all I could find was a sort of side-butt while sitting on the toilet.
Other Sights: No.
Gay Characters: The guys and "the gays." I didn't care for the limp-wristed stereotyping, especially since the most limp-wristed was played by a straight guy.
Heterosexism: Lily's got an ex-boyfriend and a "just friend" pining for her.
Judgey: "If you don't like exactly the same things that I do, you're weird, stupid, or sinful." Ugh! Once I posted on Facebook about not liking mayonnaise, and the hate that came spewing from my friends!
My Grade: I prefer a little more Vegas in my Vegas settings, and a little more sizzle in my bachelor parties. Henry/Hank even asked Jorge to "make out" rather than screw. I suppose we should be happy when a tv show centers a gay couple at all. C+.
A lot of bare butts and at least one cock on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends
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