At the end of last week’s Looking, Patrick finally mustered up the courage to end his lusty shenanigans with his English boss, Kevin. From the minute their covert relationship began at the tail end of season one, a wave of red flags shot up that Patrick decided to ignore. Dating one’s superior wasn’t the only quandary for him, as his boss also happened to be in a long-term relationship. So, it made a pleasant change to see Paddy stand up for himself – a trend which wasn’t bucked in this week’s 30 minutes.
Kicking off at a work event to celebrate the success of a new game sees Kevin trying to get a rise out of his former lover. “How are you not a wreck?” he asks, to which Paddy replies “It’s not like it’s not easy… you chose John.” To be fair, he’s the right to say whatever the heck he likes, but instead lays out the truth. While his trademark indecisiveness and inability to make mature decisions sort of suggests that he might renege on his choice to abandon the relationship, thankfully he sticks to his guns. Whatever will he do next?
Ah, yes. Make another bad decision by getting in touch with a former flame. The biggest chunk of the episode finds him aiding his former boyfriend, Richie, who needs help picking up a rustbucket ice cream truck from across the city. Now free from the shackles of Kevin and eager to rebuild a friendship with his ex, Patrick is at his best when footloose and fancy-free. There’s no skirting around any topics, but his imaginary boundaries are still in place: don’t overstep the mark or make a move on Richie. Their casual trek finds them in Richie’s old neighborhood, which kickstarts conversation about childhood, parents and of course who they’re dating.