The biggest wake-up call comes for Patrick when Richie’s brash and kind-hearted cousin confides in him. After they arrive at her place to pick up the truck, she unleashes a torrent of passive-aggressive jabs toward Paddy for breaking her cousin’s heart. Not long after, she dishes the dirt by telling him that the moment Richie came to her for $200 to buy a suit for a wedding (in season one) she knew their relationship was the real deal as he’d never gone to such trouble for a guy before.
Cue Patrick’s feelings of guilt over his behavior during their relationship. Surely he already knew he’d treated Richie pretty poorly? The guy did nothing but bend over backwards for him and was duly rewarded with a curbside dumping! Nevertheless, in some sort of attempt to make amends, Patrick offers the barber sound advice on a familial issue and comes clean about when he started dating Kevin. While this type of honesty would ensure a slap from most folks, Richie’s integrity wins when he affirms his friendship with Patrick; “I’d be sad if you weren’t in my life.” It’s quite phenomenal the extent to which Patrick put him through the ringer and yet he’s still an upstanding guy.
Hopping over to the only other storyline this episode (Dom and Doris are absent this week) and Agustin and Eddie take things up a notch in their fledgling relationship. Did Agustin not notice how sticky (ahem) things got between Patrick and Kevin? Two co-workers romantically involved is often either a) grounds for firing or b) a guarantee that things at work will get awkward if it all goes to hell. Well, neither Agustin nor Eddie seem concerned so far with those possibilities as they’re in the beginning stages of a new amorous encounter. As well as the typical dating issues the show raises, this union explores the delicacy of dating an HIV positive partner. Perhaps it’s Agustin’s naivete on the topic that allows him to ask brash questions, or it’s a plot pushing device by the show’s writers. Either way, their scenes are compelling to watch, and hopefully there will be more of their exploits in future episodes.
This season has sought to explore the recurring themes that strike single people as perhaps the biggest hurdles in life; finding a partner, keeping a partner and what to do if you lose them. For the show’s lead, Patrick, these three tenets seem to exist in a cyclical state. Throughout the two seasons we’ve seen him shift from one to the next in an almost rigid formula that practically guarantees he’ll never be satisfied. A bit like the proverbial carrot dangled before him, there’s rarely a moment of peace for him outside of his relationships with men. Still, this is seemingly a more common occurrence in today’s modern dating climate, as singletons constantly strive to find happiness and peace in another person. As per usual – and it goes without saying – Looking makes sure the audience knows that whether you’re gay, straight, bi, trans, or questioning, everyone struggles with the same bullshit that life slings at us.