Suzanne Hayward & Leon Hines
Episode 7 of Love Life Season 2 begins in 2019, six months into Mia dating Marcus. The pair have been getting along well, still clearly in the honeymoon phase. Mia though has been through a tough time with men in the past. Despite everything going great with Marcus thus far, she believes there must be something up with him. After all, he’s a little too perfect. When Marcus learns about Mia’s family issues, he tries to offer her some support. Mia though, decides to head up and see her alone. With the perspective shifting across to Mia (perhaps because Marcus isn’t interesting enough to carry this show alone?) she finds the place looking like an art installation. Mia is left to pack everything up herself while her mum galivants off out about town. Given she’s about to lose her home, Mia’s mum seems to be in complete denial. Now, that has dealt a major blow by her caving and returning to the man who sold them up the river, Leon. Mia feels betrayed by her mother’s decision to invite her father back into their lives, causing a lot of friction to ensue. As the pair head out for dinner together, Leon apologizes profusely for distancing himself and being a bad father. “I want to fix this.” He says solemnly as Mia smiles faintly, trying to suss out if he’s being real or not. Well, just like old times Leon doesn’t bother to show up again the following day. Instead, Mia finds herself turning toward Akil, the guy who helped move the gear out the garage earlier in the episode. And just like Marcus has with so many women this season, Mia cheats on her boyfriend and kisses Akil. She decides to bury this secret in a black box, deep in her heart, focusing on Marcus instead. When they head back for Mia’s birthday celebrations, Darby is there to join in the festivities. Only, after the night is done, Marcus leans in his jacket pocket to give her a key to his apartment. Mia immediately jumps, telling him not to propose and believing it’s a ring. Mia eventually pushes him away and decides to break their relationship off completely.
The Episode Review
Love Life Season 2 has felt like a strange case of Deja vu through much of its runtime. A lot of the plot ideas have basically been a rehash of the first season, and between the numerous different women, the pregnancy scares and the estranged family ties, all of this feels a little too familiar to Darby’s journey. The trouble is, this detour episode to Mia confirms one thing that’s been a concern all season long – Marcus doesn’t have enough to actually keep this show going on his own. Instead, we get a look into Mia’s world. Given she’s been more of a footnote in this story up until this point, it confirms one thing – she’s here for the long haul. After all, why show this episode if not? Still, the ending does leave things open to some dramatic episodes to follow.
