13 Reasons You Relate To The Netflix Show 'Love'
Netflix has become known for creating amazing, fun original content, but of course you already knew that. You binge Orange Is The New Black every June when the new season appears on the beloved streaming service and you basically bow down to the god that is Netflix. You're not alone there: recent studies show that for those considered to be part of Generation Y (ages 18-34), Netflix and YouTube are hugely popular. Netflix's latest foray into the world of comedy? That would be Love, the Judd Apatow-produced and co-created series that became available on Friday February 19th for streaming. You probably spent the next few days watching every single episode of the 10-episode first season, and you were probably pretty obsessed with the characters and storylines. Here are 13 reasons you relate to Love. And if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Seriously.
13 You Hate Relationships
Okay, it's not that you hate relationships, exactly. You're just not all that great at them. You definitely have that in common with the two main characters of the series, Gus and Mickey. Gus is a tutor for the child stars of a super cheesy witch drama and Mickey is a radio producer. They meet in a convenience store and never really figure out how to actually date each other. They both just got out of horrible, messy relationships so it's safe to say that if you're still single, you know what it's like to be wallowing over something that wasn't even all that great to begin with.
12 You Obsess Over Texting
Gus and Mickey are so adorable because they can't for the life of them figure out how to text each other. They send vague messages or take forever to respond, while the other person is sitting there scratching their head, totally confused by their iPhone screen. This is totally relatable because how many times have you been in the exact same situation? Texting is one of the most annoying and worst parts about dating and even just modern life. It seems so convenient but then it takes the other person an entire day to text back “Nothing, what's up with you?” which is basically how Mickey responded to Gus.
11 You Have Dreams
Poor Gus. He's kind of nerdy (that's an understatement) and he just wants to make his writing dreams come true. He walks around the witch show set with a spec script that he wrote and is totally desperate for someone, anyone, to notice him. You can definitely relate because you have big dreams, too, and you might not enjoy your current job or even be in the industry that you really want to be in. It's great to see a TV character with so much ambition who can also admit that he's in way over his head because he has no idea what to do with his dreams.
10 Life Overwhelms You
Everyone feels that things are pretty overwhelming every once in a while, but chances are you probably feel that way almost every day. Life is tough and you're not always in charge of your own destiny, no matter how much you wish that was actually the case. What's so great about Mickey and Gus is that they are totally honest about how much life overwhelms them. Mickey is a recovering addict who's not so recovering and Gus can't seem to strike a balance between his inner nerd and the cool guy he wants to be.
9 You Act Younger Than You Are
What's so interesting about this show is that the two main characters are in their early 30s and yet they act much younger. Like much, much younger. It wouldn't be a stretch to say they're basically still stuck in high school or college. You can probably relate because the fact is that adult life is pretty difficult between juggling work and trying to figure out who you are, and navigating friendships and the crazy dating world. If you revert to acting several years younger than your real age, no one could blame you.
8 First Kisses Are Awkward
If you've had an amazing first kiss, you're probably in the minority. Also, it probably will never happen again. Mickey and Gus share a super awkward first kiss that doesn't even seem like a first kiss at all. Yeah, it's pretty confusing. There's pretty much no normal way to just kiss someone and there are so many ways to second-guess yourself. This is even more awkward if you met someone online or on a dating app because they're basically a total stranger, so how do you know if the first date is way too soon for a kiss?
7 You Wish You Were Cooler
Everyone wishes this. If you didn't, you would just be weird. You can always compare yourself to other people - your awesome coworker who seems to have no trouble getting dates all the time, your best friends who work super cool jobs, your sister who travels the world totally alone and loving it. Gus is definitely not a cool guy but that's what makes him such a lovable person. Mickey seems like a cool girl but really she's battling drug and alcohol addictions and doesn't treat other people, like her roomie or love interests, very well, so that's definitely not cool.
6 You Suck At Parties
Let's just agree to stop pretending that parties are super fun. They're usually anything but, right? Parties can be super awkward, especially if you only know the host or one other person who is attending. You can never be sure that this person is actually going to show up, which was made perfectly clear to Gus when Mickey invited him to a friend's party. Unfortunately, Gus got there super early and Mickey was super late, so he had to make awkward small talk and figure out if it was even worth sticking around. You've definitely been in that situation before.
5 You Have A Junk Food Addiction
In one particularly funny scene, Gus is stocking up all kinds of horrible/amazing junk food after the worst day ever. He jokes about how girls can stuff their faces so he thinks that guys can, too. You've definitely been there, maybe after a bad break-up or even just a bad date. There's not much that can heal your wounds except for a night of junk food eating. You might have even watched this scene while dreaming that you could jump right into the TV screen and grab all of the candy and chips that he was holding. If you did, that would be totally normal.
4 You Hate First Dates
In episode five, appropriately titled “The Date,” Gus goes on a first date with Mickey's totally adorable Australian roommate, Bertie. It doesn't go well. Actually, it goes absolutely horribly. It's like a mash-up of every single bad date that you've ever gone on, right there on your TV screen. You can definitely relate to this episode if you're right there in the trenches, trying to find a boyfriend that doesn't drive you insane. This show proves that dates are never fun for anyone and are the perfect antidote to all those romantic comedies that want you to believe the opposite.
3 You Act Clingy
Both Gus and Mickey can act pretty clingy when they like someone. They both try not to be and would hate it if someone called them out on it, but they just can't help it. This is super relatable because that happens to all of us when we're in a new relationship. We just can't believe our good fortune and that we actually met someone this cool. This is definitely one of the most relatable parts of the show and it proves that it's not restricted to either gender - it's something that both guys and girls can do.
2 You Make A Bad First Impression
What's so adorable about Gus and Mickey is that they may seem like complete jerks when you first meet them but after a while, they grow on you and you realize that underneath all of the bitterness, they're really good people. It's hard to make a good first impression considering all of the stuff that people are worrying about these days, so you've probably had some situations where you didn't make the greatest impression on someone. Thankfully, you usually get a second chance and can prove to the other person that you're really awesome.
1 You Love Love
At the end of the day, no matter how many awful first dates you go on or terrible break-ups you experience, you can't change one simple fact about yourself: you love love. You want someone to share your days and nights with, you want to find your soulmate or other half or whatever you call it, and you're totally willing to get through the messy parts to find true love. That's what the two main characters of Love believe, and you probably found yourself nodding along with every episode of the series that you binged, because you feel the same way. Love is not always fun but it's always worth the journey.