With Love season 1, episode 2 recap – “New Year’s Eve”

By Dempsey Pillot
Published: December 17, 2021
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Amazon original With Love season 1, episode 2

This recap of Amazon original With Love season 1, episode 2 does contain spoilers. 

Read the review.

Taking place on New Year’s Eve, episode two of With Love fast forwards the story by only a few days. Surprisingly, since Christmas, a lot has still changed in our main characters’ lives. Lily, for example, has started hooking up with her brother Jorge’s roommate, Nick.

Jorge, on the other hand, has started to feel despondent about his relationship with his boyfriend Henry. Little do these characters know that many more changes are in store for them over the next few hours.

With Love season 1, episode 2 recap

A majority of the episode takes place, fittingly, at a New Year’s Eve party. We come to learn the name of the mysterious young man from episode one — Santiago — because both he and his father are contractors who actually helped with the party’s setup. As a result, Santiago gets an invite from one of the hosts, who also hints she’s interested in him. 

Still wounded by his mother’s passing, he’s reluctant to attend. When he does, however, the closest he comes to having fun is when he briefly (and surprisingly) interacts with Lily. By now, it’s even clearer that the two are on the verge of being together, but they’re not quite ready for each other yet. 

Something I picked up on this episode, that I totally missed in the first, is that despite having “love” in its title, this is really a show about life. Not about living, per se, but rather how life just happens. 

One thing that all of the characters have in common here is that they are impatient. They all crave a deeper connection with someone but are unwilling to wait for that connection to show itself. In the case of Lily or Nick, they both feel like they need to be with someone, but don’t know what it’s like to have it with the right person. As a result, they always rush into the next thing in the hopes that it’ll just work out.

In the case of Jorge Jr. and Henry, who already do have that connection, they just want to be sure that it lasts. But in the case of Santiago, he needs that connection — someone to distract him from his loss. However, he’s so stuck in his sadness that he can’t understand that. Fortunately, life looks to have other plans that will surely unfold in future episodes.

As compelling as these arcs are becoming, because these five characters were the primary focus of this episode, arcs between Lily and Jorge’s parents, as well as their cousin Sol, unfortunately take the backseat. 

Will their parents ever rekindle their love? In this episode, it becomes a bit unclear because it appears that their mom, Beatriz, is more interested in having an emotional affair with a member of her running club than Jorge Sr. If only he would show her more affection.

Sol, on the other hand, is having fun navigating a new relationship. The only obstacle there seems to literally be is time. Because she and her love interest are both doctors, their schedules never align. Similar to the rest of the characters, she’s got her work cut out for her. Nevertheless, the New Year looks promising.

What did you think of Amazon original With Love season 1, episode 2? Comment below. 

Amazon Prime Video, Streaming Service, TV Recaps
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