Love, Victor season 3, episode 3 recap – “The Setup”

By Adam Lock
Published: June 15, 2022 (Last updated: June 16, 2023)
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Hulu series Love, Victor season 3, episode 3
3.5

Summary

The show moves forwards at a consistent, steady pace. The romances are captivating, and more importantly, the LGBTQ+ community is given a welcoming voice.

This recap of the Hulu series Love, Victor season 3, episode 3 contains spoilers.

Access the reviews, recaps, and news for Love, Victor.

Victor is single once again and very much not wanting to mingle. The teenage Casanova attends a new gay-friendly church with his family and Isabel plays matchmaker, setting the lonely boy up on a blind date. Having finally verbalized her fears that she’s the world’s worst mother because of the way she handled Victor’s homosexuality, Isabel has now gone from one extreme to the other, overdoing things at the start of the third episode. She takes Victor to this very specific church and tries to play cupid against his wishes. The show continues to move along at the same steady pace and quality as previous installments as the separate storylines seamlessly cross paths.

Love, Victor season 3, episode 3 recap

Breaking Bad star Betsy Brandt returns as Felix’s mother Dawn, informing her son that she has a new partner and wants them all to meet. Dorky Felix is clearly freaked out by this revelation and berates the man on their double date. The wiser-than-her-years Pilar explains how overbearing parenting stifled her and Felix needs to stop being so protective, allowing Dawn to live her own life. These teens give just the best advice, don’t they? In another subplot, Mia supplies some sage advice to her best friend Lake too.

The show continues with the sassy comedy as Mia, Lake and Lucy plan girl’s night, whilst Rahim and Benji verbally spar with one another. The girl’s night is canceled so that Lake and Lucy can get more intimate with each other, which really upsets Mia. Then the two boys (both after Victor’s affections) find themselves in an awkward encounter. Benji blames Rahim for a viral post about his recent trip to rehab, although Rahim pleads innocent. The love triangle is well and truly over, yet these two are still salty towards one another. In a nice twist at the end, they’re forced to spend more time together, with Rahim becoming Benji’s math tutor.

Meanwhile, Victor finds himself hurled into an unsuspecting blind date, but when he finally locks eyes with the muscly Nick, he quickly forgives his pushy mother. The two hit it off, both clearly attracted to one another. They even share a cheeky make-out session mid-date. It’s great to see the normalization of gay and lesbian relationships on Love, Victor, with episode three exploring Victor’s fling, adjacent to the budding romance of Lucy and Lake. The positive representation should be applauded, just like with the groundbreaking film (Love, Simon) that proceeded it.

The ending

After the forced date, Isabel talks with Victor in a touching heart to heart, mirroring another scene in “The Setup” where Felix and his mother engage in a similarly cute conversation. This is a nice change of pace, allowing the parents the opportunity to openly speak with their sons. Victor tells Isabel that she got lucky with Nick, yet she doesn’t have to try so hard in the future. He just wants her to be there for him. Victor mentions Benji’s bout in rehab and his new, single life. Felix on the other hand has to do most of the leg work, telling Dawn that her new lover is great, just to appease her. He seems genuinely pleased though to see that Dawn is happy in her life again.

Love, Victor moves forwards at a consistent, entertaining rate. The romances are captivating, the humor is quick-witted and important themes are explored with genuine respect. These teens may be a tad unbelievable in their maturity, but this fantasy world still helps to address certain stigmas found in the real world also and gives minority groups a welcomed voice.

What did you think of the Hulu series Love, Victor season 3, episode 3? Comment below.

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