LOVE, VICTOR (Season 3) -- A Rushed Yet Still Enjoyable Conclusion to the Series

Review by Sean Boelman

Photo by: Kelsey McNeal/Hulu.

The LGBTQ rom-com Love, Simon was an unexpected hit when it came out in theaters, and its streaming series Love, Victor has amassed quite the cult following during its Hulu run. Perhaps due to its stars’ careers blowing up, or maybe just because they’re getting too old for these roles, the series is coming to an end. The question is… will fans be satisfied?

The second season of the show left audiences on a massive cliffhanger wondering whether or not Victor would choose his on-again-off-again boyfriend Benji or the new kid Rahim. This final season picks up by showing who Victor chose, setting off another series of melodramatic happenings at Creekwood High.

For this third season, there are only eight episodes compared to the usual ten, which ends up working against the series. It constantly feels like they are trying to cram in as much resolution as possible in a mere four hours, which simply isn’t enough given the intricacies of the subplots that were expanded in the second season.

The themes of acceptance really end up taking a backseat here because there simply isn’t enough time for the show to juggle those themes while wrapping up the storylines of all of these characters. In fact, the more dominant relationships in this season seem to be the heterosexual ones, which is troubling considering the fact that this is meant to be a show centered on LGBTQ representation. 

Photo by: Mike Taing/Hulu.

Obviously, the creators are really trying to stretch to give these characters the endings that they deserved, and whether they succeed at that will probably split fans of the series. But one thing is certain — the realism absolutely goes out the window here. This has never felt more like a telenovela than it does at the end.

The highlight of this season’s cast is Isabella Ferreira. Not only is her role much meatier here than it was in previous seasons, but she brings a lot more nuance to the character as well. And James Martinez continues the exceptional work that he was doing in season two, adding a great deal of humanity to the series.

Of course, the main cast is still very good in their roles. You can see how Michael Cimino has matured and grown into the role over these three seasons. Mason Gooding might have moved onto bigger and better things, but he’s still great when he’s on screen in this. Rachel Hilson, Anthony Turpel, and Bebe Wood are all charming as ever too.

Love, Victor definitely struggles to reach its planned ending, trying to cram too much into two few episodes. Still, getting one last chance to spend time with these characters is still pretty delightful for fans.

Love, Victor streams on Hulu beginning June 15.

Rating: 4/5