Looking Recap: The Meat To Be

Three episodes in and Looking is already playing the iffy-commitment card. (And, here I thought the third date was the go-all-the-way date.) Alright, so HBO switched its Sunday programming to Saturday in lieu of the Super Bowl. That's all fine; there will still be men falling on top of each other to watch come Sunday eve. In fact, there will definitely be more man-on-man action at the Super Bowl than Looking, so, uh, pick your poison.

The third time is kind of maybe the charm for this show. Each character feels believable for once. Patrick's still the drunk you avoid at parties, Dom's as disillusioned (and horny) as ever, and Agustín, well, I can't pin him down (no pun intended). He is the only one that seems to genuinely lack a goal. Patrick and Dom have dreams and, slowly but surely, make headway towards 'em. Agustín, however, feels stuck. He and I could not have had the more opposite reaction to losing his job. Sure, the artist he worked for was #drama, but that doesn't warrant leaving on negative terms — especially when said boss has the ability to get his name on a gallery wall.

Oh well, perhaps he's not fully adjusted to a shared domestic life with his boyfriend. His encounter with a proud sex worker lends itself to that idea, however. I don't think we've ever seen Agustín perk up as much as he did when he met an anonymous, well-groomed male escort who charges a sizable hourly rate because of his beard. (Beardizers are real, guys!) I'm hoping the show isn't that transparent to have Agustín try his hand at the business in the future. I'd much rather it stay hovering in the ether like an unread notification bubble from Scruff. Escorting, it seems, is the meat to be.

Or, in Dom's world, that meat is chicken with a side of gymnasium promiscuity. Now, I've heard enough stories about David Barton Gym to know cruising and cardio training go hand in hand, but the gym Dom attends is nothing like I'd expect. Do people casually talk in steam rooms? Is a deadbeat stare and some nether-regions rubbing all that's needed to get a hookup? Hard-hitting questions, I know.

But, while were on that subject, has Patrick always been this self-centered? It's cute to play the "is he or isn't he" game, but this whole storyline with the new (incredibly adorable) boss has danger written all over it. For one, Patrick's ego will likely get in the way of his talent, and, his incessant belief that everyone wants to bed him will be his downfall. It's like he's actively avoiding confronting himself, so he fills his time with work or, as his Internet history would prove, dating sites. (Seriously, why does no one use the Incognito surfing mode?)

This episode may have sold the show for me, though. The pacing was right, the characters made solid developments (and Dom continued to show more skin), and the stories all felt like genuine caricatures of each — something HBO has proven to be a genius at time and time again. It may still be a little unrealized, but it's progressing. Hey, some of the funnest nights take more than just a morning to walk (or sleep) off the haze.