[Editor: As you can see, I gladly turned this series over to someone who might just get it better than me. Here is Alexandra’s look at Rachel Sennott’s contribution to HBO, already locked in for a second season. Enjoy. ]
HBO is no stranger to female group dynamic shows. Sex and the City and Girls both had their heyday in New York. So it’s time for LA to get a little love. Admittedly, I’ve always kind of found Los Angeles overhyped. I mean, I feel the same way about New York, though, too. I’m a country mouse. Or a suburban mouse, I guess. But I decided to give this one a shot. Mostly because I saw Josh Hutcherson was in it and I can’t resist him. But let’s dive in and see what the first half of the season of I LOVE LA brought us.
Episode #1. “Block Her”
We open the episode with the main character, Maia (show creator Rachel Sennott) doom doomscrolling on her birthday before getting some good birthday sex with her boyfriend Dylan (Josh Hutcherson). The 
earthquake could have spoiled the mood, but she doesn’t let it. The key thing for Maia right now is being brave enough to 1) ask for a promotion and 2) block an old friend from her past. Sometimes, friendships burn up. Sometimes, there’s a blowout fight. Sometimes, you just drift away from people you don’t want in your life anymore. Can Maia be brave enough to drift away? She has her new peeps, Alani (True Whitaker) and Charlie (Jordan Firstman). Does she need the old one?
Turns out she is brave enough to ask for the position, but not qualified enough to get it. You know, that whole job experience schtick? Gotta have like a decade of experience for an entry-level position. She gets pawned off by her boss only to return home to that long-lost bestie, Tallulah (Odessa A’zion). Oof, showing up out of nowhere on her birthday? Maybe you want to see her, but damn, talk about bad timing. Here’s where the show lost me a little bit, and perhaps it’s because I’m an old lady. They came off so fake with each other, and I’m just too old for that. I’m going to be blatantly honest and upfront with people. And these two girls just aren’t.
In the typical way, because they haven’t been honest with each other, some little snafus come up and hurt Maia’s feelings. Eventually, the two of them hash it out and decide maybe they should follow those old plans. Maia could manage Tallulah. Which also feels weird because she’s just an influencer, so it’s weird to me that someone would need a manager for that. I mean, I get it, but still… It’s a weird world we live in.
Episode # 2 “Roger & Munchy”
Maia and Tallulah are out strategizing the plan and how they’re going to build Maia up moving forward. But it gets crashed by a girl named Paulena (Annalisa Cochrane), and she wants her Balenciaga bag back that Tallulah stole. Why is this not at all surprising? Crazy girls be crazy girls.
On her own journey, Alani goes to her father’s movie studio and ends up sitting in on a meeting. She has an official title in that typical nepotism way, though she never engages or does anything at all. Now, Alani is played by Forest Whitaker’s real daughter. But I’m not entirely sure if he owns his own movie studio. I don’t know if she’s meant to be playing herself or if she’s a created character. Regardless, she reveals some wildly inappropriate stories from her youth, leaving everyone slightly disturbed. Then there’s Charlie, who is working as a stylist; currently for Mimi Rush (Ayo Edebiri), but she’s stressing over making a music video with Zendaya. He goes around looking for gossip and tries to sully Zendaya. The Zendaya? Mimi catches wind, and now she wants those pants back.
Meanwhile, Tallulah is crashing at Maia’s place, which is not ideal. Walking in during the couple’s sexy times or Dylan walking in while Tallulah is going to town on herself, it’s awkward. But you know what else is awkward? Paulena is coming over to try and patch things up. Are you serious? Of course, she’s got coke. Of course, she’s essentially blackmailing them to use it. But then, they remember – Roger and Munchy. A bit from college where they can outcrazy the crazy. It works, and Paulena goes walking, but not before hearing the whole truth. She’s got a can of worms and is just begging for a can opener. Tick tock, it’s LIVE o’clock.
Episode # 3. “Girl’s Girl”
Tallulah is supposed to be getting hyped over this TRESemmé brand deal. But instead, she’s getting panic attacks over Paulena’s many, many TikToks about her. Maia is going to fix this. She’s taking charge but also vomiting. Alani, being high on the gummy, was absolutely hysterical and added the perfect level of chaos. But the PR is going to be fine because they’re both crazy. Easy peasy. She said, she said. They want an apology tomorrow morning. Here’s a script. Blah, blah, blah. Standard operating procedure. But Tallulah’s not the only one getting damaged from the videos.
Dylan works at a school, and now there are images of him doing coke on TikTok. That’s very bad. Like very, very bad. Because now the principal is blackmailing him for coke that he can’t get. Well, turns out Maia can fix that, too. She’s such a fixer! Can she help fix Tallulah’s panicking?
She’s out at a nice restaurant, having a very fancy meal. The chef (Moses Ingram) is totally hitting her up. But a bad joke quickly ruins the mood. Can a jar of rice save the day? I hope so. Maia has her fix and wants Tallulah to go on the defensive instead of apologizing. So long, TRESemme deal. A Balenciaga bag might be on the way, but one bauble does not a fortune make. And a bag is not a $20,000 check. And ya girl is broke.
Episode #4 “Upstairses”
Everyone’s going to a party at Elijah Wood’s house. Alani is beside herself with anxiety and excitement. Apparently, they met and hit it off briefly a couple of years ago. It’s an influencer party. I don’t know how this influencer was associated with Elijah. Didn’t seem like they were dating, so I guess she’s borrowing his house or something? Well, of course, a “Don’t go upstairs” sign isn’t going to work. Maia and Alani make their way up and have a weird interaction with Elijah.
His whole bit is absolutely hilarious, and I was cackling watching him go off about germs. Poor lonely Elijah. Can’t even go to parties in his own house. He also suffers from memory problems, and I love hearing someone use the idea of a memory palace. Though now this will be a bad memory. Way to go, getting naked girls. And you left behind your clothes, too.
Then there’s the reason why they’re at the party. Tallulah vibes with the influencer girl Quenlin (Quen Blackwell), and they get to work on some content together. But Quenlin is pushing harder, and Tallulah is trying her best. Take after take after take. Eventually, it seems like there might be a usable run. But once news of Landry being at the party hits, Quenlin would rather do a post with him instead. But not before revealing her massive click farm. What a classic villain move, showing off your evil lair. Is this what people think success is? Is this what kids want to be when they grow up? If so, I fear as a society that we’ve lost the plot.
Landry, or really Lukas (Froy Gutierrez), hits it off chatting with Charlie. So much so, they even leave the party together. Or rather, that’s what Charlie thinks. Turns out Lukas is straight and Catholic, and a country singer, and looking for a stylist for a Vegas residency. Well, what do you think about that? Praise the lord! What’s the over/under on Lukas trying to correct Charlie’s gayness while Charlie is trying to seduce him? I feel like it’s pretty good odds.
But for now, that’s where we leave our LA gang. Some aspects of the culture are definitely over me. I don’t even have TikTok. And while the dialogue certainly isn’t Sorkin, there were several funny moments, and I look forward to seeing what’s ahead next half. Are you?
The following actually slipped in after Episode # 3, but it gives you an idea of what’s ahead.
