Varun Patel
There have been few coming-of-age productions that focus on a homosexual protagonist while staying true to the candy-coated optimism of the genre. However, Hulu’s ‘Love, Victor‘ attempts to change that with a vibrant tale centering around its homosexual, titular protagonist.
The show revolves around the “golden boy” of a Colombian family that shifts to Atlanta, Georgia. Victor, a sophomore student in a new school deals with issues related to coming out of the closet in a fun, cheesy way that proves to be joy-filled. The show was earlier slated to be made available on Disney+ but was later shifted to Hulu. However, it still carries the iconic charm and magic of Disney’s productions, something which proves to be its greatest strength.
The character of Victor is essayed by Michael Cimino who stars in ‘Annabelle Comes Home.’ Apart from him, the other cast members include Rachel Naomi Hilson, Anthony Turpel, Bebe Wood, George Sear, and Isabella Ferreira.
Is Love, Victor a Love, Simon Sequel?
Owing to the show’s title, and a homosexual protagonist, several viewers might have wondered whether ‘Love, Victor’ is a sequel to ‘Love, Simon.’ The 2018 movie charmed both, viewers and critics alike with its feel-good nature. ‘Love, Victor’ sports a similar tone as well.
Well, the answer to the question is slightly complicated. ‘Love, Victor’ can be considered to be a sequel to ‘Love, Simon.’ However, it does not follow any of the characters seen in the 2018 movie. Hence, a better term would be “spiritual successor.” To be clearer, ‘Love, Victor’ employs themes that are similar to ‘Love, Simon’ but does not really carry the same story forward. ‘Love, Victor’ begins on a fresh page, but it is set in the same school that ‘Love, Simon’ was set in.
However, Simon is still present in the show. The titular character of ‘Love, Victor’ messages Simon throughout the show as he knows about his story and wishes to chart his own journey of self-journey, self-acceptance, and coming out of the closet. Simon assists Victor throughout the show and even appears in one episode. But, the story is NOT about Simon. It follows Victor from start to finish. Simon is just there to give useful advice to Victor He is shown to have moved to New York anyway.
The reason that the story of ‘Love, Simon’ is not carried forward is that it comes to a fruitful conclusion in the 2018 movie itself. While ‘Love, Victor’ is also about coming out of the closet, the Hulu series’ protagonist faces a different set of challenges, thanks to his more conservative family.
Read More: Best LGBTQ+ Shows on Netflix
