Season two of Love Life opens with an omniscient voice-over that feels like the thesis statement for this season: “There is no destiny. There are no soulmates. There is no 'one.'” It may sound dark, but it’s also realistic. Particularly with a season focusing on a young man going through a divorce. Love is indeed an active choice and it feels, so far, like this season is aiming to remind its audience exactly that.

Here are your five screenwriting takeaways from season two of Love Life.

1. Questionable decisions can be fun.  Marcus (William Jackson Harper) is a character in crisis. Everything he knows about love and marriage is challenged the instant he meets Mia (Jessica Williams). You see, Marcus thought he was in a comfortable marriage. A somewhat distant one, but comfortable. But when the flame of temptation is ignited Marcus makes one bad decision after another. The comedy in a rom-com often stems from impossible relationships, but rarely comes from decisions questionable enough to question your lead’s sanity. That said, it always works better with as much conflict as possible and there’s no better way to create more of it than with a character making bad decisions: Doing Adderall before a date, sleeping with a college student, reconnecting with the girl you used to tutor in high school for a one night stand. A heartbroken Marcus is on a bad decision rampage and it’s fun to see where he will go next. 

2. Rom-Com leading men still feel rare.  Rom-coms are still so often geared towards women it’s rare the market trusts a man to lead one — as refreshing as it is when they do. There’s John Cusack in High Fidelity (and so many more) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer, but it’s the genre that women get to dominate. That said, it still feels refreshing to get a notable male rom-com lead, and William Jackson Harper as Marcus is just that. It feels like new territory to watch a man question why he’s chosen the women to love so far (delving into deeper topics like growing up a Black man with big shoes to fill). Harper also pulls the fine trick of managing to remain charming despite his character’s questionable decisions. It’s easy to root for him to find love after watching him go through the wringer.  

3. Subverting the best friend archetype.  Everyone has seen the best friend in the rom-com who never gets to shine; an archetype who's there just to make jokes or cheer on the protagonist. Of course, this archetype is slowly fading as the industry attempts to avoid negative archetypes on screen. Ida Watkins (Punkie Johnson), Marcus' sister, does a great job of bringing us the unexpected in a best friend. First off, Ida is the opposite of a cheery advice giver. Instead, she’s not the luckiest in love herself, and things get even hairier when she lets a divorced Marcus sleep on her couch. It’s fun to watch a take-no-shit and take-no-prisoners type fulfill the lead role of the best friend here. Also, it’s clear that Ida will get her own arc (even if that arc remains uncertain if it will end up following love).

4. A Strong will they/won’t they.  There’s a large will they/won’t they story engine to this season, which is also a quintessential rom-com story engine in general. It’s clear Marcus and Mia have tons of potential and instant chemistry. It’s less clear if Mia will ever be single or if Marcus will actually allow himself to go all-in without messing things up. 

5. A Clear perspective on love.  No rom-com is complete without stating a clear perspective on love —something the writer and filmmaker truly want to communicate to the audience. With the pain of divorce always lurking in the background of this season, it often feels like the lesson ties back to the opening statement. There is no one person in the universe that’ll make you totally happy, or cure all that ails you. Love always takes work. One just has to be ready to do the work for the other person on the other side of the equation (as much as they do for you, too). 

Final Takeaway: With a unique protagonist, a strong message, and rom-com will they/won’t they driving story, Love Life season two will keep the viewer watching for its relatable moments, even if hearts don’t fully get mended.