Hulu's Love, Victor debuted this summer and was greeted with positive reviews akin to the film it was based on: Love, Simon. Both stories are set in the same world, with the events of Love, Victor taking place after Love, Simon's titular lead has graduated from high school. Victor, on the other hand, is a freshman at the same school and is facing similar predicaments, leading him to reach out to Simon for advice.
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Both the movie and the Hulu series tell coming-of-age stories that center around LGBTQ+ characters, but each of them handles certain facets of high school -- and coming out -- better than the other. Here are five things Love, Victor does better than its predecessor (and five that Love, Simon accomplishes more successfully).
10 Love, Victor: Discovery Of One's Sexuality
Unlike the movie it was inspired by, Love, Victor is more a story about discovering one's sexuality than proclaiming it (at least during season one, anyway). In fact, when the series opens, Victor doesn't seem entirely sure whether he likes girls, guys, or both -- and he spends most of the first season with a girlfriend, all while slowly coming to terms with the fact that he may be more attracted to Benji.
There's no "right away" to handle a coming-out story, since every experience is different, but Victor's tale is one that will prove more relatable to viewers who discovered their sexuality over time -- unlike Simon, who knew he was gay but struggled to tell people.
9 Love, Simon: Coming Out To Loved Ones
Where Love, Victor excels at portraying what it's like to slowly come to terms with one’s sexuality, Love, Simon explores how frustrating it is to know where you stand but be too afraid to tell people. It's true that the Hulu spin-off delves into this a bit toward the end, but Simon's situation puts this experience front and center.
On top of that, Simon’s story adds in bullying and blackmailing, highlighting some of the obstacles teenagers may face coming out in high school. Simon’s story is one viewers have seen before, but that’s because the challenges he faces are relatable for many LGBTQ+ teens.
8 Love, Victor: Suspense
The fact that Love, Victor ends on a cliffhanger of sorts tells viewers one important thing about the series: It builds on the suspense of fans knowing what’s coming but not knowing how each situation will play out — and it does a fabulous job of tugging on viewers’ heartstrings in this way.
Love, Victor may not have a central “mystery” in the same way Love, Simon does, but its emotional stakes feel higher. What will happen when Mia realizes that Victor isn’t into her the way he’s into Benji? What will Pilar do with the partial information that Victor is talking to someone else? What happens when Victor shows up to visit Simon and he’s not there? These are the sorts of questions that keep fans engaged with Love, Victor, and consequently, they keep them clicking to the next episode — even with an idea of where the story is headed.
7 Love, Simon: Mystery
Part of the fun of watching Love, Simon is trying to figure out who he's been talking to and crushing on all this time. Anyone who has seen the film knows it opens with Simon building a relationship with an anonymous classmate on the internet -- and he spends much of the movie speculating on which of his classmates might be the mysterious "Blue."
While this mystery may not play out in a Sherlock Holmes sort of way, it does add a fun layer to Simon’s story that keeps viewers on their toes. (And it gives them a revelation to look forward to at the end!)
6 Love, Victor: Friendship
Simon may have a more relatable story when it comes to working up the courage to come out, but that doesn't mean his friends' reactions are what they should be. For a group that's as close-knit and accepting as the one we meet in Love, Simon, it's pretty disappointing that Simon's friends more or less shun him after discovering out what's been going on.
Love, Victor does a much better job of painting a picture of how coming out should be -- well, in terms of loved ones' reactions, anyway. While we never get to see Victor's family respond to his declaration that he's into guys, we do see Felix take in the news. And his reaction is heartwarming and supportive and all-around perfect.
5 Love, Simon: Bullying
As difficult as it is to watch Simon go through being blackmailed by Martin over the course of Love, Simon, it addresses the very real problem of bullying in high school.
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The important thing is that the film doesn’t normalize Martin’s bullying and blackmailing, but rather seeks to highlight it as a problem — one teens like Simon shouldn’t need to face.
4 Love, Victor: Side Characters
In addition to being better friends than the ones we meet in Love, Simon, Victor's classmates are also just better supporting characters overall. Try to remember the major players from Love, Simon months after seeing the film and you'll likely find it's difficult. The cast of Love, Victor, on the other hand, is a memorable one -- and that's because they each have their own stories unraveling side by side with Victor's.
This is the benefit of having a long-form storytelling format to work with, and it's why so many fans are looking forward to a second season of this Hulu show.
3 Love, Simon: The Emails
Bringing the epistolary format to the big screen is no easy feat, but Love, Simon pulls it off. The book tells Simon’s story partially through his exchanges with Blue, and the movie manages to convey that with clarity and ease.
Not only is it impressive that the movie pulls this off well, but it does give the film another layer to enjoy, breaking up the drama from time to time with Simon’s emails.
2 Love, Victor: Creating Something New
What’s great about Love, Victor is that it’s an entirely original story — meaning it can take the characters in any direction it wants going forward. Fans don’t have pre-set expectations, which means it’ll be harder to disappoint them.
On top of that, with no source material, the show can keep things going and keep finding ways to surprise fans. (And you know viewers will happily take more content.)
1 Love, Simon: Adapting A Story
Faithful book-to-film adaptations are hard to come by, so it’s always a pleasure to find one that’s genuinely satisfying. Thankfully, Love, Simon not only remains true to Becky Albertalli’s novel, but it captures the heart of the story.
A quirky, heartfelt coming-out story could have fallen flat on the big screen, but this movie brings everything fans love about the book to life.
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