Loot, on Apple Plus, stars Maya Rudolph as Molly Wells, the recently-divorced wife of a tech mogul with $87 billion and a lot of free time, so she decides to run the charitable organization she started. So why is it called "Loot"? They're helping people.
I started watching Season 2 because trans actress Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (left) plays Sophia, the head of the organization, a stern, no-nonsense, no-office-parties-while-people are starving in Africa type. And she starts a relationship with architect Isaac (O-T Fagbenle, center).
Left: Fagbenle's bum.
But then I read an article where Rodriguez talks about how it is a relief to play a cisgender character. So no LGBT representation there.
The only actual LGBT character is Nicholas, played by Joel Kim Booster, who is gay in real life. He's swishy and snarky, the "sassy gay assistant" stereotype that GLAAD finds all over the networks: Michael Urie in Ugly Betty and Ron Butler in True Jackson VP spring to mind. Can't have those gay people in positions of authority, can we?
I'm going to review Episode 2.3, "Vengeance Falls," because Nicholas confronts his super-conservative parents. Uh-oh, dude is going to come out.
The two plotlines are not connected at all; they might as well be from two separate series. So I'll go through them separately.
The Sophia/Howard Story
Scene 1: At the office, Sophia asks Howard (Ron Funches) for his powerpoint presentation on the Space for Everyone project, but he barely started; he didn't even finish the word "presentation." As she is criticizing him, everyone's phones ping: Taylor Swift tickets are going on pre-sale for superfans! Sophia claims that her ping is about a flood in Burma, but they don't believe her. Because it's been Myanmar for 36 years?
Scene 2: Howard tells the other workers, Arthur (Nat Faxon) and Ainsley, that Sophia must be a closet Taylor Swift fan. Why would she lie about it? What evil plan has she concocted?
Scene 3: Howard sneakily quotes Taylor Swift lyrics to see if Sofia will out herself as a fan. It doesn't work, so he just asks: "Why are you hiding your fandom?" She denies it.
Scene 4: Time for Howard's very important powerpoint presentation about the housing project. But his presentation is not about housing; it's "Proof that Sofia is a Swiftie." Turns out that Howard is Sofia's cousin, so she can't just fire him.
"Why are you doing this?" Sofia asks.
"To help you be true to yourself." Being a fan of a singer is not exactly on the same level as coming out as trans, buddy.
Sofia insista that she's not a Taylor Swift fan. She's taking a personal day on July 12th, but not to go to the concert: her great-aunt Lucia is having open-heart surgery. She storms off. He's not doing his job. Fire him, cousin or not.
Scene 5: Sofia is at home, when Howard shows up to apologize. Do it at work. I guess they wanted a new set? He was just excited that they might have something in common.
While she is in the kitchen, Howard checks out her vinyl -- Taylor Swift hidden in a Mavin Gaye album. She lives alone -- who's gonna know?
She explains that listening to Taylor Swift makes her feel guilty: there is so much misery in the world, how can she justify enjoying something? He...well, you know how this one turns out.
Molly and Nicholas after the break