Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...
Sabi's love life, actually even their regular life is still difficult and complicated. Their Asian friend who had an accident last season is now recovering from coma and Sabi is still helping with nanny duties. The woman only has vague memories of her past life which creates interesting dynamics between her and her husband. While Sabi's mother has more or less accepted and come to terms with Sabi's gender identity, the father now comes into picture still referring to himself and Sabi as “father and son.” There are plenty of scenes where we do see a bone of contention between what the father wants and what Sabi expects, leading to actually a very very emotional finale episode. There is also a parallel track of the bar being closed down where Sabi used to work as a bartender. Because of financial issues, the bar is now closing which issues Sabi and their friend 7ven. The bar owners son Wolf, a very handsome, young and an intelligent man comes into the picture. Together the trio decide to rebrand the bar space in to a mix of art and culture and club for queer folks and the show also shows them navigating through finding financial support for it.
The writing, just like season 1 is smart and fast-paced, with enough room for the characters to breathe and develop. But what makes Sort Of stand out is how the concept of family – both given and chosen – serves as a through line. The dysfunctional yet sustaining relationships make for a wonderful watch. For example the interactions between Sabi and the father. Sabi doesn’t always correct him when he misgenders them. But what they want is for their father to love the person they really are—which necessitates honest self-presentation and harder conversations. The storyline of Asian woman Bessy and her husband Paul becomes a little more complicated this season. She realizes she is queer and probably wants to not be with Paul and all this causes confusion in the kids too. And like Sabi's father, Paul discovers what it feels like to be an outsider in your own family—an experience with which Sabi is already intimately familiar. 7ven keeps the laughs going but we do see their interesting relationship with her mother, a very popular and influential woman in the art scene. And finally let's talk about Wolf, the damn so cute and hot boy of the bar owner who comes in to support Sabi and 7ven to open and manage this new space. My favorite scene f the whole season is the 3-4 minute interaction between Sabi, Wolf and Sabi's mother. The kind of chatter that happens in that scene is simply superb and my reaction to Wolf's emotional intelligence was almost like the mother. The show gives breathing space to each and every character with Sabi still being the center of it all.
Season Two is vastly more complex, nuanced and, at the same time mundane trying to cram too much into its limited time. But I am not complaining. With its sharp and witty dialogues, it does a great balance between comedy and tragedy and just life in general. It’s about as close to universal as sentiments about interpersonal relationships get (especially if you know or are a part of immigrant family). The show is very relatable. In some way, shape or form, we all have been a part of dysfunctional families, friendships, of love and heartbreak, of small successes and huge failures. I highly recommend the show, I think I enjoyed this even more than season 1 especially because these characters now are familiar and I understand how much messed up they all are; just like we all are in real life. You may not related with everything unfolding on your screen, but it's all very human and real and normal for some. Season 3 is already being telecast and I cant wait to watch that soon. (7.5/10)
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