Recap: Victor Finds Community in ‘Love, Victor’ Episode 8: “Boys’ Trip”

Julia
15 Min Read
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Every episode of Love, Victor up to this point has been full of ups and downs, a mixture of sweet, hilarious, and tear-jerking moments. This next episode, though, is a special one. Victor finally finds a safe space to start accepting himself, and familiar faces make a return. Isabel also begins her lessons, and Mia, Lake, Felix, and Andrew endure detention. Read on to find out what happens in “Boys’ Trip.”

Victor packs for New York with a renewed spirit, thanking Simon for his last message because it was just what he needed to hear. He tells Simon that if there’s a place where there are people like him, he needs to be there. He finishes packing and heads to the kitchen where his family is already at the table eating breakfast. When they question where Victor plans on going, he says it’s for a basketball trip he told his parents about. Neither Isabel nor Armando remember (which is to be expected when a fake trip is involved), but Victor manages to sneak a permission slip out that was “lost.” Armando signs it, and Victor is on his way.

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Felix, Lake, and Andrew are in class, Mia following shortly after, frustrated with Victor cancelling plans under the guise of a trip with his dad. Their teacher, Ms. Thomas, comes in, angry about her boyfriend (Omar) breaking up with her. Andrew says he made a mistake leaving her, and Mia texts him about flirting with anyone. This prompts a text chain between the group: Andrew responding to Mia, who gets a text from Lake that was meant for Felix, who feels left out and texts all three. The buzzing from their phones gets Ms. Thomas’ attention and she sentences them to Saturday detention.

The remaining Salazars play Monopoly, and Isabel gets excited when she books her first piano lesson. She asks Pilar to shop for new clothes with her. Pilar rejects until Isabel says she can buy something. Pilar asks to get her cartilage pierced, and Isabel agrees. After Pilar drags Adrian off to help her decide on a style, Armando warns Isabel she’s playing with fire.

Victor arrives in the Big Apple, but he reads a message from Simon saying he’ll be out of town while Victor is in New York. In his place, Simon sends Bram (ah!) to pick up Victor from the bus stop. Bram greets Victor by kissing him on the cheek, which makes Victor nervous. Bram tells him not to worry, because no one really cares in New York.

Lake and Felix are in the hall kissing before detention. Lake pulls away because she’s worried someone will catch them. She starts to head to their meeting spot, telling Felix to count to 10,000 before following. Her and Andrew join Mia. Mia notices a hickey on Lake’s neck, but she tries to cover by saying she burned herself with a curling iron (but her straight hair says otherwise). Ms. Thomas arrives, shouting on the phone with Omar. She hangs up and asks about Felix, who comes rushing in. They break into pairs, Mia with Felix and Lake with Andrew. The latter get cleaning supplies, and Mia watches them carefully, looking a little jealous.

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Bram takes Victor to his Brooklyn apartment and introduces him to the roommates: Justin, Ivy, and Kim. After the introductions, they ask Victor “what’s [his] deal.” He tells them he’s Bram and Simon’s pre-frosh and is visiting to check out NYU for basketball, much to the skepticism and confusion of everyone in the room. Still, they welcome Victor with open arms. They invite him to a drag show at a bar called Messy Boots, but Victor says no. Bram pulls Victor into his room, asking why Victor wasn’t upfront with the rest of them. Victor says it’s because he just met them. He isn’t ready to open up. Bram tells him it’s okay and wants to show him something.

Isabel is at the tattoo & piercing shop waiting for Pilar, who comes out with her cartilage newly pierced. She’s happy and Isabel is excited for her, not noticing that Pilar isn’t actually talking about the piercing. When the woman who pierced Pilar’s ear sets up at the register, she mentions two piercings. Isabel is confused and asks Pilar about it, and she reveals a tongue piercing.

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Bram brings Victor to a basketball court where a game is already in progress. He says he wanted to “butch it up” after Victor is overwhelmed by everything else being overtly gay. They join in, both focused on playing the game and having a great time. Afterwards, Victor sees a text from Mia and ignores it. Bram joins him on the bench and Victor mentions how great the other guys were, Bram agreeing. He tells Victor one of them was in the NBA and was the first openly gay player. The information shocks Victor, and Bram tells him everyone they just played with is gay. He drops some advice on Victor, saying that there isn’t one way to be gay, and Victor can’t be afraid to be gay. Bram reinforces the welcoming spirit of his roommates and says Victor should let them in.

Back at Creekwood, Mia spies on Andrew and Lake while she scrubs marker off a wall. Felix points out a comment insulting another student, but Mia interrupts him by asking if he knew about Andrew and Lake. He doesn’t (of course) and gets upset. He goes over to them and switches with Andrew. He asks Lake about what Mia said, and she tells him Mia saw the hickey and assumed Andrew was the one who did it. Felix says he doesn’t want to mess anything up, but he’s worried Lake is embarrassed to be with him. She makes a joke about being “medium” embarrassed and still wants to secretly be with Felix. He doesn’t find it funny and walks away.

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Bram and Victor return to the apartment, the rest getting ready for the show later. Victor asks Justin why gay people like to wear drag, and if it’s something about becoming a character. Justin shows Victor a photo of him from three years ago, dressed in bland clothing and looking immensely unhappy. He tells Victor dressing like that was a dark time in his life and that was being a character. Now, he’s finally able to be himself. Victor decides to open up. He admits he’s worried about how his parents will react if he comes out. Justin pulls him into a hug and the rest join in.

Armando and Isabel talk about Pilar’s tongue piercing. Armando has an “I told you so” moment, but Isabel defends herself by saying she wanted Pilar to like her again. Armando counters by saying she does, but this doesn’t quell Isabel’s frustration. She’s frustrated Pilar channels her anger towards Isabel and the affair, but still doesn’t know what Armando did.

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Felix lies across a bench thinking about what Lake said when Andrew comes up to him. Felix attempts to insult Andrew (by calling him a “super tall giant”) but it only confuses him. Felix vents about how the nickname Andrew invented for Felix (that’s based off a lie) turned Felix into a joke, keeping away any prospect he would’ve had at finding a girlfriend. Andrew claims he just does it because it makes people laugh. Felix calls him out by saying people only laugh to avoid becoming the next joke. Meanwhile in a classroom, Lake tells Mia she’s not with Andrew, noting Mia’s jealousy. Mia confesses Andrew kissed her at the fundraiser and that her first time was with Andrew, not another camp counselor. Lake then tells Mia she’s been seeing Felix. Mia approves, happy Lake has a sweet, cute guy, and Lake agrees.

Victor, Bram, Kim, Ivy, and Justin make it to Messy Boots. Victor is a little shy but also happy and mesmerized by the atmosphere, still in awe that all-gay spaces exist. As they get a drink (non-alcoholic for Victor, of course), another guy tries to flirt with Victor, who doesn’t pick up on it. The rest of them laugh, Bram saying that will happen a lot, but then, Ivy brings up Benji and the mood immediately changes. Victor asks if Simon has been sharing their messages, already knowing the answer. Feeling betrayed, he leaves the bar.

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Mia has shifted to another spot in the school, now cleaning more graffiti off a wall when Andrew joins her. They watch Ms. Thomas, Mia wondering if they’re still in detention because she doesn’t want to go home. Andrew asks if he’s a nice guy and if her and other people know it. She tells him he is deep down, but no one will care if he doesn’t show it on the surface, too. Lake goes to sit with Felix on the stairs. She apologizes about her comment, and though she doesn’t want everyone to know about them, she did tell Mia, and Felix perks up. A few moments later, Ms. Thomas summons all of them. She says Omar is taking her back and detention is over. As they leave, Andrew lags behind to write something on the wall. Felix notices but doesn’t say anything. When Andrew walks away, he goes to read it, finding a comment rescinding the nickname and rumor Andrew started. Later on, the four grab a bite to eat. Mia tries to call Victor, but he doesn’t answer.

In her room, Pilar ices her tongue when Armando comes in to check on her. He asks if she’s doing alright, bringing up the anger she’s had since moving and learning about the affair. He tells her she needs to forgive Isabel, because even though she made a mistake (that she feels awful about), she’s still her mother. Pilar asks if Armando forgave her yet. He responds with “Of course,” but the answer doesn’t seem entirely true. Later that night, Pilar sits with Isabel on the couch, resting her head on Isabel’s shoulder.

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Victor stands outside Messy Boots getting some fresh air. Someone calls his name, and he turns to see Simon walking towards him (and yes, I did scream in excitement, thank you very much). Simon hugs him, telling Victor he felt bad for not being in New York, so he left the bachelor party. Victor isn’t so thrilled, though, venting his anger and feeling of betrayal to Simon. Simon tells him he did it because each of his friends could relate to parts of Victor’s story that Simon couldn’t. The entire time they were listening, helping, and cheering for him, even if Victor didn’t know. He asks why they would want to help him; they don’t know him. Simon says it’s because being who they are makes them family, and Victor is part of it. Unsure of how to respond, Victor makes a joke about how cold New York is, and Simon gives Victor his jacket, to keep.

They go back into the club, everyone happy and enjoying themselves again. Victor notices the guy from earlier looking at him. He gives a flirtatious nod to Victor, who smiles and nods back. The drag show begins with Katya. She greets the crowd and then brings Victor on stage with her, asking about his night. Victor looks through the crowd to see Ivy, Kim, Justin, Bram, and Simon looking at him, proud. He tells Katya, “It’s been the best night of my life.”

Love, Victor is now streaming on Hulu.

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By Julia
Julia is a writer/editor/content assistant for Nerds who joined the team in 2019.
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