‘Love, Victor’ Recap: Season 3, Episode 5 “Lucas and Diego”

Julia
8 Min Read
Kelsey McNeal/Hulu

This episode, Victor gets a hit on the dating app and decides to pursue it, finding himself on an unexpected date. Felix and Pilar face a rocky road after Isabel and Armando, and Benji revisits his own bad memories. Read on to find out what happens in “Lucas and Diego.”

Off the Record

The episode opens with Benji’s dad telling him that his record of the Wendy’s incident was expunged. Benji doesn’t seem too thrilled about the news, and his dad assures him it’s good for colleges — and that it means they don’t have to think about “that embarrassing day” anymore. In a flashback, a slightly younger Benji is questioned by his dad about NSFW pictures of men that somehow got uploaded to the family cloud. Benji covers by saying it was Lucy, which relieves his dad, who says that while there’s nothing wrong with being gay, he’s glad his son isn’t. Benji’s mom comes in, and his dad fills her in, laughing, and when he’s in the clear, Benji pulls out a bottle of alcohol.

Victor’s New? Date

Kelsey McNeal/Hulu

During a shift at Brasstown, Victor tries to make small talk with Rahim, who knows Victor is stalling. Victor caves and asks how tutoring with Benji is going. When Andrew, who’s sitting nearby, comments, Victor and Rahim move to a farther table. Victor is frustrated he can’t talk to or hear about Benji, so Andrew comes over and tells him that the best way to get over someone is to “get under someone else,” and Rahim agrees. Victor shows Rahim his dating app profile (which looks very sketchy. Sorry, Victor). While Rahim fixes it for him, Andrew contrives a fake name, Diego (plus a backstory), and offers to let Victor use one of his shirtless ab pics.

During closing, Victor strikes up a conversation with someone named Lucas. When he gets home, Pilar asks for his walkie-talkie so she can talk to Felix and tells him about the birth control. When she leaves, Victor keeps talking with Lucas, who asks to meet at a place called Kooky Judy’s for drag queen bingo. Victor arrives and mistakenly (read: awkwardly) takes someone else for Lucas when who should show up but Benji. After a few moments, Victor realizes Benji is Lucas. They gently tease each other about their profiles before Victor wonders if Benji should be dating. Benji says no, but he wants to forget his problems and thinks it’s okay if Lucas and Diego enjoy themselves.

Not Mad, Just Disappointed

Kelsey McNeal/Hulu

Inside Kooky Judy’s, Victor checks in with Benji, who wants to keep things light. So, they turn on Lucas and Diego when Benji wins the current round of Bingo. He goes up to claim his prize, which is a shot of alcohol. He declines it but feels embarrassed afterwards and asks to leave. On the walk home, Benji flashes back to the day of the Wendy’s incident — drinking, getting in the car, then waking up in the hospital where it’s implied he told his parents he’s gay. A bit later, we see another flashback. Benji is home from the hospital and overhears his parents talking, with his dad upset not only about the accident, but also that Benji is gay.

Victor notices Benji is being quiet and checks in with him. Benji tells Victor about his record getting expunged, bringing up a lot of memories. The conversation leads into rehab. Benji says it was intense but good, and he learned that he harbors a lot of anxiety and drinks to cope. Victor asks what Benji is anxious about and he explains his fear of disappointing everyone no matter what he does. Victor doesn’t think Benji could ever disappoint him, though Benji doesn’t believe it. He continues by wondering if it’s really best for them to be separated. Benji doesn’t know; he’s just listening to what people tell him. He needs to keep his life simple, and him and Victor are anything but.

The Secret’s Out

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Meanwhile, Pilar and Felix face a fuming Armando and Isabel. Armando kicks Felix out before he and Isabel question Pilar about the birth control. She tries to explain that she and Felix aren’t having sex, but they don’t believe her, and Armando confiscates her tech. In her room, she radios Felix. She tells him about the birth control, which sends him into a light spiral. Pilar is frustrated, but Felix thinks Armando’s anger is warranted. He suggests they take a step back.

Later, Pilar sneaks to Felix’s bedroom window wanting to have sex, since she’s in trouble anyway. Felix is hesitant and ultimately decides no because he doesn’t want it to be out of spite, explaining how Isabel and Armando have taken care of him. Pilar says she can feel him pulling away and is worried they will break up. Felix tries to tell her it’s not true, but she leaves.

The Bad Kind of Chaos

Benji’s dad goes to see Victor. He saw them together and says Victor needs to stay away from Benji, claiming that Victor is the reason Benji relapsed, but Victor disagrees. In response, Benji’s dad mentions their relationship and what happened at the wedding. He finishes by saying that if Victor really cares about Benji, he’ll stay away, because all he does is create chaos.

A bit later, Victor goes to check on Pilar. She tells him how Felix needs Isabel and Armando to approve of him more than he needs Pilar. She adds that she knows Victor and Felix are best friends, and Victor will probably take his side, but he assures her that he will always be on hers. When prompted, Victor tells her that he realized he’s bad for Benji.

All episodes of Love, Victor are streaming now on Hulu and Disney+. Find our season 3 review here, our interview with Bebe Wood here, and the rest of our coverage, including recaps, here. Stay tuned for the remainder of our season 3 recaps.

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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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