The first season of Amazon Prime’s romantic comedy With Love captured the essence of a perfect romance, with its unconventional portrayals and the characters’ fight for love, but the second season devolved into a generic family drama that lacked the charm and depth of its predecessor. In the first season, Santiago, an introverted guy, and Lily, a vibrant spirit with high expectations, formed a perfect couple. They faced numerous challenges and obstacles in their relationship, but their love endured. As time went on though, they began to realize just how different they were from each other. Despite their divergent aspirations in life, they attempted to reconcile and make their relationship work. But the question remains: How would the relationship between Santiago and Lily ultimately unfold?
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Santi And Lily Break Up Again?
After reuniting with Santiago, Lily felt a sense of relief and contentment in their relationship. However, she found herself without a stable place to stay. She had been working as a salesgirl at a makeup cosmetics store and living in her brother’s apartment. But as her brother Jorge and his partner Henry were spending most of their time together, and their roommate Nick had introduced a new person into his life, the apartment became increasingly congested. Jorge eventually asked Lily to move out and suggested that she stay at their parents’ place. However, Lily found it incredibly challenging to coexist with her parents, who had a very overly active sex life. While Lily hoped to get married soon, she couldn’t be certain if Santiago was on the same page with her.
On Christmas night, an incident occurred when Mrs. Delgado found an engagement ring that had fallen out of a coat. Lily immediately assumed it was Santiago’s coat and concluded that he was going to propose to her. However, her assumption turned out to be incorrect. Instead of proposing marriage, he asked her to move in with him again. This revelation broke Lily’s heart once again, and she insisted that Santiago provide her with clarity regarding his true intentions about marriage. Santiago declared that he hated marriage and would always feel that way. Both of them were more focused on their ideals rather than prioritizing each other’s presence in their lives. As a result, they parted ways once again.
Who Was Planning To Propose On Christmas Night?
While Lily experienced heartbreak and shattered dreams, her brother turned out to be the luckiest member of their family. It was revealed that the engagement ring actually belonged to Henry, who had been planning to propose to Jorge Jr. for a long time. With the blessing of Jorge’s parents, Henry finally gathered the courage to propose, presenting the ring in a grand gesture. They became engaged, and Jorge Jr. and Henry’s love story took center stage. However, planning and executing a grand wedding proved to be a challenging task. They encountered difficulties in finding the perfect wedding cake and had occasional disagreements over their respective traditions. Yet, they always managed to find a mutual understanding and resolve their differences. Despite an incident at the bachelor party where Henry adopted a new persona named Hank after consuming too much tequila, Jorge Jr. was able to calm him down.
In every aspect, Jorge Jr. and Henry were a powerful couple who couldn’t imagine their lives without each other. After going through all the planning, parties, and various challenges, they finally tied the knot and vowed to spend their lives together. Their love story culminated in a beautiful wedding celebration.
Sol, in contrast to their cousins Jorge and Lily, was a practical and realistic individual who didn’t quite buy the notion of a fairy tale romance. They understood the complexities and advantages of being in an adult relationship. While Murphy didn’t have strong feelings for or against marriage, he always respected Sol’s opinions and desires. Sol, on the other hand, made it clear that they were content with their relationship as it was. However, some challenges arose in their relationship concerning Murphy’s perspective on queerness. As he was no longer dating a woman, he couldn’t simply identify himself as a straight man. Although Murphy initially struggled to grasp this concept, he eventually came to the realization that if loving and being with Sol made him a queer person, then so be it. Sol and Murphy’s relationship thrived, and they found happiness together.
Who Did Lily End Up With?
Having lost faith in love and her previous relationship, Lily decided to become more independent and self-reliant, but she also failed at this. Despite her efforts, she struggled to find a suitable house while working at the makeup company, where she couldn’t even secure a raise. Living at her parents’ house became increasingly exhausting for her, pushing Lily to make a seemingly foolish decision that she was content with. During Jorge’s bachelor party in Las Vegas, Lily developed a strong bond with Nick, whom she considered her best friend. She felt comfortable and free to be herself around him. However, Nick had developed strong romantic feelings for Lily, which he finally confessed to her, seeking closure. Realizing that she needed to be with someone who could provide her with security, Lily asked Nick to be in a relationship with her. Nick eagerly agreed, but he was repeatedly heartbroken when he witnessed Lily running into Santiago multiple times. Lily, however, was in denial and sought solace with Nick as living with her parents and being single was difficult for her to handle. She believed that with Santiago, her dreams wouldn’t come true.
While Lily’s dream was solely focused on becoming a wife, her brother Jorge wanted more for her. He wanted her to be self-sufficient and independent rather than being with just any guy. However, Lily didn’t possess high self-esteem and felt more comfortable being with someone who adored and pampered her rather than being alone. Throughout the series, I personally felt disappointed in Lily’s character, as she was portrayed as a stereotypical girl with no drive to establish herself. The series missed an opportunity to portray her as an independent woman pursuing her dreams instead of solely focusing on romantic relationships. Towards the end of the series, Santiago finally changes his mind, realizing that going against the cultural conventions and traditions of marriage would ultimately leave him alone. However, Lily had reached her breaking point with Santiago. Nick, a self-employed and successful individual, became an attractive option for her. Lily couldn’t resist proposing to Nick for marriage. On the wedding day of Jorge and Henry, Lily and Nick made a promise to each other that they would soon become husband and wife. Meanwhile, Santiago, holding an engagement ring, watched them from afar with disappointment and remorse in his eyes.
What Can We Expect From ‘With Love’ Season 3?
The second season of With Love failed to deliver on the promise of a unique and captivating plot, instead resorting to generic dramedy. The constant back-and-forth rebounding between Santi and Lily has become tiresome for viewers, leaving little to no expectations for a third season. It’s predictable that Lily will suddenly realize she loves Santiago more than Nick, only to repeat the cycle again in future seasons. The second season is nothing more than a cliché romantic comedy, setting the stage for even more clichés in the next season. Brace yourself for more overdramatic and nonsensical choices from Lily before she ultimately marries… well, God knows who?