Speaking of El Rio, there's a scene in which Patrick awkwardly talks to his ex at a urinal in the bar's bathroom, which is presented as a little run-down, but quite spacious (three stalls!). Anyone who has frequented this spot knows all about the pain of holding your bladder for ungodly amounts of time while in line to use the bathroom that only has two urinals and no toilet (that is, unless your strategy is to leave the bar entirely to find a bathroom elsewhere -- which could save at least three hours of your life per year). You might think this is nit-picky, but it's a sensitive topic for grown adults who have almost peed themselves at El Rio (everyone).

There's been a lot of discussion about the way race is portrayed on the show (nutshell: most of the people of color are supporting characters, there are no gay Asians in a city with a huge Asian population and even an Asian mayor, etc.). It's not surprising that a show that deals in meager 25 minute episodes might have trouble fully representing every facet of the gay community, but it is a little unsettling that all the gay men are fit and straight-acting. It's like an Absolut vodka ad. It's hard to accept Patrick nervously trying to cover his chest with a leather vest during Folsom Street Fair when the actor playing him is an Adonis. Sure, some gays are into the gym, but most gays I know aren't jacked and/or immaculately groomed. Watching the show sometimes feels like the Sunday of Pride weekend (the super commercial City Hall part), with the rest of the weekend (Dyke March, Trans March, anything remotely queer) happening somewhere off screen. This treatment brings up a larger issue within the gay community, one that excludes based on body type and discriminates against femininity (masc 4 masc, anyone?).

That said, there's definite promise in Looking. The writers (seven of nine are gay) have done an impressive job in capturing how 20 and 30-something gays talk to each other. I could totally hear one of my friends saying "Instagram filters have ruined everything and I can't tell if this guy is hot or not" or expressing their appreciation for my friendship by singing the Golden Girls theme song or saying "Can we just stay in and watch The View?" And, while the show has its LOL moments (Dom's best gal pal delivers most of these, like when she calls his decision to friend his ex on Facebook "gross" and cautions against a potential slippery slope: "You give them a little inch, they take a mile, then they kill you, then they rob you when you're dead"), its focus is less on comedy and more on the universal pursuit of connection and intimacy.

Frankie J. AlvarezFrankie J. Alvarez

What 'Looking' Gets Right -- And Wrong -- About San Francisco