Modern Love “A Second Embrace, with Hearts and Eyes Open,” tells a soft love story grounded in growing apart before growing together. Elizabeth and Van are a divorced couple that have been separated for years. Between them, they have a pair of brilliant girls that felt like they could have their own show with the energy they were giving us as the viewer. Basically, they’ve all found their way back into a semblance of normalcy after the ups and downs of marriage and the disillusion of it.
And we’re introduced to the story of Elizabeth and Van when the former realizes that the latter has changed. And he hasn’t done it for her. He’s done it for himself and for his daughters. And that is honestly all sorts of attractive and then some, especially because he fixed himself without any pressure from those in his life. That shows true growth that will stick and that Elizabeth zooms in on when she hears about the food that his ex-husband is making, something that he clearly didn’t do when they were married.
As the episode progressed we were shown that there is still a spark between these two. It’s not one born of convenience because they have children together. It’s born out of acknowledging that the other isn’t the same person they were before and during their marriage. They’ve grown as people and since they care for each other, it’s easy to slip into old habits. Not bad ones, let’s clarify that. Just old ones that they haven’t revisited in ages and that feels exciting.
That’s not to say that everything is perfect. Elizabeth has basically told herself that what she’s done with Van is just a passing moment. To her, even though she’s lying to herself, everything that they’ve done has an end date. And even though Van doesn’t see it that way, she stood tall in her decision, even when it was detrimental to her, her well-being, and that of her daughters.
It just goes to show you that love is more complicated than you may think, changing the older we get and the more our lives evolve. And if we allow ourselves to be open to the possibility of more in our lives, the bigger the changes will be when they finally arrive. Because there is no end date to growing. It’s a constant thing that some of us accept and some who brush it off. Fortunately “A Second Embrace, with Hearts and Eyes Open” went for the former and ignored the latter.
And what we ultimately ended up with is a soft story about embracing what’s in front of you while being true to yourself and allowing yourself to feel the love you so rightfully deserve. And if that isn’t a perfect way to end season two of Modern Love then I don’t know what is. So, until next time and until we get more of this anthology series that honestly and truly makes us believe in the power of love.
Modern Love season two is available on Amazon Prime Video.
