Love’s second season still has a ton to say about modern dating, but the raw, visceral, gut punch nature of the show’s first year isn’t quite there this time around. Granted, this is to be somewhat suspected after already being familiar with these characters and getting under their skin for a little bit now. It’s still a very strong season that carries the same themes and degree of honesty that were present in its first year; there’s just a little less of a spark now. It’s probably because there are less explosions being set off accordingly. This season—much like a steady relationship—teaches you to take in the quieter moments without losing interest and still staying satisfied.

Love continues to prove this year that it’s still the sort of show that can spend an entire episode simply unpacking an argument and taking the time to properly depict the motions of working it out. This is a show that is entirely satisfied with talking and getting to know characters. You get to learn everything about these people—their go-to snack, what makes them cry during movies, their family tree. Love’s not interested in huge events so much as it is in genuine, honest interactions.

These are characters that you just want to hang out with. It offers up so many moments like sniffing someone’s shirt and savoring tiny pieces of the person that you’re in love with that are so real. This season also gets to shine a lot more light on Mickey’s therapy and support group meetings, which all proves to be rich, powerful material that Gillian Jacobs pulls off exceptionally well.

This season also digs its claws into the painful honesty of Gus and Mickey, who deeply want to be together, but are resisting because they need to better themselves first. These episodes continually juxtapose Mickey and Gus’ lives against one another, illustrating what similar paths they’re leading. Watching them collectively outgrow their friends and start to feel like outsiders when they’re in fact incredibly similar can make for heartbreaking material. The season explores the many trust exercises that relationships put people through, with everyone basically being worried that the dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park of our lives are never going to show up.

There’s something so simple and beautiful about slowing things down, and that’s sort of what this season is all about. It highlights the value in taking in those smaller moments and making a meal out of them. The show continually does a great job at building up to these huge emotional moments and then re-framing them in the next episode, which is so much what relationships and real life are like. Hindsight is everything. The season provides so many glimpses of different sorts of weird, fractured relationships with “No Judgments” basically becoming the mantra for the year. Love excels at keeping it a mystery as to whether every hookup that Mickey and Gus experience is a triumph or a devastating backslide, all of which is pretty powerful. I legitimately wanted to see these two together, but also dreaded their closeness all season, because it’s not what they need.