Freeform’s Love in the Time of Corona hits us right in the quarantine feels with four episodes that explore relationships during a global pandemic. Love in the Time of Corona follows four couples as they ride out the lockdown and their struggle to make it in their new reality while feeling their way through hurdles in their relationships.
The couples introduced to us include young married couple James (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Sade (Nicolette Robinson). Best friend roommates Elle (Rainey Qualley) and Oscar (Tommy Dorfman). Separated couple Paul (Gil Bellows) and Sarah (Rya Kihlstedt). And Nanda (L. Scott Caldwell) and her husband who have been together nearly fifty years.
Love in the Time of Corona takes us through the awkwardness and the anxiety of trying to make it through quarantine. It’s a relatable bit of television to watch characters go through the same struggles we did only months before, dealing with the boredom & lethargy of quarantine mixed with the fear of even turning on the news.
Elle and Oscar are an especially relatable couple. As best friends, they keep each other entertained, making TikTok videos and spying on the hot neighbor next door. Tommy Dorfman plays Oscar who previously portrayed Ryan Shaver in 13 Reasons Why and had a small role as Justin in Love, Victor. Both times Dorfman played gay men but this time they have a role a little closer to home. Dorfman plays a non-binary character who’s attracted to both men and women.
Oscar and Elle love each other as friends but during quarantine, a new romantic curiosity starts to grow. After all, what is there to do in quarantine other than get to know your friends a little better? Even if you don’t want to. James and Spade also discover new things about their relationship. As does Nanda and her husband, while Paul and Sarah begin to remember what they once had.
Love in the Time of Corona reminds us that there are possibilities for new things to start. Even when it seems like the world is crashing down around us. We also get to see that life rarely goes as planned. Because one minute you could be planning a trip to Italy. And the next, you’re quarantining with your estranged husband and emotionally volatile daughter.
While it brings back a few painful memories of the lockdown, Love in the Time of Corona is ultimately about hope and love that can’t be stopped – not even by a global pandemic. Look for Love in the Time of Corona beginning on August 22.
