10 HBO Max’s Love Life Characters, Ranked By Intelligence

The main premise of HBO Max’s Love Life is that relationships are hard and people will never know when they’re going to meet their soulmate. In season 1, Darby has several false starts before meeting her person Grant, and it’s fascinating watching Marcus and Mia find their way back to each other in season 2. Throughout it all, fans get to know the two intelligent main characters along with their family, friends, and love interests.

Some characters are more mature and perceptive than others, but many of the people in Marcus and Darby’s worlds show how smart they are when doling out advice or living their own lives and also trying to find love.

10 Emily Hexton

While Marcus has some great rom com meet cutes, viewers don’t think that he and Emily are right for each other, and it makes sense when they decide to get divorced.

Fans see a sweeter, more compassionate side of Emily when Marcus learns that she and his best friend Kian have fallen in love in the episode “Yogi & Kian.” Emily also proves her intelligence here as she knows that it’s time for Marcus to move on and that he will find someone else who will be his true soulmate.

9 Kian Parsa

Marcus’s good friend Kian is another intelligent Love Life character from season 2. He’s smart enough to realize that it might hurt Marcus to learn that he’s not only in a relationship with Emily, but it’s become super serious.

Kian doesn’t feel quite as smart as some others, though, because he can sound like he’s bragging about his career at times. He also seems to have a hard time with Marcus getting divorced, joking about how when he steps into his new apartment, it feels like the divorce has rubbed off on him. Marcus needs more support in this moment.

8 Luke Ducharme

At first, fans don’t think much of Luke, a student who Darby casually dates during her brief time at a boarding school in high school. While he pays attention to Darby during a school break, he totally ignores her once everyone returns to campus.

Luke redeems himself when he and Darby meet up when they’re older in New York City. He admits that he was a jerk and that he can tell that he missed out on something special with Darby. Luke is also smart enough to realize that Darby has a complicated marriage that she has to work through and that nothing can really happen between them.

7 Jim

Jim and Sara have one of the best Love Life relationships and also one of the saddest and most complicated. Jim is a memorable part of season 1 and he’s also one of the most caring and perceptive people in Darby’s life.

While Jim loves his girlfriend Sara, who is also Darby’s long-time best friend, he can tell that her hard partying ways are masking a lot of pain and suffering. He’s also smart enough to realize that their futures are going in different directions and that while he wants to settle down with a house and kids, she’s still a free spirit who loves the city. It’s difficult to let go of a long-term relationship and Jim accepts his fate with maturity and kindness.

6 Augie Jeong

Darby is taken by Augie immediately as he’s a smart political journalist who is passionate about changing the world.

But while Augie knows a lot about the problems in the world, he doesn’t always get relationships right, so he’s not quite as intelligent as some other characters from seasons 1 and 2. Augie also makes the mistake of going on a rant at an important art gallery show that Darby is running, insulting her boss and making things a bit tricky for her. While Augie is kind and compassionate, he’s ultimately not right for Darby.

5 Yogi

Marcus’s friend Yogi is one of the wisest and most mature characters from either season of Love Life.

Yogi makes a lot of jokes about his family life, but he truly loves his partner and children and knows that once someone becomes a parent, their life changes forever. Yogi often seems like he has much more life experience than anyone around him and when he goes camping with his friends, he relishes the chance to get away and have some fun, knowing that it’s important to be responsible the rest of the time.

4 Marcus Watkins

HBO shows have well-written characters and Marcus stands out. The protagonist of Love Life‘s season 2 is a brilliant book editor who ultimately realizes that he’s capable of love, having a family, and becoming an author.

For much of the season, Marcus is confused by the turns that his romantic life have taken, and he can’t get Mia out of his head. Marcus might not always make the best decisions, but he’s smart enough to realize when he’s making mistakes, which is a big deal.

3 Darby Carter

Darby shows her intelligence the most during two different difficult times in her life: when she divorces Magnus and when she becomes a parent. Darby can tell that things with Magnus have gone from bad to worse and that it’s become a toxic marriage that has no hope for the future, and she also throws herself into motherhood while still balancing her art world career.

By the end of season 1, Darby has fallen in love with Grant and realized that she’s got all the tools that she needs to take care of herself and have a happy, balanced life. It’s emotional seeing how much Darby has learned about herself and it’s smart that she knows when to get out of a bad situation and make her life better.

2 Mia Hines

Mia is one of Love Life’s best characters and she fascinates Marcus from the moment that they meet at Magnus and Darby’s wedding. While Mia goes through a tough time, she works on herself and realizes that she wants to be with Marcus more than anything else.

Mia admits to Marcus that she made the mistake of sleeping with someone else because she was upset about her dad not giving her the love and attention that she deserves, and she realizes that she’s ready to start a life with him. It’s sweet and moving watching Mia balance work and motherhood, and she’s always got smart advice ready for Marcus, like when she tells him that he needs to write a book.

1 Ida Watkins

Marcus’s sister Ida is definitely the most intelligent person on Love Life. She’s funny, kind, mature, and a great sister and daughter. She doesn’t pretend to be someone who she isn’t and just wants the best for Marcus.

Whether Ida is giving Marcus life advice in her signature sarcastic style, or getting married during the COVID-19 pandemic in a small ceremony, she’s always loyal, responsible, and there for the people who matter.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1757 Articles Published)

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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