HBO’s Dark Comedy Made for Love Just Got Darker and Funnier

HBO’s Dark Comedy Made for Love Just Got Darker and Funnier

When we saw the first trailer for HBO Max’s upcoming series Made for Love, we learned it was about Hazel (Cristina Miloti) trying to escape her relationship with a possessive tech billionaire (Billy Magnussen), only to discover he’d put a chip in her head that allowed him to track not just her location, but what she’s seeing and feeling. Now it turns out things are even more complicated than that.

There are hints that Hazel may have willingly put the “Made for Love” chip in her head, since she and her rich goon husband Byron make the announcement that they’re “users one” to a crowd together. However, this is preceded by a very unsettling scene where Hazel passes out, and a bevy of Byron’s scientists emerge to implant the chip…or something worse?

[referenced id=”1677378″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2021/03/made-for-love-shows-breaking-up-with-a-possessive-tech-billionaire-is-hard-to-do/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/05/hj7ljb3u0zvvwxx1hqe1-300×169.jpg” title=”Made for Love Shows Breaking Up With a Possessive Tech Billionaire Is Hard to Do” excerpt=”Especially when he plants a chip in your head, without your knowledge or consent, which allows him to track you (and seemingly a lot more) after you try to escape your loveless, 10-year marriage and go on the run.”]

Also on the dark side of things, Byron believes this chip and his connection with Hazel can make them a “singular” god, which makes him sound like he’s not just a needy, stalker-y arsehole but a straight-up supervillain.

This is some disturbing stuff, but Made for Love mitigates some of its very creepy vibes with a few gags. The reveal that Hazel’s father (Ray Romano) seems to be in a very committed relationship with a sex doll, and Hazel’s inability to not rate an orgasm (I can’t explain it better than that, please watch the trailer), are the kinds of absurdities among the sinister tone the trailer takes that, for some reason, delight me to the core of my being. Overall, this trailer just makes me more excited to watch this series, although it definitely could have used more of Ray Romano’s haunting cover of “Crazy in Love.”

The series, based on the book of the same name by Alissa Nutting, will premiere on Stan on April 1 in Australia, and also stars Dan Bakkedahl, Noma Dumezweni, Augusto Aguilera, and Caleb Foote.