Friendships and relationships are a vital part of every TV show, and it's no different with The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max. Mindy Kaling has created complex characters for th hit coming-of-age series, and it makes sense that their relationships and interactions would be complex as well.
The prevailing emphasis on those is on strong female friendships and relationships along with some equally complex romantic relationships that a show happening in a college setting cannot avoid completely. There are some that fans are especially excited to see more of in season 2 since they have great potential to develop even further.
Canaan And Whitney
Canaan is one of the least problematic characters on the show and fans love him with Whitney. He's seemingly down-to-earth and fun to be around, but without some of the more toxic traits of college boys (like Nico for example). Though his relationship with Whitney starts with a one-night-stand, they soon discover they like hanging out and she fits in with his friends easily.
Despite going through a rocky period in season 1 where Whitney is dealing with stuff and shuts off emotionally, she apologizes and they're the only couple left on good in the end. These two both deserve a drama-free relationship next season and fans agree it has great potential.
Bela And Evangeline
Speaking of rocky starts, Bela and Evangeline's friendship starts as one of the rockiest after its revealed that Bela unknowingly had a thing with Evangeline's boyfriend. There is definitely animosity between them until Bela gets drunk and begs her to not hate her for a single mistake.
These enemies eventually turn into friends, and Evangeline its to fighting hard to get Bela into The Catullan. There is a clear vibe of women ing women with these two, and with Bela being invited to participate in an all-female comedy paper by Evangeline and Jo, it's exciting to think about their friendship growing stronger in season 2.
Kimberly, Lila, And Canaan
When Kimberly ed the workgroup at Sips, neither Lila nor Canaan was too thrilled about Kimberly. She often commented racist remarks without realizing it and was overall very naive. But a moment of Kimberly defending Canaan publicly when a student treated him horribly changed that, and the friendship slowly evolved from that.
Through the season we got Lila and Canaan giving Kimberly advice on more than one matter and even sharing a portion of their tips with her. This workplace friendship has a lot of potential to develop even more in season 2 because already we saw them hanging out at a party in the season finale, and they might even become another iconic on-screen trio.
Nico And Leighton
The show did not spend a lot of time developing this relationship, but they still gave the audience enough to draw some conclusions. These two obviously care for each other, evident from Nico's worrying about his sister in the beginning and Leighton throwing him a surprise birthday party that she puts a lot of time and effort into.
But they are also not shy about disagreeing, and when Leighton finds out about the fact that Nico slept with Kimberly despite having a girlfriend in Barcelona she confronts him about it and tells him to apologize. This kind of bossy sister behavior is very in line with Leighton's character, but now that she's shared his cheating secret with his girlfriend it will be curious to find where that leaves them in of a sibling relationship.
Whitney And The Female Soccer Team
They might have had a rocky start, but this was one of the friendships the audience has come to root for by the end of the show. In the beginning, showing some possible signs of jealousy, the team captain Jena doesn't like Whitney and makes no attempt to hide it.
Whitney ends up trying to persuade her otherwise and ultimately succeeds and Whitney is accepted as part of the team. By mid-season, the team is bonding and spending time together, but the audience was still racked with nerves when Whitney itted to sleeping with their coach and compromising their chances of having a successful end of the season. The girls all come together in a moment of female solidarity, assuring her it's not her fault as the coach was older and in a position of power. This is one dynamic of the show that fans would love to see more in season 2.
Bela And Eric
Bela and Eric had the enemies-to-lovers kind of vibe, and they aren't even a couple yet. Their relationship starts off with her desperately wanting to the comedy paper and him being the slightly arrogant editor who doesn't see anything special in her.
Their animosity reaches a climax when Bela and Carla accuse Ryan of sexual assault and at first, Eric refuses to believe her. Later he finds her at her dorm and tells her he does believe her and will do something about it, meaning he's had the chance to think about the position she was in. They share a sweet scene in the last episode, hinting at something more possibly developing between them in of romance, and fans are excited to see it.
Kimberly And Nico
Nico and Kimberly have amazing chemistry but in order for their relationship to work Nico would have to accept the consequences of his actions, and Kimberly would have to deal with hers as well. The highly physical relationship they had was also predominantly toxic, as he was cheating on his girlfriend at the time and Kimberly was neglecting her job and her academic career to be with him.
There was a slight moment in the finale where Nico allows Kimberly to steal the tests his frat house used for cheating. In the light of Nico's frat house possibly being abolished due to Kimberly ratting out their cheating habits, it will be fun to watch where that leaves them and if their relationship has a possibility of getting mended or it should stay done.
Leighton And Kimberly
This was a friendship nobody expected to bloom, but come to the end of season 1, it did. Leighton didn't seem to care much about her roommates, but by the last episode, Leighton lent Kimberly a coat, offered to pay for her share of dinner, and even told Kimberly she was a good person.
Struggling with her sexuality, it was a surprise to all when in a moment of weakness, Leighton came out to Kimberly, which makes her the only character aside from Alicia to know that Leighton is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Going forward it will be great to watch if Kimberly s her on this journey and helps her, and vice versa, how Leighton will Kimberly now that her scholarship has been revoked.
Whitney And Her Mom
From day 1, Whitney's relationship with her mom was a rocky one. Despite Senator Chase taking the time out of her busy schedule to come to visit Whitney often, she seemingly doesn't appreciate that and focuses more on the things their relationship is lacking.
As the show progresses the audience can see more of this, eventually reaching a low point when Whitney's mom feels like she failed her daughter because she couldn't trust her. That's the moment where fans can see the broken relationship begin to mend and it would be amazing to see even more of it in season 2. This relationship has tremendous potential for growth going forward.
Leighton And Alicia
Fans were rooting for this LGBTQ+ relationship to work out, but ultimately Leighton and Alicia are just at massively different moments of their lives. They met and fell in love at the wrong time, but maybe losing Alicia was the push Leighton needed to realize it's time for a change.
Coming out is a complicated process and though fans can relate to how Alicia feels about going backward, there is also something to be said about Leighton needing to do this at her own pace. But itting it to Kimberly at the end of the season felt like definite progress and if that's any indicator, they might still have a chance to be happy in season 2.