I Love LA season 1 episode 2 ending explained: What troubles does Charlie face?

I Love LA season 1 episode 2, the latest installment of the comedy series created by and starring Rachel Sennott, was released on Sunday, November 9, 2025. The series follows Maia, an aspiring talent manager, living with her boyfriend Dylan and their friends in the bustling city of Los Angeles, trying to make their mark in Hollywood. However, Maia’s life gets taken by a storm with the arrival of her best friend Tallulah, an influencer from New York who appoints her as her manager.  

Disclaimer: The following article has spoilers for I Love LA season 1 episode 2. Reader's discretion is advised. 

One of the prominent plotlines of the second episode of I Love LA revolves around Charlie, the stylist for British pop star Mimi Rush. The latter has ideas for a new music video and wants Hollywood star Zendaya to play her mother in it. However, when the actress does not respond to her, Charlie attempts to soothe Mimi by falsely claiming he has heard gossip about Zendaya being a horrible person.

The surprising claim makes Mimi demand proof, and Charlie gets himself in a fix arranging fake evidence in a desperate bid to save himself. He calls Maia for some inside gossip on Zendaya, but she does not pick up the call at first. She later calls him back while he is at the gym, and their conversation becomes public news. 

Meanwhile, Zendaya reaches out to Mimi and agrees to be in her video. An elated Mimi calls Zendaya her new best friend and fires Charlie for lying to her. Later, Charlie also finds himself being stood up by the guy with whom he has been having a fling, leaving him alone in a low moment of his life. 

How do Tallulah and Maia get rid of Paulena?

Bringing back the art of the montage. #ILoveLA pic.twitter.com/9J1DAXMbY9

— HBO Max (@hbomax) November 8, 2025

Episode 2 of I Love LA opens with Tallulah getting confronted in a cafe by Paulena, also an influencer, who accuses her of stealing her Balenciaga bag. While the interaction heats up fast, Tallulah later waves the white flag and invites Paulena to dinner at Maia’s place. Both she and Maia decide to put their best foot forward for the guest, with Dylan preparing the food himself.  

When Paulena arrives, the party gets much louder, and everyone seemingly has a great time. Tallulah opens up about her past ketamine addiction, and explains that it was why he stole the bag in the first place, and was acting like a weirdo in the past. However, the mood shifts as Paulena brings out some coke soon after. As if oblivious to Tallulah’s struggle with addiction, she tries to make everyone join her, even blackmailing Dylan at one point. 

This makes Tallulah and Maia realize that they have to get rid of her, and the only way for them to do so is to outdo her at being crazy. Keeping Dylan out of the loop to make his reaction more believable, Maia stages a jealous meltdown, smashing plates and pretending to spiral on social media. 

The plan works, and Paulena decides to leave the place. She waits at the front door to leave the Balenciaga bag as a peace offering for Tallulah, but at that fateful moment, overhears Maia mocking her necklaces and personality. Furious, Paulena makes up her mind to retaliate by spreading damaging gossip about Tallulah online.

Where to watch I Love LA

New episodes of I Love LA release in the United States on Sundays at 10:30 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.

Viewers who wish to stream the show online need to avail themselves of one of Max’s several subscription tiers on offer to suit their preferences: the plan with ads is priced at $10.99 per month, the Ad-Free plan is priced at $16.99 per month, and the Ultimate Ad-Free plan costs $20.99 per month, offering the highest video and audio quality.

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