Okay, after my take on a certain couple in Season 2 of Love is Blind turned out to be just off (I'm a mug, innit?), I said I wasn't going to do this anymore. I was going to watch Netflix's dating reality TV shows and just keep my opinions to myself.
But, I need to introduce my current obsession to everyone.
If you're a romantic (and you weirdly enjoy seeing people in emotional pain, more on that later), you should check out Is She The Wolf?
Is She The Wolf? throws five girls and five guys who are looking for love together to see if any connections will form, but among the girls is at least one wolf who is not allowed to fall in love. This means that if she does form a connection, when he declares his feelings for her at the finale, she cannot reciprocate them and must walk away, leaving him potentially blindsided and heartbroken. **Spoilers ahead**
I went into this thinking it'll be a fun few episodes of me trying to guess who the wolf is (kind of like The Mole, which I also really liked), and enjoying the messiness a premise like this is bound to bring. Instead, what I got was 12 episodes that pulled at my heart because of the seemingly genuine care the cast mates had for each other... and because these people told us who the wolf was in the first episode! So, instead of a fun game of guess who, we are watching this girl go through a major rollercoaster of emotions. #JusticeforJulie (and #JusticeforGabby too while we're at it, cos what?!)
The cast mates only see each other a few times a month for about three months, so they all have the sense that they have a limited amount of time to spend with each other. Because of this, we see 'treat each moment like it's your last' on full display, and it's honestly such a lesson, especially for people like me who don't share that easily. It's so fun to see people be like, "I think you're cool and I know you might not like me, but since we've got this time, do you want to hang out with me?" and have others be like why not? They all seemed to have decided to respect each other's feelings and make the most of their time together, no matter how much that hurt some of them, and that just allowed them to get to know each other without fear or jealousy. It was very refreshing, especially because of how honest they were.
And they were honest.
Blame it on my lack of experience, but it was so strange to see a cast member clearly express to another how they weren't quite completely into them or how they were into the same person, and to see the other respond with not just understanding, but this unwavering-ness; it didn't change the openness (and eagerness) they approached their conversations with. This honesty and understanding from the cast created a safe space for more of it, which in turn removed any 'backstabbing' and left them with genuinely wholesome relationships and friendships. Again, it was refreshing to see, and something I want to hold on to in my own life.
I want to take the time here to shoutout my girl, Julie, who we discover is "at least one" wolf in the first episode. Please, is it not evil to tell someone they cannot fall in love and then watch them pine after someone they desperately want but can *apparently* never have? (Also, what's up with the show's contracts? I expected that people would just wait for the show to end and then hit each other up, but the way they were moving, you'd think they would never see each other again). I felt for Julie in every moment of hope, sadness and joy; and there were many moments I wanted to tell her to stand up!... but girl, I was right there on the floor with her.
Ya.
The whole thing felt like a romcom, complete with all the tropes: love triangles, unrequited love, grand gestures, overdramatic stakes, and the whole "I'm staying away from them because I care" storyline; which honestly made me a little worried that my favourite couples were just acting, but I wouldn't be a hopeless romantic if I didn't eat it up, would I? The show was also very much a giant ad for Japan, seeing as it was released worldwide through Netflix. The cast mates' activities included visiting and photographing various scenic locations all over the country; photographs which my internet stalking led me to know will be on display at an exhibition in just a few days. And yes, the ad worked, Japan is now on my bucket list.
Seriously, Is She The Wolf? called me single in 3 different languages (that last episode is the most beautiful episode of reality TV I have ever seen), but I think it's such a great portrayal of what creating healthy relationships is like. And look! This BTS fan is only just mentioning that 90% of the show's soundtrack is from my Bangtan boys.
Now please, for the love of everything good, let Julie be with her man!
Is She The Wolf? is streaming on Netflix.