I started watching RTÉ’s ‘Love in Isolation’ and I have some thoughts

Cringey and entertaining, it is everything we thought it’d be but surprisingly light-hearted too.

If you are a Love is Blind fan, chances are you’ll find yourself mildly addicted to RTÉ’s new Love in Isolation.

Let’s be honest, we have all been craving a bit of drama since lockdown started. There’s been no hot goss by the kettle in work or ‘who shifted who’ on nights out and it’s left a bit of a hole, in my life at least.

That is definitely one of the reasons we fell in love with Normal People (that and his ridy-ness Paul Mescal, of course).

So when RTÉ debuted Love in Isolation, I thought I’d give it a chance, and to be honest it’s a bit of a trainwreck in that ‘so cringey I can’t look away’ kind of way.

It’s more like video clips than actual episodes

The first six episodes debuted today and are available to watch on RTÉ Player, but they are a lot shorter than usual episode lengths. They range from about eight to 13 minutes, and while there is still some good content, I feel like I’m not as invested as I could be.

The length is just long enough to pique your interest in the date’s results but not long enough where you’re emotionally rooting for a couple to make it. 

Connection pending

The first episode follows Ciara and Adam. After a cheesy ‘love must go on’ introduction (which to be fair does prepare you for the cringe to come), Ciara and Adam both say a bit about themselves to the camera (what they are looking for, where they are from, etc.)

Then we watch the date unfold in all its awkward glory, full of glitchy sound, missed communication and nervous chatter. It goes exactly how you’d think a virtual first date would go, until the couple-to-be is faced with a challenge.

Date challenge

After each one gets to know each other, a date challenge pops up on the lovebirds’ screens. This could be anything from doing a dance routine to revealing your secret passion, but for Ciara and Adam it was a solo tango dance to very passionate music.

Both are great sports and tango their hearts out. After the date, each decides if they want to meet up again after lockdown and must wait to see the other’s answer on screen. If it’s a yes, they both pop up on video happy as can be, but if it’s a no, the other’s screen goes black (and it’s extremely uncomfortable for the rejected party).

Legends Paul and Joanne 

I have to say that episode two is my favourite so far. It’s five minutes longer than the first and you really get to know the hopeful couple more. A quirky match destined for love, Kildare man Paul is known as Irish Jesus from a viral YouTube video that shows him dancing as Jesus, naturally, and Joanne has an entire wall dedicated to her My Little Pony collection.

It wasn’t until this episode that I found myself cracking up at each one’s bold disregard for seeming ‘cool’ and I started rooting for them to last. 

Does the trick

Overall, I have to admit that while the idea of the show didn’t draw me, when I actually started watching it, I found myself clicking for the next episode without hesitation. The awkward meet-and-greets made me feel like I wasn’t the only one dealing with a lack of comfortable socialisation right now, and it was really entertaining.

While I wish the episodes were longer, they are short enough to watch while chilling on the couch or if you need a Tik Tok break. The quality isn’t fantastic but it does the trick, providing a bit of drama that’s so bad, it’s good.

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