Chemistreeeeee
Just Confuses Me
WARNING: Contains spoilers about the most recent Traitors US series. And a niche reference to a Super Furry Animals song.
It’s indefinable but I feel like we all recognise it. Not just when we do or don’t experience it but when we’re asked to believe it onscreen. I recently watched the latest series of Traitors US, and was interested in the mild subplot of the relationship between Rob & Maura, the former Love Islanders who made it to the final as Traitor and Faithful respectively.
They’re both insanely, symmetrically, AI levels of beautiful, even if in Maura’s case, every time she was onscreen I kept thinking “surely this woman needs more skin”. When people are this attractive we seem to have more of a sense of ownership of them. Like they were put on earth to divert us: “MAKE GORGEOUS BABIES PLEASE”. They obviously got on with each other but beyond that? Nah, I didn’t see it. I found myself entirely believing them when they insisted they were just friends, however much the narrative was pushed. There was some very basic onscreen flirting in a “this is what people do” way, but it was very much at the level I expect from bored bar staff getting through a shift rather than any sizzling will they-won’t they repartee. We all love to spot a budding romance, whether in reality shows, fiction or in my case, local cafes and shops. Especially when the people are good looking. It’s like they’re our hot representatives. We love it so much that we’ll try to force it.
In the second series of The Morning Show, where it’s all gone a bit mental and they send a character briefly to space for scant reason, they also fly in Jon Hamm as a love interest for Jennifer Aniston’s character. Everyone I’ve ever met has fancied either or both of those humans. In the early days of Mad Men I was working on a TV show and
