Overwhelmed but Underwhelming Age of Love
Overwhelmed but Underwhelming “Age of Love” by Roxanne McDonald
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Overdone conceit, already been there “kittens”, and a less than articulate tennis pro bachelor make for big sighs…of the expressing boredom style. |
The bait and switch trick worked best, oh, four years ago, when “Average Joe” primed a beautiful bachelorette for meeting the man of her dreams and then introduced her to geeks and freaks instead. The featuring of an Australian sexpot was more successful in “Outback Jack”. And the
highlighted cattiness worked best, well, it didn’t ever really work for me…as I prefer not to listen to someone with God-given gifts flout and front.
But reality TV addict that I concede to be, I watched the first episode of “Age of Love”—albeit with eyes rolling and yawns blowing.
Mark is led with a question that elicits his assumptions about who the women will be…twenty-somethings, he imagines.
The first few forty-somethings meet him, however, and he comments how weird this is. By the time he has finished listening to the third Cougar tell him how old she is, he is saying “Come on;” and by the fourth is identifying what he sees is a “pattern, here,” and gulping, unable to respond to the women with much more than a few monosyllabic grunts (groans) or a standard comment about their [surprising] beauty.
Some of the Cougars are pitiful, speaking to how they fear losing out on this show and therefore having to spend the rest of their lives alone….
Others are awesome: they are gorgeous, healthy, and empowered.
Still others reinforce the bad name “older” women already have: one does the cutesy “how old do you think I am?” thing, which makes Mark shift around in his tanned skin (and has him telling us in interview that it is a universal question men do NOT want to hear). Another says something really hokey, thanking Mark for being a “special slice” in her life. But, but, but, you just met him!
As the last Cougar takes his hand to lead him to the poolside social, he is, he admits, looking over his shoulder in hopes that there is someone else back there…. Kinda scaring us single folk at home who wonder if a pro tennis player on the circuit can’t find a date without doing a reality TV show how we in the boondocks will ever be happy in finding love…sniff.
Doesn’t help his or anyone’s image that his assessment of being dragged to the socializing session was like throwing piranhas into the deep end with him. Yikes, a double trouble analogy.
So one of the Cougars has proudly told us she doesn’t look her age—but does. One tells Mark she has been married twice and has a twenty-one-year-old son. More “does not register” staring from Mark. Another tells us she feels she has the advantage, as marriage and children age you, they do, she says, hopeful and trying to convince herself. And what would the banality of Bachelor knock-offs be without
that one [piranha] who is all “Game on!” and “Watch out, girls cause I am righteous and ready to fight for my man”? Yes, they have one of those in there, snatching Mark away from the group so she can get her edge on.
By the time the host (Mark Consuelos, who should be the bachelor, here instead) comes to tell them all it’s time for nigh nigh, Mark has conceded, “This will be good for me.”
Oh, you don’t know, Mister Man, how cockadoody good it will be….
Mark invites four Cougars to repel, I mean, rapel, down the side of a city building, cause he is the self-proclaimed adventurous type who has to test the adventuresome character of the women—especially now that he sees how ancient they are, and all.
One is so proud of herself and he of her.
One is determined to show how much of cheerleader she can be.
One is beautiful and timid and nervous and all that coy stuff (and I think also the one who has already decided—within a few minutes—that this could be her guy).
And one is off to the side, glaring—already sharpening her claws for the potential competition this is going to create.
But also knitting their mittens are the kittens…on a plane bound for trouble-making. They interview how hot they are; how so not threatened they are by the older women; and how, hopefully, they will not still be single and looking in their forties…for, how “desperate” and “pathetic” is that?
Mark has for a minute forgotten to look longingly over his shoulder for more and younger women to show up, and just as he is settling into the notion of having not so bad a time, the Kittens show up.
He is obviously thrilled but also politely restrained in his visible response, and says that this will merely make it “interesting”. Yuh, for you, maybe, Mark.
He then sums up his plan: this experience will be about who he pictures himself hanging out with; who he sees himself dating; and who he will send home.
Brilliant deduction, baby boy.
Wake me when he’s done.
SirLinksAlot Age of Love links
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See my take on Age of Love at http://www.tvrobot.com/tv/age-of-love/overwhelmed-but-underwhelming-age-of-love/
Comment by webMistress — June 24, 2007 @ 8:56 am