This week was the end of the I am and I will be, the TV3 Catalan prose quiz show hosted by Àngel Llàcer. The format has been effective for the network in terms of ratings. It connected with viewers and provided decent entertainment. The tests were uneven, and in some cases, the editing seemed to overcome difficulties and planning errors. Narratively, it has strengthened the community spirit beyond the individual fight for the final victory.
While the format had already emphasized the sentimental aspect from day one, on the final day the show went overboard. The final broadcast began with Llàcer sitting at a table with the five finalists. An atmosphere of tension and complicity was forced into this final stretch of the game. It only took three minutes for the presenter's voice to crack, appealing to his life and the personal value of the show. In the background, a tear-jerking melody artificially increased the emotional intensity of the moment. With overacted affectation and dramatic pauses, he delivered a speech that resorted to tear-jerking demagogic clichés: "What makes Catalonia an incredible place is that: its people." He lavished praise on the participants and took it to personal level: "I had fun, it made me learn, and it moved me. [...] I'm very happy to have returned and I thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you've done." I am and I will be "It's what it is thanks to you," he said, on the verge of tears. He blew his breath and looked up to try to contain himself. An interpretation that desperately sought drama. This television resource is not new. Llácer has also put it into practice in the latest broadcasts of previous programs such as The wolf either The punctual one.
The actor and host spent time with each of the contestants, bringing them closer to the realm of emotional bonds. Everything that served to describe each contestant's mood echoed in turn. And in turn, each finalist described their experience in relation to the rest of their teammates with epic panache, set to the music of sad violins. Pure syrup: "Today I would really like the eyes of the people who love you—your family, your children, your granddaughter—to shine when they see you raise this flag." A flag that, indeed, the winner hoisted with the final victory. The excess of celebrity guests invited to see how aioli was made served to attribute symbolic significance to the final moment, but betrayed the program's inertia of narratively inflating it. While Maria Escoda sang the Nightingale you are going to FranceThe flag was fluttering up the pole, alternating with slow-motion and black-and-white images. An overdose of sentimental pornography, bordering on parody, which has already proven effective on television in softening audiences' hearts. But this overexploitation of emotion ultimately undermines the program's authenticity.
