'The big date' and the logic of voyeurism

The full season of La gran cita, the dating show that has tested artificial intelligence's ability to predict compatibility between people, is now available on 3Cat. The first three episodes promoted the initial pairings. The following three were used to test these bonds with the intrigue of whether they were the result of human intuition or the algorithm's determination. In this phase, the initial excitement was lost and a heavier inertia, typical of these television psychodramas, set in, where dialogues drift to the boring "I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship", "I've been hurt a lot", "I'm at a point where I want something else", "I don't want to suffer again", "I need an open relationship" and these tiresome vicissitudes, especially when you don't feel a special interest in the protagonists' lives.The game's dynamic, however, is very effective. The AI's verdict tests the bonds. Some couples receive the technology's approval. Others discover they have defied the algorithm and worry about proving that intuition is above what a machine can predict. The strategy shows an interesting phenomenon: the enormous power attributed to AI as an almost infallible guarantee when choosing a partner. The will to contradict it becomes epic, a daring act. Even the loss of an opportunity that you might only have once in a lifetime.The last two chapters regain the delicious intrigue of the start. The third people recommended by the algorithm appear. Also the risk of deciding if the relationships will continue beyond the cameras.Fortunately, the program has protected Dulceida by dispensing her presence drop by drop. The need to condense the stories of so many people into eight chapters causes the viewer a certain disorientation when it comes to understanding how much time has passed for the contestants and, above all, details of their relationship with other participants. But these ellipses are also appreciated, because they save us a lot of emotional junk that would turn La gran cita into a soap opera. The great virtue and good tolerance of the reality lie in the capacity for synthesis when managing dramas and tensions.The protagonists are well trained in displaying their faith in the game's dynamics. They issue pronouncements of hope and gratitude in the exact measure the show requires. In the final messages between couples, the writers' hand is sensed. The visual dynamic to explain the outcome of each relationship is visually exciting. And the result reveals a suspicious balance between the power of AI and romantic love. The big date works because it stimulates the enjoyment of the most elemental voyeurism without causing secondhand embarrassment.