The Undateables Season 1 Episode 1

Queen for a Day is more dignified than The Undateables. Faith healing shows are less exploitative than Undateables. Dora the Explorer treats the audience with more respect than The Undateables.

I don't like The Undateables very much. 

The Undateables is a TV show about people with disabilities who struggle to find love in the dating world. Some executive somewhere thought this was a good idea. I have three theories as to the method of market research.

1. A middle-aged man thought the phrase "Netflix and chill" meant "Watch Netflix and chill" and figured that the best way to make a first date more awkward was to watch an even more awkward first date.

2. A middle-aged man created a fake  profile on tinder with a picture of a person in a wheelchair, got no matches, and thought he hit upon a niche topic for a TV show.

3. A middle-aged man's wife left him for someone with a disability and this show is passive-aggressive.

The worst part of the show is that it aired in 2012.

There are 22 episodes and I'm going through them all.

SEASON  1 EPISODE 1

My first big problem with the TV show is that it exists. But besides that, it blames all of the failures of these people who try online dating on their disabilities and not on the fact that they are trying online dating.

3:36 seconds into the first episode, we see a close-up of the doorbell to the office of a matchmaking service called SearchMate. I wonder whether this show has a corporate agenda.

A SearchMate agent meets Richard, who has Asperger's syndrome, at his home and claims that his height is a "valuable commodity." The best thing about online dating is that it objectifies both genders. 

Luke is the next subject. He has Tourette's syndrome.

Back to Richard. The narrator says that doing something as simple as calling a 38 year old woman he has never met before and asking for a date is stressful because he has Asperger's. I guess people without Asperger's have no problem calling 38 year old women they have never met before and asking for dates?

We meet the third subject- a girl named Penny with brittle bones. Her mother takes her picture for a dating website.

Now we cut back to Richard. The narrator reminds us that he has Asperger's. His mother is doing a date dress rehearsal. Remember, it's not a real date, it's just a Freud.

Penny gets a profile from a guy named Max. She reads the description out loud, and I just realized that major problem with this show, besides everything else. It's very awkward  to have a voyeuristic show where people talk to the camera. But that's not unique to this show, it's a terrible genre. It's hard to take "personal moments" seriously when there is a camera three inches from people's faces

Also, the narrator is incredibly annoying. She tells us that Penny's friend has come over to help get her ready. I think the audience could work that out when they see new character brushing Penny's hair. Then we cut back to Richard's date. I wish I was watching something more streamlined, like Game of Thrones.

Richard's date was matched with him due to their similar taste in music. Damn it, stop giving away dating services' nuanced algorithms!

Richard doesn't order anything, but he starts eating his date's dinner. She leaves. Richard tells the camera that it's hard to find love. I think he should use a new service that matches music AND movies.

Luke goes to London to see a girl he met online with whom he has only chatted on the phone. This show sets good examples.

Penny meets her date, Max, who has cerebral palsy. So, was this just a coincidence? More importantly, do they share the same tastes in music? They are at a fairground.

Luke and his date(I don't care enough to remember her name) go bowling. She say his tics aren't too bad. That's nice.

Penny and Max get their fortunes read with tarot cards. See Fig 1. 

Fig 1

Luke and his date are at a restaurant. He has controlled his tics until now, when he starts swearing. His date starts laughing. 

Penny talks to her parents and asks if she can date someone without a disability. I don't care.

Richard goes home and starts searching again. I don't care.

Richard decides to lower his standards, which means expanding his radius.

Luke and Lucy (his date) are going for another date. She is 20 minutes late. Riveting television.

Richard meets his new date at a cafe. Lucy comes 40 minutes late and they go ice-skating. Richard and his date talk about hobbies. I can't decide whether to be bored, disturbed, or confused.

Richard's date is a success. He is going to have her over to his house. Penny says she is going to keep trying. But then Richard decides not to have his date over and keep looking because it's only the first episode.

This show is one of the most bizarre, offensive, and unpleasant experiences I have ever had. I look forward to covering all four seasons.