Down For Love Review: Netflix’s latest feel-good reality show is a whole new and revitalising take on the dating shows genre. Produced by Robyn Paterson and narrated and directed by Candida Beveridge, it takes people with Down Syndrome on a series of dates as they search for the love of their lives. The show is based in New Zealand and has been made in consultation with the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association (NZDSA). It has 5 episodes in total, with each one having a run-time of 45 minutes approx.
What Down For Love makes very clear that it is not at all interested in entertaining us, which is usually the case with reality dating shows. It shows us how people with Down syndrome crave love just as much as others do. Through the dates, we get to see how they perceive love, the challenges they face and the complications that arrive when bonding with someone. In this way, the show offers an organic take that is sure to make the viewers feel like the camera is just following the participants who are going on a date without intruding on their personal space.
Down For Love Plot/Synopsis
Each of the 5 episodes introduces us to a couple, and they go on a date. We hear from both of them as well as from their families and friends about how they are, their likes and their dislikes. Then, as the date progresses, we see how they connect with each other or maybe not. The pairs go wine-tasting, take boat rides and helicopter rides, share what they like about each other and give each other the chance to share. Some dates work out, some don’t, but just because one date didn’t work out, it doesn’t mean that the next one won’t either. All this is what the show deals with.
Down For Love Review: Discussion
“Would you like to hold hands?” What nicer way is there to be loving towards someone? I will try to be as less emotional as possible as I review the show. The best thing about Down For Love and all the people we see in it is how they wear their hearts on their sleeves. Whatever they feel, they verbalise it. They may say the same thing over and over again, but the series shows it and doesn’t cut away. It’s the first reality show that I have seen that actually feels real.
While the concept is that of a reality show, there is no script involved (yes, I had to mention this). The participants, if I may, are brought together via dates, and we see how they get to know each other and whether they develop feelings. The exploration of New Zealand further makes the dates even more beautiful, adding to the show’s organic nature. The interviews, as carried out by Candida Beveridge, don’t get too personal and let the participants do the talking. Listening to them and what they feel about love was beautiful.
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One very important thing that I liked about Down For Love is how it showed the journey of one of the participants as she realises that she is bisexual. This, along with some of the dates not working out for the participants, adds another layer of realism to the show that brings it closer to life and its unpredictability.
But what the show could have done is be more linear, with each episode addressed to a single couple. The continuous shift from one couple to another is something that some viewers might like less than others. Also, the ending is a bit abrupt as we do not get a clear picture of how each pair that is introduced in the show ends up. But I’m not complaining. I loved it.
Down For Love Review: Final Thoughts
Down For Love Netflix is a gentle and apt description of what a dating show should really be. And I would like to put my foot down and say that this is what a dating reality show should be and not the ones wherein the main aim is to make the couples and the viewers as uncomfortable as possible. If you are looking for a feel-good reality show, this one is perfect.
Have you seen the show yet? Let us know your feelings about it in the comments below.
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