Sunday night’s Love Island picked up from Friday’s dramatic fire pit meeting, showing us the aftermath of Kady – the latest bombshell in the villa – controversially coupling up with Zach.
Episode 21 also saw the return of the highly entertaining and fan favourite heart rate challenge.
A staple of the show since the fourth season – and a well-timed distraction following the news that Molly would be leaving the villa – this involves each contestant donning a ‘sexy’ outfit and performing to raise their fellow islanders’ BPM, with machines recording their vitals throughout.
It was during this task that viewers realised Zachariah’s heart was neither broken nor struggling, as Leah got his pulse racing – less than 24 hours after Molly’s departure.
The blame should not be entirely left with Zach – after all, he is just the latest victim of the relentless Love Island conveyor belt.
It should be said that Molly and Zach’s five-day stint – albeit short – represents a much greater connection in the Love Island ecosystem.
Even Tyrique, who has struggled to make up his mind all season, was in no doubt as he labelled Molly and Zach’s relationship the “strongest in the villa”.
Other than for entertainment purposes, it is difficult to justify the rationale behind evicting one half of the strongest couple in the villa.
ITV’s obsession with indiscriminate recoupling has ultimately demonstrated that true love is nowhere near the top of its agenda – it arguably feeds a dangerous message to viewers, particularly in the modern context of quickfire relationships.
It would be interesting to hear producers justify Molly’s dismissal from a supposed matchmaking programme.
Of course, the show should be entertaining – that’s what keeps us coming back to our screens at 9pm every day – but this should not trump the development of the on-screen relationships.
Safe to say the only thing getting my heart racing was my unbridled rage against this injustice.
Image: Zachariah during the Heart Rate Dance challenge. From Lifted Entertainment. ©ITV Plc. Used with permission
