Sexy Beasts’ beaver is its obnoxious competitor

Over the past couple of years, Netflix has really stepped up the production of entertaining waste like Love is blind, The circle, Too hot to handle it, and Meetings around. Corn Sexy Beasts It’s unlike any other dating show released by the streaming giant. Singles go on quick dates with three applicants, pick two people to set up dates from there, and ultimately pick a lucky winner. But there’s a catch: They don’t know what someone looks like because they’re all covered in prosthetics that make them look like creatures. It’s supposed to be a lesson in getting to know people based on their personalities rather than their looks, while still dating attractive people, not knowing for sure that they really look good under makeup. But a sexy beast has not learned a lesson.

James, the guy dressed as a beaver, whose commentary, “Ass first, then personality” is one of the most memorable, boring parts of the trailer – he’s the kind of guy who makes you want to scream in front of your TV. Most daters are well adjusted and make the effort to connect with their dates, but not James, who is superficial and appears to have no self-awareness. The LA lab tech introduces himself by saying that because he’s a “big guy” people are guessing about him. He talks about the plight of beefcake: “They think I’m very selfish and arrogant, but as big as my muscles are, my heart is bigger.” You would think that a guy who says he doesn’t want to be stereotyped as a superficial gym rat would be more concerned with trying this “falling in love with someone’s personality” thing. But barely a minute after he said he didn’t want to be judged for his muscles, James wondered, “What other guy on the planet is dressed as a beaver and still has three girls fighting over him?” , Setting the tone for the rest of the second episode of the series.

The women he meets are Amber (who wears a pixie makeup), who is from North Carolina and serves in the military; Alexis (a tiger), law student and singer based in New York City; and Tamiko (a zombie), who lives in San Francisco and is described as “an expert in drone technology”. James starts off strong, pulling their chairs in a chivalrous manner and questioning them about themselves. But her true personality quickly shines through. He asks Amber to feel her biceps, and when Tamiko mentions that she is a “sneakerhead” he puts his foot on the table to show her his shoes. This is strange behavior, but initially reads more like “nervous himbo” than “asshole child-man”. He even gets nice when he kills Tamiko, explaining how he doesn’t like having to hurt someone’s feelings by sending them home.

But throughout the rest of the episode, his asshole behavior is only amplified, but the red flags are swept away by his dates as James is just a “classic James”. Watching James act like a spoiled brat for the 22-minute episode will likely give any woman who’s been trapped on a bad first date some anxiety. He makes it seem like, from the point of view of being the date manager, he feels that women should do anything to earn his affection, rather than the other way around.

During his ice sculpting date with Amber, he doesn’t seem interested in knowing her, instead trying to get all the attention on himself. When instructor Nick tries to show the couple how to make a seashell, James gets more involved in “twerking” his kisses for Amber, saying it’s more awesome than making art out of ice cream. Amber makes the rookie mistake of asking James what he likes about her, and he answers honestly, saying that he likes her not being clumsy, but that he likes her body very much as well. “What if we started dating and I gained about 300 pounds, then what?” Amber inquires. James panics, turns to Nick for help (bad luck there) and stammers, “Honestly, if you put on about 300 pounds… Ugh… I don’t know.” It’s a callous response that stands out on a show where people try to prove that personality comes before looks. When the date changes to a second place, Amber is polite, but her energy isn’t as upbeat; you can tell she’s had enough of this greedy beaver. That doesn’t stop James from making moves on her, asking if he can hug himself, then trying his luck with a kiss, which Amber pushes back.

The second date is just as painful to watch, although Alexis seems much more interested in James than Amber. Still, he’s patronizing throughout their skeet shooting date. When it’s Amber’s turn to shoot, she misses a shot and he says, “I think you need to hit the target.” James neglects to ask her anything about herself, instead of talking about other competitive things they can do together. He then makes his move, asking her to kiss him, and she does. Even when James chooses Alexis as the “winner,” he still behaves in a way that proves how little self-awareness he has. When Alexis and James finally get to see each other unmasked, James tells the slightly shivering Alexis that he’s going to take off his jacket because she “deserves it.” But instead of giving it to her, he throws it to the ground, spinning slowly so she can take a look at his muscles again. (Even Alexis is surprised that he didn’t give her the jacket instead.) And after kissing her again, James tells the camera that while he’s excited for his trip with Alexis, he’s ready to contact Tamiko if that doesn’t work out. .

Watching the episode, one can’t help but wonder if women would feel the same if the tables were turned; there is no way to find out because they don’t have a lot of opportunities to share their true impressions. James could be worse; It’s not as horrible as Gurki Basra’s date with Justin in Netflix’s first season Meetings around, who berates her for agreeing to an arranged marriage because it was important to her family. But while Gurki’s moment with Justin allowed him to defend himself on camera and tell him exactly what was wrong with his treatment of him, James sees no consequences, even if he doesn’t understand the mission. Women appease him when he seeks compliments and assure him that they are always there to win. The only one who points out James’s unappealing demeanor is the narrator, Rob Delaney, who pokes fun at his many ridiculous comments.

James’ behavior looks much worse compared to other daters in Sexy beasts. For example, the series begins with Emma, ​​a professional model, who wants men to know her without focusing on her appearance. Unlike James, who has claimed he wants to be seen for more than just looks, Emma actually makes the effort to ask on dates about themselves. She takes the premise of the show seriously, placing as much emphasis on enjoying her dates as she does on finding someone who would complement her as a partner.

But James’ demeanor may be an integral part of a show like Sexy Beasts. Like our opinion Emphasized, every contestant is slim (or in James’ case, muscular) and traditionally attractive behind these prosthetics. The series could have been a lesson in falling in love with someone for their personality instead of being quite confident that behind the makeup there is a “hottie”. But by letting James run the show for one episode, Sexy Beasts prioritizes an uncomfortable ‘can’t look away’ car crash-like experience, rather than giving competitors a fair chance to love.