Love Island 2021 review: Teddy is the victim yet again as showrunners continue the cruelty game

Love Island is in a bind, and not the kinky sort. Over its seven series, it has increasingly struggled to instigate the kind of drama that keeps fans returning. Many have blamed this on its growing profile and the fact that contestants are too aware that they are being judged for their behaviour inside the villa. They don’t want to misbehave, because being the villain is only fun for so long. Producers have been forced to come up with ways to stir things up. Unfortunately, their methods have become increasingly cruel.

We opened last night’s episode on a vote by the respective groups of boys and girls. Each group had to pick one person to save (they plucked for Tyler and Mary) resulting in four islanders going home. This meant the running total of contestants was mercifully thinned out – and we also finally got to wave goodbye to Hopeless Hugo. A blessed relief, given the man offered nothing during his time on the show and seemed to be under the impression he was on a lad’s holiday, rather than a quest to find true love. With several obstacles removed (including Matthew making a clean break from Kaz to save face, fully in the knowledge she had her eye on the newly single Tyler), old flames were rekindled. Kaz and Tyler did a pinky-swear that he wouldn’t mess her around again, while Chloe seemed thrilled to be back in the arms of Teddy Player One. Millie is back with slimy Liam. Faye, however, seemed full of doubt over her salvaged relationship with Teddy. Perhaps she had an inkling of the bomb showrunners were about to drop on the villa.

Earlier this week, it emerged that the fallout from the postcard that misled Faye to believe Teddy had been unfaithful had sparked a record number of complaints to Ofcom. I’m not surprised – Teddy and Faye were one of the few couples we were rooting for, and Teddy in particular seemed to be a rare man of integrity and sensitivity among the braying lads who took over Casa Amor. He spent his time there getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and telling the others how much he missed Faye, only to come back and get an earful because she saw a photo of him kissing another girl.

However, it transpired in last night’s episode that showrunners have even more heartache planned for Teddy, the islander who deserves it the least. In a Love Island first, the group were invited to a “movie night” where they took part in a quiz to choose who – boys or girls – got to pick a clip to watch. We saw the clip where Jake – the snake in this garden of Eden – frets over whether he’s physically attracted to Liberty. This, for a show notorious for its promotion of unrealistic body standards for men and women, seemed misguided at best. Downright mean at worst. Liberty immediately took the comment to heart and was seen asking the girls if Jake had just said he didn’t fancy her.

Worse was to come. After berating Teddy for having the gall to participate in a game at Casa Amor, Faye was shown in a clip inviting one of the new boys to share a bed with her. Earlier on in the series, her reaction to Teddy’s supposed betrayal had been melodramatic and confused – she seemed to know deep down that he hadn’t really done anything wrong. Now, though, we saw Teddy with real tears in his eyes – a man who has been wrongly accused and then betrayed himself. The hypocrisy was glaring, and it seemed right that he learnt the truth about Faye’s behaviour during Casa Amor season. But the way it came out felt all wrong. It was humiliating for Teddy, while Faye just sat at the other table with the girls and claimed she’d told him everything already. A preview clip of tonight’s episode showed the couple in full-on row mode as a result of what emerged during “movie night”. If anything, this felt like a crueller stunt than the Casa Amor postcard. It’s humiliating, and unpleasant. Love Island’s producers claimed to have learnt from the past and invested in a newer, kinder show. I must be watching the wrong one.