Let's Fall In Love: Season 3 (2021)

Getting to know each other, with heart

It baffles me as I am writing this sentence, Let's Fall in Love 3 is more than a dating reality show - it's about connecting and exploring, with others and with yourself.

In a dating reality show where a bunch of strangers stay together for a couple of weeks, LFIL3 is by far one of the more drama-free ones, thanks to the maturity of the participants and the commentators / observers. Credits go to the production team for good pacing the "dating injects" for the participants and good editing of the narrative.

When we watch a dating reality show from a third party perspective, we have a tendency to forget that this bunch of people only knew each other over 10 days, hence, the tendency to get invested way too fast over certain "couple lovelines" or too judgmental about a person's actions during the course of the story. This is where the commentators / observers play a part - and I like that this season's ones have rather matured discussions to provide a more objective view. They also visibly able to empathize with the participants' actions / decisions. I particularly find Annie Yi's comments in one of the latter episodes insightful and I translate - "In relationships, use your heart, don't use force. 在感情里, 用心, 不要用力." Helps one to ponder and reflect.

When it comes to dating reality shows, the "dating injects" do help to make or break the pacing and development of "love lines". In this season, I like the way they are set up. They aren't too many last minute surprises or overly intentional "dating injects" that's meant to direct a particular couple's progress. This makes LFIL3's participants feel more genuine, and the overall vibe of the show more comfortable to watch. We are able to relate to their decisions more.

In terms of the participants, I find this season's the most relatable for some reason. They are not only focused on being fancied by their "crush", they care about making friends with everyone too. They participate in the games and hangouts at nights after their day date. They are conscious of not letting their personal feeling affects the group's dynamics. Towards the latter episodes, we can see genuine friendships built as they share their thoughts with each other. This development is one of a kind, and one that likely would last for a long time.

Concluding my review, I believe we sometimes forget that dating is about getting to know another person and being honest about how you feel through the process. There's no one kind of love for there are also friendships, family, and self love. There's no rushing in love for we have a lifetime to experience it.

Special shoutouts:
- I admire how Yang Yang balances between pursuing for opportunities and respecting the choices of Xiao Loong and Ah Shuang. And she is only 21.
- I respect Wen Jun's courage in making the first move, follow by confronting and breaking the ice of awkwardness with Shun after it's getting clearer that he fancies Tan Nee more.
- I empathize with Ah Shuang's dileema on her choices and feelings over her current stage of life.
- I am touched by Shun's out-of-the-box thoughts and gestures in writing 2 letters in one of the episodes - one to Tan Nee, one to encourage his friend Ah Xing.
- I like Tan Nee's and Danny's steadiness and steadfastness, as they're both the oldest in this group.
- I also wish the best for 2 couples: Shun and Tan Nee as well as Danny and Wen Jun from this show. May they be able to bridge through the distance as they resume back to their respective life.

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