#Love Series Review: In Netflix’s charming rom-com series, a startup CEO and an investor place bets on who will fall in love first using each other’s dating apps and find themselves drawn to one another unwittingly. Slowly finding the missing parts in themselves in each other, along with a cut-throat market that shows no mercy, the series highlights how important it is to strike a balance and make a leap of faith.
Placed in the modern world of dating apps, startups and digital matchmaking, the series is a light-hearted and enjoyable watch that doesn’t overburden viewers with too many complications. The series has a charming cast and easy flow, that makes it the perfect watch for the weekend if you’re looking to unwind.
The cast includes Arjun Das, Aishwarya Lekshmi, and Arjun Chidambaram, and Balaji Mohan directs the series. Soundarya Rajnikanth is the series’ showrunner.
#Love Series Review
#Love Has a Fun Chemistry vs Compatibility Hook
At its core, #Love explores whether chemistry or compatibility makes or breaks a relationship. Tara is all about compatibility, reflected well in her dating app’s core values, while Matthew is more interested in chemistry, believing that the spark between couples can take them far. Throughout the 6-episode runtime, the series explores what a stable and exciting relationship means through the lives of the different people in the protagonists’ lives. While obvious, the premise gives insight into how relationships work for different people and that one size doesn’t fit everyone.
The series is charming and enjoyable, especially for viewers who want something light and uncomplicated. The ups and downs that the protagonists go through in their personal and professional lives influence and change who they are as people, pushing them out of their comfort zones and helping them understand themselves better.
The setup gives #Love plenty of contradictions to play with when it comes to modern dating and how dating apps have a chokehold on people from different generations. While algorithms, compatibility scores, dating preferences and carefully curated profiles can seem exciting, the series showcases how real-life meeting can turn everything on its head. This makes the series’ central question quite interesting and playful.
Aishwarya Lekshmi and Arjun Das Explore a Lighter Side
Heading this dating experiment are Aishwarya Lekshmi and Arjun Das, who are both extremely charismatic and share an electrifying chemistry. The series doesn’t put either in a set box, and the characters take their time to evolve and prove the stereotypes wrong. While they are both opposites when the series starts, we see the layers as the story evolves.
Tara starts off as an ambitious woman with a jaded past, but there’s depth in her character as we see her care for her employees deeply. Meanwhile, nepotism candidate Matthew isn’t just another man living off of his father’s money – he’s ambitious and surprisingly vulnerable when given a chance. Thus, while they seem incompatible on paper, deep down they share more than they would like to let on. Lekshmi makes Tara naturally grounded, while Das is more relaxed and playful, but also intense. They play off each other very naturally.
Moreover, the rest of the cast is also enjoyable to watch as they all have unique and interesting problems that they try to overcome throughout the runtime. I especially enjoyed watching Sylvia’s storyline as it highlights an important aspect of marriage and what it takes to hold on to the excitement in a long-term relationship. However, the antagonist in the series is oddly cartoonish and, frankly, a bit silly.
Focus on Romance Over Technicality
With a show about dating apps and rivalries, there’s surprisingly less focus on the technology and technicality of it all. It’s quite clear from the get-go that the technical aspect of the entire thing is a secondary aspect that the series is interested in looking into, choosing instead to see the people behind the screens. The dating app gimmick only gives the story the initial boost, wherein Tara and Matthew’s conversations, disagreements and moments of vulnerability give the series its actual push. The chemistry between the two and their obvious attraction to one another make watching the show simple.
#Love is most engaging when it puts the characters ahead of the mechanics of matchmaking. No amount of compatibility tests can determine whether or not two people can gel in the long term, and in the end, human beings are constantly evolving creatures, so it’s impossible to put attraction or chemistry into definable metrics. In the end, the series also explores how difficult it is to understand your own feelings even when you understand everything about relationships. This makes the series warm, as all the understanding in the world can’t help someone make the right decision when someone unexpected changes everything that they knew about themselves.
Where the Series Stumbles
While the rom-com is enjoyable to watch, the professional rivalries are its weakest moments, especially when it comes to the fight between FOUND and Find My Bae. There’s a moment when Chakri’s attacks on FOUND reach unfathomable levels, resulting in Tara taking drastic measures. This sequence is so unhinged that it’s hilarious. Plus, Matthew’s rather passionate reply to Tara turning him down pushes him into dangerous territory and will leave anyone uncomfortable.
Final Thoughts
Overall, #Love is a lighthearted and fun watch that will hold people’s interest for the most part. While some elements feel forced and unnecessary, overall, it has warmth and heart… and fantastic chemistry between the leads. Overall, it’s a modern dramedy that has an appealing central pairing and an easily relatable premise.
#Love is streaming on Netflix. What did you think about the charming rom-com? Let us know in the comments below!
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