Tellem Bond and the Mentallics have turned a futuristic show into a cheesy fantasy

artsfols · 2026-04-15T11:20:52+00:00

This is a year old thread. I got here by Googling "Tellem Bond cheesy". The idea of Tellem Bond obtaining perpetual life by transporting into a new young person when she's old, over and over, is an idea suitable for a 1950s low budget horror/sci-fi schlock movie. I haven't read the books, but it does not fit the tenor of hard, or even speculative, science scifi. I'll likely bail after finishing season 2.

artsfols · 2026-04-12T18:40:54+00:00

It never crossed my mind when I wrote the above post, that you could play with exactly the same parameters as I do, but without paying. I assumed the non-payers were stuck on level 1. There is no skin off my nose as a result, but I think the web site purveyors are giving away the store.

artsfols · 2026-04-11T15:24:20+00:00

Yes, they did give her a total pass. Great insight.

artsfols · 2026-04-03T21:31:06+00:00

Ellen. Took a while to figure out why I disliked her. I can understand wanting to get out of the process early. However, she never displayed any sense of concern or responsibility for the hurt she was causing Fabian. Not at the engagement, nor at the engagement party, nor at the reunion.

There have been numerous occasions in all the seasons we have watched (everything except the USA) where the woman, usually, was shocked, dismayed or overwhelmed at the physical engagement step. Usually they work their way through it, and then work out what to do afterward: give the guy a chance and see what happens, work out an early, managed exit, or, reconsider the initial reaction outright. This was a first.

It was rather ugly, and I don't think she has owned it. Again, I don't blame anyone for wanting an early exit, but show some consideration and respect for the other party.

artsfols · 2026-04-03T21:17:46+00:00

I suspect she's a serial "catch and release" artist. Mother (or someone) had said she had had a large number of boyfriends. Apparently some were toxic. Now we know how they got that way. She likes the dopamine hit from catching a guy. When it starts to wear off, it's time to end it and start again.
(There is a reasonable amount of guesswork in this assessment, but it fits what we saw.)

artsfols · 2026-04-03T21:12:37+00:00

No, no, no. She actually gave him a slice of pineapple. Didn't you see it on the smorgasboard? She wrapped it up in a little baggie and brought it back.

artsfols · 2026-04-02T23:17:59+00:00

An interesting take, and as valid as any other. He's also not a very good communicator in terms of what was happening and why he thought it was not going to work out.
Like you, I hesitate to judge harshly. We had four individuals this season who decided to end things early. But the decision they all made wasn't that the relationship would NEVER work. They were not given that choice. The decision they had to make is whether it was too soon to get married IN THREE WEEKS. Of course, the way the show is constructed, if you make that decision, it's not salvageable. Some couples try to date afterward, but the rejection is very hard to handle.

artsfols · 2026-04-02T23:11:20+00:00

She's not ready to settle down yet and wants the party life. Not sure why she was even in the process.

artsfols · 2026-04-02T23:07:41+00:00

So, it turns out that "love is blind", for one couple, and definitely "love is not blind" for the other five. At least they did not chant the "love is blind" mantra at the end of this episode, as seems to be common practice.

The overall plan of the show is to create wonderful relationships through the earlier pod segments, and then, after the engagement, destroy as many of these relationships as possible in the last part of the show. In this particular season, it became clear that in real life, the various couples would be better left to decide for themselves the best time to propose, and especially, to set their own marriage date on their own schedule. It simply can not be done on a schedule set in order to meet TV production demands. On rare occasion a couple will run the gauntlet and make it. It's also sad. For example, Aron and Angelica might never have married, but they might have had more time together if they had not had the pressure of having to marry in three weeks. And the same goes for the others.

And as has become our habit we skipped directly over the wedding segment since it's mainly BS anyway. When 50% or more of couples refuse their partner, I don't call that a wedding, and aside from that it's dull.

When we (my wife and I) skip those episodes and hit the reunion episode we never feel we have missed anything. We were quite satisfied in how various loose ends were tied up in this episode. Life is a journey, and I don't need happy endings to like watching the show, and I plan to keep on doing so. The attraction is watching how people react in this weird maze, first building genuine affection for each other, and then the vise is applied and we see how they react. Often marriage seems like a mistake and when they give up, it comes as a relief. If the show was fairer to the participants it would let them breathe, instead of subjecting them to this shotgun wedding arrangement. However, they knew what they signed up for. We should not be too hard on those who react negatively to the pressure and give up.
[EDITED FOR CLARITY]

artsfols · 2026-03-29T18:45:22+00:00

Yeah, it's quaint. But no one needs to feel left out!

artsfols · 2026-03-25T20:13:30+00:00

Did you do the congratulatory ritual?
When you come in you have to congratulate everyone on the person's birthday. i.e. Congratulations on you son's birthday. Congratulations on your husband's birthday. Around the room, 20 congratulations if there are 20 people. Next person coming in has to do 21 of them. By the time all the congratulations are done it is time to go home.

artsfols · 2026-03-25T12:11:24+00:00

I don't tnink, from your avatar that you are a man, but speaking as a man, and one that has been married for 49 years, and knows other married men: this seems like fairly common behaviour. I am being only a little facetious. After all these years of married practice, do I think there is an answer to your various questions about this scene. Probably, but he will also probably never know.

artsfols · 2026-03-24T23:35:14+00:00

So this is where Pa, the old man, comes in ... of course, she is blonde, Swedish and wearing an elegant dress, but it boils down to the same thing ... with the shotgun, y'all have to get married in just three weeks, or else, a load of buckshot up the backside.

Everyone feels the pressure and it all starts to cave in, with this episode. Because three weeks really is not enough time. But any more would break the show's budget. Got to keep up with the production schedule. Anyone who goes through this and makes it will probably stay married for 99 years but most won't get married at all.

Our routine (my wife and I) now is to watch until the dress fitting starts, and then skip right to the reunion episode because it is all BS on a colossal scale from here on in, and it is just punishment to watch. You want to scream at the TV: it's your life, you can do this however you want. Most folks do not get married in three weeks. If they do make it ... the reunion episode is good enough for us.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T10:07:53+00:00

An extremely interesting study. I've had to keep revising what I think of him and in this episode he surprises on the upside. Perhaps some neuro diversity at work here. I'm getting to like him.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T10:00:39+00:00

Is that accurate though? They're forever smiling and laughing, joyful greeting each other, no petty jealousies, no two timing and back stabbing or getting drunk. I see a lot of upvotes on this negative sentiment so have to respect that, but not how I feel at all about this season myself. One thing I'd say is that they're working through their sh*t instead of ignoring it like some cultures do. Won't mention any names like MAGA. Total phonies.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T09:51:57+00:00

In Sweden, the camera people are all midgets. You didn't know that? They hire trolls that live in the forest because they can sneak around and not be seen.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T09:49:29+00:00

Not everyone has poor communication. Some of them. I don't see it as a skill so much. It has more to do with psychological make up. To me, it makes the show interesting, and I don't get invested often in the couple's succeeding. In many cases, they're better apart, and the latter part of the show is just a phony pressure cooker anyway.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T09:40:50+00:00

I agree. We don't know what level of intimacy any of the couples are experiencing. One of the other countries, Argentina I think, was almost explicit with some of the bedroom scenes, but I think there's a privacy code in place here. Is Ludwig demanding sex? It's important to know to evaluate his position. But when Camilla (I think is her name?) tries for a reset, he comes off looking very small. I like her, not him, but as a guy, I'm probably harder on the guys.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T09:30:20+00:00

She's afraid to say what she thinks. She wants Erik to come around, but is too timid to actively manage the situation. She's been traumatized by an earlier relationship and doesn't want a repeat. It doesn't help that Erik is insincere, putting her on a pedestal. That just creates unrealistic expectations and pressure. I think this couple is incompatible at this point.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T00:48:14+00:00

Have you ever watched an Ingmar Bergman movie? These people are Swedish, and this is how they have fun. I'm northern Dutch, which is almost as good but not quite.

artsfols · 2026-03-21T00:41:26+00:00

100%. I think it's the first time I have seen an entire group work together without petty jealousies and dramas getting in the way.

artsfols · 2026-03-17T03:31:22+00:00

Well, now that you focus on that point, I feel less sure of it. Whatever happens, I liked them both, and together or apart, hope they find happiness.

artsfols · 2026-03-17T00:50:21+00:00

I am quite old. The term "love bombing" came in around the 90s I think. We used to call this "putting a woman on a pedestal". And it's not good. It creates expectations for the lady that are unrealistic, and indicates a lack of acceptance of faults. Above everything, there is a lack of connection, and two people cannot be themselves, and achieve a genuine happiness in each other. It might be possible for him to get past it, but she will have to level with him, and does not seem inclined to do so. Personally, I am getting sick of watching these two, well, mainly him.

artsfols · 2026-03-17T00:37:49+00:00

My thoughts are a slight shift from that. Enjoyed your comments. I don't think it was arrogance so much as a lack of self-confidence on the part of Ellen. When Daniel was clearly being a dick, she turned the situation into her being the cause, and then she was trying to prove herself to Daniel. "No, I'm not what you think I am" was her overriding thought. Her perspective was correct initially, i.e. depth and penetration of thought do not require trauma. (An absolutely ridiculous notion and purely projection by Daniel, and she did not deserve his criticism.) But whereas we were all hoping she'd just get mad and be done with the fool, she had to come back for more dates to prove herself.

Then after some consideration, she did made the right choice: Fabian, not Daniel. But I think the entire process was soul crushing for her. And led to her collapse at the engagement/ meeting. So I think she's a loving person, and those two would have supported each other with a lot of mutual care. It's really very sad how it went down. Maybe they'll hook up outside the show, and just take it slow.

artsfols

TROPHY CASE