Joe is super annoying and straying into coercive/manipulative behaviour!
This is one reason I like the show though - obviously it’s mindless fluff and we’re all just voyeurs enjoying the mating rituals like a day at the zoo!
But there’s also this aspect and I think it’s actually really useful for the young people watching to see examples of coercive and abusive behaviour, gaslighting etc as it can be quite subtle.
Imagine being a girl in a relationship with someone like Joe or last year’s Adam, and seeing that people are calling out this behaviour which seems loving on the surface as abusive.
It must be an eye opener! I know it’s a stretch to call this an educational programme, but to be able to see a relationship played out on TV and people’s reactions to it is very valuable. My 12 year old walked in last night while it was on, caught some of the Joe stuff and said “haven’t they only been there 2 days?! That guy needs to chill”. A little gem to brighten my evening!