We were treated to rare gems during the six weeks that traced the bumpy path leading to emotional autonomy for If we still loved each other.
A live lottery winner, house wine, tchin-tchin at Codorníu, a Viking horn-glass, a conscious intimacy workshop, an ice bath in a Rubbermaid tub and a fencing-karting combo, I mean : What other docu-reality offers recorder solos and a visit to an artisanal soap factory in the same episode?
We were also treated to a vulnerable and emotional Louise Sigouin during the final episode, broadcast on TVA Thursday evening. It’s rare for the psychotherapist to break down in front of the participants sitting in her office.
She had shed tears in front of the singer Sébastien known as Sebz from the second edition of If we loved each otherwho had revealed his status as an HIV-positive man, but undetectable.
I would have thought that the resilience of deliveryman-salesman Gino, who has made immense progress in therapy, would have connected Louise Sigouin to her own pain. But no. It was by speaking to Stéphanie, 35, the cheating wife in the garage, that Louise broke down.
In summary, Louise Sigouin congratulated Stéphanie for having built a new stage in her life on an extremely painful event. To her partner Keven, 36, Louise recalled how he stood up for his wife and family, after adultery, and chose to repair the broken relationship and make amends.
Wow, here. I understand Keven’s approach, who has been rowing and pedaling for six weeks to keep his Stephanie, after having controlled and manipulated her for 17 years. This part, extremely unhealthy, was quickly swept under the carpet, I think.
Because this influence does not disappear by singing Vincent Vallières in a bungalow in Saint-Amable. Also, perhaps it’s the saccharine tone of “kindergarten teacher” – hello, little commies! – which Keven uses to address Stéphanie which makes me doubt his sincerity. And Keven who “forgives himself” for his own actions and who promises to “take care of” him, with Louise’s blessing, seriously, it was strong from coffee to titi. Saint Keven of the Redemption, who takes away the sin of the world, have mercy on us!
At the same time, Keven and Stéphanie still live together, with their two daughters. Who am I to question the authenticity of their relationship?
A simple salon shrink. So. Without an official diploma, but with a solid listening to my inner world. This is both the strength and the flaw of If we still loved each other : the transparency of the guinea pigs, who reveal super intimate details of their personal lives, they really go far. These private confessions (dark thoughts, anxiety, depression, domestic violence, mistreatment, self-mutilation) become public and expose them to popular judgment.
The marital issues dissected by Louise Sigouin certainly help many viewers heal from their own wounds. TRUE.
In the 2024 cohort, Christelle and Gino, still a couple today, plunged into dark areas, only to return to the surface, transformed and better equipped. These two have made astonishing and gratifying progress. What a beautiful journey.
The case of Guillaume and Kathy, both aged 30, was more complex to understand. It was hard to follow, this Guillaume, nervous, impulsive and two-poofs from jar to explode. Fragile in one episode, arrogant in the other, we wonder why Kathy didn’t leave him. Their marital status remains uncertain, according to my spies. Guillaume also almost lost an eye in a work accident last winter.
Madeleine and Michel, the dapper septuagenarians, didn’t really need to consult, let’s say it. They injected a dose of lightness and burlesque into the show. If the very patient Michel was quickly adopted by the public, the sharp Madeleine generated more derogatory comments. It must be said that this “snoble” lady did not hesitate to trumpet her disdain for second-hand clothes and put forward her conviction that the human soul travels from one dimension to another thanks to portals. Louise Sigouin didn’t put too much emphasis on this element of esoteric science fiction, let’s say.
Now another season of If we still loved each other, featuring four other struggling couples, was filmed at the same time as the one we watched this spring. For the moment, TVA has not announced when it will be on TV. Indefensible And MasterChef should be the daily series of the fall, which would relegate If we still loved each other to 2025. That’s a long way off.
This decision would have no link with the presence of Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge in the episodes, I am told. This could be a timetable congestion issue, as has happened in the past.
The end of filming for these two chapters of If we still loved each other culminated with a trip to Mexico, where Louise Sigouin gave them relationship support workshops. Madeleine, Michel, Gino, Christelle, Guillaume, Kathy, Stéphanie and Keven all took part, along with the four couples that we have not yet discovered.
I don’t know about you, but dualities, a little Duolingo and daiquiris sounds pretty much like a dream.
I levitate
With Traitors And The Traitors
First, Noovo has confirmed the filming of a second season for next year, which will delight fans. In the USA, The Traitors has revealed the cast of its third season, which brings together reality TV personalities, and it’s the bomb. We will see Chrishell Stause from Selling SunsetTom Sandoval Vanderpump RulesBritney Spears’ ex-husband, Sam Asghari, Bob the Drag Queen RuPaul’s Drag RaceDorinda Medley of Real Housewives from New York, Ciara Miller from Summer HouseZac Efron’s brother, Dylan Efron, and Rob Mariano of Survivor. It’s going to be a mess over the medium term.
I avoid it
The Wegovy TV ad
Another drug with weight-loss properties like Ozempic or Rybelsus, which arrives on our TVs in confusing advertising. The slogan, “reality is different for the real world,” has nothing to do with the product. On alienating music clearly inspired by the ABBA catalog, an actress from STAT complains that “11th graders are worse than paparazzi.” Or that, “great tragedy, there is nothing more dramatic than a scraped knee”. Nothing to understand in this ad. Nothing original or creative either.