Ready, Set, Love (2024)

Ready Set…Should’ve Been So Much More Than Love

This started off like it was going to be light comedy built around a love story with all the bright set colors and silly incidents with the FL. But once the story started to unfold I found that there shouldn’t have been anything light and fun about this series. Or if there was going to be comedy it should’ve been used to lighten the story when it got too heavy.

The premise of the show was interesting and original, but the writers failed to do a deep dive on the themes they were throwing out. For whatever reason the birth of boys had severely declined. We are never given a reason why or even if research was being done to determine why they were rarely being born. As a result of this decline, there was a shortage of men in the world, so the government’s response was to essentially hold every boy that was born hostage at “The Farm”. They had this national reality game where women would compete to marry a man , but then we are told that’s just a scam and the marriages don’t actually happen.

It seemed as if TPTB were forcing the men to be with women whom they chose, for the purpose of…we’re never told why? The assumption was also if a girl was born, she was allowed to be out in the world and free. It was said that some women’s son’s were stolen from them and taken to The Farm if the they failed to comply with the law in giving up their sons. And those women would then be drugged and imprisoned. But if all men were held hostage at the Farm, who was impregnating these women in the outside world?

So again, it wasn’t clear what the government was hoping to accomplish with imprisoning boys at the Farm and marrying them off to what appeared to be wealthy families. As previously stated, this show had an interesting concept. There were many social commentaries at play ie “fake” vs “real”, population decline, human rights just to name a few.

With all the other more pressing story threads going on the love story was really irrelevant. And at times it seemed as if two shows were being explored within one, but the writers didn’t know how to merge those stories into a coherent show. The leads looked good together and had nice chemistry. It was sweet that they got their HEA but it seemed so out of place within the context of the story, much of which was not properly explored.

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colorful show, bleak reality

If I was to describe this series, I would say it's similar to Squid Games but instead of a survival game, it's a silly dating game show. Instead of dying, you just don't get to find love with a guy. Heck, this series even have an undercover/spy character trying to expose the secrets of the game and at some point, ends up in a situation that is similar to the cop in Squid Games. It's a very fun series. Lots of comedic moments, but it's not shallow at all. There is some depth as it deals with family, being sincere, and striving to create a better life.

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● SHORT REVIEW
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[ --LIKES-- ]

✔ A lot of the characters are likable, both Gentlemen and Ladies. I think my favorite character was Chanel and her development throughout. There was a lot of depth to her character that I liked.

✔ Love the style of editing/production. Some fun camera work/play (an example is episode 3, when Day finds out she is going to be on Son's team. Day pushing cam away and Son throwing it back). Enjoy the bright vivid colors

✔ Lots of fun silly moments but also heartfelt and emotional moments as well.

✔ LGBTQ+ representation is nice to see, especially gay male relationship in a world where men are scarce.


[ --DISLIKES-- ]

✖ I was still left with a lot of holes and questions about this universe. Given the length of the series, it's understandable we can't cover everything and answer every plot hole, but I still felt the birthrate disease, the story of the previously existing men, and this world could be explored more.


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● IN-DEPTH REVIEW
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[ --STORY/PLOT-- ]

The series shows us a very fun and colorful world on the surface, but it's a lot darker than it appears. Beyond the exterior, beyond the surface, beyond the pretenses, reality is not what it seems. We have men being rounded up under the pretense of protecting them, but it's merely a way for the rich and powerful to control their supply. We have what seems to be fun and silly dating gameshow, but it only exists to mask corruption, very Hunger Game-ish in that respect. It's a world full of fakeness, pretenses, and happy bright colors to hide a sadder reality. Baby boys are separated from their family and raised in a bubble. When they are old enough, they are treated a merely a commodity for women. Those that dare fight the system are imprisoned. But there is hope. There is resistant group exists call City Ground. It's a place where men can live freely with their family. One thing I liked was that, in contrast to the artificialness of The Farm/The Family, City Ground's vibe felt more natural.

I also love the characters in this series, as well as their relationships with other characters whether it's romantic or friendship. Initially, several of the characters put up pretenses. Son, acted very cool and aloof. Max appears shallow and competitive. Day was trying to say the right things so she could win. Chanel appears fierce and cold. However, as the series progress, we begin to see their true natures. There are a lot of genuine and sincere heart to heart conversations between the characters. Even main characters that seem antagonists, we are given enough development with them that we can understand why the make the decisions they did. I think, at the end, the only true antagonists are the rich powerful women who control the world like Chanel's mom.


[ --ACTING/CAST-- ]

Not much to say here as I think the cast members were good. Lots of over the top fun and silly moments, but there are lots of moments of sincerity and emotions as well. I thought the chemistry was good as well. There were some things I cringed at but I feel like I was suppose to because it's a love dating gameshow and I think they're suppose to be kind of cheesy.

[ --MUSIC/OST-- ]

I'm indifferent about the opening theme song but "Beyond the Wall" from Gabe Watskins is definitely a song I added to my playlist. It really sets a tone and fits the theme of the series of finding something real/better beyond the artificial bubble we live in.

[ --REWATCH VALUE-- ]

It's a great first watch. It's also short enough that I can be re-watched and I might if they come out with a sequel. Otherwise, I think once is enough for me unless someone I know watches it, then I don't mind watching it again with them.

[ --FINAL THOUGHTS-- ]

Dystopian series are usually pretty bleak so I really enjoyed the silliness of this one while still touching on some much sadder topics. I would definitely recommend this and I do hope they come out with another season. I feel like there is still a lot of stories to be told in this universe.

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● NOTE
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I'll always conclude my review by saying that ratings and reviews is not really a indicator of whether you may enjoy something. We all have different criteria and standards. Don't let a bad rating, review, or comment discourage you from watching something. My advice will always be to give something a chance if the premise interests you, and only use the ratings/reviews to determine priority if you have a list, or if you're deciding if you want to continue it due to time limitations.

♥ Thanks for reading my review! Feel free to comment or hit me up if you want to discuss anything ♥

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