virus: Cupid

Eva-Lise Carlstrom (eva-lise@efn.org)
Mon, 9 Nov 1998 10:20:59 -0800 (PST)


I was watching the TV show "Cupid" the other night, and spotted what seemed
to be an allusion to "Subliminal Seduction" (www.subliminalseduction.com).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the show, it's about
Cupid, who has been kicked out of Olympus (and into the modern world) until
he can match up 100 couples without benefit of his magic bow and arrows.
He has continual clashes with a psychologist who considers him delusional
but probably harmless. She specializes in counseling for people who need
help finding love relationships. She and Cupid have notably conflicting
philosophies on how this is best achieved. She favors matching up
compatible partners in a fairly rational fashion, and using honest
communication to foster intimacy. Cupid is all for love at first sight,
romantic drama, and the irrationalities of heat and chemistry.
In this particular episode, we saw a series of classes called
"Sure Score", in which a room full of loveless men were instructed in how
to seduce women. In other scenes, characters used techniques from the
classes. An example: man meets woman, exchanges a few words with her,
then asks her whether she had a favorite stuffed animal as a child. When
she says yes and describes it, he replies with his own description of a
stuffed mouse of his, then says something like, "Then I know you know what
I mean...you remember how you used to feel so comfortable with that toy,
you felt like you could always depend on it to be there and protect you
and make you feel special...and that's how I want you to feel."
I, for one, was amused. It's not a bad show, either.

--Eva