When the production flies couples to Spain, it probably understands that the situation isn't great | Married at First Sight
For the first time in the history of "Married at First Sight," the couples went on a retreat abroad just before the decisions. But it was Noa and Ari who proved that even a Spanish sunset cannot resolve an argument in which each is convinced they are living in a different reality.
I don't remember any season of "Married at First Sight" where they took the couples abroad just before the decisions. This time they found themselves in Spain, in what the production called the "Decision Retreat." I admit that throughout the episode, one thought was on my mind: maybe even the production has already realized that the situation between most of the couples is not good enough.
After all, if you need to take them out of their routine, fly them abroad, remind them of their wedding day, let them draw their relationship, bring up memories, and try to create more exciting moments just before the decision — you are probably hoping that the heart will manage to convince the head.
But then came Noa and Ari, and in my opinion, they proved exactly why a beautiful view is not always enough.
Honestly? I no longer think their problem is the gaps. Not the hour that Ari wants for himself, and not the question of who is more dramatic. For me, this episode exposed a much bigger problem — they are no longer arguing about their relationship, they are arguing about reality.
Notice what almost every conversation of theirs looks like. Noa says: "You said you need an hour and a half alone every day." Ari answers: "That's not what I said." Noa says she is no longer as dramatic as she used to be, Ari doesn't agree with the starting point at all. She says the gaps between them are bridgeable, he says there are big gaps and if they manage to bridge them — great, and if not... then not. Neither of them even stops to ask what the other is feeling. They are busy convincing each other who remembers what happened correctly.
And here, in my opinion, lies their real problem.
Because a couple can fight. A couple can also think differently. But when each is sure they are living in a different version of the same relationship, how do you even move forward? I felt that every sentence between them started with "that's not what I meant" and ended with "that's not what I said." And when you are so busy being right, there isn't much room left to be close.
And then came the part that I really couldn't understand. Five seconds after the argument, they just kissed. Am I the only one who felt it was unbelievable? Make up your mind: are you in a fight or are you in a romance? Because these sharp transitions feel like nothing is really resolved. You just move on until the next explosion. By the way, if I were Niv or Asaf, who sat next to them at that dinner, I would mainly be looking for an excuse to change tables.
And precisely because of all this, the moment that caught me the most was at the end of the drawing exercise. Noa looked at Ari and said that despite all the gaps between them, he was the best partner she could have received for this process. It was a small moment, but much more significant than all the arguments. For one moment she didn't try to prove he was wrong, and he didn't rush to correct her. There was simply gratitude there.
In the other couples, too, there were moments that were hard for me to ignore. Noy, for example, was overwhelmed while watching clips from the wedding. You could see that she returned in one moment to everything she felt at the beginning of the journey, and in such moments you don't need too much. No advice, no solutions, and no analyses. Just for your partner to be next to you. But Evitar, at least in my opinion, chose to run away from the situation again. He announced he was going to the bathroom, and found himself having a cigarette with the guys. Evitar, seriously. There are moments when your presence is worth more than any smart sentence. And in the end, the hug that Noy needed, she received from the girls. It was a small scene, but for me, it told their whole story.
Even in the drawing exercise, Evitar managed to surprise me. He described their relationship as a boat sailing in a calm sea — quiet, stable, without storms. And then Yael Doron said it sounded almost like a complaint, and I admit I thought exactly the same thing. What's wrong with quiet? What's wrong with stability? After all, everyone who enters this experiment dreams of finding exactly that. Sometimes I felt that Evitar is looking for the big spark so much that he is missing what he already has in front of his eyes.
Also with Avia and Neta, the drawing exercise did its thing. Avia talked about balance, about two triangles leaning on each other, and I tried to understand if I missed something along the way. Because a moment later he already admitted that they swept quite a few things under the rug and that he has mixed feelings. It's hard to talk about balance when even the one drawing it doesn't sound truly calm.
And opposite all these dramas were Niv and Asaf, who just made me want to smile. It's impossible to miss Niv. The girl is head over heels in love. It's in the eyes, it's in the laughter, it's in the amount of kisses, and it's in the way she looks at him as if he is the only one in the room. Asaf, in contrast, is still much more reserved. If Niv is an open book, Asaf is a book still wrapped in plastic. But somehow, this gap actually works for them. She doesn't try to pull more emotion out of him by force, and he isn't scared by the love she brings. There is something pleasant about watching it.
And Dor and Sofi? They continue to be the couple that makes me think that maybe a healthy love is just less televisual. There are no explosions there, no dramas, and no "wait, I need to process this." There are two people who are good together. And in a program that runs on conflict fuel, it almost feels unusual.
This coming Sunday, all the talk, analyses, and exercises will boil down to two small words — "yes" or "no." And then we will find out if this retreat really changed anything, or if it just bought the couples a few more days of hope.
