Channel 4’s Love Cheats continues its exploration of romantic deception with a story that could be ripped from a particularly melodramatic soap opera, or perhaps a particularly inept attempt at a thriller. This week, viewers meet Sean, a man whose apparent desire for a ready-made family leads him down a path paved with increasingly improbable lies. He falls for Rebecca, a single mother who quickly reveals a diagnosis of terminal cancer. While that alone might raise some eyebrows, Sean seemingly remains committed. But hold on to your skepticism, because things are about to get even more convoluted.
Rebecca announces a pregnancy, then a miscarriage. This rapid succession of life-altering events, while potentially devastating, also begins to strain credulity. Even the most devoted partner might start to wonder about the sheer volume of misfortune befalling this one woman.
As if cancer and miscarriage weren’t enough drama for one relationship, the story introduces a third character, Steve, Rebecca’s gay friend. Sean, ever the helpful chap, begins renovating Steve’s home. It’s during this renovation that he stumbles upon a discovery that unravels Rebecca’s web of deceit. While the exact nature of the revelation remains tantalizingly undisclosed in pre-air materials, one suspects it involves more than just mismatched paint samples or shoddy plumbing.
Love Cheats aims to tap into the true-crime audience’s fascination with con artists and elaborate scams, but the over-the-top nature of this particular tale might push it into unintentional comedy territory. The episode raises the age-old question: how much can one person reasonably endure before common sense kicks in?
Love Cheats airs Monday, November 25 at 11:05 PM on Channel 4.
