What Episode of “First Date” With a Master Can’t Teach You About Dating
Thoughtful, funny, and often touching, but mixed with brawling, Netflix’s second season, Master of the Nameless , is the episode that best portrays the awkward world of online dating. And as it turns out, there are some great lessons hidden behind all this nasty humor.
“First Date” is not only a pretty accurate representation of what online dating actually looks like – at least for men – women, Aziz Ansari’s character, Dev, Dating is a detailed list of things you should never do on their first dates. regardless of gender. Many of the mistakes these people make, in addition to the many Virgo mistakes, act as a cautionary tale of sorts. There are many red flags, and many rude or unfeeling actions that the characters are unaware of, but obvious to you, the viewer.
Here are some examples of what this episode demonstrates, how to avoid things, and red flags to look out for :
- Do not push or peep on an object when asked not to. Dev asks Christine questions about her work at the Dog Hotel – which she says she doesn’t want to talk about. Virgo gets away with using humor and asking some interesting questions, but he’s lucky she’s a good athlete.
- Don’t get high or drunk on the first date, especially if you’re not together.
- Don’t tell people why you canceled the plans if that puts you off. Stephanie revealing that she canceled plans with Dev to watch wrestling on TV automatically makes him feel like she’s not so excited about meeting him, which isn’t the best way to start a business. This is one of those times when it’s perfectly okay to say that you have something personal.
- Don’t go missing for 15 minutes to get busy. This is sometimes unavoidable, but best avoided. If this happens, apologize as best you can.
- Don’t send the same message to all users of your app, especially if it’s just “hello” or “hello”. Chief Dev, while better than just saying “hey!”, Doesn’t play for a human at all. Read their profiles, check out their pictures, and start with what you both think will be interesting or funny. This should be where the conversation starts. “Hello” doesn’t do this when you’re not face to face.
- Don’t chat about things you know your date isn’t interested in. If it’s obvious they don’t like wrestling, video games, and the like, find something else to talk about.
- Don’t treat waiters like crap and then act like they’re rude.
- Don’t take videos, photos, or silly pictures at the wrong time, such as when two guys are fighting in front of you.
- Don’t use dating apps on a date . This should not be said, but in fact it is happening.
- Don’t use dating apps or dating if you’re not interested in dating. If you only use one of these apps to find friends, please let us know in advance on your profile and while chatting.
- Don’t sleep with someone with whom you have moral problems just because you want them. Not cool.
Of course, these lost young romantics have a few good things:
- Use humor to break the ice and keep the atmosphere light and fun. Just make sure your jokes are tasteful.
- Clarify that you are actually on a date and not just hanging out like friends. It is important to clarify the issue if one or both parties are unsure!
- If things are going well, change your location. The first date should start at a bar, cafe, ice cream parlor, etc., where you can talk and get to know each other. No movies! If things are going well, you can move the date to another location – like having dinner, a drink, or taking a walk – and it’s almost like being on a second date. Resetting your surroundings takes the mood now that you are hopefully a little more comfortable with each other.
- Call it at night when the date is making you uncomfortable or doing something that really annoys you. It’s important to meet somewhere on the first date, using your own mode of locomotion, so you can jump up when you need to.
Of course, Ansari is no stranger to puzzling over the modern dating scene. His book, A Contemporary Novel, is a fascinating look at the search for love in the digital age and what psychology and neuroscience consider true love. If you’ve read the book, watching the First Date episode is basically like a fun overview of all the missteps you’ve read about.
But there is still a lot to learn from this episode, even if you haven’t read the book. Basically, this is a crash course that everyone should take when they are alone and ready to min-well, swipe. Hopefully admitting these mistakes will help you avoid terrible dates in the future and not become someone’s dating story like “Oh, that was one terrible boy / girl …”.