So channel 4 Goggle box with Michael and Anna referred to her as his wife! Georgia was referring to Anna as Mrs S. Do you think they've got married?
Hi there! I actually addressed this just recently, when Georgia made the "Mrs. S" comment last month, and my opinion still remains the same. I don't want to repeat myself too much, so I will link to my previous post on the subject for anyone who wants to check that out.
What I would like to talk about, though, is the rest of Michael and Anna's appearance on Gogglebox. (For anyone who hasn't yet seen the episode, you can watch it on Youtube here.) And if they are--inexplicably--married, I feel sorry for them both, as there was not a shred of romantic chemistry happening between them last night.
I was fully prepared/hopeful for this appearance to either go better or be about the same as their Gogglebox appearance in 2021...but somehow it was actually worse this time. And it was worse specifically because of Michael.
In 2021, one thing I commented on was how animated and into it Michael was...but the only time he seemed to come alive in this new episode was during the quiz show, when he got an answer correct. He was actually excited there, which stood out because he seemed so completely disengaged for the rest of the episode, so it was noticeable how different his behavior was here compared to anything else.
Two other moments that specifically stood out occurred when they were watching a dating show near the end, about an 80-year-old woman going out on a date. This prompted Michael to ask Anna about their first date, which...in seven years, neither one of them have ever talked once about their first date. But the way they talked about it was possibly the worst way I've ever heard anyone talk about a first date...
It seemed like he couldn't actually remember where it was, as the "Cuban restaurant?" came out like an uncertain question more than anything. (Meanwhile Michael still talks about and remembers every last detail of his first table read with David...) But the only thing he actually says about the date with her is that she was half an hour late. This would've been the perfect moment for him to say, "And then you walked in and you looked so beautiful" or "The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew I was in trouble" ("in trouble" in this context meaning he knew he was starting to fall in love with her already, which is how people sometimes talk about meeting someone they are in love with).
But Michael said absolutely none of that. Or even, "And then we talked for hours and the half hour didn't even matter anymore." He talked about their date like a prepared statement someone makes in court, rather than a recollection of a special memory. There was no fondness or softness to what Michael was saying or how he said it, especially given that he never even looked at her or the camera the whole time. He was looking down, playing with his fingers, brushing a piece of nothing off his trousers--in short, looking and acting uncomfortable, which then made it very uncomfortable for viewers to watch.
Another noticeable difference to Michael and Anna's Gogglebox appearance in 2021 is that they were actually sitting close together then, but here, they were far apart. The only time any physical contact was made was when Anna put her hand on Michael's hand during the "otter love story" segment...but he didn't even react. He didn't grab her hand, or move, or even look down at it, instead keeping his own hand firmly gripped on his knee, and it only seemed to further highlight how out of sync they were.
Going back to the clip, the other moment that stood out was Michael's response to another comment made by the date of the 80-year-old woman. The woman mentioned missing companionship, and the man said, "I miss being told what to do, and then not doing it." Michael's response to this was, "I look forward to missing being told what to do."
It seems that a lot of folks are not quite getting what he meant by that, but it is not good or kind, as the implication here is that he is looking forward to Anna being gone/them no longer being together. I had to listen twice to make sure I heard him correctly, but Anna's reaction to him saying that only seemed to confirm this, and it was just so, so awkward to watch.
Also, as a point of clarity, I've seen several fans talk about Michael and Anna "mirroring" each other at varying points in the episode, but this is just not accurate. Reaching for food at around the same time is not mirroring, nor is gesturing during a conversation. I bring this up only because "mirroring" refers to something specific, and I've talked previously about Michael and David mirroring each other, of which these are two examples:
This is what mirroring looks like. So if we are identifying it in this way, then we can see categorically that this is not the same thing as what was happening with Michael and Anna.
I truly am not sure what the point and purpose of this Gogglebox appearance was. Anna hardly said anything, and Michael seemed almost irritated the entire time--not at or by her, but by something else, and while we don't know what that was, the effects of it were certainly visible. It felt like neither one of them actually wanted to be there, for whatever reason, and the physical distance along with him not actually looking at her--like not even being able to bring himself to do it even when we saw that from every other duo on the show--just made it even more noticeable.
As for the introduction on the show being "Michael and his wife Anna," I really think it's down to someone not bothering to check/correct at this point. But as I said in my other post, if they are married, there is never a good reason to keep something like that secret. Nothing going on in this episode gave the vibe of "happily married couple," at least to me, so make of that (and all of this) what you will...
