It’s the episode we’ve all been waiting for, ever since those not-so-subtle jokes from Luca Bish about meeting Gemma Owen’s dad, we’re finally going to witness the 23-year-old fishmonger try to impress her famous family. With two episodes left until the final on Monday, the moment Islanders ‘meet the parents’ will come this weekend and frankly… we can’t wait!
What kind of reaction can Luca expect from Gemma’s family? Well, at first it seemed to be going swimmingly. Michael Owen was reported to describe all the Love Island lads as ‘pretty decent fellas’ from the few episodes he had watched (you can really tell he’s only watched a few, huh?) with a source telling the Daily Mail that ‘if Luca ends up officially going out with Gemma he will definitely want to meet him and make up his own mind on the guy. Any father would.’
But we won’t be witnessing THAT meeting on-screen, unfortunately. Speaking to Sky Sports At The Races after watching his horse run, Owen confirmed he will not be taking part in the ‘Meet The Parent’s episode nor jetting off to Mallorca for the finale. ‘My wife will do that duty,’ he said. ‘I'll represent the horses and she'll represent the daughter. I don't know what I'll get from Box To Box. But I know what I'm going to get from my daughter. I've fathered her for 19 years so I'm pretty sure what I'm going to get from her.’
His wife, Louise Owen, might be a tougher nut to crack though. With a close relationship the pair describe as ‘best friends’, Gemma told Luca early on that her mother’s approval will make or break the couple. When Luca asked if she thought Louise would like him, Gemma ominously replied, ‘I hope to God. Because if she doesn't then we're screwed. If my mum don't like you it's a no.’
Does Louise like Luca? While she hasn’t said anything about him specifically on the record, Louise did acknowledge that she didn’t like how the boys were treating Tasha Ghouri. Following the Snog, Marry, Pie challenge where both Luca and Dami were criticised for their treatment of Tasha – which subsequently resulted in 1,500 Ofcom complaints, Louise shared her support for Tasha.
‘I hope Tasha is ok,’ she commented on her Instagram. ‘I feel it's close to bullying now which is so sad to see.’
While Louise was certainly saying what we’re all thinking, the use of the word ‘bullying’ indicates Luca might have a tough time convincing Gemma’s mum he’s worthy of her daughter. If she believes he has been bullying Gemma’s best mate on television, there’s no doubt any mother would be wary of how he treats women in general.
As far as Gemma’s other siblings go, they’re all keeping quiet about their feelings towards Luca - although they are 16 (James), 14 (Emily) and 12 (Jessica) – but it’s likely Gemma will be watching his relationship with them on the outside closely given how family-orientated she seems to be.
Frankly, we can’t wait to see who enters the villa on Gemma’s behalf alongside her mum – but more importantly we can’t wait to see Luca squirm when he finally comes face to face with the Owen matriarch!