Does Love Island’s Michael Actually Like Amber Or Does He Like Controlling Her Emotions?

With every episode of Love Island, Michael Griffiths terrifies us more and more. Whether it’s his ability to come across as an emotionally mature ‘nice guy’ only to turn on a woman he supposedly fell for, his constant attempts to vilify Amber Gill in defence of his own actions or his quick-fire blame deflection that see’s confident women questioning their own minds day after day, he’s fast become one of the show’s most memorable f*ckboys.

In last night’s episode, he peaked on the Richter scale of male toxicity when he decided that after seeing Amber enjoy a date with another man, he of course wanted her back. This comes less than 48 hours after he let his former partner Joanna walk out of the villa alone – a woman he has spent every day since Casa Amor telling he likes more than Amber – and 24 hours after savagely telling Amber there is nothing between them.

Of course, having seen the way he carelessly casts aside women’s feelings for his own pursuit of the Love Island ‘experience’ – also known as TV exposure – viewers are struggling to believe that his feelings towards Amber are genuine. Because, how can a man whom felt the need to ‘be a dickhead’ to get his lack of feelings across suddenly realise that actually he does like her from literally one morning of being on generally okay terms again?

Some viewers believed that his pride was getting in the way of him confessing his true feelings for Amber, and in fact fully expected this admission when it was revealed Joanna would leave the villa – a move some think was orchestrated by producers. But, if this was true, why would he so ruthlessly tell her there is nothing between them? And more than that, why would he only apologise for said (second) dumping after he was held accountable by fellow islander, Ovie?

It could well be that Michael does have feelings for Amber, which is why he has swept in upon seeing her potentially moving in. But there’s one glaring problem with that: it shouldn’t take a woman you care about finding happiness with someone else to make you realise you gave a good relationship up. In fact, if anything it screams that what Michael truly wants isn’t to be with Amber, but to control her emotions.

Because, let's face it, if he wanted Amber to be happy he would leave her alone. If he took a second to think of the emotional turmoil he has put her through, the public humiliation and the endless rejection, he would know that going back to her now when he has no real idea of whether their relationship will work again only puts her in an agonising position of choosing between her heart and head. Rather than letting her move on with someone who hasn’t caused her so much pain, he is choosing himself… again.

The way Michael has toyed with Amber throughout this series makes it seems like all he really cares about is his ability to control her emotions and keep her interest. In the same way that all f*ckboys seem to have a radar where as soon as you start to move on they creep back into your life, Michael is the glaring reality of that phenomenon. Amber was right all along when she said Michael seems like the ‘type of guy who would ruin a girl’s life’, we can only hope she remembers those fateful words in tonight’s episode and gives Michael the reality check we’re all rooting for

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