Antigoni’s bombshell arrival spells Greek tragedy for the Love Island villa – review

There has always been a hint of Greek tragedy about Love Island. Who are the islanders if not tragic heroes reckoning with their hubris? And for those of us providing play-by-play commentary on Twitter, are we not fulfilling the function of a chorus? The latest arrival of the tellingly named Antigoni seems to confirm it – and if Sophocles’s play is anything to go by, it’ll be a disaster from here on out.

Just as the dust begins to settle from Tuesday night’s double elimination, which sent Amber and Ikenna packing, Antigoni enters the villa with the hopes of stirring things up again. Sprawled out on a sunbed in the morning, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter from London awkwardly waits for the islanders to wake up and witness her existence. Like Dami, who squeals at the sight of her before running up to tell the rest of the islanders, I’m a big fan of this sort of reveal. Arabella did it in series five, and three seasons later, it still holds up. Understated, simple, effective.

If first impressions are anything to go by, Antigoni shouldn’t unpack her bags just yet. Meeting the boys goes perfectly fine but sparks are far from flying. Phrases like “genuine girl”, “lively chat” and “she’s got great energy” are thrown around in what appears to be code for “She’d be a great friend!” Nevertheless, Antigoni persists, embarking on three picnic dates with Davide, Jay, and Dami. All the boys look as bored to be there as I am watching them. Admittedly, it’s a hard life for a late bombshell. Alliances have been forged; couples have had that crucial bit more time together. Breaking up a happy home just isn’t as easy as it was in the beginning. For what it’s worth, though, Antigoni does actually have great chat.

Elsewhere in the episode, Jay continues to explore his connection with Paige. Well, as much as he can without actually ever speaking to her. Instead, he tells everyone else, meaning that it gets back to Ekin-Su in a matter of hours. They are all living together, after all! Ekin-Su, already rattled by the arrival of Antigoni, is sent into a further tizzy by this information and consults the girls separately on whether or not they think Jay will stay loyal. The answer – although phrased nicely in a “well, if he doesn’t then he was never right for you anyway” package – is a loud and resolute NO. Watching this show really does give you whiplash; it feels like only yesterday that Jay was telling Ekin-Su he would leave the villa with her if she was sent home. Although in this case, it literally was only yesterday.

Love Island wouldn’t be Love Island without a last-minute surprise. Another bombshell – Charlie – enters the villa ahead of the evening’s party, but we only get about 30 seconds of conversation before it cuts to black. Guess we’ll be tuning in tonight then.