Quote:
I don't think Mika or even the other woman was into him. Here is a quote from Mika:
He intellectually dominated them all, yes- but he didn't charm the ladies.
I will break it down for all the members who are not experienced or knowledgable enough to see what was happening during the interaction (which by the way was very clear).
Mika was overwhelmingly aroused by Russell to the point that she was losing control and wasn't trusting herself anymore. This happens when a girl who isn't a raging whore has been turned on by you too much.
I like how russell apologized for putting this foot on the table. This shows newbs that you don't have to become some sort of total jerk to get chicks.
You can see at 1:08 Rika has already become interested in him. When she says, "um", she is uncertain and you can hear the emotional charge in her tremulous voice. However, this is only a small signal and you can't be sure. Her interest isn't very high yet.
Russell picks up on the change in Mika, who had been professional and in charge just a minute ago. He makes a sexual comment about looking down her dress. Mika responds with a very submissive apology. By doing this, Russell has amped up the attraction tremendously. Notice at 1:20 Rika touches her hair which is a classic IOI. At this point, she is becoming aroused enough to be flustered. She has to take a drink to calm down. Note that Russell hasn't even done that much so far. It's just that he's so confident and emotionally free. However, in reality, a pro comedian like him is actually composed when joking around even though it's not obvious to everyone that this is the case.
3:19 - russell turns to rika and mentions pornography. Rika's voice shows a lot of wariness.
5:15 - rika tries to rationalize her experience of russell
5:16 - russell confronts her and teases her about her talking about him like she is not there. This is the first confrontational tease directed at rika.
5:30 - british blonde woman eye codes Rika. It's like she's saying "what is going on with you gurl?!". Even the male anchor has figured it out at this point.
5:31 - russell talks to rika with a softer, more intimate tone of voice. He's reassuring her because he's intimidated her too much so far.
5:36 - rika flat out says that she is nervous. no explanation needed.
5:47 - rika is overwhelmed with arousal at this point and starts moving away. In real life, you wouldn't want to go this far but on tv it's fine since it's all entertainment and there's no real pick up occurring. In a bar or club, this level of arousal may cause the girl to completely run away never to return.
6:02 - Kat makes a comment about "willy brand". Obviously a sexual innuendo regarding Russell's dick. I'm not sure what to make of this and don't understand why she brought up something so vulgar into the conversation on a news show. It's kinda like she's shit testing Rika but why would she do that?
6:08 - Kat says "because that's where he's heading" obviously alluding to the fact that things are heading towards sex (but they're actually not. Brand does this with many female interviewers and most of the time, nothing probably comes of it. Don't know for sure of course.).
6:09 - rika regains her composure and edges back towards Brand while trying to re-assert a state of professionalism and cool.
6:17 - brand says "who is willy". He's shutting down Kat's thread because it is too vulgar and because talking about him in the third person devalues him. He then changes the subject to regain control of the situation. Note that he do this earlier because Rika was so intimidated he had to back off for a while.
7:42 - even Kat has some interest in him now but not a whole lot. She is giving him some light shit complaining about his manners but she can't help smiling while doing so.
7:55 - more hair touching. She's listening to his intellectual talk. This is useful for a brainy professional chick like Rika.