Hi lovelies Here is my recap of this weeks episode of The Bachelorette. This week Hannah sent home three great guys (Connor S, Mike, and Garrett) and kept Luke P. From seven to three is a pretty big jump. It feels like the finale should be here already. We knew that Connor S wasn’t going to make it to hometowns because he wasn’t seen in five episodes. We knew that while Hannah was genuinely seemed to like Mike that he wasn’t going to make the cut either. I couldn’t see any real romantic affection coming from Hannah. We knew that this season’s villain Luke P would be getting a Hometown date, not because he has been scraping by in every rose ceremony but in large part of the spoiler preview we have seen. I get them wanting to tease us and keep us watching but don’t give us too much information. If next weeks preview is anything to go by Hannah FINALLY SENDS LUKE P HOME during what I am guessing is the Fantasy Suite date after he shames her for having had sex. I wish we hadn’t been given the previews of that conversation. Last night, on the group date Luke P begins to tell Hannah how he found his faith. The competition between him and Garrett was over. Luke P has continued to manipulate Hannah into getting his way with her way to many times. While Luke P has barely been squeaking by the last few weeks, I’d say that this week would have been the one where he would be sent home but wasn’t this is my main frustration with the Hannah and Luke P storyline. I am having a really hard time respecting Hannah with her relationship with Luke P. Hannah has been very honest and sees through facades a word she herself has used when describing Luke P. She doesn’t buy into the bull-sh*t he regularly spews out. She isn’t an actor which I appreciate. I don’t believe she could manage faking it with Luke P. because of a producer’s suggestion to keep him around Is there something that we aren’t seeing as viewers of the show. Why is does she have so much faith in Luke P? Many of the conversations have turned into arguments. Which finds me to wonder how do these conversations conclude? More specifically, last week, what happened in between Hannah telling Luke that their relationship did not feel “on the tracks” and her decision to give him a rose at the Rose Ceremony? Did she really fall for his gaslighting, believing she had simply misunderstood him when he had shamed her for bungee jumping naked? This week, when Luke P. used his Group Date 1-on-1 time to launch a diatribe about how the guys had been mistreating him, I thought for sure Hannah would see right through it. (I would have thought she’d be surprised if it were the other way around!) But instead, she wondered why the men couldn’t be kind to him. Having been on the receiving end of his antics, she of all people should know precisely why. Rather than wondering why there’s so much smoke surrounding the fire that is Luke P., she somehow found a way to blame Garrett for being “fake nice” and not outwardly being rude to a guy he didn’t like. For someone who implored the guys not to get involved in her other relationships, she sure was quick to do that with them, making assumptions about Garrett without knowing the full story. Further, Luke P. had done precisely what bothered Hannah about the other guys just two weeks ago: trash talking each other under the guise of being worried for HER. Wasn’t it Hannah who said she could figure it all out for herself?
If this episode had a name it’d be “Blind Faith”; Hannah is blinded by her shared faith with—and subsequent faith in—Luke P. It has translated into limitless tolerance for him, yet disproportionately strict standards for the other men. Is all of this just an enormous (and enormously complicated) veil over the fact that she simply has great chemistry with Luke P. and is thinking with a body part south of her brain? Even then, is their chemistry really THAT much better than it is with Peter, Jed or Tyler C.? Guys with whom she doesn’t need to have formal, painstaking sit-downs in order to establish the most basic of mutual understanding?
I like Hannah a lot. She’s candid, goofy, and completely herself. But there comes a point where the “fool me once” adage must come into consideration. We have two choices here: either we assume we’re missing crucial puzzle pieces to help us see—even if we can’t understand—why Hannah keeps throwing Luke P. a bone, or we have to assume we’re giving Hannah herself too much credit. Those puzzle pieces would work in her favor, as of right now it’s hard not to lose some respect for a woman who routinely makes excuses for a guy who so obviously manipulates and mistreats everyone around him, including her. Her inability to heed his red flags is a red flag in and of itself.
Here are my Top 3 frontrunners based on The Bachelorette episode eight…
Jed, 25
This week I was shocked to hear Hannah say that she was falling in love with Jed. This was unprecedented as I don’t think I have heard anyone say those words before the Hometown dates. These two shared another 1-on-1 where the emphasis was again on their ease and effortlessness. Honestly, right now their story feels almost too easy and effortless, in a way that makes me still wonder about Tyler C. pulling ahead. I also can’t forget that we never heard actual conversation between these two on Night One; all we got was—shocker—Jed serenading her. Nonetheless, Hannah’s ILY (or IFILWY?) confession must be heeded, keeping Jed sitting very pretty at the top of my list.
Here are my Top 3 frontrunners based on The Bachelorette episode eight…
Tyler C, 26
I was a bit sad to see Jed pull so far ahead this week as Tyler C. continues to be my unabashed favorite. It’s hard not to root for a guy that seems to truly see and understand Hannah, support and defend her, all while managing to consistently make her laugh. Tyler’s been laser-focused on Hannah in a way that has allowed him to keep pretty private about himself. However, this week, and with a little coaxing, he did finally manage to “open up” the way Hannah needed from him, keeping him firmly towards the front of the pack.
Peter, 29
Peter’s in third place because he’s the only man in my Top 3 to have only had one 1-on-1 date. And a recent one at that. I feel like if Hannah were super into Peter, she’d have found a way to have given him more. For him to head into Hometowns with so little time under his belt doesn’t bode well; it means Hannah hasn’t prioritized him the way she has others. I still think Peter’s a major frontrunner, but I don’t see him catching up to either Jed or Tyler C. at this point.
AND FINALLY GOING HOME NEXT WEEK THIS SEASON’S VILLAIN
Luke P, 24
Though Hannah has proven me wrong time and time again when it comes to Luke P. going home, it’s hard to imagine him lasting much longer. I’m betting on their date from the previews coming sooner than later, if only so they don’t spoil so much of remainder of the season. Plus, watching Luke P. is getting really painful, so consider this me being hopeful that he does indeed go home.
Catch The Bachelorette Monday night on ABC 8/7c