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Welcome to Fantasy Suite! We're at that point in the show where the couples get a little one-on-one time without the cameras, and as Gabby and Rachel like to remind us over and over again, really see if they have that sexual chemistry with their guys.
Oh, and if it wasn't clear to any fan of the show, THIS is the point in Clayton's season where shit went off the rails, and Gabby and Rachel really want you to know that. They spent a good couple of minutes going through what happened during Clayton's season and how it made them feel. I found it kind of weird how much they talked about it honestly. That's the past and this is _your_ fantasy suites, so own that shit.
Rachel starts off by talking about her guys. As has been the case from the beginning of this season to hometowns, Rachel really doesn't want to string guys along and is ready with the trigger finger to end things right away if she's not feeling it. Problem is, this season has been such an insane whirlwind and crap-chute, how can you know _anyone_? Anyway, we also get the sense that Rachel really likes Aven, like, a lot.
Gabby on the other hand seems a lot more trepidatious about whether her guys are ready to commit or not. She says she's absolutely ready for an engagement, and she's worried the guys aren't there yet. Spoiler alert, they're not.
We then cut to Erich's date with Gabby. And this won't be the last time I say this, but I haaaate the unnecessarily long bachelor walks. Like, do we need to see these two people walking towards each other awkwardly skipping and half-running when they realize that they're farther than they thought? It's stupid and has to stop.
They go to this gorgeous watering hole where they jump off some platforms into this gorgeous deep pool in the jungle. We get another Bachelor classic of the giant black box covering Gabby's ass the entire time. This show has people making out and dry-humping in hot tubs every episode, but the second a woman shows an inch too much buttcheek they throw a giant black box around it. It's ridiculous.
Anyway, back to their date. They're really into each other, and it's evident in how much they kiss. It was super uncomfortable hearing just these wet kisses for their ENTIRE DATE! It was like they had nothing to say so they just kept kissing each other. It was awkward and weird.
Gabby then invites him to stay in the fantasy suite and finds seven different ways of saying "I really really want to have sex with this hunk right now" without actually saying it. The next morning it's clear they're head-over-heels for each other and he's a favourite to win in my opinion. However, we get another foreshadowing moment when we see how uncomfortable Erich is with Gabby sleeping with the other guys. Red flags be flying.
Next, we're on to Rachel's date with Aven. Rachel brings up Clayton _again_ and goes on about how she's scared, etc. Rachel, girl, this is YOUR SEASON, try and stay in the present and focus on the guy you barely know right in front of you! The rest of the date was fine, they spend the night together and everything is pretty meh.
However, the thing the show really wanted us to know during Aven's date was how uncomfortable this hole thing was making _Tino_. They wanted us to know so bad they send Jesse over to talk to him and let him say a bunch of times how knowing other guys are sleeping with Rachel is 'like nails on a chalkboard'. Do these guys not watch or understand the bachelor at all before coming onto the show? This is 'the process'. Get on board or don't show up, and stop bitching about it.
At this point I will say that I found myself getting easily distracted by other things. I really think it's a symptom of us knowing next to nothing about any of the guys or their relationship with the bachelorettes. This season really has been a dumpster fire in terms of building any sort of connection with anyone this entire season.
Tino's date starts them off on horses, where Tino looked very uncomfortable. They go to another jungle watering hole and we're now three-for-three on water-based dates this episode. They have a conversation about how much Tino's parents dislike Rachel, and Tino essentially reassuring Rachel by telling her that if they end up together, his parents will just have to live with it.
When we get to Gabby and Johnny's date, we get another water-based date. However, when things get real while discussing commitment, Johnny gets real honest and tells Gabby he doesn't know if he'll get to a place where he's ready to be engaged. And let's be honest, most normal people wouldn't. They barely know each other and lived on an empty cruise ship for most of their "relationship". But whatever the case may be, Gabby says she needs someone who's ready now, and Johnny gets sent packing.
At the end of the episode, we see Gabby in her room when there's a knock on the door and a letter on the floor. It says to meet her on a bridge as the mystery writer has something important to talk to her about. Gabby gets her makeup on and meets this mystery man on the bridge.
The mystery man is Erich, and after more obnoxious kissing, Erich tells Gabby how uncomfortable he is with her sleeping with other guys. Gabby gets pissed, and rightfully so, because, as she tells him and us, they discussed this privately already during fantasy suites.
Erich, being the dumb guy that he is, thought that his spontaneous meeting to tell Gabby AGAIN that he's a jealous lover _wouldn't_ make her feel uncomfortable and insecure about her relationship with him. And obviously Gabby is turned off by the red flags waving around Erich and she walks away. I guess we'll see how Erich backpedals from this fuck-up.
And that was the episode. Another bland episode with boring water-centric dates with guys we barely know and bachelorettes that seem a little out of their depths. Part two is tomorrow, so we'll see if this season will finish with a bang or a whimper.