Холостячкa #13

barish

We learned a lot about Dean on his date. Funny how everything (usually doubts about a contestant) comes out all at once, and Dean's began with one of the many Man Talks. The guys discussed how he avoids attention and talking feelings by using deflection and humor. I contemplated making .GIFs of his tooth fairy and dinosaur questions, but the smiles he used to deliver uncomfortable and painful information needed to be captured...

Although this evening portion was a clear struggle for him, it was interesting and satisfying television to watch him finally crack his veneer and show some vulnerability. Like I said over at Flare, I really enjoy watching him.
Oh, also: I am a huge fan of the way Dean speaks. Dean has a fantastic vocabulary and says things like, "[My father] is not a person that has any bearing on my emotional experience." His words are clearly, consciously chosen (“unreceptive”, “looming”, “adamant”, “eccentric”, just to name a few... those might not sound special but most people would default to simpler, less specific words) but never sound affected, like he's trying to use "big words" (à la Kelsey).

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

PETER'S 1-ON-1
While I still feel like Rachel's relationship with Bryan is more established—which makes sense, since his 1-on-1s were Week 5 and Week 7, which is a hell of a lot more natural a progression than Week 2 followed by Week 7—Peter made quite the showing this week. He is SO sane and reasonable and honest, confessing having thought about leaving, and he even began initiating in the physical affection department...

CUTE.

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

His date activity was hands-down the most badass of the season (so far, anyway)...

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Back at the hotel, a date card arrives for the most barrel of laughs-sounding 3-on-1 ever...

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

... and yet another Man Chat is forced ensues. Adam says something that once again sounds arrogant and narcissistic to me...

At first when he said "shining", I thought he meant them shining as a couple. And it's not an opportunity to enjoy her company, or move their relationship forward, but for HIM to shine?? Urrrghhhh.*

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Rachel unsurprisingly gives Peter the 1-on-1 rose, and it is an incredibly sweet and sincere moment. There's a slow (well, slow for this show and for a clear frontrunner) build between them that I really like and feels believable. Most of all, I really appreciate Peter's resistance to use the L-word word, despite the fact that we all know that word is and has likely been heavily encouraged...

His emphasizing the above definitely feels like, if and when he does use/feel/reveal it, we'll believe it.
Lastly, the editing of this storyline really embraced the fact that Peter considered leaving. There was very much an arc of "I've been in my head and thinking about leaving" and "Maybe Peter will eliminate himself", to a climactic "I never say love but we're headed in that direction" resolution. With that in mind, listen to Rachel's "relief"...
Rachel, Frankenbitten:
"I have to admit I was a little nervous starting out / that he wouldn't accept the rose / but I'm so glad / he did."
Sure, it's possible she actually did feel this way, but what's important is that she didn't say it. Again, not a concern in this context, but you can imagine how scarily creative that liberal copying/pasting could (and can) get.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

THE 3-ON-1 TURNED 2-ON-1
You guys, I love Eric. In contrast to Adam, listen (well, read) his use of "me" and "I"...

It's introspective, reflective, and ties in Rachel and what she does to and for him. There's no tone of him wanting to shine, to show her how incredible time with him is, of him doing her*some favor. I'm reminded of Evan Bass' excellent Hollywood Reporter piece defending Bachelor in Paradise and its producers. In it he wrote: "The cast members who get the most out of the experience are the ones who treat it as therapy... Generally speaking, the contestants who gripe are the ones who can't/won't internalize their experience." I could not agree more and I think Eric is this season's poster child for this. Above all, I love how vocal he is about it.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Aaaaaaand, Exhibit B...

Again, it's not about what THEY built. Nope.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

I was astounded by the picture Eric painted of his home life and growing up. I'm really impressed by how he's done everything in his power to make the best of his lot while staying remarkably positive. The follow (in passing!) sentence simultaneously blew my mind and broke my heart...

Despite the episode-long efforts to show Adam's confidence that he'd be getting that Hometown, Eric obviously gets the rose. It's absurd to imagine either Matt or Adam would have, considering their lack of both 1-on-1s and airtime. We'd never meet the family of contestants we've gotten to know as little as them.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Lastly, I couldn't live with myself without capturing the following...

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Episode 8
"You have gone out with so many girls.*And you go [on a] show, and you fall in love with the girl of the show... Hahaha! I'm in shock.*Completely shocked!" —Olga,*Bryan's mother, who has evidently underestimated the Cupid-like powers of the Bachelor bubble

ERIC'S HOMETOWN
As a longtime viewer I've always loved Hometowns week, and as a recapper I've discovered I love it just as much. Something about the way the episode is broken up and compartmentalized really works from an analysis perspective.
Rachel starts off in Baltimore to visit Eric and his clan, and we quickly discover the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and his family is every bit as endearing as he is...

The one person who didn't seem to emanate warm fuzzies was Eric's own mother, Karen, even in a conversation about not having emanated warm fuzzies during his upbringing. But it was clear that though she's a cooler personality, she seriously cared (and cares) about him.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

Cheerio

а моя скрытая агрессия (к Брайану) на каком уровне (скажем по 10бальной системе)? Или твоя к Питеру?

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- I thought I knew what to do. I failed.
- Good. Now go fail again.

Cheerio

Шарлин очевидно не смотрит на ситуацию как её вижу я, и похоже как видит Дин. Мне с самого начала было видно что Брайан является бабником если не в данный момент, то совершенно точно был им в прошлом. То как он ведёт себя с Рэйчел на это очень сильно намекает (и частично это подтвердила его мама). К его возрасту и Маями это никакого отношения не имеет. Дин с ним прожил пару месяцев и пришёл к похожему выводу. Тем более, между репликой с возрастом + Маями и выводом о sweet talking очевиден разрыв, т.е. там либо что-то вырезано, либо вообще взято из другого контекста. Потому мне очень странно что Шарлин на это не обратила внимания, потому как она первая обращает внимание на такие вещи. Наоборот, она на это закрыла глаза потому как связь с Маями и возрастом была основой её критики мнения Дина.

__________________
- I thought I knew what to do. I failed.
- Good. Now go fail again.

barish

Поскольку в последнем выпуске Дина уже нет, то эту тему уже поднимает Питер, тему Майами, я думаю это неоднократно обсуждалось Питером и Дином (на сайте шоу был кусочек, который не вошел в шоу, где Питер и Дин играют в шахматы и обсуждают Браяна), они стереотипизируют Браяна как латиноамериканца, коих в Майами 67%.
У меня нет никакой агрессии к Питеру, ни скрытой ни открытой, он мне просто чем то неприятен, о чем я и сказала. Я нигде его не критикую, не лью на него никакой грязи, не стереотипизирую его как человека из "глубинки" с образованием в комьюнити колледже. Мне не настолько интересен Питер, чтобы во все это углубляться. Я не слежу за его SМ, не ищу на него компромат, но те, кто следит, говорят, что у него было несколько нелицеприятных комментов. Я только знаю, что после предпоследнего выпуска некоторые поклонники обрушились на него и даже угрожали ему и он написал им ответ:

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Что такое бабник?
Я только вижу, что она ему очень нравится, теперь он в нее влюблен. Он ответит на многие вопросы на встрече с семьей Рэчел в последнем выпуске.
Я пересматривала отношения Браяна и Рэчел с самого начала, в первом же выпуске он сказал, у него невероятное физическое притяжение к ней и плюс к этому она еще и очень классная сама по себе. Когда я смотрела их знакомство я очень хорошо могла себя представить и на его месте и на ее, там было много электричества!
Сказав, что он встречался со многими девушками? Ему 37 лет, со сколькими девушками разрешается повстречаться к этому возрасту? Он сам сказал Рэчел, что 2 года назад у него закончились 4-х летние отношения. Когда человек не в отношениях он ходит на свидания, встречается, знакомится, что тут такого?

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Продолжу постить Шарлин
продолжение Episode 8:
Rachel sat down with Eric's aunt Verna, who I have to imagine is the "cool aunt", and they had a fantastic heart-to-heart about "the R-A-C-E card". I have to say,*I love Rachel's ability to talk about race in both a casual, joking way (like when Bryan said he likes black when referring to his watch strap and she exclaimed, "Really?!"), but she can also discuss it in a serious and real way.

The way she talks about this is great combination of her fully recognizing the gravity and pressure that comes with being the first black lead, yet with a consistent confidence and true sense of self. Yes, it's hard and she'd probably like to appease all parties, but her priority is clear: to make the right choice for herself.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Afterwards, Eric finally (in a roundabout way) drops the L-word, but what makes it noteworthy (in addition to him never having been in love) is that he follows it up with WHY he knows he loves her...

Rachel, too, picked up on this follow-up and appreciated it. I still doubt Eric will be the chosen man at the end of all this—just look at how she receives this information. She appears touched, but not over the moon happy. I realize this is partially due to the fact that he didn't come out and SAY, "Rachel, I love you" but the sentiment was nonetheless there, and I for one am wasn't feeling reciprocation from Rachel in this moment.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

BRYAN'S HOMETOWN
In Miami, right off the bat, Rachel almost seems to address the concerns so many viewers have voiced (including many of you in the comments): That Bryan seems too good to be true, too smooth, too charming...

What I love about her addressing this is that she's showing no one is more attuned to those concerns than she is and has been, and even with her skeptic nature she's been proven wrong. The way I see it, Rachel is easily the most pragmatic, realistic, almost cynical lead we've had in a long time (if not ever), in addition to being hyper perceptive and intelligent. I respect the counter arguments, but based on all these traits and what an obviously deeply confident person she is, I personally trust her to make good choices for herself when it comes to men.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Soon after meeting Bryan's family, his mother, Olga, gives a toast but I'm distracted by the fact that I'm 100% POSITIVE her glass is completely empty...

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

Seriously... am I crazy? Or blind? And it's not like it really matters, I guess, except that it makes her lengthy sip a strange choice...

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

I do think Bryan's mother absolutely redeemed herself by the end of the Hometown (she really did seem sincere in wanting Bryan to find happiness with a partner, whether or not that partner is Rachel), but lines like the following always leave me scratching my head...

I get that this is likely a reference to the ex-girlfriend, and it was possibly taken out of context and made to sound focused towards Rachel, but context notwithstanding, the mother vs girlfriend stance is such a strange one to take, in my opinion. Apples and oranges! (посмотрев следующий эпизод Шарлин поймет зачем они это сделали )

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

PETER'S HOMETOWN
As lovely as Peter's entire Madison, WI Hometown was, there was only one .GIF to be made, and that is of the following statement by him...

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

I love this line so much because I see myself in it. I see Andy in it. I see many people I respect and relate to in it. What I don't see in it, however, is a frontrunner who, in Week 8, is going to be able to get to the point where he's engaged to the lead in 2 or so weeks' time. Obviously this is just my opinion and I'm the first to admit I could be projecting because, again, within this experience, I see myself in Peter...

Oh, also, I've said for years that one of my biggest fears is regret. It stuck out to me that this was one of the things he listed as a result of rash decisions and "going off emotions".
In my Flare recap I shared that Andy is 100% convinced Peter is not that into Rachel. Since then, Maddie wrote me asking if I could get Andy to elaborate a bit on why he feels that way. His answer:
"Of course I can only base this on the little we get to see, and it's mostly in the subtleties and nuances. But, as a man, I think the way he kisses and looks at her...none of it is very passionate, like he can't live without her. The palpable imbalance of power in his favor suggests he's in the driver's seat—a result of the fact that's she's clearly more into him—and that's a big deal considering how the show inherently puts all power on her side. From what I've seen he lacks any intense emotion towards her. Of course, all that aside, much of my opinion is based on 6th sense."
As I said over at Flare, I don't feel quite as strongly as Andy does. I think Peter is as into Rachel as he is capable of being into any lead 7 weeks in and given the circumstances. I just don't see him being capable of blindly giving himself entirely to the process the way Rachel would need to feel confident choosing him. But, as I also said over at Flare, I don't think any of this will matter anyway.

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

DEAN'S HOMETOWN
Rachel meets Dean in his hometown of Aspen. I confess I laughed at his introduction of his father's name. Not at the name itself, but its meaning given the fact that it was self-given...

__________________
“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)

barish

I found Dean's Hometown frustrating. Not towards the show, because you can't blame them for orchestrating this dreadfully unnatural family reunion for the sake of good TV. My frustration was towards Dean's father, who certainly seems to strive to be an intuitive, perceptive, understanding, spiritual individual, but who—from what little we saw of him, at least—succumbs to defensiveness and retaliation...

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“The only thing that was ever wrong with me was my belief that something was wrong with me.” (c)