Холостячкa #15 Hannah Brown

barish

Hannah responds with “I don’t know”, and just watch Jed’s overwhelming care and concern for her—THE WOMAN HE LOVES—in this moment…

The resounding word that comes to mind during this whole conversation is apathy, but I swear, that moment he blinks and looks away, it almost graduates to annoyance. The above really stands out to me about the overriding problem here, the swirling questions about Jed’s “girlfriend” and his music career aside. I actually genuinely believe Jed is into Hannah, but the above proves that he is not yet man enough to even consider fully committing to someone. I can’t even imagine casually dating a guy who—after having committed a crime that could well lead to our relationship’s demise—would react with such indifference. Jed simply isn’t yet at the point where he can truly love and care for someone else as much as he does himself. The man needs to ripen. A lot. I give him 10 years, minimum.

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

barish

There’s an editing flub when Hannah returns from her walk outside. Note how as they’re settling back in, she doesn’t have her ring on, yet in the next shot she does…

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

barish

Another thing to note is the use of the word “look”. (And this wasn’t even the point of this .GIF! I swear, I could have blindly made .GIFs of any part of this conversation, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey style, and it would have been an example of poor handling on Jed’s part.) Think about how much sweeter and more sincere this sentiment would have been without “look” in front of it, which immediately makes him sound impatient and irritated.

Unfortunately, it just keeps going. Jed is proving to be something of a secret narcissist, and I say “secret” because he’s been lucky enough to hide behind the larger-than-life narcissist that is Luke. Watch how, in his pathetic attempt to take responsibility (!), he still makes it about him when it is very much NOT just about him…

MAJOR kudos to Hannah for the above. In the heat of the moment, it’d be easy to miss this, but she truly never misses a beat. I admire many things about her but how she manages to see clearly despite being in a state of rage is really impressive and possibly the ability of hers I covet most.

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

barish

Want some more narcissism? Sure you do! At a time where he could very likely lose the supposed love of his life and should be fighting tooth and nail to keep her, his main concern is being seen crying on camera…

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

barish

Literally the ONLY example of true honesty in this whole segment is when Jed finally (FINALLY) admits the obvious truth we all knew (and Hannah DEFINITELY knew) going into it…

This is another example of the eerie parallels between Jed and Luke. Remember how many times Hannah had to have lengthy, heated discussions with Luke, only to FINALLY get a bit of ownership and concession on his part, after what was probably hours spent arguing?

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

barish

Towards the end of this conversation, Hannah correctly zeroes in on the root of the problem in terms of their relationship and its future…

Her saying “You got to see all of me, I didn’t get to see all of you” resonated with me. I’m not the type of person who likes to be in the dark about anything—even if it’s unpleasant, I would rather know all the information so I can make INFORMED decisions based on that. It’s in this sense that Jed manipulated her and her actions and, as I said over at Flare, on a way larger and more insidious scale than even Luke. At least with Luke, what you saw was what you got. He was a pathological liar who genuinely believed his own (sometimes cartoonish) lies. But with Jed, he’s the type to make white lie after white lie, KNOWINGLY, and for no reason other than convenience and to preserve his image. The two are equally terrible, just in different ways. It really highlights the hypocrisy in Jed’s concern for Hannah during Fantasy Suite week, about her potential to end up with someone who could hurt her.

Look, the side of me that is phobic of regret (the feeling of regret is a legit fear of mine—it’s the reason I have no tattoos) feels a bit for Jed. I have no doubt that if he could go back in time and do many things differently, he would. I doubt he’d pull a Luke and say he has no regrets. I also think that he did not come close to doing enough research on this show before coming on, in terms of rumors and magazine articles and the power an ex, no matter how “unofficial”, would have to make his life a living hell. But this conversation was truly a fail of the most epic proportions, and it was precisely what I was holding out for before I formed my opinions on the guy. (Like I said, I want all the information so I can make informed decisions, and form informed opinions!) The opportunity was his to seize, to mend things as best he could, to take responsibility, grovel a bit, show remorse. He squandered that opportunity by doing none of those things. Worst of all, in his defense of his image, he seemed to think he was outsmarting Hannah (and all of us) with his half-baked lies. I have zero sympathy for the guy.

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

barish

AFTER THE FINAL ROSE

It’s finally After The Final Rose, where Hannah and Jed go back and forth (with Chris Harrison’s help) and Hannah makes it abundantly clear that things are over between them. Jed’s showing here wasn’t bad; it was clear he went in with either genuine remorse or a strategy to display genuine remorse. Either way, it was far too late. His awful handling of the above filmed conversation was and forever will be his initial (and likely most authentic) response, try as he might to salvage his relationship and image. Actually, I personally believe that he was displaying an attempt to salvage the relationship IN ORDER TO salvage his image—that’s how distrusting I am of him at this point.

Leave it to Chris Harrison to manage to make terribly awkward situations infinitely more awkward. I couldn’t help but laugh when he (unnecessarily) recapped Hannah and Jed’s relationship and engagement as being over, with both of them still sitting right there, talk show style…

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

barish

I made this my The Morning After “Buzziest Moment”, but just had to capture it in .GIF form. The following encapsulates why this season has surpassed so many and become one of everyone’s favorites, mine included. This season was about a young woman overcoming her need for approval from others, her dependence on men, and realizing how strong and self-reliant she is along the way…

This is the perfect place to insert the other part of reader Joanna’s fantastic email:
“I can't remember watching a season during which a contestant becomes an obvious villain only after he/she has won the final rose. From what was seen, there were NO red flags from the other men, and no murmurs about "right reasons" in the house. It was actually the complete opposite: the men seemed to LOVE Jed. (I'm curious about whether Tyler would have been so gracious at the end if he truly did have any misgivings). We can be less forgiving when other leads choose the villain despite warnings (à la Ben and Courtney), but in this sense, Hannah was truly and completely blindsided. What I find fascinating is that despite this obvious betrayal and the lack of warnings, she NEVER came across as a victim, nor did she shame her betrayer near as much as she could have. Bachelor Nation would be fully ready to shower its abundant pity on Hannah (similar to how we felt incredibly sad for Becca after Arie dumped her), but she simply doesn't need it. She was regretful about the outcome, but not seeking anyone's sympathy. She emerged on the other side of her journey stronger than ever. Despite how it turns out with Tyler, this ending made me happier for a lead than I can remember feeling, even when the happy couple is adorning smiles and sparkly engagement rings. The season somehow became a story of personal growth, feminism, and discovering your own worth. I for one am HERE. FOR. IT.”

The whole thing suddenly gives new meaning to the season preview of Hannah, the proverbial fairytale princess shedding her tulle skirt and crown. This was a different, modern day, and frankly way more interesting sort of fairytale.

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

barish

A side of me would have totally been down for the season ending with the above, with the sense that, even with no romance on the horizon, she’s GOOD. That said, there was something magical about seeing Hannah and Tyler together on the hot seat, chemistry obviously still brewing between them. And after this chaotic season, it’s hard to not want her to be with someone who roots for her and has ALWAYS rooted for her…

And I don’t even necessarily mean that I hope she “ends up” with Tyler. (THEY’RE SO YOUNG. GEEZ.) I mean, you want a woman who has recently identified and come to terms with her value and strength to display another piece of that self-worth puzzle in choosing a quality human with whom she spends her time. Because let’s be honest, the choice of the company we keep is in and of itself a sign of how we regard ourselves. It’d be great to see her choose—even if it’s only for the time being—someone who’s seen those good qualities in her from the moment he met her, and believed in her even when she didn’t believe in herself. Above all, someone whose own image doesn’t ever take precedence over his feelings for her. I said on The Morning After that this ending reminded me of a movie that ends without traditional closure, like a plot where the ends are intentionally left loose. I loved it. The story continues, and to me, the magic of an unknown future between the two of them is felt more vividly here than with any proposal.

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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

barish

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