Wow my BBs, we have a LOT to talk about! Namely, I just finished watching the finale and After the Final Rose and I have SOME THOUGHTS. Let’s dive in!
Matt’s mom Patty and brother John arrive to meet the girls and counsel Matt. I still stand by my initial assessment that Patty is really Celine Dion’s fraternal twin, but I digress. Michelle meets the fam first and it goes swimmingly. Everyone loves Michelle and why wouldn’t you? She’s poised, articulate, mature, and most importantly, willing to overlook Matt’s obsession with turtlenecks! Patty bursts into tears almost immediately!
Rachael meets the family next and Patty says “She’s….cute.” Yeah, it did not go as well as Michelle’s visit. When John asks Rach how many serious boyfriends she’s had she includes high school in her answer. RED FLAG! She’s far too young and immature for an engagement!!! Even though, when speaking to Patty, Rachael actually says “As I’ve gotten older…” what?!? You’re 24 years old missy!
Matt comes back to confer with his family and he’s giddy over his final two. Mom says “love is not the be all end all” and both Mom and John encourage Matt not to rush into anything. Clearly they have never seen this show either. The entire point is to rush a relationship straight into an engagement!!!
Next, Matt sits down with Chris Harrison and explains his fears and that he might not be ready and that his Mom really rocked him to his core and CH is all “Mom’s a bummer”. I paraphrase.
The next day is Matt’s final date with Michelle. They rappel down the side of a building then sit on a tarmac of some sort to chat. Odd. That night they are chatting in Michelle’s suite when Michelle says she has a gift for Matt. She says Matt’s her teammate and gives him a custom jersey with Mr. James on it. She has a matching one with Mrs. James. You can see the panic on his face as he’s holding up the jersey. Matt tells Michelle he has doubts and he can’t “get there” with her. Michelle cries and Matt leaves crying. You should be crying Matt! You’re an idiot!
Matt sits back down with CH and tells him he needs time.
The next day Matt is supposed to have a date with Rachael but sends CH to cancel it for him. Matt’s still saying he doesn’t know if he’s ready over and over yet he still sits down with Neil Lane and picks out an engagement ring!
The next day Matt sends Rach a note- Meet me by the lake for some answers. Matt finally forgoes the turtleneck and puts on a suit. He speaks with CH first and says he loves Rachael, but is love enough??
Matt goes to wait for Rach in a gazebo. Rachael arrives wearing a bedazzled green sequined dress. She walks up to Matt and gives a speech about how much she loves him. Matt says he can’t propose to her today because he wants it to last longer than his parents’ union and he’s just not ready. Then in the next breath he says he sees Rach as the mother of his children and his wife! I have questions!!! Matt says I don’t want to lose you so do you wanna date me? Again, I paraphrase. They kiss and ride off in a horse drawn carriage.
After the Final Rose
Now, we all know about the drama that’s surrounded Rachael since the show was airing. She attended and was photographed at an antebellum party and apparently also liked some racially insensitive and problematic photos on Instagram. CH came to her defense and made matters even worse during an interview with Rachel Lindsay. So, Emmanual Acho hosted ATFR tonight. His giant arms barely being contained by that suit jacket were a nice distraction. Ahem, anyway…
Michelle comes out looking fierce and says she never got closure because after the breakup she asked for a few minutes of Matt’s time and HE REFUSED!!!! How dare he???
Matt comes out on stage sporting that pandemic, I’m single beard. Michelle calls him out for not speaking to her after the breakup, kissing with his eyes open, and constantly saying “thank you for sharing that”. It is awesome to watch! Matt apologizes for not speaking with her when she asked.
Emmanual then speaks to Matt on his own. Emm (that’s a looonnng name to type over and over, forgive me) asks Matt about being the first black bachelor and if he felt pressure and Matt says he spent so much time during the show trying to appear non-threatening to appease people who may not be used to seeing people of color on their tv screen. That is just so sad to me that he felt like he couldn’t be his full, true self on the show because he’s black and (I assume) most of the Bachelor’s viewing audience is not.
Emm then asks about the Rachael controversy and we find out that Matt broke up with Rachael. But first he didn’t believe it when he heard it and stood by her. The breaking point came when Matt had to explain to Rachael why what she did was problematic. WOW. He shouldn’t have had to explain that to a 24 year old woman in 2021 who’s in love with a person of color.
Rachael then comes out to speak to Emm on her own first. Emm makes a great point about the antebellum party when he says history should be remembered, but not all of it should be celebrated. Truth. Rach admits to ignorance about the meaning and significance of the antebellum party and apologizes.
Matt then joins Rachael on the stage. Emm says what do you want to share with her and Matt is overcome with emotion and can barely say a thing. She tries to hold his hand but after a few moments he pulls away. Rach is crying and Matt says I don’t want to be emotionally responsible for those tears. Good for you Matt! He also says Rach has to put in the work to get better and that’s something she needs to do on her own and that’s why they can’t be together. Rach apologizes to Matt and Emm says something about do y’all want one last embrace? Matt stays completely still. I do not see a reconciliation in their future.
The next Bachelorette(s) are then announced and it’s Michelle and Katie! Yay!!! Two separate seasons, with Katie going first, filming right away and airing this summer.
So until then my BBs… xo 🌹
Bless Your Heart 