Normally, I hate an episode that doesn’t have Kenneth and Armando, but they weren’t needed in “The Cost of Love.†The focus this week was mostly place-setting conversations to set us up for next week’s finale. Kenneth and Armando are already excellent communicators, and the bulk of their drama is that the government won’t let them be in love. So instead we focus on the couples who don’t have their shit together and the mountains of issues they’ve caused because they can’t just use their words.
I’ve been incredibly hard on Brittany, but this episode asks us to believe that she had no idea Yazan was going through any of these hardships and is only now understanding his sacrifice. I think this is partially true. It doesn’t seem like Brittany and Yazan were very good at communicating over the phone, but Yazan did tell her he had to get his own place and lost his job, and she didn’t care! It’s more likely that Brittany has realized her run on a reality TV show isn’t just a game and her actions have an actual impact on Yazan’s life. Even Brittany’s friend seemed to understand the situation pretty immediately. I really do think Yazan loves Brittany and doesn’t realize he was just being played with.
Hopefully this conversation with Yazan’s brother convinces Brittany she isn’t taking this commitment seriously and she leaves the boy alone! It seems like that might work for Jenny! Sumit had to have known his parents would have this reaction, but he’s right, he had to tell them. I want to believe in Jenny and Sumit’s love story, but when you look at the entirety of everything they’ve been through: catfishing, broken engagements, hidden wives, befriending a mother to date their son … well, there are a lot of red flags. Sumit’s parents only seem focused on the age difference, but his mother seems personally hurt by Jenny’s betrayal. Jenny knows she can’t ask Sumit to cut his family out of his life, and I don’t think Sumit ever expected to do that.
If anything, though, I think Sumit will keep stringing Jenny along by staying engaged to her and not actually going through with the marriage if Jenny does stay in India. Given Jenny’s visa status, that’s not a long-lasting solution, though. It’s the same issue Tim and Melyza have run into. They have issues to work out, they love each other, but the clock has run out on Tim’s visa and his money. They absolutely can’t get married and they’re smart enough to realize that, so I do have to give Tim and Melyza some credit there. Plenty of other 90 Day couples have rushed to the altar even though they don’t trust each other and one of them has no money or job.
Tim’s “I’m running back so I can run back to you†line was funny, but it does feel like he wasted Melyza’s time. This was supposed to be his opportunity to fix things after he cheated on her, and he wasn’t prepared and had to run away again? He basically went on vacation. What was the point of bringing their parents into all of this cheating drama if he knew he couldn’t really stay there to deal with the responsibility of it? As soon as Tim said he would leave the photos of them, I knew it was over. These two seem to be holding on to something that isn’t there anymore and it’s sad. Sometimes, it’s not the structure of a crazy reality show that tests your relationship; it’s just bad timing.
Deavan and Jihoon finally seem aligned in their timing. Jihoon has genuinely stepped up to the plate, and even though I think Deavan needs to stop caring what her mother thinks, it’s great that Elicia gave her support. But in the end, Deavan and Jihoon have a child together. Was Deavan just going to call everything off and leave if Elicia said she still didn’t like Jihoon? Deavan keeps treating Jihoon like a child, but she hasn’t matured much in their relationship. I think she’s still looking for any reason to leave Jihoon, and a mistake at her wedding in next week’s finale could be enough for her to finally call things off.
Finally, there’s Ari and Biniyam, who finally got to have some moments of joy this week! Ari and Bini certainly haven’t been communicating, and Ari’s mother, Janice, confirms things have gotten worse between them. Ari isn’t happy, but refuses to see it because she’s holding on to some notion of “love†that focuses on making Biniyam happy. At some point, she’s going to resent that. Actually, she already resents that, if her reaction to the baptism is any indication. Biniyam’s family was so happy! They were radiating joy, and Ari looked like she was being assaulted the entire time! She looked like they were drowning her baby. After the circumcision thing, I see why Biniyam was worried she’d take the baby and run.
At the very least, she enjoyed the after-party. There were no animals slaughtered and no one put a Bible in her face, so it was a great time. At the very least, I’m happy Biniyam and his family got to enjoy this moment with his child because I think Ari is going to take that baby back to America sooner rather than later. When the joy of this baptism wears off, these two are going to remember all the other issues they were still dealing with. I think that’s going to happen sooner rather than later, and next week’s finale doesn’t make it seem like Ari suddenly starts getting along with Biniyam and his family.
There’s only one episode left and only one couple truly in love and in a viable relationship. Hopefully Kenny and Armando get the happy ending they deserve next week, because everyone else appears to be on the path to doom.