How can I not give this episode 5 stars? No episode in this franchise has frustrated me more than “Proceed With Caution!†People make horrible choices! Lies are uncovered! I wanted to jump through the TV and physically shake people! This season is truly hitting all the notes that make for a great 90 Day bouquet. It’s also all happening at a reasonable pace. Every episode this season feels like something big happens, and no one has had a moment to really sit and think about the reality of their situation.
That’s the only explanation I can think of for Ari’s actions this week. In the aftermath of her ex-husband leaving, Bini and Ari find out Avi needs surgery. Bini’s doctor says they do this surgery all the time, but Ari immediately wants to run back to America. Now, if we forgot, the last season was all about Ari making sure she was comfortable with the medical system in Ethiopia; her concern makes sense. It’s her first kid. But Ari spent a year convincing her family she could give birth in Ethiopia, so she has to put some faith in her new country’s medical system. Avi was born in Ethiopia, and she can’t just run off with him to America whenever she wants.
If this wasn’t frustrating enough for Bini, Ari also decides to tell him that she bought plane tickets to America behind his back while he’s getting a haircut. Yes, in the barbershop, which should be Bini’s safe space, Ari decides to tell him she did the one thing that would trigger his biggest insecurity and fear. Ari having Bini talk to her mom felt demeaning since Bini’s issue still stands: Ari did this without talking to him first. She made a major decision without consulting her fiancé. It shows how little respect she has for Bini and their relationship. It doesn’t seem like this choice is made for Avi. Ari is still caught up in the feelings of Leandro being there, and her homesickness made her rush to this decision.
Ellie seems caught up in a similar rush of emotions. She keeps almost touching the safe grounds of sanity, but then Victor smiles at her, and all of a sudden, she agrees to rebuild houses with a man who cheated on her. Ellie seems to know she might not be strong enough to handle this, but she’s already given up her home and business, so why give up now? Ellie is still focused on bringing up the whole infidelity thing at some point, and I have to imagine Victor isn’t going to have a lot of patience for that conversation when he’s focused on helping his friends and family recover from tragedy.
If Ellie and Victor’s implosion is a slow burn, Alina and Steven provide a perfect balance since they seem to have new, giant explosions in their relationship every week. I have loved Alina’s honeypot trap from the start, and it pays off in “Proceed With Caution†when we find out Steven did reply to Alina’s friend. Steven has a problem promising more than he can deliver. He raised Alina’s hopes with all these dreams and plans for their future, but it’s just a game for him. He’s a child who loves positive attention and will take it from anyone. Oh, also, Steven had sex with other women after making all those promises.
I also don’t know why Alina would suggest wine tasting if she’s serious about converting to Mormonism. It’s hard for me to imagine Alina would be attracted to someone who’d stick their tongue down a wine flute, so if she did just go along with this relationship to get on TV, I respect that. Frankly, that would be better than the thought that she is seriously attracted to Steven.
I am thankful we get a break from Corey and Evelin this week. It gives us some additional time with Kenny and Armando, which I think is needed. There’s so much going on with Armando’s family, it’s easy to forget that Kenny and Armando actually do have tension as a couple sometimes! Armando wants to have kids! Kenny wants Armando to give his family firm boundaries! It is getting a little irritating watching Armando make excuses for his father’s absence at their wedding when even Armando pointed out that his dad went to a cousin’s baptism without so much as a second thought. Of course, Armando will defend his family, but that must make Kenny feel pretty isolated when he doesn’t have that same support around him.
If there’s any 90 Day couple that’s stable enough to have kids, it’s definitely Kenny and Armando. I just hope they take time to enjoy being newlyweds before they expand their family. At the very least, let’s wait until Kenny can form a complete sentence in Spanish.
Finally, there’s Jenny and Sumit, who’ve somehow found new depth in their story. Sumit opens up about the daughters his mother has lost, and, frankly, it gives me more sympathy for his family. Yes, Jenny is right, all of them could use therapy and counseling, but I don’t see Sumit’s family agreeing to that. No, instead, it looks like Sumit’s family has decided to make Jenny’s life hell by moving in with them. They seem eager to show Sumit that having Jenny around more will not make them like her more. Personally, I want Jenny to realize Sumit is a liar who will always lie to her. If Sumit’s family is what pushes her to go home, I’m all for it.
90 Day Notes
• Ellie … I know this hurricane messed up your plans, but you’re going to need to have a little more faith in yourself and Victor to make this work.
• “It’s really hard for me, trusting another white girl†- I feel that, Bini. Also Bini’s sisters reacted how I would, speechless with pure disdain.
• Kenny’s daughter, Cassidy, could also be a little more culturally understanding. Armando had a life before Kenny, and Armando’s family is adapting too. It was still a perfect family moment when Armando’s dad came out to say bye and gave Cassidy the necklace, though.
• Ari breaking down in the barbershop … I’d pay to know what those men said after she left. I hate how she manipulated the situation so Bini had to limit his response! There was no reason for her to buy the tickets without talking to him first!
• “EVEN JESUS HAD FRIENDS WHO WERE GIRLS!†— Steven, with one of the best 90 Day Fiancé defenses ever supplied against cheating charges.
• I will sob if Armando’s dad doesn’t show up to the wedding. I will sob if he does show up to the wedding. This story is perfect.