A lot of the same arguments come up for our couples in “About Last Night.†Natalie and Mike are still going in circles. Ryan and Stephanie are “done.†Brandon is still being a child. Tarik is still handling Hazel’s boundaries with no sense of care or real concern. It doesn’t make for a particularly exciting episode, but a lot of new and interesting information is revealed, at least.
Perhaps the biggest reveal is the background we get on Tarik, Hazel, and Minty’s three-way relationship. Tarik has always been clear that this is Hazel’s idea, which implied that she pursued and started their relationship with Minty. In reality, Tarik started seeing Minty when he and Hazel were fighting and then the three of them started dating. After that, Hazel said they should break up with her. Minty believes if Hazel wasn’t in the picture, she would be with Tarik. Obviously, this is an incredibly toxic dynamic and Hazel is right to say Minty is a no-go.
Tarik’s entire “I thought we could get advice from our ex-girlfriend†premise is also silly. There are a million resources on dating in an open relationship; you don’t have to turn to the woman who is rooting against your relationship. It was so dumb it almost felt like the producers encouraged Tarik to suggest the idea, but I honestly do think his intent was to reintroduce them and get them all back together again. I think he has feelings for Minty and really only wants to pursue an open relationship with her. Hazel, however, wants a girlfriend for her, not a girl she shares with Tarik. There’s a big difference. I think Hazel was absolutely right to agree to the video call just so she could see how they interact.
Brandon and Julia’s story has also been stuck in a loop, but there’s a lot to be said about the indifference Brandon shows in “About Last Night.†Brandon is so casual about Julia’s wedding dress and planning it just points to how immature he actually is. He compares her wedding dress to a car. This is not a guy who is ready to get married. Betty was also pretty respectful and let Brandon and Julia have their space … it’s just that … Brandon had nothing to say. Julia must really love him, because I’d be too frustrated to deal with a man who thinks I’m no different from a muffler when I’m standing in front of him in my wedding dress.
Sadly, Brandon and Julia seem like they’re the most in love at this point. As much as I wanted to believe in Yara and Jovi, they were hard to watch this week. When Yara and Jovi fight, they both go to an incredibly toxic place and just start insulting everything about each other. Yara can’t just have a problem with Jovi’s drinking; she has to have an issue with all of New Orleans. Jovi doesn’t try to understand what he needs to do to reassure Yara; he just makes her feel like she should consider herself lucky to be in America in the first place. There’s no way Jovi is going to stop drinking, and I absolutely believe Yara when she says she will go back home. Yara does not play around. If she wants a small wedding, she will get a small wedding. If she doesn’t like something, she doesn’t put up with it.
I don’t think she likes Jovi very much anymore. I mean, yes, last week she did spend their entire engagement party dance whispering “I hate you†into his ear, but that was cute compared to this week’s vitriol. When Yara first came to New Orleans, Jovi seemed more supportive. Now that she’s pregnant, he’s just acting like she’s a burden. I think Yara is immature for jumping to personal attacks when they fight, but Jovi doesn’t give her much to work with, either.
At least Yara and Jovi aren’t as bad as Natalie and Mike. Mike has absolutely nothing to give Natalie at this point. Natalie has flopped back around to being in love with Mike after her friend reassured her that she’s just being too hasty. Natalie is a little too influenced by outsiders, and it seems to be what’s causing the most chaos in her relationship with Mike. Mike’s friend Sarah wasn’t a concern before Natalie started talking about it with her friends. Now her friends convince her she should trust Mike, so she does. Mike doesn’t seem interested in figuring it out anymore. It’s also clear he never forgave her after she gave the ring back and should’ve told her to stay in Ukraine in the first place.
Stephanie clearly should’ve stayed home, too, as her trip to Belize is just getting her in more and more trouble. She says she’s totally done with Ryan but promptly invites his cousin Harris over to “comfort†her. I sympathize with what Stephanie went through with Ryan, but it feels like she thinks she can just swap out one hot young guy for another. Harris travels hours by train and boat to get to her, but that’s because he probably sees what Stephanie has done for Ryan and his family. If Stephanie really wanted friends and space to grieve her lost relationship, she would just go home. Instead, she’s already planning a “Welcome Home†party with Harris and her cats.
Amira is the only person who shows some sense in this episode. Her dad tells her if she goes to Serbia, he won’t help her. She then has a video call with Andrew where he immediately reminds her that she cannot rely on him if anything happens. Amira rightfully blames Andrew for what happened in Mexico, and he gets upset. Mexico was Andrew’s plan, and it failed; why should Amira have faith in this Serbia plan? Amira’s dad is right: Andrew is a coward who never even tried to find the detention center where Amira was being held. He was too busy snorkeling. Even though Andrew got expert advice this time, there are no guarantees. She also seemed sure they could get an extension, so why take the risk?
Then there’s Rebecca and Zied. Of course, Rebecca has the same insecurities she’s had all season, only this time it’s about their actual wedding plans. On top of that, Zied reveals a ton of new information he only thought to share now: If they don’t get married before Ramadan, he’s going back home. Rebecca is shocked, as she should be, but she seems more upset that Zied isn’t excited about their wedding. Zied says COVID is the reason he wants a courthouse wedding, but Rebecca thinks it’s a deeper rejection of her and their marriage. Until this rushed-timeline ultimatum, I was willing to give Zied the benefit of the doubt, but now I think Rebecca should listen to her instincts and run.