“Old Flames and New Names†is the season’s best episode so far. Of course, Debbie, Tiffany, and Natalie are the episode MVPs, all perfect examples of the uncomfortable intimacy that comes with dating. If there’s any point to this 90 Day Fiancé spinoff sans fiancés, it’s presenting the honest aftermath of the franchise’s unsuccessful love stories. Instead of just giving us an update on their lives, this series is taking us along as these three ladies attempt to point their lives in a new direction. Tiffany is open to love! Debbie is in love! Natalie is the destroyer of worlds!
I was a huge fan of Tiffany when she debuted with Ronald. Their love story had a lot of obstacles: addiction, having a kid way too soon, different cultures. Ronald seemed dedicated to turning his life around; remember when he turned his weird windowless garage into a bedroom for his stepson, Daniel? But then he started insisting diapers were “a woman’s job†and Tiffany slowly began to realize she’d made a mistake.
Ronald is still in the picture since they have to co-parent and everything, but it’s limited to a daily Zoom. Tiffany tried to move the kids to South Africa, but it was clearly hard on Daniel. Daniel didn’t seem totally comfortable with Ronald still calling him “my boy,†but they did have a close bond. By the end, Tiffany and Ronald were arguing in front of the kids nonstop, and I’m sure Daniel is just happy to see his mom happy. Because, wow, Tiffany is glowing! I don’t think we’ve ever seen her smile like this.
Ronald also has no right to ask her why she’s “dressed like that.†I would imagine his misogyny has only gotten worse since their separation. But Tiffany is single now, and unlike Tania, I don’t think she’s still in love with her ex. Is her date awkward? Absolutely! Do I think Fabian is her next husband? Absolutely not! She’s offended when he says he doesn’t want kids, but, girl, you aren’t looking for a new stepdad right now. By both 90 Day and real-world standards, Fabian is a hottie. Take a (partial) lesson from Debbie and have a little fun.
Don’t follow Debbie exactly, though. Please, anyone who needs dating advice: Do not attempt anything Debbie does in this episode. Over a weekend, Debbie and Tony have consummated their relationship and shared “I love youâ€s. By the teaser for next week, they’re already considering co-habitation! Debbie is obviously head over heels in love with Tony, and he …seems fine. When Debbie says she loves him, he waits a moment too long before giving us a meager, “I think I love you, too.â€
After dropping Tony off at the airport and gazing at him until he disappears in the sunset, Debbie goes home. First, she updates her friend and future roommate, Audrey, on the new boyfriend situation. Audrey has accompanied Debbie on a number of trips and dates, so she’s right to be suspicious. Audrey is the person who found out Jay was married. Audrey was there when Debbie got out of the car while Colt was driving. Basically, she keeps it real with Debbie and immediately points out that this is all too soon. Debbie swears she knows everything about Tony now, but that’s impossible.
Maybe Audrey is jealous because, after all the Tony talk, Audrey decides Debbie’s cats can’t move in. Debbie would never give up her cats, so this basically ends their plans to live together. Maybe Audrey doesn’t want to deal with a roommate who’ll have a boyfriend around all the time? That’s absolutely fair. Debbie is too lost in the sauce to make Tony pay rent. I’d love to see Debbie move in with Tony, honestly. She needs to get away from Colt and live her life anyway. I just wish she’d give it a year, at least.
Natalie has been calm all season — too calm. Why? Because she’s been waiting for the day Josh is supposed to leave to bring the storm. There’s no real background to the argument; we just jump in and Natalie is already upset. She’s passive-aggressively playing with her iPad and telling Josh not to touch her. The producers even ask Josh what happened and he has no idea. In her interview, Natalie explains that she didn’t think Josh was taking her seriously. She’s also intimidated by his job with models and feels Josh should chase her. Does she say any of this to Josh? No. She locks herself in the bathroom and pretends to be peeing for 40 minutes.
Mike used to play into Natalie’s games. He’d argue with her. They’d both yell. It would turn into the passionate drama Natalie is trying to get out of Josh. It’s like Natalie confuses that for love, and because Josh is the epitome of chill, she assumes he’s uninterested. When Natalie eventually comes out of the bathroom, Josh says he doesn’t want their time to end on bad terms. It doesn’t even seem as if he wants to break up! He just quietly leaves and says he’ll talk to her later. Natalie sobs on the bed until she slams the door in the producer’s face. Why did any of this happen? Only Natalie knows. I just know old Natalie is back, and that will only be good for the season.
The other exciting element is whether Caesar will get out of Ukraine. Every day, Caesar wakes up and gets news that things are getting worse and travelers should leave. Then the matchmaker he’s paying tells him everything is fine and he should stay! Go on more dates! He goes out with the woman who wore his hat, and she does seem genuinely interested. Well, she seems interested in the fact that he’s Black. She brings him a chocolate bar that’s “like his skin,†basically saying she likes him because he’s dark. For anyone else, this would be a red flag. This is exactly what Caesar wants, though! It’s the exact kind of weird thing he fetishizes. I don’t think it’ll be enough for Caesar to walk away with a wife, but that lady might get some money out of him for a while!
90 Day Notes
• We were all shouting, “No, Debbie, don’t say you love him!,†right? Girl, have some composure!
• I hate how the show insists on turning the volume up on kiss noises. Hearing people kiss is gross, and I swear they isolate the mouth sounds and increase it to a pitch that makes my skin crawl. Sorry, Debbie. Your relationship is cute, but I can’t listen to that anymore.
• I feel as though Tiffany was describing Syngin when she said who she was attracted to? I would like to see it, honestly!
• Caesar, go home!
• No Vanessa or Tania this week! No worries, though: Tania is in next week’s preview, in which she’s complaining that her date has another woman’s lips tattooed on him.
• When will Colt face Tony? That will be the real test!