I said it last week, and I’ll repeat it: It’s never a good sign when a couple can’t agree on how to care for their dogs. It’s as close as you’ll get to having children without actually having children, and if you can’t get on the same page about that, it probably means you’re not built for the long haul, whether or not little ones lie in your future. All of this is to say, of course, that Fernanda and Gerardo call things off before Love Is Blind: Mexico trots its way to the altar.
Remember when these couples started out? It feels like yesterday because it basically was. Fernanda and Gerardo seemed so solid at first, but last week, the cracks started to show. Fernanda wants more consideration from Gerardo and feels abandoned when she doesn’t get it. As a musician, he knows how to smooth things over with a song, but he also doesn’t want sex as much as Fernanda, and he seems to judge her sex drive at least a little. He wants their dogs to live outside, and she wants them inside. Plus, you can just tell that she’d rather gouge her eyes out than leave Mexico City to live in Monterrey. This was never going to last. But did they have to let their drama seep out at the show’s shared Bachelor and Bachelorette parties?
Credit where it’s due: Love is Blind: Mexico’s prenuptial bashes felt more alive than the anemic celebrations I’ve seen in most other versions. Remember that awkward outdoor stag party on Love Is Blind: US where Clay and Johnny pretended to be friends while their bros watched? Instead, these soon-to-be-newlyweds ride in limos and go clubbing with their respective pod squads before both parties unite into one big mixer — at which point Fernanda and Gerardo begin complaining about each other to anyone who’ll listen.
When Fernanda rants that she feels like she’s been married to Gerardo for 20 years (derogatory), you can tell it’s over. Then they get back to the apartment, where she demands to know why they’re still in “this shitty relationship†if he doesn’t love her anymore. Soon enough, she’s covering the camera with a blanket and throwing suitcases around while the camera lens peeks out just far enough to catch horror-movie-like glimpses of the chaos. A+ to whichever producer thought to include that touch — just brilliant.
In an unusual move, these two reunite as exes, thanks to a producer who interrupts a postmortem interview with Fernanda because Gerardo is there and wants to talk. The couple end with a hug, a forehead kiss, and a promise to always be there for one another. It’s a nice bit of closure to see them get back to that “wholesome†bond that united them in the first place. I still wish they’d found a way to make it work, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Gernanda’s not the only couple on the rocks after this cocktail mixer. Francesca and Willy’s post-party shouting match doesn’t involve flying Rollaboards, but the metaphorical baggage is everywhere; he insists they’re not compatible, and she yells in his face to grow some “fucking balls.†He’s apparently tried to break things off five times before now (one of which we saw last week) and she’s sick of it … but not sick enough to end things for good.
It’s hard to forgive Willy for breaking up with Francesca so many times only to change his mind, but neither of them comes off great here. Francesca’s had too much wine, and when Willy reaches for her glass, she scolds him for trying to “control†her. She’s yelling, and Willy’s acting like a chastised child. Willy can’t communicate his needs to save his life, and Francesca has trouble describing her emotions instead of speaking through them — which means she says a lot of things she later regrets. Nevertheless, these two patch things up with Scotch Tape by the end of the night. If anyone hears wedding bells after this exchange, they must be playing in a minor key.
As I suspected, Willy and Francesca fall apart at the altar. She speaks first, and as is the right of any woman who’s been semi-dumped by the same average-looking guy no fewer than five times, she goes out with a bit of shade. “Today, I have decided to not marry you because my wings are telling me to fly much higher,†she says. “I hope that yours will one day unfurl and take off and make you see that a strong woman next to a man does not take away. It multiplies.†When Willy pulls out his own script and gently breaks things off, you can tell from Francesca’s face that she saw it coming all along.
One couple who aren’t struggling? Silvi and Chema, who had a blip last week when he decided to talk about what he didn’t like about her reveal look at her fucking birthday party. Chema might be a pro poker player, but no one who’s playing with a full deck would ever have said such a thing. They managed to talk things out, and evidently they’re still going strong. Silvi loves to see Chema in dad mode with his daughter, Anto, and he’s just as enamored with watching his little girl bond with his main lady. I briefly wrote this relationship off last week, but I must admit with just a little shame that they’ve won me over again with their carefree joie de vivre. What can I say? I’m a sucker!
When Chema’s pod ex Alejandra showed up at the Bachelor/ette party, things could have gotten ugly. Ale did, after all, basically tell Chema that he’d come running back to her — and when he first saw her, Chema seemed to be putting the flirty charm on. (We all know what he was doing when he kept calling her by her last name!) Still, they kept things PG, and Alejandra approached Silvi for the awkward “I definitely wanted to steal your ex but have decided to wave a white flag†conversation. Silvi, true to form, did not give even half a shit. She just wanted to dance. Maybe that’s why I want her and Chema to work; would that we could all use that unbothered confidence!
In a twist that will surely mystify all of their haters, Silvi and Chema do not say “no†or “yes†at the altar. Instead, they run away from the wedding, laughing like mischievous teenagers and shouting, “We did it!†while their families scratch their heads. In private, they promise they’ll spend a lifetime together breaking the rules — which we later find out means that they’ll keep dating. For Antonella’s sake, this feels right. I’ll go to my grave proclaiming that this romance is real, but given his mercurial romantic history, they should spend a little more time testing it out.
And now, for the couple I am absolutely not rooting for: IraÃs and René. I hesitate to be too hard on IraÃs; I know she went through a lot with an abusive ex. In some ways, I suspect that’s what’s made her relationship with René so confusing. Sure, IraÃs is eager to marry René, but she can’t stop insinuating that he might be a violent drunk just days out from their wedding. If this is such a concern, why are we proceeding with the ceremony? Also, as much as IraÃs might want to claim that René was not her immediate second choice after proclaiming her love to Fernando, we saw the truth for ourselves. René’s family isn’t wild about this choice, and his dad straight-up skips out on the ceremony — which might be his son’s saving grace.
I went in convinced that these two would get married and break up before reunion time. It turns out René doesn’t like the timing. His “no†is respectful, delivered with a clear intention to continue dating, and IraÃs agrees. My cynical side suspects she just wanted to be on TV in a big wedding dress, regardless of the outcome, but we’ll see where they end up during next week’s reunion. Will producers roll the tape of IraÃs pivoting to asking Fernando if René “could be an option†for her right after she poured her heart out to him exclusively? I sure hope so!
For those keeping score, this means that of the five couples who made it to their honeymoons, four cannot commit. But Fernando and Karen turned that streak around with a ceremony so cute it genuinely made me tear up.
These two are not without their problems, and I suspect some will persist in the marriage. Fernando doesn’t like that Karen smokes sometimes, and she’s not sure she can give it up. Still, did you see those adorable vows? When Fernando made it a point to include Karen’s daughter, Emi, in the ceremony, I absolutely lost it. Just like she gave him a handmade bracelet when they met, he gives her a (store bought) one in return while promising to “give you everything I have in my relationship with your mom.†As a person with step-daughter experience, I felt a tug at my heartstrings to hear Fernando vow that he’ll always protect Emi and put her “first before everything and everyone.†Heart eyes! Fernando and Karen better still be together during the reunion, or I swear, I quit this show forever. (Okay, not really — I’ll never quit this damn franchise — but I would be very sad.)
Pod GossÂ
Why did we get no update about how Leti and Saúl are doing when they showed up at the Bachelor/ette party? Did she finally come to her senses and break it off? Inquiring minds want to know!
IraÃs’s baby sister, Gizem, is SO CUTE!!! Can she take over as host? She asks all the right questions of her sister before the wedding: “Do you know his blood type? His date of birth? When he was born? Where he was born? If you can’t answer, then I won’t let you get married.†How old is this tiny girl?!
Finally, that shot of Karen and Fernando having sex after their smoking argument was wild. I know we only saw their hands, but we full-on heard her sex noises! Maybe I’m a prude, but Emi could wind up watching this one day. We must protect her innocence!