Well, the honeymoon phase is definitely over, and not just because this week’s batch of episodes finishes the vacation arc. As viewers, we’re starting to see how our couples handle conflict. (Spoiler alert: not well.) There’s plenty of drama now that they’re in the phase of the experiment that involves sharing apartments and meeting up with each other’s friends and family members. Who will be the first to choose breaking up over making up?
Before we get into that, let’s examine the end of the Dominican Republic trip for insight into the developing relationship dynamics. At this point, Amy and Johnny still haven’t fought. She does say she doesn’t know if she can marry Johnny without her dad’s blessing, but other than that, their DR dates are devoid of any tension. As for everyone else …
When Chelsea and Jimmy discuss their fight, Chelsea says she just needs to be validated when she’s upset. Now, I don’t think it’s evil that Miss Megan gets sad, especially when she has clearly dated some jerks. It is valid to have feelings! But you also have to accept that they’re yours, which means it’s possible to feel something — ignored, unloved, etc. — even though the external reality is different. It feels like Chelsea’s kinda saying, “If I feel hurt, then you need to admit you hurt me.†I’m just not convinced these two have done enough to prevent a similar argument. When they talk about their relationship toward the end of the trip (“We’re getting married.†“Right — totally getting marriedâ€), it’s like they have to convince each other it will last.
Brittany and Kenneth have a levelheaded conversation about whether she can handle raising Black children. He knows she has dated Black men before but needs to see her in the real world to feel really sure about this. “Actions aligning with words,†Brittany says and they fist-bump. It’s sweet! But then we get to a boat date, during which Brittany tries to keep the conversation alive and is met with roughly 35 awkward seconds of Kenneth silently staring at the water. The solution is to get him to talk about dolphins, and Brittany ends up sharing that she is open to more physical affection. Things feel calm, but Netflix does a needle drop with lyrics about heartbreak, which is never a good sign.
We also get to see Laura and Jeramey’s first exercise in conflict resolution. After Bean-Dip Gate, he slept on the sofa without talking to her. Laura is hung up on Jeramey repeating her “joke†(but still takes no accountability for making it). Jeramey launches into a smooth, efficient apology: He knew the silent treatment was wrong but did it because of his “dumbass ego,†she did nothing wrong, and he needs to handle fuckups better in the future. Laura is now feeling some doubts about marriage, but he’s hopeful they can still make it work.
Clay shows off some … interesting eating habits before toasting to “eternity†with a beaming AD. But he suddenly says he’s afraid of letting her down and is worried because he has seen divorce tear up his household. The switch-up startles AD, and she’s relieved when Jeramey reveals at a group get-together that Clay had abrupt bouts of introspection in the men’s quarters, too.
Other takeaways from said group gathering: Chelsea, Laura, and AD are now having sex. Amy is not on birth control, and Johnny is afraid of having kids before he’s financially stable, so he says they’re taking it slow. Jeramey also tells Amy that he would be friends with Sarah Ann and still wants to meet her; Amy looks as if she would very much like to be excluded from this narrative.
That’s pretty much it for the DR story lines! AD jokes while packing that time will tell if she’s a bride-to-be or a bride-to-be-not, which is a fitting comment to transition us back to reality (a.k.a. Charlotte, North Carolina).
Let’s check in on our couples from biggest to smallest conflict, starting with Kenneth and Brittany. Despite being voted as the second-strongest couple by our Love Is Blind Club newsletter last week, they end up being our first breakup of the season. As Brittany meticulously unpacks, we learn she is actually in a throuple because Kenneth is clearly in love with his phone. He’s not even looking at Brittany when she talks. Is he a different person when left to his own devices? Has he been phoning his feelings in? Okay, I’ll shut up. The point is there’s a disconnect.
The eventual make-or-break problem is that Brittany is missing a “crave.†They’ve barely kissed. It’s scaring her that she doesn’t consistently feel desire between them. Kenneth counters that when he’s in the mood, she’s not — for example, she pushed him away when he woke her up at 1:30 a.m. that day. (This anecdote does not help his case as much as he thinks.) Kenneth says they shouldn’t force a marriage and gives a nice enough speech about still loving her and wanting her to find the person she’s supposed to be with. I know everyone processes breakups differently, but it’s wild to see him get back on his phone while Brittany is still downstairs sobbing. I do have faith that the religious man of her dreams is out there somewhere.
On to Laura and Jeramey. Since day one, Laura has emphasized how important cleanliness is to her. But since Jeramey’s place — complete with a “More espresso, less depresso†sign — is so organized that it’s “giving serial-killer vibes,†she’s got room to focus on a different issue. Namely, Sarah Ann, who DM’d Jeramey to say she’d love to meet him “if there’s ever a chance†his mind is “shifting†in his choice. Bold! Laura isn’t happy that he double-tapped the message to like it. She brings this up when her family visits, but they actually are mostly on Jeramey’s side. In general, they just seem relieved that he can put up with Laura’s … unique personality.
But then, 15 days before the wedding, Jeramey stays out until 5 a.m. without even texting Laura. While holding a pillow for dear life, Jeramey tersely explains that he unexpectedly ran into Sarah Ann and hung back to talk to her because she was upset about a lot of things. He says he shared his location with Laura as “reassurance†and insists that they just talked in the parking lot (and alley?) after the bar closed. Laura catches him in a lie, revealing that he was in Sarah Ann’s neighborhood when she woke up. “I want out,†she says. After she leaves, Jeramey’s emotional-support pillow stays put. It definitely seems like our second breakup.
Next up: Chelsea and Jimmy, who remain convinced that their strength as a couple is communication, even though they constantly interrupt each other during arguments and, in my opinion, have yet to fully resolve a single conflict. Chelsea confronts Jimmy after he meets her friends for not kissing her that day or acknowledging her emotionally. He says it wasn’t intentional and blames work and an injured lip. (He later claims that he did actually kiss her twice.) Chelsea is wondering if Jimmy is picturing life with Jessica because he has seen a picture of her. Thanks to Laura’s meetup with Jessica, we know Jimmy did send Jessica a friend request a couple days after coming back, then withdrew it eight hours later and went on private. Jimmy denies that he’s regretting his choice, but Chelsea says she didn’t feel “any love†from him over the past two days. Jimmy doesn’t know how much more he can give. “Truthfully, you’ve been a little clingy,†he says, insisting with a blank face that he loves her. Well, we know why episode seven is called “Clinging to Love.â€
Chelsea is furious. She just cooked him dinner, watched TV with him, and had sex with him, and now she’s too clingy? Flustered, Jimmy shoots back, “You’re the one that wanted to have sex. I also maybe wanted a little breather from that, too.†Despite being the first to bring up leaving the apartment, Chelsea stays and cries while Jimmy spends the night at his place, though he does text Chelsea that he loves her. When he comes back in the morning and apologizes, they seem to want to move past the argument. Chelsea says he needs to work on his delivery, while she needs to work on her emotions and being sensitive. He asks her to please keep initiating sex.
Chelsea’s definitely in better spirits when she meets Jimmy’s friends, Barbara and Maddie. They’re a fun duo who drag him for using the word clingy. Chelsea reveals she was initially a little worried about him being friends with girls since she has been cheated on in the past. But she acknowledges that her ex-boyfriend is one of her best friends, and they assure her Jimmy is like their little brother.
Speaking of cheating, Clay opens up to AD about his dad taking him on “infidelity trips†while cheating on his mom throughout their marriage. Clay says he has never seen a Black relationship in which the man is faithful, and he’s afraid he can’t be. Whew. He mentions doing couples therapy with AD. I’m glad he’s open to it, but I personally think Clay’s daddy issues also need some individual attention.
At his house, he finally gets to flex all the athletic achievements that mean nothing to me since I’m not a sports girlie. (I’m more interested in the fact that he put the TikTok logo on his vision board.) When AD meets Clay’s mom, Margarita, and sister, Taylor, we get to hear more about the couple’s work lives. AD dreams of being a landlord, which I am choosing to forget. She thinks it’s a problem that Clay sometimes chooses not to come home when it’s more convenient for his rental business. Margarita gently encourages both of them to give each other grace. Even though her own marriage failed, she believes it can be beautiful with the right person. And with the right person, “you make the time — period.â€
That finally brings us to Amy and Johnny, whose relationship has thus far been mind-numbingly pleasant. We do see them seriously chatting about the future — Johnny, who wants to retire at 50, is “terrified†of having a kid before he’s financially secure. Amy’s still not sure about birth control, and he’s not necessarily against getting a vasectomy. They agree that it could be a deal-breaker if they can’t figure out a plan before the wedding. But for now, the fact that they’re still getting slo-mo dancing edits to love songs makes me feel a little hopeful that they might work it out. Plus dinner with Johnny’s family goes so well that one of his sisters says she’s ready to say “yes†to Amy. It’s always a nice break to cut to them amid the mess of the other couples.
In the preview, Johnny is nervously asking for Amy’s father’s blessing, and Clay continues to be scared of cheating. Trevor, Sarah Ann, and Jessica — whom Jimmy admits to being attracted to! — return in a mini-reunion, and we’re still being teased with Chelsea’s “I know you fucked her†accusation. Plus glimpses of weddings confirm that at least Clay and AD and Johnny and Amy get to the altar. Will anyone else make it there? Do we want them to? Sound off in the comments.
Pod Goss
• If any of Kenneth’s friends are reading, please stage an intervention and get that man some more ingredients. His two spices — oregano and Italian seasoning — look like they have never been touched. His refrigerator is a cry for help. Oh, but at least he has [checks notes] apple-cider vinegar and red Solo cups?
• When Chelsea debriefs her friends on her experience in the pods, she mentions that everyone was interested in Jimmy in the pods, which supports my theory that a sense of competition influenced her to make the wrong choice. I’m not saying she’d have a perfect relationship with Trevor, but I doubt that a guy who tapped his bracelet a hundred times in one day would have called her clingy.
• I love that Autumn’s first question when Jessica got back was “So are we getting married?†I still don’t think Jimmy’s ready to be a dad, and Jessica clearly doesn’t play about her daughter. (Her Instagram posts with her are very cute.) That’s why I don’t see Jimmy and Jessica getting back together no matter how much she has been dreaming about their conversations.