Do you guys think there’s ever gonna be a season of Love Is Blind where no one gets married at the end? I’d love to see how Netflix handles that scenario, but unfortunately, that delicious possibility will have to wait because season eight does produce one pair of newlyweds. But first, we get three back-to-back altar breakups. Several of these heartbroken singles insist that they still believe that love is blind. I’m inclined to agree, but not in the way that they think. This experiment is not about looking beyond physical appearance or age or race or whatever else the officiants and the Lacheys say in their little speeches — it’s about not seeing obvious incompatibilities when it comes to personal values and what people look for in a life partner. I don’t disagree with any of the “no”s today, but I remain thoroughly confused as to why these relationships weren’t squashed in the pods. Let’s break down the weddings of our final four.
Sara and Ben
Who else cheered? Whew, Sara really had me scared last episode. After she whispered to Ben at the altar that they were going to kiss, I thought she was definitely going to say yes, because why give him that reassurance otherwise? I guess just for extra drama, because she shocks the room by saying that she loves him but always envisioned herself with someone she was more aligned with. When he tries to save face by suggesting that they can continue to date, she just says, “We’ll see.” Oof. In the car, she explains to her sister and mom that Ben doesn’t have a stance on issues that are important to her. Her sister can’t help but laugh when she hears that Ben said he didn’t know his church’s stance on sexuality. Sara also brings up his response to her questions about Black Lives Matter (which happened before she said yes to his proposal, mind you). Rather than saying that Ben isn’t tolerant enough, Sara pinpoints the problem as him not being “curious” enough.
Ben’s boys comfort him — but they can’t hold hands for too long because that’s weird — and bow their heads in prayer. He tells us that he’s sad but that he was being himself and couldn’t have done things differently. Before he leaves, he takes the opportunity to stop and literally smell the roses in the empty venue. I’m wondering what happens to all the guests when there’s a no. Does everyone get sent home? I know I’d be irritated if I dressed up, made the trip, and didn’t at least get to stay a while and enjoy some free reception food. Let them eat cake!
Anyway, in final reflections, Ben claims to be devastated and still in love with Sara. She muses that you can’t date someone for their potential because they might never reach it. I agree with that premise, but I can’t say I ever saw much potential for this couple in the first place. And that was even before I heard those rumors about Business Card Ben.
Monica and Joey
Onto our second wedding! Joey is very relaxed, and Monica is … well, she’s trying to be relaxed. She’s operating under the philosophy that if you set low expectations, you’ll never be disappointed. She’s trying to have a serious conversation about Joey’s lack of verbal commitment to her. It’s just unfortunate timing that her hair has her looking very unserious. Joey’s still hesitant about Monica’s sister, Nicolle. And surprise, surprise, Nicolle’s not fully sold on this wedding either. (“I really like Joey. He’s a man,” one of Monica’s more excited friends offers.)
The groom’s side is feeling very tropical in their Hawaiian shirts. I’m just now realizing that we never saw Monica and Joey meet each other’s friends, but they’ve clearly spent time together. Joey’s friends like that she’s “down to clown,” and this little scene ends with everyone bouncing in a circle and chanting, “What time is it? Joey time!” Amazing. The women in his life are able to express their excitement about the marriage with less jumping.
Meanwhile, Monica is hoping to see some emotion from Joey. If he doesn’t cry at the sight of her in her dress? “Straight to jail,” says Nicolle. (She’s on one today, and I do, in fact, laugh when she suggests that Monica needs to feel this decision in her vagina.) After her parents try to help her calm down, Monica finally makes her way down the aisle that Joey has already skated down in his patterned socks.
Now, Monica has made it clear that she would feel better if Joey said yes first since her issue with this relationship is that she needs more reassurance. The nice thing to do would be to get the officiant to ask Joey first. But this is reality TV, so of course that doesn’t happen. And so, when asked, Monica says she can’t marry him. She needs to be 100 percent to do that, and Joey admits he’s also not there. They hug, teary-eyed, as the room applauds. Joey then takes a moment to give a short speech encouraging people to find the good in everything, the way he learned to from his late sister who was honored at the ceremony via an empty wheelchair. The couple gets a standing ovation as they walk off hand in hand.
Joey suggests to us that the situation with Nicolle and his difference in physical affection might have played a role in Monica’s decision, but from her emotional confessionals, it sounds like her main issue was that she didn’t feel chosen. I’m stunned to hear Joey say that he wasn’t aware that Monica loved him and that the first time she said “I love you” was up on that altar. Hello? If that’s where things stood, then they definitely had no business getting married. I’ve said this before, but it seems like there was a lot going on in this relationship that was either happening internally or off-camera. We hear about it after the fact, so I find it hard to form a strong opinion on them. I think it would’ve helped if we got to see them talk more things through in real time, or even just witnessed more of their day-to-day dynamic living together.
Ultimately, Joey isn’t immediately interested in continuing to date. He says he has to let go of “feeling like a failure” but, in the spirit of his sister, is not leaving with regrets. Meanwhile, Monica sadly says she wishes that Joey had been her person, and notes that she isn’t sure where to go from here. I’m sure that Nicolle is hoping that her answer is, “Not back to Joey.”
Virginia and Devin
We learned last week that these two have political differences. Devin alludes to that (as well as the prenup situation) while talking to friends and family on his wedding day. “I’m just happy that we figured it out, and now we can move on to focusing on getting married,” he adds in a confessional. Hmmm … they signed the prenup, but did they have another conversation offscreen about politics? Because if not, it doesn’t really feel like there was much of a resolution. It reminds me of Ben’s misguided confidence that he and Sara had nothing to worry about. Devin correctly points out that his family — while very hopeful — seems more nervous than him.
Over on her side, Virginia is singing Devin’s praises as she gets ready. In fact, the mood is almost too happy and light for me. Her friends, mom, dad, and stepmom all stop by to see her — as do Devin’s mom, sister, and niece/flower girl Hazel — and there’s more discussion of lucky ladybugs than any downsides to the relationship. It’s a nice change of pace to hear from Virginia’s aunt and wedding officiant. Instead of breathlessly talking about how Virginia and Devin are a match made in heaven, she says that Virginia has “a great mind and great instincts and a great faith,” has made good decisions her entire life, and will make whatever choice is the right one for her. After a few final comments (Virginia’s friend advises her to have her “moment with God), it’s time for the ceremony.
We’ve changed up the vibe. I can’t say that black-and-white décor with candles feels very romantic to me, but I guess it’s better than some sort of basketball theme. Devin says his vows first, calling Virginia his best friend and at one point saying, “You’d do anything and everything for the people that you love.” Virginia already cried while walking down the aisle, but she tears up again when it’s her turn to speak. She talks about how his texts throughout the day make her happy and how she enjoys laughing in bed with him until their stomachs hurt.
Devin is asked if he will take Virginia as his lawfully wedded wife. I’m confident that Netflix edited the moment for drama because there’s no way he pauses that long before saying, “I do.” But Virginia says through tears, “I love you so much … but I’m just not ready.” Ooooh, is this why she was crying during her vows? Because she felt bad knowing what she was about to do? Everyone is gagged, including her own parents. Devin and his mom both start sobbing. “I’m so sorry,” Virginia says, then walks out, leaving poor little Hazel very confused. “What happened? What’s happening?” she asks.
Devin hugs his parents and Virginia’s dad, who says that he’s a great guy. This is definitely not a Monica and Joey situation where friends and family are in the mood to applaud. It feels tense when Devin and his mom stride past Virginia. (And I think I do detect anger when his mom later wonders why Virginia would come on the show if she wasn’t ready for a husband.) I noticed during the ceremony that we kept getting audience close-ups, and I’m wondering if all those shots were intended to hammer home just how many people came as we hear several sound bites tsking that Devin didn’t deserve what just happened. I’m not sure if any of the upset chatter is in Virginia’s earshot, but she clearly feels bad. She can’t stop apologizing.
When Virginia’s dad asks if this just felt too fast, she nods. But she later shares a wider range of concerns in a confessional. She says there were certain topics — like politics — that Devin didn’t want her to push him on, which meant they never reached certain “depths,” including in their sexual relationship. (Bit of irony there, given that Devin was worried in the pods that she was the one who wasn’t opening up enough.) According to Virginia, having political differences wasn’t the dealbreaker. It was more about his communication style during those conversations. She also briefly mentions that Devin didn’t bring up a check that she knew he’d gotten as a wedding present, which made her “not so trusting” of him.
I think Virginia knew before the wedding that she wanted to say no, but was perhaps too nonconfrontational to break it off earlier. She does seem a little proud when she notes that she’s never put herself first in a relationship until today. But it’s still hard for her to know that Devin was counting on her and that a lot of people were hurt. Devin is, of course, devastated. If they’d talked about politics more directly in the pods or even a little earlier in the relationship, I feel like they could have arrived at this decision sooner. I’m not sure if they could’ve completely avoided the pain of a breakup, but they would’ve at least spared Hazel from a potentially traumatic core memory.
Taylor and Daniel
All right, we’ve only got one wedding left, and it’s the couple that I felt most confident about heading into the weddings, so all signs point to two “I do”s. The wedding day is off to a promising start. Both Taylor and Daniel wrote each other letters; she signs hers “Almost Mrs. Hastings,” and he gives her the bracelet she made him in the pods so that he can be with her all day. We also learn that Taylor and Daniel have not had sex yet, and their friends are having a lot of fun joking about how it’s gonna happen tonight.
It feels like Taylor and Daniel are trying to make this ceremony as close as possible to what it would be if it were held under non-LIB circumstances. Both Taylor’s mom and dad (who thought he wouldn’t be here due to his cancer) walk her down the aisle, Daniel’s sister sings, and the color-coordinated bridesmaids make their entrance while paired with the groomsmen. I’m just a little surprised that there’s not a giant Christmas tree in the corner. Weren’t all the guests going home with festive ornaments? I was preparing myself for crazy decorations.
Taylor and Daniel both wrote their vows down. His are worded just as nicely as usual — he even throws a “mother of my children” in there, which we know Taylor loves — though he gets a little less eloquent when he briefly goes off script. Taylor quotes a 2020 journal entry where she described the type of man she’s praying for, says Daniel checks all the boxes, and declares that their souls have known each other for a lifetime. (Not that vows are a competition, but if they were, I think Taylor would win.) Naturally, they both say “I do.”
It occurs to me that this is going to be our first and only kiss of the episode since all the other couples that made it to the altar walked away. But I’m immediately proven wrong, because duh, these celibate newlyweds can’t get enough of each other, and kiss several more times before the episode ends. At the reception, Taylor and Daniel’s dancing skills are … um, let’s just say … compatible. (She’s better than him with the cake-cutting knife, though.) We close the episode with the couple confirming that they will be commencing “operation consummation” and having sex tonight. And to that, I say, well, I hope it’s more satisfying than this season was.
Compatibility Tests
Who’s getting married? It’d be cheating to vote now that we know the outcomes, so I’ll just take stock of how accurate our predictions were. The majority of my Vulture/New York Magazine co-workers whom I polled last week were right about Taylor and Daniel getting married and Ben and Sara not getting married. We were pretty equally split on Devin and Virginia — 56 percent of us incorrectly believed that they would get married (I’ll admit that I was one of the “yes” votes). But Joey and Monica were the biggest surprise, with 89 percent of us believing that they would get married (I’ll brag that I was one of the “no” votes).
Investigation of the week: Why are Joey and Monica wearing those bright-green bracelets?
It turns out they’ve worn them before, but I hadn’t noticed until the wedding outfits really made them stick out. According to a TikTok comment from one of his other sisters, Joey gifted Monica the bracelet in the pods in memory of his late sister. (Green happens to be the color for cerebral-palsy awareness.) If these bracelets were meaningful enough to Joey and Monica that they wanted to wear them during the ceremony, it’s just weird to me that we didn’t get to see that pod moment or at least some verbal acknowledgment of the bracelets. We had time to hear Mason talk about the movie Her and Halloween to two different people, but not this?
A couple of last thoughts:
Taylor, Daniel, and both their sets of parents previously agreed that divorce is not an option in their family, so barring something cataclysmic, I expect the marriage will still be intact at the reunion. Surely the Lacheys will throw their latest couple’s Christmas card up on the screen. Other than that, I do expect some drama, but I feel like everyone’s just going to double down — I’m not anticipating any apologies from this cast.
Netflix has teased the reunion looks on Instagram, and tell me why I literally didn’t recognize Madison? I’d just gotten used to her with pink hair. It also took me a few seconds to place Monica, and some people just look different than they did on the show. Honestly, I’ve never gotten to this point in a season and still struggled this much with faces. Next time, might I suggest that everyone be given name tags?
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