How are we feeling, y’all? It’s the last week before we find out who gets married, which is always an interesting part of a Love Is Blind season. At least one couple usually breaks up before getting to the altar, and there’s sometimes conflict when the pod exes come back into play. But I can also always count on my eyes glazing over a little bit. Wedding fittings never do much for me. (My thoughts on the dresses can usually be summed up as “Everyone looks nice!” and I honestly struggle to remember the men’s suits.) Same goes for the bachelor/bachelorette parties, though the difference in activities is interesting. Guess there are two genders in Minneapolis: the Minnesota Vikings and the Mall of America. I’m not totally sure why the women need to dress up as geriatric roller coaster riders, but hey, as long as they’re having fun. Taylor seems overjoyed to wear that nasal cannula.
But as I said, before we get to the fluffy feel-good montages, we can still expect a bit of tension in this batch of episodes. This week, Lauren and Dave have a long overdue breakup, some of the pod singles have their own drama brewing, and our engaged couples have some important final conversations. Since we have four couples to cram into next week, we get a bit of a head start with most of Ben and Sara’s wedding. Let’s get into it.
Lauren and Dave
The only thing surprising about this breakup to me is how long it takes to get there. Dave clearly still isn’t over this other guy that Lauren was with before him. When he meets Lauren’s very supportive mom, he projects a lot of confidence about things working out, but Lauren never ends up meeting his family or friends.
On a bowling date, Dave says he led his sister to believe that he would never actually get engaged in this experiment. There’s a lot to unpack there alone, but the kicker is when he tells Lauren his family doesn’t meet just anyone and that he doesn’t wanna waste his sister’s time. Ouch.
Neither of them wants to continue this conversation in a bowling alley, so we suddenly teleport to an empty room. The argument is not productive because these two disagree on the fundamental facts of what happened. Meanwhile, Dave is also upset about a conversation with Lauren’s dad (also Dave). It’s hard to follow Dave’s argument that his friends and family would show up for him if he really wanted them to, but also that people aren’t changing their minds and he can’t force people to do things they don’t want to do.
Ultimately, Dave says he thinks they should break up, and Lauren sadly agrees. It’s jarring to see Dave then talking about his love for Lauren and admitting in a confessional that the problem was that he couldn’t get over his own ego and pride. Meanwhile, a heartbroken Lauren tells us that she wrote a letter to Dave’s sister explaining the situation and how much she loves Dave and cares about her approval — but that he never gave it to her.
Lauren shows up to the mini reunion alone, where Molly reveals that she’d recently been at a bar where Dave showed up. Lauren has already heard part of this story from Dave, who stayed at his apartment that night. Now she learns that there was allegedly a girl “all over” Dave at the bar. Once Lauren explains why she and Dave have already broken up, an outraged Molly declares that Dave and his Instagram selfies aren’t all that anyway. “Should we just keep dating other people?” Molly asks Lauren. No, date each other! Sorry, sorry. Intrusive thought. There were a lot of queer people on the show this season, okay? All I’m saying is when Molly later confronts Dave and says that he should’ve fought harder to defend Lauren, that Lauren is her number one … if this was scripted TV, it would be the start of a cute little love story. At the very least, it should be the start of a close friendship. (I’m happy to see them sitting together at Sara and Ben’s wedding.)
Dave arrives at the mini-reunion and tells the guys that the breakup sucked and that he’s upset that it came off as his choice. In a confessional, he says he wishes he could do things differently and feels like he could “still be that guy for her.” But in a one-on-one with Lauren, he can’t help getting defensive mid-apology, shooting back that she didn’t text him — only to declare seconds later that the point he’s trying to make is that she shouldn’t need to be the one to reach out to him. He allegedly wants to give the connection another try, meaning Lauren now has to be the one who says no. I think Netflix wants us to think that this is a moment of yearning or sexual tension (see: the needle drop of Madison Beer’s “Male You Mine”). It feels like the editors are working hard to create an air of romance, but the only genre I’m getting is psychological thriller.
The other singles
We’ve already gone over what happened with Dave and Lauren at the mini-reunion, but there were also notable moments with the people from the pods who didn’t make it to Honduras.
First, Britt-a-ny gives Devin an opportunity to apologize for how he handled the conversation about her sexuality. She thinks his reaction was kind of “immature” (“Bruh, everybody a little gay,” she says) and suggests that he could’ve offered more support. Instead of directly addressing that concern, he says they’re better off as friends. Which, yes, Devin definitely feels more like her annoying little cousin than a boyfriend. But it’s frustrating that he’s not really understanding why that moment was so difficult for her. Brittany doesn’t press further, though, and ends on a light note by asking for a wedding invite.
Madison is the next to show up. (Uh, why is Ben rubbing his hands together like that? I’m disturbed.) She has pink hair now, and I selfishly wish she had dyed it during the pods. It would’ve been nice to have one less blonde lady to mix up. Mason and Meg then walk in holding hands, and Mason confirms that they’re “hanging out” and it’s going “really good.” It turns out that Meg reached out, and they ultimately ended up filming their own unofficial reveal. Finally, Alex arrives. Madison says Alex changed his tune about their relationship as soon as he saw her Instagram. But according to her, he also said that Meg messaged him to say that he was her number one, and Madison felt like he was pitting them against each other. Wait, Meg and Alex? I’m with Lauren — where did that come from? Unfortunately, Netflix doesn’t swoop in to deliver any proof from the pods. So we’re just left to ponder whether Alex is lying or not. Ultimately, we don’t see Madison talk to Meg or either of her pod exes. Maybe we’ll get more answers in the reunion?
Monica and Joey
Damage control time! As I suspected, Monica doesn’t want to head into this wedding until her fiancé and her sister get along. Nicolle has offered to take Monica and Joey’s engagement pictures. Against all odds (and by that, I mean Joey dabbing and flossing), the photos do turn out pretty cute. After some prompting from Monica, Nicolle apologizes to Joey and says she believes in their connection now. It’s a suspiciously smooth resolution — surely Nicolle’s concerns ran deeper than incompatible napping habits — but then again, I doubt that Nicolle was actually working her feelings out in real-time. I almost get the sense that the sisters actually rehearsed parts of this conversation.
Still, I do feel better about this couple after hearing that they’ve been successfully working through other issues. During their last date before the wedding at a conservatory, Monica shares that she, at one point, needed more physical touch from Joey, so he made the effort to adjust even though it didn’t come as naturally to him. We didn’t get to see any of that happen — apparently, it was more important to show us Joey’s pickleball hat — but I do feel like it’s a good sign if they can work something like that out. (And it gives me more hope about any potential laundry disagreements in the future.)
Anyway, Joey and Monica spend this last date gushing about each other and their relationship. Monica does say in a confessional that she’s holding back a little bit because Joey hasn’t said he’s 100 percent committed. He previously said in his suit fitting that he won’t be fully confident about his answer until the day of the wedding, though he also didn’t hesitate to say yes when his cousin asked if he wants to drop anything and everything for Monica. Hmm … guess we’ll see.
Taylor and Daniel
These two are giving old married couple. “They don’t call me Danny Balls for nothing,” Daniel says during a putt-putt golf date that doubles as a light wedding planning sesh. (He loses the game.) Later, they go out for drinks, where she thanks him for texting her to take things one hour at a time. As always, she finds comfort in the way that he words things. And in case anyone somehow forgot, Daniel later reminds us that they also bonded over Christmas. He and Taylor take Christmas card pictures to put in ornaments that will serve as wedding favors. Mind you, December is nine months away … yeah, maybe these two are made for each other.
I think it’s sweet that both Taylor’s mom and mother-in-law come to her wedding dress fitting. It continues to feel like there’s no conflict at all for this couple. For their last date before the wedding, they ice skate and then shuffle out, Parks & Rec-style, for a dinner where Daniel assures her that he’s not going to miss anything about being single, and Taylor says she’s falling even more in love.
I feel like I’ve got Netflix’s number now. In the preview for next week, Taylor is crying and we hear her say that she’s always said that her husband isn’t in Minnesota. I think that’s designed to make us wonder if something bad happened when her next sentence is actually, “But then I met Daniel.” I just don’t think a Christmas couple would make Christmas wedding ornaments if they weren’t fully ready, you know? That’s probably blasphemy for them.
Virginia and Devin
Someone put Virginia’s mom in the pods, please. She needs to moderate some of these conversations! After asking many, many questions about marriage, Virginia’s mom approves of this couple’s God-first, teamwork-oriented view of relationships. She tells Devin that she trusts that he’ll be the man he’s displaying today, which is a nice way of saying, Don’t switch up.
Back at their apartment, Devin says he doesn’t really have anything left to discuss, and mentions that he’s never felt so comfortable laying in bed with someone else. It’s funny how his body language changes when Virginia gently presses him to open up about politics. I can’t believe they’ve waited this long to talk about this, but I guess there’s something exciting about seeing if they can score a buzzer beater. (I hope that makes sense, I just wanted to use a basketball metaphor for Mr. and Mrs. Buckets.)
It turns out that Devin is another one of those guys who doesn’t have a “strong stance.” Virginia, who usually votes Democratic, believes that she votes in accordance with her faith, even if Christian Republicans would disagree. She has to prompt Devin by asking if he cares to comment. They ultimately seem aligned on abortion rights, but it’s still not totally clear how Devin votes. There’s a slightly awkward moment when Virginia laughs and says there are not a lot of Black Republicans, and Devin reminds her that his dad is Black. The tone of the conversation is very calm, though, and they ultimately agree that there’s nothing else to talk about for now.
Of course, there’s still the matter of the prenup. Virginia has reassured him that this is just in case the “worst thing” happens and doesn’t mean she’s going in thinking the marriage will fail. He doesn’t immediately sign the prenup, but he does give her a gold Team Buckley basketball and matching personalized jerseys. She’s touched by the details he’s incorporated — their school colors, the date of their wedding — and they plan to wear the jerseys at their reception.
A day before the wedding, Devin walks in with the prenup. He, his family attorney, and his mom have all looked the terms over, and now everyone feels better about it. “I now pronounce you husband and wife,” Virginia declares after they sign the document that they agree they won’t need. In the preview for next week, we hear Devin saying he doesn’t know if he wants to marry her. I’ll admit that it’s a little tougher for me to imagine how that could be taken out of context, but I think I can still manage it — maybe he’s saying that that’s how he thought he would feel?
Sara and Ben
Sara can’t stop talking about how she’s sooooo lucky to have someone as good as Ben. She admits to being a little bit worried about the social media buzz about him, but he’s convinced her that he’s grown since then. “I fell in love with you for your heart today,” she says. (I feel like the physical chemistry definitely doesn’t hurt either, based on Sara’s smile at the mini-reunion when she says she broke her bed by sitting on it and jokes, “I sat down on something.”)
Sara’s sister, Lisa, and her partner, Kelsie, are hesitant about this wedding. There’s almost a panicked energy in the way that Sara starts rattling off compliments about Ben to them (hearing endless praise about a man is exactly what lesbians want to spend their evening doing, I’m sure). I’m a big fan of the energy Kelsie is bringing to the table, especially after hearing that Ben and Sara consider themselves to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal. She wants the couple to seriously think about how Ben is in a “different privilege bucket.”
We later see Sara attending church with Ben, looking uncomfortable. Afterward, she doesn’t think she’d like to go regularly, but could maybe go on holidays. And while glamping on their final date, she brings up a transphobic (and seemingly also fatphobic?) service from his church that Ben says he doesn’t agree with either. But he wants to keep going to that church and focusing on the comfortable messaging that pertains to everyone. “It’s not my job to convince someone or tell them that I’m right. It’s my job to be excited for everyone,” he says.
He suggests that talking about this too much minimizes the values they do have in common. Sara agrees, even going as far as saying it’d be “ignorant” to assume she would meet a guy who aligns in every single aspect. Girl, I feel like it wouldn’t be that hard to find someone who makes you feel as special as Ben does and also agrees with you on some of these big topics. But this is Sara’s life, and she’s still in love — so one tent fart later, it’s time to head to the altar.
Ben is confident that social issues and religion will not be a hurdle. When his friends show up, we do get a hint that the “outside noise” about him has put Sara in a “tough spot,” but it’s not clear whether this is still about the original TikTok or if there have been more developments off camera. (Like, for example, has Sara heard that Ben allegedly has a reputation for giving women a business card promoting his YouTube after sleeping with them?)
Sara’s mom says she’s proud of her, adding that she knows what she wants and won’t settle. But Sara’s sister is worried that she’ll say yes because she’s trying to please everyone. Before the ceremony, she makes a point to tell Sara to do what feels right for her. In a confessional, Sara admits that her heart feels good about this, but her brain is saying, “I don’t know.”
Sara keeps her eyes open during the officiant’s prayer, though she does say “Amen” afterward. After some praise-filled vows, it’s Sara’s turn to decide whether love is blind. I’m still holding out for a no, but when Ben said he almost kissed her, she replied, “We’re going to.” It would be pretty wild if she said no after that, right? Still, Netflix tries to build the suspense by throwing in the sound of a beating heart and upping the volume of a deep breath before we cut to black.
Compatibility Tests
Who’s getting married? Ahh, I can’t believe we’re at the final poll! For the last time this season, I’ve asked some of my Vulture/New York Magazine co-workers to vote on what will happen at the altars. The percentage represents how many of us think the couple will end up saying, “I do.” Here are the results:
🥇 Joey and Monica (89%)
🥈Taylor and Daniel (78%)
🥉Devin and Virginia (56%)
😬Ben and Sara (22%)
Investigation of the week: What’s the situation with Lauren’s ex-situationship?
I know who I believe, but it’s difficult to actually prove how two people did or didn’t refer to their relationship status during private conversations. What we do know is that someone named Daniel recently came forward on social media claiming to be the other guy in question. His account is now private, but thanks to TikToker @sammysamslife, we still have screenshots of his Instagram post seemingly editing himself onto a Love Is Blind poster with the tagline “Time to swap leg day for love day.” (The caption noted, “You can find me 8 floors up in same ‘frigging’ building.”) Given the vibe of that and the other posts the internet screenshotted … I can’t believe this is the guy that all that drama might be about. Better luck next time, Lauren.
Quote(s) of the week: “I hope that Joey and Monica incorporate socks into their reception somehow.” — my co-workers
“It’s so funny to me that no one is tagging him, so he’s not getting the clout he wants.” — Leo from LIB season 7, commenting on a video about Lauren’s ex-situationship
A couple of last thoughts:
• Villain behavior of Ben to ask Lauren about Dave at the mini-reunion, even though he clearly knew that she was no longer engaged. I’m glad Taylor checked him. Maybe the editors don’t like him either, and that’s why they keep leaving in all that footage of him knocking over golden goblets.
• For some reason, it’s funny to me that Virginia uses the same hesitantly hopeful smile when she’s telling Devin that she wants a champagne room in her house as she does when she’s telling him that she wants gay people to have rights.
• I hope the Lacheys get Dave’s sister to come to the reunion. We need to hear from her.
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