Letting the (falling) L-words Fly

This week’s episode was brought to you by The Spinners and their 1972 #4 hit Could It Be I’m Falling in Love and Alicia Key’s 2001 #1 song Fallin’.

What do two girls visiting seven guys’ hometowns in two hours look like? Actually, we didn’t find out because the Evil Genius Producers (EGPs) could only fit in six visits. They saved Rachel going to meet Aven’s fam for next week and are combining it with The Men Tell All this coming Monday. And as long as we’re talking schedule, here’s what an exclusive investigation by my Crack Research Staff (aka “google”) has uncovered going forward (note the switch to Tuesday nights):

• Fantasy Suites – Monday, Sept. 5
• Fantasy Suites – Tuesday, Sept. 13
• Finale – Tuesday, Sept. 20
• After The Final Rose live – Tuesday, Sept. 20
• Bachelor in Paradise – Tuesday, Sept. 27

So let’s talk about the hometown events. For me, this was the fastest moving episode of the season which was an unexpected treat. With so many visits, I was expecting it to be chaotic but instead, it was very orderly. Notice I didn’t say drama-free! We did get some of that and the EGPs did a brilliant job of giving us some drama that was hard to swallow (Tyler) and some that we’re waiting to get the final aftertaste. Since the show moved quickly, I’m going to attempt to do the same with my recap, especially since there is so much drama left to be resolved.

Gabby

Jason. Two things here. First, Jason dropped the first bomb of the night by telling his family that he’s not sure if he’s ready to propose. Such feelings throw Bachelor Nation into a “Why did he come on the show?” tizzy, never minding the fact that it’s completely rational to be unsure about proposing to someone you’ve known for an hour and a half. And this plot is thickened by Gabby using the “falling in” L-word in her ITM[1].

Second, Jason’s sister is a physician and has her own Reality TV history.

Johhny. Uh, oh. Another “I’m not sure I’m ready to be engaged” bomb. Dad is shocked that his son isn’t ready to pop the question to some vivacious hottie he’s known for an hour and a half. Dad and mom were giving me star high school quarterback/head cheerleader vibes so maybe Dad was feeling his competitive juices.

Erich. Sadly, we see that Erich’s dad is terminally ill and find out in the end credits that he has since passed away. Mom understandably talks to Gabby about the importance of commitment. Gabby and Erich share a lot of PDA at a local tavern and L-words of the “falling” variety.

Rachel

Zach. Zach’s uncle is actor Patrick Warburton. He got his own segment during the ending credits, no doubt negotiated by his agent LOL. Rachel, Zach, and fam get an advance viewing of their scenes together on the show. This must have been the motivation to share L-words but Zach is “in” while Rachel is just at the “falling in” stage.

Tyler. BRUTAL. BRUTAL. BRUTAL. Poor Tyler is over the moon in L-word with Rachel, who is not feeling it as compared to her other guys. Tyler misses every sign in Rachel’s face, voice, body language, and the billboard she had made[2] that she’s breaking it off. Adding to the brutality was Tyler having to face an entire family without being able to introduce to them the girl he was going to marry that he has known for an hour and a half.

Tino. Tino apparently has that family who has not watched the show and therefore, doesn’t know how it works. Rachel is shocked – shocked! – by the intense grilling she got from Mom and Dad who are shocked – shocked! – that their son is considering marrying someone that he’s known for an hour and a half. Dad even went there on Rachel’s “second time around.”

Still, Rachel and Tino manage to comfort each other with “falling in” L-words on the bench that’s always in front of each home visit house.

The Future

Even without knowing yet how things will proceed with Rachel and Aven, Monday’s hometown events have left us with a satisfying number of cliffs that we are hanging on. Gabby has three men left but two of them aren’t sure whether they want to seal the deal. Will they share this before or after she takes one or both of them to Fantasy Suites? And Rachel has been deep into Tino from the jump – after all, he was her first Rose as he proudly pointed out to his skeptical fam – but without his family’s approval, will she be able to seal the deal with him?

These issues are being supported by some juicy previews that likely include some clever misdirection by the EGPs. But we saw lots of frantic tears from both women.

However, we have to get through Aven’s visit and The Men Yell Tell All. See you then.

P.S. Shared a wonderful Hierogram Zinfandel procured from Wegmans by My Daughter Cassandra (MDC) who was visiting. At around $10, it has an excellent quality-to-price ratio.

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[1] “in the moment”, i.e. those shots of people sharing their thoughts directly to the camera.

[2] I may have exaggerated regarding the billboard. But dude was literally missing every single sign so he probably would have missed a billboard, too.