The Bachelorette - Recap: We All Gotta Do This Together
Recap and review of The Bachelorette - Season 10 Episode 8:
This was a strange episode of The Bachelorette, for much the same reasons that the fourth episode of this season was. It bordered on uncomfortable in how it lingered on the death of Eric Hill for dramatic purposes. Of course, to penalize the show for depicting one of the few truly real things to ever happen on the series seems unfair; and yet, did we really have to gather everyone together, get them mic'd up, call in the crew, and put all the cameras on Andi and the guys as Chris Harrison broke the news? It felt straight-up voyeuristic in how it depicted the sudden grief of a group of people uncertain on how to respond, or process their feelings.
It was a black spot on an otherwise innocuous episode, as Andi went on hometown dates with the remaining four guys, leading to one of the few eliminations this season to genuinely surprise me. I suppose we should get right to the action...
Credit: ABC
NICK AND CHRIS
The first two hometown dates were interesting in their own right, but for different reasons. One date featured Andi contemplating how she could possibly situate herself within the context of a massive family without feeling engulfed by the enormity of it all. The other date, meanwhile, has Andi contemplating how she could possibly situate herself inside the context of a world for which she has no frame of reference, since the life of a country homemaker is about as far removed from Andi's experience as I am from a six-pack. Each date had its own moments of insight about Andi and the two guys, and this kept things from getting boring.
Nick's date is modest, and provides insight into the relatively laid-back guy he apparently is when outside the context of a reality dating competition. For example, he takes her to his favorite places -- an open market and brewery, before chatting about how thrilled he is to have her here with him in his element. They even dance a polka before roaming the streets and pecking at each other with kisses along the way. Granted, I would imagine this is all way more fun to live than it is to watch. But here we are, just the same. This all eventually leads to Andi meeting Nick's massive family, so large that I completely lost track of how many there are supposed to be. And they range in ages from grown adults to little kids, as his littlest sister, Bella, jumps right to the chase and starts grilling Andi on her likes and dislikes about her big brother. Among other gems, she asks Andi whether she'd rather be with a not-so-good-looking guy with good personality or a great-looking guy with a bad personality. Naturally, Andi answers with the "not-so-good-looking guy with a great personality" because any other answer would make her sound like the worst person in the history of ever. She also tells Bella that what she loves most about Nick is the mental connection they share, which Bella only "kind of" understands. Not that she remembers any of this conversation to be able to report it to Nick, but I actually think Bella might have just been playing coy with her big brother. Either way, this stuff was actually much cuter than I'm making it sound, and that counts for a lot on a season with a lot of drama that feels manufactured. For his part, we learn that Nick is deeply in love with Andi but is simply looking for the right time to say the words. Yet, during the entire hometown date, that moment never surfaces. Nick rationalizes that there will be other opportunities, but I found myself viewing that as foreshadowing, assuming that it might be curtains for Nick.
Not so much with Chris though. Despite thinking he and Andi were the poorest match of the four remaining suitors, Chris ended up having the sort of date that was encouraging for his prospects, not only to make it to the end, but to be named the next Bachelor if he somehow doesn't win (which, honestly, I don't expect him to. No way Josh doesn't end up with Andi in the end).
Credit: ABC
Chris takes her back to Iowa and gives her the full farm experience, such as taking her riding on a plow and teaching her how to drive it. Andi is turned on by his manliness, but as Chris explains, it's not just for show. It's important to him to be here and to be a part of the "farming operation," but he also wants Andi to be happy no matter where she's at, which brings us to our first stopgap: Andi isn't sure if she can live in Iowa. When she asks what kind of job she can get here, Chris suggests she could be a homemaker, which is such a hilariously bad answer to give to a girl like Andi that I was about ready to write off Chris's chances altogether, until he goes on to suggest the possibility that his hometown needs DAs as well, which isn't a perfect save, but is still a save. Andi explains that she hunts with her dad, and says she isn't as much of a city girl as he might think, although I'm still not entirely convinced that Andi is cut out for farm life. That said, Chris does turn on the charm, getting a sky banner to fly overhead that proclaims, "Chris Loves Andi". He glows and says, "Guess I'm not a secret admirer anymore," which is frankly more winning than it has any right to be. Chris is slowly becoming a dark horse among the finalists.
Chris's sister Lori vouches for his business acumen, as if to suggest that he isn't completely a cornfed good ol' boy. And that's not all we learn: apparently his family members are huge Bachelor fans and have watched every season; however, prior to actually going on the show, Chris was a huge doubter, feeling that nobody could fall in love as fast as they do on the show. However, Linda (his mother) insists that if it's really love, it doesn't take very long. She admits that she wasn't a country girl when she married Chris's father, but she learned everything about the farm, did the work, and raised her children here, claiming it's a great place to raise kids. Linda is kind of the star of this segment, actually, as she has a rather touching heart-to-heart with Andi, telling her she's a "tough cookie" and implying she's more capable of handling this than she knows. Linda even relates her own experiences in going from the city to the farm, as a way to ease Andi's mind. The date concludes with the entire family playing hide and seek after dark, which seems...well, part of it seems fun, but the other half of me is bugged out by forcing people to come find you in the pitch blackness of the boonies.
So two dates down, two more to go...
JOSH AND MARCUS
In coming home to meet Josh's family, Andi is still reticent about his inability to completely open up and be vulnerable. Basically, she still has questions that need answering, even now. Josh kicks things off by taking Andi to his hometown baseball field where he played and practiced for so many years, and he admits that baseball isn't something he does all the time anymore, since it's all in his past. However, he says it's easy to do with Andi, because he feels so comfortable around her. Apparently, he doesn't take anyone else there but his family, which seems a bit surprising since Josh has such a confident demeanor, you'd think he'd have had other girlfriends he'd brought around here before. But I suppose not. Yet, even more surprisingly, his session with Andi is the first time he's played baseball in seven years, due to what Andi terms his "weird love-hate relationship" with the game. As we learn, Josh lost his passion for the game after five years of pro ball, a grueling gauntlet of marginalization that forced him to realize what's really important in life, such as family. And it's Josh's family that takes center stage.
Brother Aaron played quarterback in college, and is trying to get drafted by a pro team, and this prompts Andi to wonder whether Aaron will be at the forefront of Josh's mind during their time together. However, Josh quickly assures Andi that she takes priority, and that all he wants is to introduce her to his family -- which he does, but not before tearing up at the sight of his loved ones, in a moment that's surprisingly affecting. Also quite moving: Josh loves the hell out of his dog, Sable, whom he calls "the other girl in his life." It's cloyingly sweet, but feels down-to-Earth, as the Murrays are the kind of family that seem really close. In particular, Aaron and Josh are like mirror images of one another in both ambition and athletic ability. Aaron has met with 23 teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, and Andi quickly realizes that Josh is a big supporter of his brother (and vice-versa, with Aaron looking up to Josh). Josh's mother, Lauren, implies that Josh might want to fly out on weekends to watch Aaron's games, giving Andi the impression of a family that literally does everything together. Yet it's youngest sister Stephanie who tells Andi, point-blank, that she and Josh are probably going to fight about Josh putting Aaron before her, among other possible issues. It's honesty that Andi appreciates, and it forces her to do a lot of thinking.
Credit: ABC
Meanwhile, the date with Marcus is the most subdued of all. He takes her to a hometown restaurant and recreates their first date together. He pours her champagne and then strips for her, which has Andi practically in heat at the table. Not that many people in America are going to blame Andi for demanding Marcus keep his shirt off, yet I often found myself wondering if Andi ever actually liked anything about Marcus beyond his good looks. Hell, much of the early impressions from Andi involved remarking how hot Marcus is. Sure, she eventually got to know him better, and got a bit into his darker backstory, but it doesn't feel like Andi has tried to get to know Marcus much deeper than the surface level. As Marcus explains, to Andi's surprise, she is the only person he's ever brought home. "You're everything to me, and I do love you very much," Marcus says. "I'm crazy about you, and I'm excited to bring you into my family." This probably should have been a sign that Marcus was in trouble. Andi talks a lot about wanting her men to be open, honest, and vulnerable, yet she often flees from anyone who openly declares his feelings, releasing them in favor of more obtuse, guarded men. But still, we get to relax a bit with Marcus's family, including mom Helena, sister Kathy, brother Conrad, niece Finlay, and nephew Jake. In a lovely little exchange, Marcus thanks his brother for stepping up and being a father figure to him when they were younger, and we get to see Marcus shed more than a few tears, which is a wonderfully humanizing moment. Not that Marcus wasn't plenty human before, but he feels so much more relatable now than he did before. He reiterates to Andi just how much he loves her, and says this is the happiest he's ever been. "Andi is my soulmate," he says, but admits it's hard to play the waiting game. Such a sorrowful foreshadowing of what's to come.
But not nearly as sorrowful as...
Credit: ABC
PRINCE ERIC
A lot of people online have compared Eric Hill to a Disney Prince, only for that perception to fade away in light of a more honest, human view of the suitor after his blow-up with Andi. He wasn't perfect, but it's that imperfect nature that made him so endearing. And it was his youth, vivacity and verve for life that made his loss such a tragic one. Yet it was his loss that made this such an unbearably awkward episode, in many respects.
Basically, after hometown dates are concluded, everyone is called over to Chris Harrison's house, and although I knew what was coming, I found myself more surprised that Chris Harrison actually has a house. For some reason, I never thought of him as someone who lived anywhere other than The Bachelor mansion, and whatever scenic vista the show had him visiting in a given week. But everyone gathered around as the men were made to awkwardly wait for Andi, knowing that whatever news they were brought in to hear would be bad, yet not knowing exactly how bad. Once Andi is brought in, Chris gives it to'em straight: Eric Hill was in a terrible accident, and they just learned that morning that he passed away.
Everyone is in shock, and seems uncertain how to react other than to hang their heads. It's an indelibly uncomfortable situation, particularly due to the voyeuristic nature with which the show approaches the grief of the contestants. Yet I'm not entirely sure the show is wrong to have done it this way, in that this is an unprecedented moment in the history of the show, and among the few moments of genuine, unbridled reality that the series has had. To not depict it in some fashion would have been too conspicuous to elude notice. I'm sure there would have been a better way to do this, but I honestly don't know what that way would have been. What I do know was that it was heartwrenching to see how hard Marcus took this (with Andi trying to be strong for him by reminding him that he shouldn't go off and mourn on his own: "We all gotta do this together"). It's also pretty hard to see Andi break down into sobs as crew members come to console her. Andi is a mess over her regret at the final conversation she shared with Eric. And it carries over into the Rose Ceremony, as Andi Chris Harrison that she doesn't feel prepared, and doesn't know how to comfort the other guys. Chris insists that this doesn't have to be her job. But you can tell the weight of it all is crushing Andi.
NO ROSE FOR YOU
Andi tries to get the Rose Ceremony going, but breaks down before she can start handing out the roses. She's consoled by Chris Harrison, as she wonders if she can even do this tonight. And yet, all I could think the entire time was, "Somebody go to her! One of you guys, standing there, waiting for your rose! Go find Andi and hold her, dammit!" I mean, I get that this would have been an egregious breach of the competition, and possibly viewed as using Eric's death as a chance to get that much closer to Andi, but it was clear that she was simply not okay, and needed more comforting than Chris Harrison could provide. However, she was able to eventually recover herself, at least long enough to hand out roses.
The three men who received roses were...
JOSH
CHRIS
NICK
MARCUS is eliminated from THE BACHELORETTE!
Credit: ABC
Marcus is understandably devastated, and Andi walks him out to the limo to try and explain that he did nothing wrong. Quite the opposite, in fact; he did everything right, but she simply couldn't meet him halfway on all those declarations of love. Marcus understands, but is far from over it, claiming that he still loves Andi even though he doesn't get why she rejected his openness in favor of guys who are far less forthright than he is. If nothing else, he has a point, but the simple fact is that you can't really force something that isn't there. It's a shame that Marcus had to come this far just to be let go, but I think he's better off for not being chosen, if only because now he has a damn good chance of being the next Bachelor (even if I think it'll be Chris, which I really don't want to happen since I just see that being a dreadfully dull season. But I imagine it'd be hard to pass on a country boy, I guess).
So what did you think of Andi's choices tonight? Or how the show handled the news of Eric Hill's death? Sound off in the comments!