It’s funny how different the viewing experience is when you have zero emotional investment. For the first time this season, I was an average viewer again—no microaggressions on last night’s episode.
So here’s where I am at on his final three women. I think production made both Clayton and Susie manufacture a connection that wasn’t there. Clayton had a solid physical connection with Rachel, and Gabby’s relationship surprised him with the fast progression. Clayton feels the most secure with Susie because that’s been the surest connection all along.
Like ultimatum wielders of season’s past, arranging Susie’s date as last guaranteed maximum levels of drama. They also recreated the forced interactions between dates to maximize the discomfort and heighten Susie’s anxiety. This combination was already a recipe for riveting television while highlighting the impending doom.
The show proclaims to champion conventional monogamy while also having sexual intimacy as a looming specter underneath every interaction on the show. Yet without fail, every season, the same scenario plays out on our screens. This plot is copied and pasted from Peter’s season, minus actual contrition from the lead.
It is not my place to get into the psychoanalytic dissection of Susie and Clayton’s interaction in the final scene; I will say that the audience held so much space for this decisive side of Clayton when Sarah, a woman of color, was the recipient. It truly makes you wonder who the audience believes is deserving of sympathy.
As viewers, we project our situations into the dynamics on the screen, which often renders us unable to remain objective when analyzing scenes of heightened emotion. The fans usually like to take sides, leaving little room for nuance. It is challenging to meet an unexpressed expectation, and physical intimacy holds a different weight for some people.
All in all, this is the most riveted I’ve been since the start of the season, and I am genuinely invested in what happens next.
Here’s to the journey!
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ICYMI: Catch up on my thoughts on the Women Tell All!