Week 3 (Episodes 10-11)
Season 9
Episodes 10 – 11
Editor’s Rating
4 stars
****
The pressure is mounting as the wedding day quickly approaches, and none of the couples seems to be handling it all that well.
Photo: Netflix
All of the couples on Love Is Blind season nine seem to agree that love isn’t supposed to be easy. You have to wake up and commit to your partner every day, you have to know how to compromise — maintaining the relationship is going to be work. But in that case, how do you know when to clock out and call it quits? That’s the question of the week. With weddings approaching, the Denver cast is running out of time to figure out what level of doubt they’re comfortable accepting before saying “I do.” Everyone has to contend with whether they can channel Ash Ketchum and “I choose you” their way through future obstacles. Two couples ultimately decide that they can’t. Are they giving up on relationships that could’ve been improved with time and effort, or are they giving into the reality that they would never be happy together no matter how much they tried? Let’s break it down.
Thank God we’ve been spared from the timeline where Annie and Nick get married and post unconvincingly cheery Christian couple content for the rest of their lives. We only get two scenes before these two break up. First, there’s a conversation where Annie (who later admits that she was a little drunk) doubles down on concerns that Nick doesn’t love her as much as she wants. Let’s set aside the fact that the best example of love that Nick can offer is that he took five hours off work to help her do something — when these two talk, they use the word “love” so much that it starts to lose all meaning. There’s a minute-long stretch where, by my count, they’re averaging one “I love you” every five seconds. Reminding each other why they love each other is less important, it seems, than just assuring each other that they do.
The next day, Annie is ready to move forward, but Nick says that argument was his “breaking point.” He did previously say that she couldn’t put words in his mouth again, but the breakup still feels abrupt. Even though she begs him to keep trying, he says she can’t make 1+1=3. To him, her love feels both deep and shallow. Their arguments are not healthy, and most of all, he’s not happy. Annie thinks he’ll regret this, and Nick snaps that she can’t force him to go to the altar.
In a confessional, Annie hopes everything wasn’t fake. She might be surprised at how many cast members have suggested that Nick is calculated once she watches the season back. As for Nick, I’m sure he’ll be ready to defend himself in interviews and give a well-rehearsed speech during the reunion.
Whatever certainty Joe felt after seeing Madison with his family seems to have disappeared by the time he meets hers. Her family is supportive (“That’s my man — my sister’s man!” is a particular highlight). They advise him that marriage will be a constant commitment and that he should hug Madison when she’s angry. In light of the fact that Joe once backed out of an engagement when wedding invites were ready, Madison’s mom says she hopes neither he nor Madison blindsides the other this time.
At the dress fitting, Madison is visualizing two “I do”s at the altar, and her mom declares that Joe didn’t set off her “ick barometer.” There’s a completely different energy during Joe’s tux fitting. At first, I wonder if the scene is meant to expose that he’s rude to service workers. Why won’t he look that employee in the eye? But it quickly becomes clear that he’s having a meltdown over the wedding. “I gotta get the fuck outta here. I can’t do this,” he says in a confessional before heading to his car without saying anything to his friends. The producers let us know how they feel by cutting to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild.” Whack him again for me!
Predictably, Joe tells Madison that she’s not his person. He says it’s not because he wants to explore with a pod ex or the timeline of the show — this just isn’t working. Up until the end, we see how mismatched these two are. Madison is upset that Joe doesn’t seem that affected or eager to comfort her; meanwhile, Joe’s internally feeling like that one picture of Nicole Kidman. “I would’ve been miserable,” he says. He’s probably right, but it’s lame that he waited so long. Still, it’s a small kindness to at least do this now and not at the altar. Ultimately, the breakup is more cordial than I expected: Madison thanks Joe and says he’ll always have a place in her heart. It’s as levelheaded as we’ve ever seen her be when she’s upset. Growth?
Alcohol doesn’t stick around for long in this apartment, and Anton seems allergic to telling the truth when Ali asks him about these disappearing drinks. He says he can stop drinking for a couple of weeks to prove that he’s not an alcoholic, then deflects and says Ali doesn’t consistently do laundry or clean. It’s a concerning opening scene, but their family meetings do offer some hope.
While we know one of Ali’s sisters isn’t on board, both Ali’s and Anton’s moms are very supportive. Ali feels optimistic after hearing how highly Anton’s mom speaks of him. Meanwhile, Ali’s mom — who met her own husband online — tells Anton not to go to the bar with friends and leave his wife alone, but also reminds her daughter that sometimes she’ll need to stay home and do chores. “I love you,” Anton says. Both mother-in-laws seem ready to truly merge families.
During his tux fitting, Anton hints at some potential concerns, but his mom and friend urge him not to overthink it. By these two’s final date, Anton seems confident in their twin-like connection. Still, Ali contemplates how to know if you’re pouring time and effort into a relationship that simply isn’t meant to be. Anton believes that a marriage can work if both people decide to stick with it — guess we’ll see what happens next week.
These two initially project so much confidence. To Jordan’s parents, they suggest that it would take something “catastrophic” for this not to work out; Jordan says during his tux fitting that Megan would have to slap his son in the face for him to back out. Megan also had a great first meeting with Luca, though she’ll have to get used to everything that comes with his diabetes. Meamwhile, we’re slowly learning that Megan is into some woo-woo shit. Her blue-collar fiancé looks pretty skeptical about tarot readings and the idea that they should think about numerology when choosing a house.
But they have bigger issues. Maybe love is work, but Jordan already has a demanding full-time job that he’d rather not talk about at home. He’d prefer to sit in silence than talk or even complain about his coworkers. (Does he secretly work for the government, or … ?) Megan wants a partner who will offer more stimulating conversation. She reminds Jordan that their connection in the pods was built on conversation, and he points out that they’re not in the pods anymore. When Megan tells Jordan they’re in the same boat, he corrects, “Your boat is way bigger than my boat.” Ooh, class commentary! Free time is expensive, let’s wake it up.
The other problem is the complaint Jordan has had since Baja: that Megan’s sometimes “abrasive.” he doesn’t want to be “shit on” for being tired. He also thinks she needs a reality check about how life has to slow down once you have kids. Is she okay with having to give up Italy trips and the idea of tennis dates with him on a weekday morning? Conversely, is she okay with compromising on the luxurious lifestyle that she worked to be able to enjoy? It’s an important conversation to have, and absolutely shocking that they’re having it this late. Jordan tells Megan that she picked him because dating rich guys didn’t work. Basically, Leonardo DiCaprio can breathe easy — we’re taking a break from discussing age gaps and discoursing about income-gap relationships now.
It’s amazing to me that Kalybriah says she’s working on her patience when I think she already deserves a PhD in patience. This week, we get more context on her argument with Edmond from the mini reunion. Before they even got there, he’d already hurt her feelings by refusing to help with an errand and then fishing for compliments while she tried to get ready. She explains that her main issue was that he made her look bad in front of other people — then tried to fix everything by just saying he loved her. Edmond kinda doubles down on the idea that she isn’t nice enough, and suggests that she’s forgotten why she fell in love. KB tells him she stayed because she sees his potential, and ultimately apologizes for getting “heightened.” They end the conversation on a positive note, affirming that they’re going to be great parents. When we see them later happily filling out their marriage license, I just wonder if their relationship is going to be an endless cycle of ups and downs.
KB’s friends describe Edmond as “different,” but say at the dress fitting that maybe this is what she needs to get out of her comfort zone. Over on Edmond’s side, where he’s bewildering an employee by swapping his shirt out for a vest, his friends are convinced that he’s really in love.
A cute date in the mountains seems like a sign that things are getting better … but ominous music lets us know that something’s wrong. KB reveals that Edmond was being dismissive in the car (he later alludes to fully ignoring her and only speaking to the driver), up until the cameras turned on and he started grinning. A teary KB says she can’t force him to grow up. He doesn’t want to say sorry because he doesn’t feel like he’s done anything wrong. “You bring me out my fucking character,” KB says, going on to curse more than she has all season.
Edmond eventually apologizes with flowers for everything that KB brought up. Although she admits that she considered throwing her ring into the mountains, she says he’s given her hope by taking accountability. She’s also sorry for cursing, and says he’s changing her for the better just like she is to him. I don’t discount that. And I don’t believe in perfect relationships! I just wonder whether these two could find matches that are less tumultuous. Still, when Edmond is kissing her feet and they’re coming up with a handshake on a skating date, I wonder if I’m being too idealistic. I’ve never been married. Is this as romantic as it gets — two people deciding that they’re going to make it work over and over again, no matter how many fights they have?
Compatibility tests: And then there were three. Here, the results of the last informal poll of my Vulture and New York Magazine coworkers on who we think will get married this season:
🥇Ali and Anton – 67%
🥈Kalybriah and Edmond – 33%
😭Megan and Jordan – 0%
I always wonder what would happen if no couples got married. Maybe we’ll find out next week? There wasn’t much enthusiasm about selecting a favorite and least favorite of the week, so instead, we’re nominating the joys and burdens of parenthood, respectively.
IRL: Sometimes it feels like social media is a built-in part of a Love Is Blind season, but compared to last season, there are way fewer links furiously being passed around my group chats. Kacie claimed to my colleague that she regrets breaking up with Patrick, and someone who claims to be her ex is enjoying the TikTok engagement. Meanwhile, Madison revealed on Viall Files that she had another connection up until engagement day — and that she “kind of developed an eating disorder” after Joe made a comment about “more petite women” off camera.
• It’s sweet that Anton’s mom is apparently the first mom to be invited to a tux fitting! I bet Ali appreciated that he invited her over his drinking buddy.
• KB looking at herself in the mirror and saying emotionally, “I look like a virgin” was great. It does remind me that we didn’t see her and Edmond discuss sex at all this week. Is it possible that they really did resolve that issue off-camera?
• I hope Luca is able to be involved in Jordan’s wedding in some way. I know it’s tough because his privacy as a child is paramount, but it would feel like a shame to let Netflix cameras be the reason he can’t fully participate in such a big day for his dad. Maybe he can be a ring bearer who they edit out?
• Once again, I’ve been faked out by the season preview. I thought we were going to have a groom back out on his wedding day, but I now realize that the preview was of Joe’s tux-fitting meltdown. So it probably won’t be as dramatic of a wedding episode as I thought … but you never know. On that note, see you next week!
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