“The Bachelorette” recap: Overnight terrors

Jenn and her final three men head to Hawaii for Fantasy Suites, and Devin starts to spiral.

Well, that was… an episode of the The Bachelorette, eh rose lovers? Jenn and her final three men had their overnight dates, Marcus had trouble admitting his lack of feelings, Devin had a last-minute panic attack, and we were left hanging without a rose ceremony — because ABC is making us wait until tomorrow night to find out who went home.

Let’s recap!

The final week of Jenn’s “journey” begins in the Perfect Place to Fall in Love™: Hawaii! And it also begins with some filler chit-chat with one half of a franchise success story.

Wow, I can’t believe she and Jason have been married for 15 years. (And I love that the show no longer even acknowledges that Molly was technically his second choice, LOL.) Molly, who of course saw some of Jenn’s guys in action during the radio date, tells the Bachelorette how impressed she and Jason were with Jonathon. Jenn goes on to say that with Marcus, she feels like she’s putting in more effort to the relationship than he is — and as for Devin, “he just gets me.”

That said, she’s not in love with him yet… which, as we saw in the cold open, will cause Devin to melt down later in this episode. “This week for Devin and I, it’s more about me trying to lean into those feelings with him,” she admits. “Because it’s been so hard for me my entire life to accept something good when it comes.”

Speaking of Devin, let’s take a moment to enjoy Jesse Palmer’s picture-perfect Golf Dad pose as the two of them chat.

On to the dates!

If Fantasy Suite week happens without a helicopter ride, is it really an episode of The Bachelorette? Of course not, rose lovers.

So, Devin gets the first overnight with Jenn. Today, Jenn says she’s going to do everything to avoid self-sabotaging with her own personal Pete Davidson. “I want to be in love with Devin, and I think I’m really close to that,” she says. After the helicopter ride, they picnic on the beach and chat about her hometown date with Devin’s family, and how excited he is to do “normal things” with her in the “real world.” Jenn is honest about how hard it is for her to accept a “good thing,” but she wants him to know that she’s “on the way there.”

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But don’t let that sunset smooch fool you — Devin is stressed. “I sat there and reiterated how much I love Jenn, and I never heard it back,” he says glumly. “I would like to hear the big L.” Hang in there, buddy. Maybe she’ll say it at dinner. (What? I know I’m giving him false hope, but the guy is bummed. Have some compassion, rose lovers!)

That evening, Jenn elaborates on her fears of “self-sabotage,” which she attributes to never having a healthy relationship before. “It’s, like, it’s too good to be true,” she explains. “I know that’s not a healthy way to be thinking about things.” Devin says he understands and assures her that he does not want to pressure her to Get There™, as it were. “I am in love, and I am ready for an engagement,” he adds. “I am ready because I’ve never felt a person accept me the way you’ve accepted me in life.”

Alas, Jenn does not reciprocate with the “big L.” Instead, she tells Devin how much his support and love mean to her — and then she gives him this:

Of course, he accepts. Once in the Fantasy Suite, they “pop some champ” (Jenn’s words) and smooch for a bit before kicking the camera crew out of the room. Cut to:

“I feel amazing,” Jenn says in her confessional. “People say Devin looks like Pete Davidson, but after last night, I’d say he’s better than Pete Davidson — in every way.”

Damn! Well, sir, whatever happens, at least you can take solace in knowing that millions of people heard a woman imply that you are, in fact, well-endowed. Congrats.

For his part, Devin feels “calm” and “comfortable.” What he doesn’t feel, however, is reassured. As they share a few parting smooches, Devin tells Jenn that he loves her, and she responds, “Ok.” Yikes. “I’ve given everything I can up until this point,” he says. “I want to know that I’m the guy.”

I’m sure you do, buddy. But that’s simply not how this wretched franchise works. Perhaps you should have read the fine print.

Okay, Jonathon — you’re up! And you had better be ready to carbo load. “Are you going to make me eat sweets?” asks Jenn’s handsome, very buff date. Yes, yes she is. Rather than fussing about it, Jonathon embraces the sugar and tries several of the delicious-looking fried dough balls called malasadas. “It’s definitely worth the cheat day,” he admits.

One of us! One of us! That’s right, bro. Carbs and sugar will not be denied. From there, he and Jenn head to a local market for shopping and snacking, before finally hiking to a waterfall for a picnic. Jonathon informs Jenn that his goal with her is to be “that breath of fresh air,” meaning, he never wants to do anything that will cause her stress. The Bachelorette appreciates it, but she also wants Jonathon to feel comfortable sharing his feelings — even if they’re not positive and happy. “That’s what a relationship is about,” she adds. Correct! Got it, Jonathon? You need to 1-800-OPEN-UP at dinner if you want to get a rose this week.

A moment of appreciation, please, for Jenn’s dinner dress.

That night, what starts as a conversation about Jenn’s hometown date with Jonathon turns into a pretty deep reflection on what it’s like for non-white kids to grow up in predominantly white suburbs. “Growing up, because my parents were immigrants and because I was fully Vietnamese, and then going into a white-dominated suburban town, it was really hard for me to accept my identity,” says Jenn. “For a long time, I honestly kind of hated who I was… I wouldn’t bring certain lunches to school because I felt like people were judging me.”

Eventually, though, Jenn learned to “celebrate” her identity — and she’s never going back, especially when she has kids of her own. Hell, yeah! Jonathon cheers her on and says that he’d be honored to be part of her family moving forward. “I would probably try to learn Vietnamese,” he says. “Your mom would be on speed-dial… I love cooking, and I would learn how to make everything.” After all, Jonathon comes from a “mixed household,” and praises his white mom for helping him live confidently as someone who is half Black. “I’ve never felt pressure to be anything other than what I am,” he says. “And it’s something that I deserve to pass down.”

Y’all, I’m always so bowled over when this franchise chooses to show us this kind of thoughtful, serious conversation between contestants. More of this, please! Anyhow, Jonathon tells Jenn he can see a future with her… and with that, she pulls out the Fantasy Suite card.

Skipping ahead:

“I can’t believe I’m in bed with Mummy Man from night one,” says the Bachelorette with a giggle. You’re not alone, ma’am! The dude introduced himself with his bare ass hanging out. What a journey.

We interrupt this afterglow to bring you Devin’s spiral, already in progress.

“I want to feel like I’m number one,” he frets. “I feel like ‘one of.’” BECAUSE YOU ARE, dude! My God, why do so many contestants get struck with sudden-onset amnesia and completely forget what show they voluntarily signed up for? Ridiculous.

Back to the recap. It’s now time for Marcus’ date — but first, he and Palmer need to have a heart-to-heart on the driving range.

“I think I have a lot on my heart,” says Marcus. “She’s said she’s falling. I think she’s a bit ahead of me right now.” Of course, Marcus feels like he should be in love with Jenn and thinks there’s something wrong with him because he isn’t. Palmer reminds Marcus that he’s an “inspiration” — having gone through such a difficult childhood and come out the other side as an accomplished veteran. “You deserve to be happy,” says the host. “I hope you’re going to get some answers that you’re looking for.”

And I hope Jenn figures out that Marcus is just not that into her — at least, not nearly into her enough to propose. Heading into the date, Jenn has high hopes.

Related: The Bachelorette host Jesse Palmer reacts to Jenn's hometown dates: 'Every rose ceremony gets tougher'

Oh boy. “Marcus and I have this connection and this natural comfterbility with us,” she gushes. (When will these people learn that “comfterbility” is not a word?)

For their date, Jenn and Marcus head out on yacht for a sunset cruise. They chit-chat for a bit about his hometown date, which Marcus said helped him imagine how their lives might mesh as a couple. Jenn admits her feelings for him “grew a lot” after meeting his family and friends, but she does not drop the “big L.” Instead, she instructs Marcus to gear up so they can snorkel with the manta rays.

I’m sorry, those things are terrifying. But Jenn and Marcus LOVE it. Their aquatic date ends with a shooting star streaking across the sky. Is it a sign that Marcus is now ready to express some deeper feelings at dinner? Let’s listen in.

I mean, I’m paraphrasing. Here’s some more context: “One of the most important things in the world to me is being a good husband and being a good father,” says Marcus. “That’s something that I want to feel certain about… I think that there’s so much potential right now, and, like, that there’s been a lot of things that have aligned with us that I’ve never experienced with anyone.” Still, he continues, “You deserve someone that is sure about you… But it’s been hard for me to get to a point where I feel comfortable saying that I’m, like, in love.”

As you can imagine, friends, Jenn does NOT love it.

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Earlier in the episode, the woman told us she has never been in love before, and tonight she was hoping to tell Marcus that she loves him. And now THIS. “Um…” she says, but no more words come. Jenn lets out a big sigh. “I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I am in love with you,” she says at last.

Marcus feels pretty bad about this whole disconnect. “There’s, like, part of me that wants to still guard myself because we’re not at the end yet,” he says, as a tear rolls down his face. “But I’m going to try as hard as I can.” Ah, just what every woman wants to hear: Imma try to love you.

For Jenn, it’s enough, especially because Marcus believes it’s “possible” for him to fall in love with her. And so, the Bachelorette offers him the Fantasy Suite card, and he accepts. Cool, cool, cool.

Cut to:

“Hearing that Jenn is in love with me means the world to me,” says Marcus. “I definitely feel a little bit more hopeful.” They nibble on some breakfast in bed, and then share a long goodbye hug. “Don’t start thinking too much,” Jenn tells Marcus before heading back to her room… in a short silk robe and fuzzy slippers. I suppose it’s not a walk of shame if you don’t even bother putting your clothes back on.

Only ten minutes left in the episode. Just enough time for a rose ceremony. Okay guys, let’s gather round — wait, what’s that? Devin needs an emergency counseling session with Palmer in the hotel bar? Um… okay.

“I’m having a lot of tough thoughts,” says Devin. “There was one big question I wanted to ask her: ‘Do you love me as much as I love you?’ And I never got to ask her that, because I didn’t want to put that pressure on her during our overnight date.” The only reassurance he got is “I can see a future with us,” and it simply was not enough. “Again, I told her I loved her on the way out and… nothing,” he laments. Here, Devin starts getting emotional. He’s not sleeping, which of course makes things worse. “I need to feel loved,” he says through tears. “I don’t feel like I’m the one… I need more from Jenn.” (Oh man, imagine how he's going to feel when he sees Jenn tell Marcus she loves him. Ooof.)

Palmer listens quietly and offers the only comfort he can. “You just have to hang on,” says the host. “Jenn’s someone you want to fight for every day.”

Devin, who insists he does not want to give Jenn an ultimatum, apparently doesn’t feel like he can wait. The episode ends with Devin showing up unannounced at Jenn’s door.

“I need to talk to Jenn,” he explains. “This is one time that I’m going to be brutally honest, and I hope she can accept that.”

Welp, all rightie then. We’ll get that conversation — plus the rose ceremony, plus the Men Tell All reunion — on tomorrow night’s episode. I hope you’ll join me back here then, rose lovers.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.