WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!!
It’s the fourth week of The Bachelorette, and viewers were taken on an even bigger ride this week. The episode opens with recaps of the past three weeks, with the men expressing their frustrations and giving us snaps of the steamy interactions between Clare and Dale. We all know what’s about to happen this week- Clare is leaving, and presumably with Dale.
In the first few minutes, we open to the remaining men airing out their grievances towards Clare- there was no group date, no Rose Ceremony, and they are feeling incredibly cheated. We pan over to Clare in her suite, journaling and gushing over Dale, who she feels like she is falling hard for. Chris Harrison visits her, and it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for. He tells her that with the way she feels for Dale, there is no way that they can continue.
Clare knows what she wants. During her conversation with Chris Harrison, however, she brings up social media and how she looked at the social media pages of the men while filming was paused during the quarantine. Upon hearing this, Chris asks her if she communicated with Dale, as she delved into some intimate details about the passing of his mother that she learned while in quarantine. While she swears up and down that she had no communication with him before filming resumed, fans are definitely still suspicious of their closeness right off the bat.
Clare becomes very emotional during this conversation as she realizes that Dale reminds her of her late father, and this is why she has fallen for him so hard. Clare finally says it- she cannot go on, followed by the quote we’ve been hearing all season: “Congratulations, you’ve just blown up The Bachelorette.” Everyone is so emotionally drained. The remaining men are unaware of everything that has just happened and are preparing for the cocktail party that evening. Eazy is determined to make his mark on Clare, saying that he “wants to maximize his opportunities”.
In the midst of the men preparing for the evening ahead, Chris Harrison comes in and yet again dashes all of their hopes, telling them that both the Rose Ceremony and cocktail party have been canceled. He then pulls Dale outside to have a conversation with him about the things Clare had just revealed to him. Back inside, Blake M. is incredibly upset and states that he does not believe that Dale is the one for Clare as it is way too early to know.
Later that evening, we see Clare and Dale preparing for a romantic one-on-one dinner date. Clare is wearing a stunning red floor-length evening gown, and Dale is looking sharp as ever in his suit and a black button-down shirt. After sitting down, Clare tells Dale that for her entire journey as the Bachelorette, she has been “doing it her way”. She cannot separate her feelings for Dale from the other guys, and she reveals that none of them make her feel the way that Dale does.
During the dinner date, Clare and Dale share an emotional conversation about the losses of their parents. Somehow, their parents have the same, exact story of how they fell in love- their parents had only known each other for a short amount of time and both of their fathers hitchhiked to see their mothers. Clare says that her parents were engaged after three weeks, and we all know that this is a huge part of why she feels like she can commit to Dale so quickly. Dale reveals how lost his father felt and how broken his family was after his mother passed away, and how he was unable to let someone in for nearly two years afterward.
After Clare tells Dale that she feels like there is nobody else for her than him, they share a passionate kiss and make their way back to her suite, where we all know what goes down. The following morning, Chris Harrison is at her door again, looking to reflect on the events of the previous evening. Clare and Dale have shared that their feelings are mutual, and it’s clear that there is no way this season can continue as planned. Chris Harrison has a FaceTime call with Neil Lane, a celebrity jewelry designer, and tells him that they need a ring that night. All we can hope now is that Dale is as serious about the relationship as Clare, and is ready to be engaged.
While Clare is elated that she has found the man of her dreams, she feels incredible guilt that she has to leave behind the men who have taken time out of their lives to vie for a spot in her heart. Both Ivan and Ben tell her that they understand how much courage it takes to apologize and confront them and that they hope for the best for her. Blake M., on the other end, is incredibly let down again. He tells the men that he bought a book on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease to help him understand her struggles with her mom. In an interview with the producer, he says that he is skeptical of the connection Clare has with Dale as they have not spent all that much time together.
It’s finally the moment we have been waiting for during these past few weeks: Chris Harrison visits Dale and asks him if he is ready to propose to Clare. The producers catch Clare in a moment of uncertainty in her suite later that day, saying that she is worried that she will ruin the relationship she has with Dale because of the pressure of a proposal. “I have literally begged guys to love me”, she tearfully says in an interview with the producer. She is feeling such a mix of emotions, and viewers can feel it along with her. We all want to find the “good love” that she talks about.
We cut to Clare in her high neck, white floor-length gown, ready to meet Dale for the final rose, and hopefully a ring. Back at the pool, Blake M. and Kenny are discussing how they think that Dale is feeling incredible pressure to propose, and their faith in the relationship is weakening. Little do they know, their entire journey is about to change. Dale walks out of the hotel toward Clare, where they begin the next step of their lives. Dale tells Clare that he has been thinking about his mother during this journey and that he knows his mother would love her just as much as he does.
To no surprise of anyone, Clare excitedly accepts Dale’s proposal, immediately dubbing herself as “Clare Moss”. The ring is a MASSIVE, stunning emerald-cut diamond, with two smaller diamonds on either side.
The season is not over yet- Chris Harrison has one last surprise in store for the guys. While they are all planning to go home the next day, he comes in to tell them that it is not all over. If they choose to stay, they can continue their journey for love. We all know what this means- Tayshia Adams is FINALLY HERE! In the last moments of the episode, we see that quite a few of the guys decided to stay, and just before we close for the week, Tayshia steps out of the limousine in a gold evening gown, looking absolutely stunning.
After the episode ends, we see a quick home video of Dale and Clare, making a salad of all things. This moment is incredibly awkward and feels so scripted, almost like they are putting on a show for a video. Maybe this is just me being cynical, but I’m skeptical. Dale and Clare have since posted photos of them together on their Instagram accounts, and since this season was filmed months ago, we know they are still together.
What is next to come in this crazy season in Bachelor Nation is unknown, but I’m along for this ride. Cheers to (another) Bachelorette!
Watch The Bachelorette LIVE every Tuesday at 8/7c on ABC or the next day on Hulu!