‘The Bachelorette’: Running away from home

by Therese Odell, posted in the bachelorette: season 21

The Bachelorette
August 19, 2024

This week’s foreshadowing finds Jenn with Cheeky Mummy talking to some couple who are insisting that “when you know you know.”

But more on that next week.

It’s the Dreaded Hometown Week, when innocent friends and family are dragged on camera to ask generic questions about relationships and barely contain their disapproval of this whole situation.

The first stop is my beloved, sweaty hometown: Houston.

NEVER FORGET.

OK, you got the right city this time, but what is this bullshit, ABC?

WHAT THE … look. I’ll grant you, Houston is, indeed, in Texas, and Texas is, indeed, known for cattle ranching. We love our beef, that’s not a cliché. What IS a cliché is that every Texas city is a cowtown. We are not Fort Worth; we are the fourth largest city in the nation and do you have ANY IDEA how far outside the city center you have to go to get this shot? You have to drive at least an hour to get this shot. This is not Houston! This is just some lazy hack editor’s vision of Houston, determined to not treat it like the metropolis that it is. You want to show some ugly strip malls? Some parking lots in the middle of downtown that heat up to the temperature of the sun? You want to show storage unit buildings that are tall enough to be the tallest building in other smaller cities or 24-hour emergency rooms that scream at you from every other corner? Fine. At least that would be accurate.

What is also accurate about Houston is that our local Bachelor that Jenn is visiting, Temu Pete Davidson, isn’t originally from Houston, but is an immigrant from California. He meets her in Buffalo Bayou Park, with its lovely view of downtown (zero cows), and informs her that they are going to meet with his run club for a one-mile jog.

Not just a group run, but a group run in Houston — in MAY.

But she perseveres, and even makes out with this man, in front of all these strangers, while they are both covered in sweat.

Jenn is then introduced to Temu Pete Davidson’s sweet dog, Charlie, who also doesn’t want to be there. Because HOUSTON in MID-MAY.

That evening, Temu Pete Davidson brings Jenn to meet his family: Mom, Dad, brother, grandfather and grandmother, and oh yeah, Stepdad Todd, who Jenn has to remind Temu will be there.


Sorry, Todd.

Inside, Temu Pete Davidson tells his embarrassed but not surprised family about the stripping date and his choice to flaunt it all in a g-string, and their travels in Australia.

Temu Pete Davidson then visits with his father — whose name is “Temo” and I swear I had NO IDEA when I nicknamed Temu this. So Temu and Temo chat, and Temu tells Temo that he’s pretty sure he’s in love with Jenn, but that he hasn’t told her yet because he doesn’t want to profess his love just to have her turn around and tell someone else that she loves them. Temo is like, “Yeah, I get it, and I don’t want you to get your heart broken in the end.”

Jenn chats with Mom who asks Jenn what makes her son special, and Jenn tells her that she loves his confidence and emotional intelligence. Jenn adds that they’ve talked about their respective families, and how they’ve grown up in similar fashions, adding that Temu only has the utmost respect for his mother.

Mom talks about how it took her a while to find her own “love story” with Todd, and asks if they have expressed their feelings for one another. Jenn admits that he told her that he was falling for her before she reciprocated, but that she feels strongly that he is someone she can see a future with.

Temu then has a conversation with Mom, where he admits the whole experience has been weird and scary, but that he is in love with Jenn. He also tells his mother that he hasn’t told Jenn this because of his fear that she’ll tell someone else that she’s in love with them, but Mom is like, “Too bad, you gotta tell her before someone else does.” Mom goes on to encourage Temu to go all in, and open up to her: if he wants to be the one, he has to take that risk.

Temu takes this advice to heart, and when he walks Jenn out, he professes his love to her. Jenn is thrilled and tells him that she’s “falling so hard” for him and that she does see a future with him before getting into the airport shuttle and driving away.

Next stop: Fairfield, CT, where Overcompensating takes Jenn to Stew Leonard’s, THE MOST TERRIFYING SUPERMARKET EVER.

NO.

NO.

NO.

WHAT EVEN IS THIS?

ABSOLUTELY NOT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES EVER.

While they are wandering around marveling at popcorn and cakes in a grocery store, bruising the vegetables and being menaced by animatronic milk cartons, at one point, Overcompensating spies his aunt passing by, and that can’t possibly be a coincidence, right? Especially not when we see that she’s not invited to the family dinner later in the night, RIGHT?

That evening, Overcompensating introduces Jenn to other family members: his mother, two sisters, and stepfather. Overcompensating tells them how he arrived on the first night in a sportscar bragging that he had a big dick.

Mother:

Yes, Mother, correct.

Mother confesses in an interview that Jenn seems lovely, they are cute together, but when Jenn was named Bachelorette and said what she’s looking for in a man, Mother said to herself: “That is NOT Overcompensating.”

Jenn first chats with Sister Emily who made this face when hearing the dick joke:

Sister asks Jenn what it is about her dumb brother that Jenn likes, and Jenn talks about his sense of humor and what a good time they have together and how she feels like she can be herself around him. However, she does worry that they’ve not expressed their feelings for one another and is concerned he might not be ready for an engagement.

“He’s not,” Sister basically says.

Sister then takes Overcompensating aside and is like, “Hey dummy, Jenn says you’re not expressing your feelings for her and that’s dumb.” Overcompensating makes a bunch of noises about maybe kinda possibly seeing a future with Jenn and just waiting to see how the next few weeks go.

And it’s like, my dude, you have like two weeks to figure this shit out before you’ll be expected to drop to a knee. If you’re not there now, it’s unlikely something is going to change that in the next 14 days.

Overcompensating also visits with Mother who asks if he and Jenn have talked about serious life issues and he’s all, “I don’t see the need to rush into all that when we’re having a good time right now.”

Sir.

Mother asks him — REASONABLY — if he knows enough about Jenn to know he wants to spend his life with her, because this isn’t a game, this isn’t a show, this is the rest of their lives. And Overcompensating is all, “JEEZ, I KNOW.” But Mother isn’t done yet, pointing out that there are still other men involved but Overcompensating is like, “Yeah, but she must like me or we wouldn’t be here arguing about this on national television right now.”

“I’m skeptical,” Mother tells us as if we all didn’t know that the moment they walked into this house.

Mother then visits with Jenn and asks her about dating four men at once, and Jenn explains that she has to compartmentalize, but that Overcompensating stands out because he’s a “mushball” who is thoughtful and looks out for her. Not sure that we’ve seen any of that, but if you say so, girl. 

Mother reminds Jenn that this isn’t a game, and asks if she thinks they have a bond that goes beyond the funtimes. Jenn admits that they can allow themselves to be a little too comfortable in the “fun” and asks Mother if she thinks Overcompensating is ready for an engagement to her. Mother is like, “Beats me, I just met you.”

Mother goes on to tell Jenn that she doesn’t know how they are together as a couple and reminds her that this is a lifetime commitment that you should only do once.

Mother then wishes Jenn good luck on her “journey” and sends her on her way.

As Overcompensating walks Jenn out to the car, he begrudgingly tells her that he’s “falling” for her, and Jenn can check that off his list before flying out to San Diego.

In San Diego, she meets up with Cheeky Mummy who brings her to a lacrosse field to toss a ball around for a while. It’s just as interesting as it sounds.

Cheeky Mummy does sit her down and tell her that thanks to his previous relationship, he’s not ready to throw the word “love” around all willy-nilly. Which is a fine place to be, and honesty is certainly always appreciated.

But I am once again begging all of you: GO TO THERAPY BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR A DATING SHOW. Dating on national TV ≠ dealing with deep-seated relationship issues in a healthy and results-oriented way.

That evening, Cheeky Mummy introduces Jenn to his parents, his brother and sister-in-law, and his sister.

After telling everyone about their dates in Australia, Jenn jokes that she knew Cheeky Mummy was the one when he ate a grape from the barrel they just stomped around in their bare feet. This creates an opening for Sister-in-Law to tell them that she and Brother met on Tinder; said “I love you” on the third date; and have been together for seven years, married for four. “When you know, you know!” she adds.

However, Brother glowers through all of this, explaining in a voice-over that he’s protective of Cheeky Mummy and doesn’t want to see his heart broken in this fast process. Brother asks Jenn about the other men and if she feels like she’s falling for them, too. She admits that she is, but adds that she wouldn’t be there with them if she didn’t have a strong relationship with Cheeky Mummy. Brother still seems unimpressed and insists that he just doesn’t want Cheeky Mummy to get hurt.

Jenn visits with Mom and tells her that Cheeky Mummy is really special, someone who understands her. Mom is like, “OK, but his previous relationship was very toxic.”

GO TO THERAPY.

Jenn is like, “I can totally relate, and I do see him holding back a little bit because of it.” Mom asks if he is realistically a contender, and Jenn insists that she wouldn’t be there if he wasn’t.

Sister urges Cheeky Mummy to “play big to win big” and not hold back with Jenn; and Mom asks him why he’s holding back with her. Cheeky Mummy explains that he’s worried she’s not really showing her “real” self with him, and he needs his family’s input: is Jenn someone Mom can really see him with long-term? Mom is like “ABSOLUTELY,” noting that Jenn focused on his character rather than his looks.

This is not the answer he was looking for.

Like Sister, Mom warns that he can’t half-ass this: he has to jump all the way in and risk the fall, and he’ll never know if he doesn’t put it all out there. 

Cheeky Mummy claims that this has given him “clarity” and as he walks Jenn out, he tells her that he is “falling” for her even though it does not seem sincere in the least.

Finally, Jenn meets Major Tom in his hometown of Tacoma, WA. He meets her on some shoreline where he explains that he’s going to introduce her to his sister and some couple, Scott and Sue, who he considers his mentors.

In fact, they are going to forgo the whole “be alone together for few hours” part of the hometown and head straight to Sue and Scott’s house where a party of Major Tom’s friends and sister are waiting for him.

They tell the group about Major Tom receiving the first one-on-one and going skydiving together, and Major Tom says he feels like she’s fitting right in with his friends.

But then, Major Tom first chats with Scott, and flatly tells him that he really likes Jenn and hopes he can fall in love with her, but he’s not there yet. He goes on to say that Jenn is amazing, and he wonders if he’s not there yet because he’s afraid.

~lies down on the floor face down, repeats the word “therapy” into an unlistening carpet~

Jenn visits with this Sue woman who asks her about getting engaged and whether Major Tom is someone she can see a future with. Jenn says that Major Tom will be a great husband and father, but worries that he hasn’t expressed his feelings for her yet.

Jenn then chats with Major Tom’s sister Gabby, and tells her that their relationship reminds her of hers with her own brother. Gabby asks what makes Major Tom stand out, and Jenn says they have a connection she “can’t describe.” Jenn also expresses her concern that he hasn’t been expressive with her.

Gabby notes all the trauma he’s been through and adds that he’s had to put up some strong walls as a result. Gabby asks if Jenn is in love with him, and she replies that she can “see” falling in love with him, but that she’s holding back because she’s scared.

THESE PEOPLE HAVE NO FUTURE TOGETHER AND SHOULD BREAK IT OFF IMMEDIATELY AND SPARE THE REST OF US ALREADY.

Instead, Gabby and Jenn begin crying together at the idea that Jenn might get her heart broken, and Gabby claims that she’s never seen him smile as genuinely as he did when he walked in with her.

Major Tom visits with Gabby who tells him that she thinks Jenn is sweet, honest, and opens up easily, before asking him if he’s opened up in this process. Major Tom says he’s doing his best, but that it’s coming to an end pretty soon, and it’s difficult for him to get out of his own way. He claims to have “potential” feelings of love for her — he does like her —


— but that he moves slowly.

THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THIS SHOW, SIR? WERE YOU AWARE WHEN YOU APPLIED THAT THE SHOW FILMS FOR TWO MONTHS, AT THE END OF WHICH YOU MIGHT BE EXPECTED TO PROPOSE TO SOMEONE? BECAUSE IT’S ONLY BEEN ON FOR … OH LET ME SEE … 21 SEASONS WITH THE EXACT SAME FORMAT?

Major Tom goes on to say that he wants to be a father more than anything else, and I will just leave a loud, “HUH” right here and leave it at that without pointing everyone once again to that really really disturbing Reddit thread. Gabby urges him to put down his guard and let love in, because at the end of the day, it’s worth it.

And so, of course, as he walks her out, Major Tom tells Jenn that he’s “falling” for her though we just spent 20 minutes listening to him tell everyone else that is not the case at all.

Also, every single bit of this:

Back in Los Angeles, The Producers thought it would be funny to make the men get together for a beer and talk about how hometowns went? As if these guys like each other and/or are thinking about each other at all? The point is, everyone is like, “It went really well and my family loves her and I’m ready to propose to her” except for Major Tom who is like, “I AM NOT READY FOR AN ENGAGEMENT, WHO’S WITH ME?!” and everyone looks at him like a tree just sprouted from the top of his head.

And then we’re back at some rando mansion for the Rose Ceremony:

Rose #1: Temu Pete Davidson
Rose #2: Cheeky Mummy
Rose #3: Major Tom

Which means the man who must go away now is: Overcompensating.

Jenn walks him outside and tells him that their time laughing together meant so much to her, and she appreciates how she was able to be herself with him.

Overcompensating, who frankly doesn’t seem all that broken up by this development assures her that whoever she chooses will take good care of her.

OK, but will they?

Anyway, bye, Overcompensating. Tell Mother we said: “Good job.”

The Men Who Are Soon Going to be Dumped by Jenn:

The Men Who Have Been Dumped by Jenn:

The Bachelorette airs on ABC on Mondays at 8/9 p.m. and streams on Hulu.

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