'Love Is Blind' Has Us Feeling All The Things

OK, I know we think Amy and Johnny are boring, but their wedding felt so healthy and right. Their connection feels very genuine, and Johnny always looks at Amy like, “how the hell did I get a woman like this?” I wish them all the best, and would find it ironic and HILARIOUS if Amy and Johnny end up being the first “Love is Blind” couple to have kids, since they clearly do not know how sex works. Could you imagine Amy telling Vanessa Lachey she’s pregnant at the reunion? I bet Vanessa would insist they name their child after her or Nick, and then expect them to sacrifice their first born to the Netflix gods to secure a thousand more seasons of “Love is Blind.” — Elyse

After all of the sad tears I cried watching Clay and AD, it was really refreshing to see a happy and healthy wedding. I also did tear up happily when I saw the sweet moment between Amy and her brother, who has ADHD and is on the autism spectrum, before they walked down the aisle. I loved how they incorporated both families into the wedding in so many different ways. Yes, this is a boring couple, but that’s a good thing in this case! — Cambria

I honestly thought Amy’s dad’s speech before they got married was super sweet. I wish more people had fathers that were that vulnerable and openly loving. We’d benefit as a society, because look how healthy this wedding was! Amy’s moment with her brother was sweet, but I don’t think it was anything exceptional. It was just a brother supporting his sister, let’s not make it a bigger thing than it was just because he has a disability. — Elyse

I more meant the “I always got your back part” since Amy spoke a lot about her brother in the pods and about wanting to always protect him and her future responsibility of being a caretaker if anything were to happen to her dad. — Cambria

All I can say is: You go, Glen Coco! I hope they’re not together at the reunion, genuinely. They can be amicable, sure, but that is not her person. I’m glad she put her foot down. — Ruth

I pray that miss mamas stands on business. Because the way that man embarrassed her is unforgiving. — Taryn

I really hope she didn’t date him after this, but I just have a feeling that she did and it didn’t end up working out. She seems so forgiving, so that’s my prediction. — Cambria

I agree, Cambria! I can see that totally going down. I feel like AD is deeply insecure about something, and she’s looking for a certain type of guy to validate her in a way to make that insecurity go away. But it’s never going to go away unless she figures out exactly what it is. I think because of this insecurity, she’s choosing the wrong types of men who just intensify that insecurity. I also worry that she subscribes a little too much to patriarchal ideals — i.e., working so hard to be admired by the male gaze, wanting a man to “lead” her in a relationship — and that’s always going to be a losing battle for a woman. I think if AD didn’t give men so much power over whether or not she’s “worthy,” she’d be much more at peace, which may open the door for a man who treats her the way she should be treated. — Elyse

So well said, Elyse! — Cambria

Clay’s reasoning and bullshit excuses really pissed me off. Yes, marriage is a business decision, but you’re really going to use that to explain why you said no? He also just completely contradicts himself throughout the entire episode telling everyone, and AD, how much he loves her. Meanwhile he says in this scene that he asked himself if he was deeply in love with her and the answer was no. He is a fake and a phony! Clay is the real villain of this season. — Cambria

Catch it, Cambria! At this point in the process, I feel like he was just grasping for various reasons to evade the marriage. Honestly. — Ruth

I don’t understand Clay’s finances! Honestly, I don’t understand 90% of what Clay says, and I think it requires way too much mental energy to even begin to untangle his endless rambling of unfiltered thoughts. But I do think he was just reaching for a solid excuse not to go through with this, because the finances thing came out of left field. — Elyse

Clay almost had me fooled. AD and Clay looked great standing at the altar. The ceremony was going just beautifully and I felt warm inside for, like, two seconds. But honestly, when I saw that AD was balling her eyes out with joy and all Clay’s ass had to say was, “Look at you, got that shit on,” I should’ve known we were going downhill from there.

Clay is the type of man who knows what to say when the camera is on but doesn’t have the follow-through to stand on his words. He was never going to commit. That was clear when he said that “it’s not responsible” of him to say yes and that he needed more time. Sir. If you don’t get the entire fuck out of here. He really must’ve thought he was signing up for a different show.

On top of that, Clay knew AD was against continuing their relationship if he said no and still rejected her, thinking he could finesse into her good graces after hurting her. Clay is a big-ass joke. He fumbled big time. — Taryn

Clay’s bubbly and weirdly positive demeanor leading up to the vows was so odd to me. He was really leading her — and all of us — on. But then he said his robotic, completely impersonal vows where he was spewing phrases like “mental fortitude” and “thanks for your patience in dealing with me,” and it was clear where this was headed. AD’s vows, on the other hand, were heartfelt and about what she loved about Clay and their relationship.

Taryn is exactly right in that he knows what buzzwords to say when the camera is on, but doesn’t have the follow-through to stand on any of it. He doesn’t have any emotional depth either. — Cambria

Anytime a man starts using language like “through the ups and downs,” girl, pack it up. A whole soliloquy just to play in our faces, abeg. — Ruth

I think Clay should’ve done AD a kindness and broken things off with her like Jimmy did with Chelsea. Honestly, I think AD will be fine, because I think she’s too good for Clay. Also, I’m kind of happy I don’t have to listen to Clay’s endless ramblings anymore, and neither does AD. I also hope she sticks by her guns and doesn’t continue to date Clay after the show. We all knew this couple wasn’t right for each other. — Elyse

People on TikTok have been sharing footage of them together — and so I'm really wondering if she followed through on not dating him after the experiment. — Erin

I loved seeing the camaraderie between Clay’s mom and AD’s mom. Clay’s mom consoling AD’s mom — she says “It’s OK!” to her while AD’s mom gets super emotional as AD walked down the aisle — was just so adorable. They might be my favorite parents — along with Lauren Speed’s dad from Season 1 — of the whole “Love Is Blind” franchise. — Erin

That was so precious, but I adored the little jig AD did in the dressing room with her sister. One thing about me and my girls, we will break into song and dance at any given moment! — Ruth

Clay had a new favorite word this episode. He officially moved on from saying “baby” over and over to saying “man” a zillion times. I also got annoyed with all of the sports analogies throughout the finale episode, and it started with Clay’s dad. His dad was giving a pep talk as if Clay were about to compete in the Olympics, saying things like “the man who thinks he can win, can.” It was just a really odd speech to give right before your son is going to walk down the aisle. Then, Clay repeatedly explains his decision to say “no” as a “game-time decision.” I just thought it was all pretty insensitive and immature and made it feel like he really wasn’t taking any of this seriously. — Cambria

Clay being a collegiate track and field star then running away from commitment at the altar ... the jokes write themselves. — Ruth

I definitely gasped seeing Clay’s dad at the wedding. Their interaction just before it was supposed to start was so awkward. I think there was one moment where Clay tries to address his dad’s past, and his dad tries to brush him off. It was so awkward. — Erin

I’m not going to lie ... I wonder how his parents feel, specifically his father, now watching the season and seeing Clay air out all their family business. — Ruth

His dad really looks SO bad, and I’m also curious how they feel now that most of America has watched. I kind of assume he got his parents' approval to air it all out — and his dad deserves any negativity he gets. Also, I’ve been seeing eagle-eyed TikTokers spotting a frat pin his dad was wearing at the wedding. Not shocking he’s a frat boy. — Cambria

I couldn’t help but notice how much Clay visibly worships his dad. I feel like when his dad talks, Clay soaks everything in like a sponge. I think his dad’s mere presence at the wedding very much affected his decision. — Elyse

This whole party seemed kind of sad with Clay’s two friends and Johnny’s one friend. It just felt weird compared to the fun Bachelorette party. They pretty much were just outside playing cornhole? I just thought this whole scene was odd and a total throwaway. At least have a few more friends present and make it a real party? — Cambria

Meanwhile, Amy and AD were having the time of their life. They ended up having a sexy dance party with plenty of friends and plenty of drinks. Cambria, it reminded me of “90 Day Fiancé” when Anali had a big and fun bachelorette party while Clayton was doing something super boring with his one friend. — Erin

HAHAHA, yes that is exactly what it was like! But the “90 Day Fiancé” scenes were so much more fun to watch. — Cambria

The bachelor party also reminded me of that "SNL" sketch where women take their boyfriends to a dog park to meet other male friends, and how much difficulty men have nowadays making close male friends. I don’t want to waste too much of my energy trying to understand the inner workings of cis straight men’s minds, but a part of me feels like they think their time is better spent advancing their careers and getting laid/starting families, so male friendships seem frivolous. But I wish men understood that developing strong platonic relationships is just as important as developing romantic ones. Maybe if more men were open to exploring other kinds of relationships that aren’t purely sexual or career-related, we’d have a better crop of single men out there with higher emotional IQs — because if this show has taught us anything, there are not that many of them out there. — Elyse

I guess this means my theory was correct that they were likely lying about having sex all along. I think Amy comes from a more traditional family and probably didn’t want to blast it out on national TV that they were having sex. The way AD called it out was hilarious though! — Cambria

I was hollering — hooting, hollering, screaming — when AD said that! I’ll give it to you, Cambria: You were probably right! I love a media-trained couple, though. I’m low-key glad they were cognizant of how they were being portrayed on-screen, knowing scenes can be edited, distorted, etc. — Ruth

AD had me so weak because I was thinking the same thing. Like y’all have been all up in each others’ faces since the honeymoon. Spare me the BS lol. — Taryn

I don’t know, I think this couple has done everything BUT go all the way. Which is fine. I mean, if you look at the way Johnny looks at Amy, they are definitely getting physical in some capacity. — Elyse

I can’t lie. I have so many emotions about Jimmy telling Chelsea he didn’t want to go to the altar. While watching the episode, I had to pause to catch my breath when Jimmy rejected Chelsea. I think I just assumed that he was going to go along and continue faking his love for her and say yes, he wanted to go to the altar. They spent so much of that previous episode trying to convince us that they were madly in love. So this stopped me in my tracks. Now I do NOT think they should’ve gotten married. But I just couldn’t believe Jimmy ended it right after Chelsea said she could see a marriage. Jimmy says he was mad about Chelsea saying Amy and Johnny were the strongest couple. And I had to laugh — because I knew that comment had rubbed Jimmy the wrong way. Then Chelsea admits that she’s been walking on eggshells around him. All this to say, I just felt like it was a total mindfuck to go on this complete roller coaster for them to jerk us around right before the wedding. Ugh. — Erin

These two are the definition of faking the funk and this scene is what happens when you lie to yourself for too long. We all knew they didn’t need to get married to each other early, but the way they’ve carried on in front of the group all season like everything was peaches and cream and then turning around and being just utterly nasty to each other was truly something else. Jimmy calling off the engagement right before their wedding — at an amusement park, nonetheless — was appropriate. These two have been nothing but clownish in this relationship, and I’m tired of seeing it. — Taryn

I really wasn’t ready for it to all end like it did in this scene. It felt so abrupt and I was screaming when he said no right after Chelsea had gone on and on about how much she loved him and wanted to say yes at the altar. I do commend Jimmy for doing it at the amusement park rather than dragging it out to the altar and embarrassing her like Clay did to AD. — Cambria

Honestly, I think Jimmy breaking it off at that moment rather than going through with a sham wedding was kinder to Chelsea then dumping her on the altar and publicly embarrassing her in front of all her family and friends. I kind of had a bit more respect for Jimmy for doing this, and I think he made the right call. I don’t think he “wasted” Chelsea’s time. I think she showed her true colors when they broke up, and it was hard to watch. Chelsea needs to do a lot of self-work, and needs to realize she has a very unhealthy attachment style before she even thinks about getting married again. — Elyse

All I can say is I’m glad their relationship is over. I was throwing tomatoes the whole time. — Ruth.

I’m glad Clay’s mother put her ex-husband’s feet to the fire. Nary a lie was told. It’s been past time for you to heal your childhood wounds instead of inadvertently passing them down to your son. Their conversation really illuminated how deep generational trauma can go, but also the need for people, specifically adult men in this instance, to take accountability and change their own trajectory and behaviors. Largely, I was initially enraged by Clay saying no, but it’s really clear that he is just not there yet, no matter how badly he wants to be. The conversation between his parents felt … intimate, like I should not have been watching it, but it was significantly better than that time the “Bachelor” franchise forced a conversation between Matt James and his father. — Ruth

Clay’s daddy is nasty work. I’m glad his mom initiated the conversation, but I can’t help but to feel like her words went in one ear and out the other. Especially because the dad tried to get flirty with her towards the end. Apple doesn’t fall far, clearly. — Taryn

It’s kind of unbelievable that this incredibly levelheaded and wonderful woman raised Clay only for his dad to do a number on him and erase all of her hard work. Clay clearly idolizes his father for some ungodly reason. I did really appreciate this conversation, and it so clearly displayed generational trauma and how important it is to heal childhood wounds so that you don’t pass them on to your children. Clay did AD a favor by saying no, and not putting her through what his mother went through. That is a step in the right direction, and I hope Clay has done a lot of work over the past year and really did go to therapy. The man has A LOT to answer for at the reunion. — Cambria

Clay walked into this conversation so nonchalantly asking AD, “Are you OK?” Like what kind of question is that after you just said no to her at the altar? The man just has zero emotional intelligence and everything he said during this conversation made me cringe. I felt so so bad for AD when he went on and on about how much he had grown and learned about himself, and I clapped when she said, “It sucks that I feel kinda like a sacrifice ... you learned so much about yourself and used me to do it.” In the end she dodged a bullet, but the aftermath of this was all very hard to watch. — Cambria

BOOOO! I’m throwing tomatoes! He asked, “Can I get a hug?” No! You just jilted ME at the altar; you are not the victim here! — Ruth

I literally shouted “Go to hell, Clay!” — Taryn

I think Clay had a good instinct when he wondered if he should talk to AD after he rejected her, but I worried when Clay asked his dad if he should talk to her, and his dad was like, “Don’t act indifferent if you go talk to her.” It seemed like his dad was suggesting Clay put on some kind of an act that wasn’t true to his real feelings for the sake of looking better on camera. I think that suggestion 100% affected the way Clay spoke to AD, and it didn’t really feel that sincere. When he asked her for a hug, I wanted to scream! Don’t make that poor girl hug you after you did that to her, that’s so confusing and adds salt to the wound! — Elyse

My heart really hurt for AD when she said, “I’m never enough.” I wish she didn’t put the blame on herself. I hope she’s gained a totally new perspective and has realized that it has nothing to do with her. Rejection is redirection, and that was the universe saving her from an awful divorce down the line, and also from a future similar to what Clay’s mom went through.

She later says, “I keep getting so fucking close. I do so much for these men and carry these fucking relationships and it’s just not fucking enough.” I wish so much more for her and I hope she’s simply picking better men and not carrying ANY relationship on her back. She shouldn’t have to. — Cambria

I just wanted to give her such a big hug at that moment. She really wanted it to work so badly. But baby girl, this is not Build-A-Boy workshop. It’s not a reflection of her deficiencies; he’s just not her person. I cannot imagine how emotionally exhausting this process must have been for her. Side note: I don’t know who needs to hear this, but your partner is not your therapist or your life coach. It is not their responsibility to fix you. — Ruth

My heart really sank for AD. I’m so glad that she had her friends and family there with her to walk out of the ceremony with her and support her.

AD’s story is too familiar for so many of us, especially Black women who have gotten the short end of the stick because of desirability politics and racist stereotypes. I want a real love for AD, one that she deserves and will pour into her as much as she pours into her partners. I also want her to have better discernment about the men she picks. Not every fine man is worth the energy. — Taryn

I like AD a lot, and she’s more than enough for Clay. Clay is immature, and that’s the end of it. It hurt my heart that AD doesn’t think she’s good enough, because how much better could she be? She’s beautiful, smart and super cool. Some wacky dude with daddy issues should not affect how she sees herself. — Elyse

Y'all said it all. I hope AD sees this. We are rooting for you! — Erin