Last night’s episode of Married At First Sight was very telling. I believe that this season probably has had the most counseling of any other season and they still aren’t getting it. Several individuals struggle with transitioning their mindsets from all about me to we. The refusal to compromise was very evident in this episode.
With Decision Day less than two weeks away, the couples meet with Dr. Pepper to address some of the issues they shared individually. The newlyweds also share their childhood memories with their spouses. This will prove to be easier for some, than others. Let’s get straight to the recap!
Virginia & Erik
In a effort to make Virginia happy, Erik reaches out to his new father-in-law for some advice. Her dad is very open to the conversation, but when Erik tries to get support for his idea of marriage, he is quick to remind her marriage isn’t one size fits all. Later, Virginia shows off her skills on the basketball court. After she wins the game, she shows him some pictures and shares memories of her childhood.
Virginia spends time with Erik’s sister-in-law to get more insight into him and his family. When Virginia describes some of their issues, and its obvious that his sister-in-law doesn’t exactly agree with her. In fact, she tells Virginia that she would have an issue if her husband was out all night with his female friends. Sigh! Virginia doesn’t want to change her life and that is exactly what happened when she said her vows. I don’t believe she should never have friend time, but definitely needs to change her priorities.
Dr. Pepper asks Virginia and Erik to both think about what they want out of marriage. It’s obvious that they want different things fundamentally. After Dr. Pepper leaves they still aren’t having a meeting of the minds. Virginia argues that she should be able to spend the night at her male friends houses, if she is drinking and he is out of town. Girl, are you serious? How about don’t overindulge when you know you have to go home. Most married people don’t want their spouses having sleep overs with the opposite sex, as if they are single. There are probably things Erik can bend on, but Virginia is really taking a stand on the wrong things. He has made it clear what isn’t acceptable to him. If she is really wants to continue to do those things, she may need find a different man.
Briana & Vincent
Briana isn’t just an engineer, she is also versed in dance, namely tap. She opens up to Vincent about her insecurities growing up and how dance helped her develop confidence. My heart melted during this scene. It’s obvious Vincent appreciated her opening up to him. But things end on a sour note, when she mentions they won’t be having children for a “long time.” Vincent takes Briana to a Dominican bodega/restaurant to share his childhood experiences. Hearing him describe his life makes it easy to understand why family is so important to him.
Dr. Pepper visits with Briana and Vincent to follow up on some of the issues they addressed last week. Briana finally compromises on her desire for Vincent to wake up everyday at the same time as her. I don’t even know why this is even a topic of conversation. When Dr. Pepper addresses Briana’s fear of pregnancy and adoption, things get tense. Although he doesn’t rule out adoption, that definitely isn’t apart of his plans.
Clara & Ryan
Ryan meets with Clara’s mother to help her get to know him better and get some advice on Clara. When he mentions his desire to raise his kids in the church, Clara’s mom is optimistic she may change her mind in the future. Clara takes Ryan to her parent’s house to reminisce. Dr. Pepper stops by to continue her conversation about some of their issues. Clara is having a hard time being completely honest, in front of Ryan. She has complained numerous times about the lack of sex, but she is dancing around the issue. Ryan explains he wants sex and saying I love you to be organic and meaningful. Dr. Pepper has to explain to him that expressing love will always have meaning to the other person. Honestly, I don’t know about Ryan. I understand his reasoning about waiting to have sex, but it almost seems like he wants to completely control the process. He isn’t giving any hints as to when he thinks they would be ready for that step. Will it be once the experiment is over and you stay married or what? I think Clara could handle the rejection better, if she knew it had an end date.
Clara and Ryan write letters to their younger self. Her letter was very thoughtful and emotional, while Ryan’s didn’t give away very much. After listening to his letter, she is visibly disappointed. But as usual, Ryan just ignores the expression on her face.
Haley and Jacob
Why the hell did Jacob suggest going to the batting cages as a date? He literally hit zero balls out of 20, while Haley wipes the floor with him. Maybe the fact that he wore dress shoes to the cages had something to do with it. While there, Haley shares some stories from her childhood and as usual the interaction is AWKWARD. Next on their list of competitive dates is miniature golf. My favorite part of date is when Jacob shows pictures from his past. Haley almost faints when she sees him at a company golf event in cut off short shorts. I couldn’t do anything but laugh. Jacob is the type of guy that has to be with a person who gets a kick out of his antics and doesn’t judge. I don’t believe Haley is that person.
The experts give all the couples an assignment to write a letter to their younger self. Of course Jacob’s was short and sweet, while Haley put a little more effort into hers. Things go downhill when Jacob mentions if he would tell himself anything, he would have returned the $800 bracelet he bought her as a wedding gift. Apparently, Haley has never worn or even bothered to get his gift back from her mother who lives in another state. She explains she didn’t know it was a big deal or even bothered him. Honestly, that is pretty rude. I don’t know why she would think it was okay to basically discard a gift her new husband gave her that he obviously put time and effort into picking out for her. Rather than apologize for her actions, she reminds him that he never wore the baseball hat she gave him. Umm… Haley, are you insane? Are you really comparing a $20 hat he has in his possession, to a $800 bracelet you never wore or retrieved from your mom? It’s obvious Jacob has checked out because he feels that he has been slighted several times. When he communicates it, he has never received an apology or validation of his feelings.
When Dr. Pepper arrives, she jumps right into things. Jacob explains that he has felt disrespected on several occasions. Once again, Haley makes excuses rather than apologize for hurting his feelings. Sigh! This relationship is doomed! Even Dr. Pepper calls her out on how she continues to just shirk off any responsibility. I don’t know how she expects to have a genuine connection with anyone, when she is so selfish and superficial. She calls her mother to vent and now I see where she gets her sense of entitlement. Her mother reinforces her mindset, rather than helping her to understand it’s about the principle, not the money.
TELL US –DO YOU THINK HALEY WAS WRONG FOR HOW SHE HANDLED THE BRACELET SITUATION? WILL VIRGINIA EVER COMPROMISE OR WILL SHE CONTINUE TO PUSH ERIK’S LIMITS? WHY IS CLARA SO AFRAID TO BE HONEST WITH RYAN?
[Photo Credit: Lifetime]
