S13.E11: Week 10: The Final Rose / S13.E12: After the Final Rose

[sweetcookieface]

Quote

 

Eric with the beard was super hot.

This was my main takeaway from the episode. Damn!

[coconutcookie]

Eric is nice looking and has a cute personality.  He seemed like a lot more fun than either Peter or Bryan.  But I could not see the young lawyer, daughter of a judge, marrying the personal trainer, half of whose relatives had been in prison.   It wasn't a good fit.

Edited August 8, 2017 by coconutcookie

[dirtypop90]

Peter was playing her for the Bachelor role and has been shading her fiance on SM since she dropped him.  And his little smug comment,  "i hope you have mediocre life" like...who tf is Peter? what kinda life does he have to offer a woman? the delusions

[bantering]

I thought the "I'm living my best life" comment was fine. I don't get what's so offensive about it. She didn't throw a dis at him -- she simply contradicted the "mediocre life" comment.

Edited August 8, 2017 by bantering

[lightbeam]

That was really depressing. 

There was no way Rachel could accept Peter's luke warm "hey, let's date after the show...maybe there is a future when I'm 100% certain." She would have been the only Bachelorette to not be proposed to - not only that, but as the first black bachelorette, the pressure must have been enormous. My heart truly hurt for her.

Interesting people are willing to give Peter a break, but Juan Pablo and what his face (dude that was on the show twice - blanking on his name) got raked through the coals for not proposing. If Peter becomes the next Bachelor and proposes to someone, my head will explode in sympathy for Rachel. 

I wish they edited this differently. It was just painful to watch.

[dirtypop90]

1 minute ago, coconutcookie said:

Eric is nice looking and has a cute personality.  He seemed like a lot more fun than either Peter or Bryan.  But I could not see the young lawyer, daughter of a judge, marrying the personal trainer, half of whose relatives had been in prison.   It wasn't a good fit.

When did Eric say half of his relatives were in prison? Aunt Verna is a harvard-educated lawyer.  Harvard is the number 3 law school in the nation. Rachel nor her father attended such a prestigious law school.  Plus, how do you know rachel doesn't have relatives in prison? (yes, some federal judges have relatives who've had trouble with the law) No one has perfect families. I'm sure that includes the Lindsays.

Also, funny how people think Peter, the personal trainer from Wisconsin, was the best catch this season but hold Eric's occupation against him. Not saying you're one of them. Just something I've noticed.

[GracieK]

2 minutes ago, bantering said:

I thought the "I'm living my best life" comment was fine. I don't get what's so offensive about it. She didn't throw a dis at him -- she simply contradicted the "mediocre life" comment.  

I agree that her comment wasn't that bad.. it was the way she delivered it and how her demeanor toward him immediately changed.  It got awkward and icy and then she actually does attack him over him saying he's feeling attacked.  I think it wouldn't have seemed so severe if she hadn't started out the interview with him as friendly and normal.  For me there was a definitive moment where she got angry with him and the rest of the interview just felt so uncomfortable.  

[HeyThere83]

It's really hard to watch this even though I've been keeping up with spoilers all season.

 

Watching Rachel interact with/look at Peter and then with Bryan. Looks like she's trying hard to focus on Bryan. I can only seem to pay attention when she's talking to Peter because it's like someone pushed *start* and Bryan starts scripting. Again.

[Madding crowd]

9 minutes ago, dirtypop90 said:

Peter was playing her for the Bachelor role and has been shading her fiance on SM since she dropped him.  And his little smug comment,  "i hope you have mediocre life" like...who tf is Peter? what kinda life does he have to offer a woman? the delusions

He didn't say that though-he said if she loves him and says goodbye to him she is settling for a mediocre life. Not the best comment but to me the jist is getting married for any other reason than being in love is choosing a mediocre life. And he apologized.

[bantering]

8 minutes ago, GracieK said:

I agree that her comment wasn't that bad.. it was the way she delivered it and how her demeanor toward him immediately changed.  It got awkward and icy and then she actually does attack him over him saying he's feeling attacked.  I think it wouldn't have seemed so severe if she hadn't started out the interview with him as friendly and normal.  For me there was a definitive moment where she got angry with him and the rest of the interview just felt so uncomfortable.  

 I thought she asked him why he's feeling attacked because HE was the one who said he felt attacked.  Honestly, I would have asked the same question, because she seemed so perky. I suppose I,  too, was perplexed as to why he felt attacked since her general demeanour seemed nice enough to me. I have no idea which guy she's actually in love with as I did not watch the whole season, and pretty much everyone on this show is kind of fake anyway, but I thought she had a composed and calm demeanour. Whether she's masking other feelings, I have no idea. But her actual presentation struck me as calm, especially by this show's standards where people look like they're crying buckets or look like they want to shoot daggers. She might have been hyper-aware of how she should come across and maybe she has other feelings she might be hiding, but overall she seemed like a calm, rational person to me in terms of presentation.  I didn't think she really let on how she felt in terms of anger (even if they might be hidden in her somewhat, based on the speculation everyone is posing about her feelings about Peter vs. Brian). 

Edited August 8, 2017 by bantering

[Village]

2 minutes ago, GracieK said:

I agree that her comment wasn't that bad.. it was the way she delivered it and how her demeanor toward him immediately changed.  It got awkward and icy and then she actually does attack him over him saying he's feeling attacked.  I think it wouldn't have seemed so severe if she hadn't started out the interview with him as friendly and normal.  For me there was a definitive moment where she got angry with him and the rest of the interview just felt so uncomfortable.  

She started to get mad because he was spouting a lot of BS about "the time given is not enough to propose" and as he's very likely about to be next Bachelor she knows that's BS. Peter played the game as they all do to become The Bachelor/The Bachelorette but because he is perceived as such a saint and people on social media have said he's so right for wanting to take time before he proposes and that Rachel's the one with issues for wanting a proposal right away of course she's going to be deeply resentful of him bringing it up when she knows that he's FOS.

[felicity porter]

Quote

Eric is nice looking and has a cute personality.  He seemed like a lot more fun than either Peter or Bryan.  But I could not see the young lawyer, daughter of a judge, marrying the personal trainer, half of whose relatives had been in prison.   It wasn't a good fit.

Eh.  Agree and disagree.  Likes tend to marry likes, but as a black woman, if Rachel limits herself to black men aged 27-35, who have a professional degree and not a single relative who has been caught up in the system/ever needed government assistance, she would *really* narrow her dating pool.  And I say this as a black professional woman Rachel's age.  In so many black families, folks are only one generation away from poverty and all the implications of living an impoverished life.  The impression I get from Rachel's family is that they are like many black families - some folks have done very well for themselves and some folks are still very much struggling, much of this often happening in the same generation.  Plus, I know many educated black men who come from very well to do families and they can be the hardest to date.  Many are in limited supply, know it, and absolutely capitalize on it if you know what I mean.

On Rachel being hard core after the ring: I think there's some truth in that, for sure.  She's dating for marriage but seems to have confused that a bit with dating for a ring.  But I also think Peter wasn't really into her and didn't have the gumption to simply admit it.  So I see it less as she dumped him because she wanted a ring so badly, and more that she knew the risk for Peter to string her along before dumping her at 35 was *real*.  I think in her heart, she knew dude wasn't that into her.

Edited to note that dirtypop90 made the same point I was making about Rachel's family.

Edited August 8, 2017 by felicity porter

[TheFinalRose]

Peter is self-centered. Couldn't even bend down and pick up her eyelashes off the floor? Why not? Is that for the help to do?  Ugh.  He's setting himself up for failure if he insists he can only get engaged once, because what if his fiance decides to call off the wedding? What then? Will he never be able to get engaged again?

I loved that Rachel told him the process wasn't for him. It's the truth, only because he is so stubborn about what an engagement means to him. That's fine, and dandy, and reasonable, but just don't go on this show. I don't feel bad for him, because he was obviously never into Rachel, his body language always gave him away. Also, the way he acted on the last night made me think he was practiced at these showdowns about the future, and the crying on the live portion reminded me of his sob story he told Rachel about breaking up with his last girlfriend and seeing her in the rearview mirror as he drove away, feeling bad about himself again. Don't make him the Bachelor .... he is a commitment-phobe disaster.

That wind tunnel at the proposal was horrible. Her hair! 

Eric looked great with the beard. He or Dean would be a lot more fun as the Bachelor.  

Oh, Bryan looked happy. 

[ridethemaverick]

1 hour ago, SallyAlbright said:

It's amazing that after thinking he was the hottest thing ever in the first episode, Peter became unattractive to me with his talking in circles and that spiteful "mediocre life" comment. Bryan, meanwhile, was way too forward for my taste in the beginning but really grew on me with his good humor and his love for Rachel. I think they make a really cute couple and I know people will be bitching on social media, but I hope they work out. 

My thoughts exactly.

I didn't buy Peter's tears and I felt like the long tortured good bye was all on her end. I think he couldn't wait to get rid of her, which is fine. He doesn't have to love her but he also didn't have to be so bitchy about it with that mediocre comment. And then that whiny ass "I feel attacked" onstage. Ugh, shut up. 

She made the right decision imo.

[GracieK]

Just now, bantering said:

 I thought she asked him why he's feeling attacked because HE was the one who said he felt attacked. I suppose I too was perplexed as to why he felt attacked since her general demeanour seemed nice enough to me. I have no idea which guy she's actually in love with as I did not watch the whole season, and pretty much everyone on this show is kind of fake anyway, but I thought she had a composed and calm demeanour. Whether she's masking other feelings, I have no idea. But her actual presentation struck me as calm, especially by this show's standards where people look like they're crying buckets. 

Yes he said he was feeling attacked and then it felt like she was actually attacking him when asking why he felt that way. Like I previously posted, I just felt an immediate change in her demeanor when he apologized for the mediocre life comment and it seemed, to me anyway, and obviously to Peter, that she took an aggressive stance. You and others read her as calm. I did not. 

[bantering]

5 minutes ago, GracieK said:

Yes he said he was feeling attacked and then it felt like she was actually attacking him when asking why he felt that way. Like I previously posted, I just felt an immediate change in her demeanor when he apologized for the mediocre life comment and it seemed, to me anyway, and obviously to Peter, that she took an aggressive stance. You and others read her as calm. I did not. 

 

Like I  said, I would have asked him the same question. By this show's standards, she seemed calm and perky to me.  By real-life standards too, she seemed calm and perky to me. Whether she actually feels this way, I'm not sure, but her presentation for tv looked rational and composed.

Edited August 8, 2017 by bantering

[GracieK]

4 minutes ago, Village said:

She started to get mad because he was spouting a lot of BS about "the time given is not enough to propose" and as he's very likely about to be next Bachelor she knows that's BS. Peter played the game as they all do to become The Bachelor/The Bachelorette but because he is perceived as such a saint and people on social media have said he's so right for wanting to take time before he proposes and that Rachel's the one with issues for wanting a proposal right away of course she's going to be deeply resentful of him bringing it up when she knows that he's FOS.

I don't follow him or any of this on social media so my opinions are based solely on what I've seen on the show. I do know that social media can change people's opinions though so I get that it's why some of us just have differing opinions on what we see. I'm not some big Peter fan btw.. I think he's low energy and a commitment phobe.  My thoughts are based solely on watching the show and my reactions to said show. 

[ridethemaverick]

41 minutes ago, bantering said:

I didn't watch the whole season so I'm not sure what Rachel was like, but she didn't seem angry to be. She seemed kind of perky and peppy to  me. I'm confused when people say she acted angry. 

 

This Peter fellow is handsome enough, but he seemed kind of depressed. I'm surprised he'd want to be the next Bachelor because he seemed somewhat melancholy about the process.

She didn't seem angry or mean to me either but I'm not at all surprised that people are calling her that.

31 minutes ago, dirtypop90 said:

Peter was playing her for the Bachelor role and has been shading her fiance on SM since she dropped him.  And his little smug comment,  "i hope you have mediocre life" like...who tf is Peter? what kinda life does he have to offer a woman? the delusions

A boring life, that's for sure. Peter has the personality of a doorknob.

Also, she would be constantly chasing him and begging him for affection. She dodged a huge bullet.

[bk10]

Something about Peter just didn't sit well with me and then when he said he felt attacked it sealed it for me. I don't get how he was being attacked and he couldn't even answer that himself. He did not want Rachel, but he's playing it like he was being rational and he's heartbroken. I do not believe him or trust him. Rachel didn't come off as angry or mean at all tonight. She stated what she felt and thought. I don't know how much more composed she could have been when she had to relive these scenes in public. 

I still don't think Rachel should have picked anyone, but I guess she had to and settled for Bryan. We'll see how long it lasts.

I hope that there's never another black bachelor or bachelorette.  

[Overwhelming No]

What the hell kind of shithole was the Fantasy Suite with Peter?  The others weren't much better, but you'd think they'd have something a little swankier in Spain. 

[Jax7917]

Wow something about Rachel just really bugs me . I really don't like her . First off , I just find her to be extremely egotistical . If someone isn't obsessed with her or doesn't put her on a pedestal , she gets so angry so quickly . She's been begging for a proposal all season long, and when Peter told her he wasn't ready , she pretty much  said that being engaged  doesn't necessarily mean you have to stay together forever or even get married . It just means you're willing to try and take a risk . It's just so obvious she would have accepted a proposal from anyone , because she just wanted the ring and to be on the magazines and not be the only bachelorette never proposed to . 

When peter said the mediocre thing , I understood what he meant . He didn't mean that he's the only person anyone could ever want . He was just posing the question , " would you rather be engaged to just anyone just to say you're engaged or would you rather continue to date someone you really care about and have a great relationship which will lead into marriage eventually . I don't see anything wrong with what he said , but how she reacted told it all . 

Bryan is a phony balogna. He sounds ridiculous when he talks and needs to say something that doesn't sound like he got it from google poems . I give their relationship 2 months tops . 

I really thought it showed a lot about her character the way she was shutting Peter down for the bachelor . Oh right Rachel , because you signed up for the gig for only the right reasons . Sure . Okay . 

Edited August 8, 2017 by Jaclyn88

[In2You]

1 hour ago, GracieK said:

Yes seriously.  People sometimes say regrettable things when they are breaking up and emotions are heightened.  He said he was sorry.  I don't see it as that big of a deal.

In the beginning Rachel was my favorite Bachelorette ever.  By the end she was annoying me pretty badly.  I did not find her desperation for an engagement ring to be very attractive. 

Peter's apology was half assed when him swearing he "blacked out" and couldn't remember what was said.

[NeverLate]

56 minutes ago, Village said:

I couldn't agree more. I personally can't wait until the bloom is off the rose for this guy. I don't know what he did but be above average in looks but the way people act like he's absolutely perfect is beyond ridiculous. It'll be fun to watch him fall off the pedestal. I just wonder how he'll be able to bring himself to get down on one knee in such a short amount of time as The Bachelor.

That being said, Rachel came across as very forced with Bryan tonight and did herself no favours in all of this. She really made it seem like the ring was more important than the man. I think she really resents the hell out of Peter and whether that resentment is legitimate or not I think she played the entire night all wrong. Even if she is deeply in love with Bryan it's going to take a lot of time for the public to believe in it if they ever do.

If I were her, and I'm as strong willed as she is,I wouldn't give a darn what the public thought. As long as I was happy and my man was happy, that's all that would count! :)

[chocolatine]

I don't think either Peter or Rachel are bad people, but their last conversation in Rioja showed that they bring out the worst in each other - neediness in Rachel and passive-aggressiveness in Peter. I still dislike Bryan, but I think there's a small chance he and Rachel could have a happily ever after, whereas there was zero chance of that with Peter, so I guess yay for Rachel, for now.

I really hope Peter is not the next Bachelor though - that would make him a huge hypocrite.

[comosedice]

I hope Peter is the next Bachelor and I hope if he's not feeling it at the end of his season that he doesn't propose there either. Rachel has been good at playing the Bachelorette game and saying what the producers want her to say. That she was telling Peter the Bachelor was not for him could very well be the message the producers want to get out because they are going with someone else.  I hope I'm wrong.

[angelamh66]

The change in Rachel's demeanor was noticeable. But I don't think it was because of anything being said. I think she was pissed at how the Peter breakup was being portrayed as him bailing on her when she wasn't going to pick him anyway. That said it does put a bad taste in my mouth that she would basically berate Peter into proposing when she wasn't going to pick him. 

[Village]

1 minute ago, Hello Lady said:

If I were her, and I'm as strong willed as she is,I wouldn't give a darn what the public thought. As long as I was happy and my man was happy, that's all that would count! :)

I agree with that for sure. There's a lot of IMO undeserved negativity towards her and the Bryan choice though which I think is a shame.

[pinkelephant3]

I think it's very telling that her and Bryan haven't decided where to live. Both of the past bachelorette seasons the couple's were moving in the next day/,week. 

[KenyaJ]

13 minutes ago, ridethemaverick said:

She didn't seem angry or mean to me either but I'm not at all surprised that people are calling her that.

I'm a black, female lawyer (and Rachel and I are sorors), so I'm certainly not trying to "angry black woman" her. But right after Peter apologized to her, her attitude got super frosty. It reminded me of her reaction to her family when they were skeptical of Bryan. Coincidentally, that reaction was what convinced me she would pick Bryan in the end, so I was really surprised by both her reaction to Peter not being ready to propose and her ATFR reaction to him. I don't understand still being that upset with someone when you're happily engaged to someone else. Let it go and go polish your ring, girl.

[ridethemaverick]

It's interesting that some believe Rachel was begging for a proposal. I didn't see it that way at all. I saw a woman who wanted to get married and needed to make that clear. She's done the long-term relationship thing (I love the sex and the city term "expiration dating") and she came on the show to find a husband, not a boyfriend. 

I guess I relate because I've never been into pointless relationships as an adult who was ready for marriage. I didn't date anyone who wasn't clear about why they were pursuing me. I wasn't conceited or entitled, I just valued my time. I didn't agree to date my husband until he made his intentions clear. 

I think more women (those who want to get married) should date like Rachel and refuse to settle for "maybe, someday, possibly, let's see where this goes." The Peters of the world are complete timesucks.

[coconutcookie]

We didn't get to see Bryan choose the ring.  Was it pear-shaped?  Seems like an odd choice but maybe that's what she wanted. It looked sufficiently large anyway.

Edited August 8, 2017 by coconutcookie

[ridethemaverick]

5 minutes ago, KenyaJ said:

I'm a black, female lawyer (and Rachel and I are sorors), so I'm certainly not trying to "angry black woman" her. But right after Peter apologized to her, her attitude got super frosty. It reminded me of her reaction to her family when they were skeptical of Bryan. Coincidentally, that reaction was what convinced me she would pick Bryan in the end, so I was really surprised by both her reaction to Peter not being ready to propose and her ATFR reaction to him. I don't understand still being that upset with someone when you're happily engaged to someone else. Let it go and go polish your ring, girl.

I get what you're saying. I was more so referring to the general idea here and on sm that she was mean and that she attacked poor Peter. I do think she was agitated, for sure. 

[In2You]

1 hour ago, truthaboutluv said:

Not to mention that her attitude probably comes from the fact that he's spent the whole season shading and throwing passive aggressive comments at her fiance while writing essays about people being kind to each other whenever he got the slightest criticism. 

 

Seriously? Dude acted like he's so damn special that her walking away from his indecisive ass would result in a mediocre life. Peter kept referring to proposing to Rachel as making a sacrifice and he was so magnanimous that he was willing to make that sacrifice. Honestly, the only time I was actually annoyed with Rachel was that she didn't tell Peter right then and there to go fuck himself. 

Peter came across more smarmy and disingenuous than Bryan ever did.  He shaded Bryan for months knowing exactly how things ended with Rachel and then wanted to sit on stage a play victim.

[twoods]

This episode sounds like a trainwreck. I was looking forward to seeing Rachel and Bryan giddy and happy because it seemed like they were really into eachother from day one, but instead it's overshadowed by the Peter/Rachel drama. Poor Bryan- I wonder if he's thinking that he was the second choice. If he's in it for the fame like Rachel is, maybe they made a pact to see how it goes and then break it off after they get their 10 minutes in the spotlight. I hope that's not the case, but after seeing how most of these couples break up, I'm not holding my breath.

What a shame to taint something that could have been romantic with the usual manufactured drama. I liked Peter but never thought he was that into her. If he's the new Bachelor, I don't know how they will spin it since he was so uncomfortable to propose after a few weeks. Maybe it was because he knew that Rachel wasn't the one and not because of his fear of proposing. I lasted 5 minutes with them lashing out at one another and had to FF it. Is this how the format always is? It makes more sense to have the ATR bullshit after the proposal- I can't even watch it now without having a bad taste in my mouth. Again, poor Bryan.

Edited August 8, 2017 by twoods

[In2You]

5 minutes ago, pinkelephant3 said:

I think it's very telling that her and Bryan haven't decided where to live. Both of the past bachelorette seasons the couple's were moving in the next day/,week. 

They're both in the process of career changes.

[Jax7917]

Peter made it clear that he didn't know why he wasn't automatically in love from the beginning , he just wasn't . He said he needed more time with HER because he didn't know if she was the one in this short amount of time . Doesn't mean he can't fall in love within a few weeks / months . He just happened to not fall in love with her within that short amount of time . 

That being said , I do obviously think his intention was to get the bachelor gig . But can 90 % of the people who go on this show say any differently ?

[backformore]

1 hour ago, coconutcookie said:

Hated the Peter drama that went on and on and on when she had decided on Bryan practically from the beginning.  It was always his to lose, and he seems to know what he's doing when he's romancing a girl so he wasn't going to blow it.  Somehow, I don't think it will last.

Is there a huge diamond ring if there is no proposal?  That would be a bummer.

Yeah, it seemed to me that Rachel wanted the "two guys propose, which one will I choose?"   finale.  She was going to choose Bryan anyway, she just wanted to be making the choice between Bryan's proposal and Peter's proposal. 

[LakeGal]

That was the windiest engagement they have ever had. I thought Rachel's fake lashes were going to blow off.

I really don't like Rachel or Bryan.

[comosedice]

11 minutes ago, ridethemaverick said:

I think more women (those who want to get married) should date like Rachel and refuse to settle for "maybe, someday, possibly, let's see where this goes." The Peters of the world are complete timesucks.

Isn't this exactly what she is doing? Taking it slow, getting to know the other person, and seeing where it goes? She's essentially dating Bryan and there is no guarantee it will end in marriage. Besides the ABC-bought jewelry, how's this different from what Peter offered? 

22 minutes ago, In2You said:

Peter came across more smarmy and disingenuous than Bryan ever did.  He shaded Bryan for months knowing exactly how things ended with Rachel and then wanted to sit on stage a play victim.

How did he shade Bryan for months? We already knew from the show he didn't like him. He never hid it.

[backformore]

Chris asks Rachel to explain her emotions for Peter, she says "there's no denying that I didn't love Peter" .

I'm sorry, it's late, and I can't count all the negatives to figure out what it means to NOT DENY that you DON'T love someone. 

[Amethyst]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Okay so the entiiiiiiiiiiiiiiire show I thought that it was going to be a twist ending.  Rachel was so over the top and dramatic that I was like, haha , ok VERY FUNNY Bachelorette, this is all a joke so they can twist-ending us and admit that Rachel and Peter are engaged.  

IKR?  I really thought Peter was going to burst in the room during the live filming, screaming that he changed his mind and wanted to marry Rachel or something.  Like, something had to make this mess of a finale worthwhile.  But nope, it really was that blatant and obvious.  This format was a mistake.  Ruined any real possibility of suspense.  

I actually liked Peter, but he screwed up.  Rachel's been saying all season that she wants to get married at the end of this, and Peter's been waffling on that since beginning.  If that was the case, Peter should have bounced a long time ago, or Rachel should have just wised up and sent him home.  Neither of them were going to change the other's mind.

But Rachel's behavior with Peter vs her behavior with Eric was very telling.  Rachel ultimately rejected both men in the eleventh hour, but Peter's farewell was marred by tears and endless introspection, while Eric's farewell was calm and decisive.  Same with their respective reunions.  Rachel was openly bitter and angry with Peter, while she wished nothing but the best for Eric.   If she had said OK to just living together with Peter, there would have been no contest.  But she shouldn't have had to change her real desire to make any of them happy.  That said, I'm sure she got the proposal she wanted, just not the man.

Eric didn't do much for me, really.  Sweet guy, but something about him seemed so juvenile.  But he handled himself very well tonight.  And wow, does that beard work for him.  Matures him and makes him sexy.  Keep the beard, Eric!  

Edited August 8, 2017 by Amethyst

[Bean421]

1 hour ago, lightbeam said:

That was really depressing. 

There was no way Rachel could accept Peter's luke warm "hey, let's date after the show...maybe there is a future when I'm 100% certain." She would have been the only Bachelorette to not be proposed to - not only that, but as the first black bachelorette, the pressure must have been enormous. My heart truly hurt for her.

This. This. This. Bryan and Rachel always had a connection so I think she does love him. However she was very clear about what she wanted and what "engagement" meant to her. She and Peter wanted the same thing but he couldn't get over the Bachelorette version of being engaged. 

[HeyThere83]

Just watched Rachel and Peter's breakup and.....dang, they seem devastated.

Not seeing that Peter isn't into Rachel. He seems VERY into her.

This stinks.

[fib]

55 minutes ago, bantering said:

 But her actual presentation struck me as calm, especially by this show's standards where people look like they're crying buckets or look like they want to shoot daggers. 

She struck me as litigious.  She was in prosecutor mode.  It wasnt flattering. 

I always hate the leads by the end of the season - it took me longer to hate Rachel, but I got there tonight.  It wasnt the "my best life" comment, it was the way she totally ignored Peter's well composed comment that he just needed more time before hometowns, and trumped it with, youre just not ready to get married and thus process isnt for you. God forbid she have to admit she made a mistake on date selection that made thungs harder for them. 

 

30 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

I don't think either Peter or Rachel are bad people, but their last conversation in Rioja showed that they bring out the worst in each other - neediness in Rachel and passive-aggressiveness in Peter. I still dislike Bryan, but I think there's a small chance he and Rachel could have a happily ever after, whereas there was zero chance of that with Peter, so I guess yay for Rachel, for now.

This. I said the same thing out loud to my hubby. If they cant compromise on something like this? They wont work as a couple.  Sad but true. Peter seemed to realize that, which struck me as part of why he was cuaght off guard when her tone went frosty.  

Didnt like the live format.  Thought it was a little unfair to everyone involved. Some emotions are better to feel, digest and then respond publicly to. 

[ridethemaverick]

11 minutes ago, comosedice said:

Isn't this exactly what she is doing? Taking it slow, getting to know the other person, and seeing where it goes? She's essentially dating Bryan and there is no guarantee it will end in marriage. Besides the ABC-bought jewelry, how's this different from what Peter offered? 

How did he shade Bryan for months? We already knew from the show he didn't like him. He never hid it.

I think her engagement with Bryan is unequivocally heading toward marriage and the getting to know each other is more so a function of the weird context they were in on the show. With Peter, it would have been ambiguous and she would have been beholden to HIS timeline with no assurance that it would ever go anywhere. 

[Padma]

 No one owes it to you to fall in love with you, especially on your timetable.

No one owes you a proposal.

I don't get what Rachel's so angry about. No one led her on. No one cheated on her or lied to her. Peter didn't want to marry her. There's nothing to be angry about. Why does she feel so entitled? What am I missing? (Also, even..even...not all really, really SERIOUS love affairs end in marriage, Rachel. It's true!.)

[twoods]

It is unfair that you're watching all these emotions on TV for the first time, reliving the moment, and then having to go out in front of a bunch of strangers and talk about what happened. How gut wrenching. Even if you're on the show for the wrong reasons, there have to be real feelings involved somewhere in the 6 weeks. And now that Bryan is getting skewered on social media for being in love, this show should be a public service announcement for why reality TV is never a good idea. All the Peter love fest definitely puts him as a shoe-in for the next bachelor- he can lead every single girl on, not propose to anyone, and still come out looking like the "best guy ever" to some of these people. 

[ridethemaverick]

4 minutes ago, Padma said:

 No one owes it to you to fall in love with you, especially on your timetable.

No one owes you a proposal.

I don't get what Rachel's so angry about. No one led her on. No one cheated on her or lied to her. Peter didn't want to marry her. There's nothing to be angry about. Why does she feel so entitled? What am I missing? (Also, even..even...not all really, really SERIOUS love affairs end in marriage, Rachel. It's true!.)

In real life, ita. But if I'm going on a show looking for a husband and 25 guys sign up to audition to be my husband, I'm gonna expect that those who are serious and who stay on the show and take me to meet their families will propose.

Where I fault Rachel is keeping Peter on the show. He wasn't honest enough to take himself out of the running (apparently that has happened before) and he wanted Rachel, who was always clear about her expectations, to be willing to settle for less than what she came for. I think she should have tossed Peter weeks ago, and I do think she pressured him, but I also don't get the entitlement talk. If only more women were strong enough to decide what they want and not settle. But as they say, everybody ain't able.

[backformore]

Bryan: Rachel, will you marry  me?

Rachel: well, Peter didn't propose, so yeah. 

[comosedice]

4 minutes ago, ridethemaverick said:

I think her engagement with Bryan is unequivocally heading toward marriage and the getting to know each other is more so a function of the weird context they were in on the show. With Peter, it would have been ambiguous and she would have been beholden to HIS timeline with no assurance that it would ever go anywhere. 

"unequivocally" huh? We shall see. The weird context was the same for her and every other man on the show. There is still no assurance that this thing with Bryan will go anywhere. We've been here before.