Welcome to Roses and Thorns! My name’s Kiera and I’m here to give you recaps and commentary on each episode of The Bachelorette (and The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise). I won’t bore you with a full intro but let me assure you that I’m talking an expert; I first watched Nick Viall’s season of The Bachelor when I was in 7th grade and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Today we’re starting off with a bang because it’s fantasy suites week! For those who don’t know, the season began with two bachelorettes– Rachel and Gabby –and about thirty men all looking for an engagement. After weeks of dates and eliminations, each woman only has three men left. Now, they’ll be going on individual dates with each man and have the chance to spend the night with them (and no cameras).

First up was Erich and Gabby who have clearly had a connection since the beginning. Their fantasy suite date was much of the same giggling and comfort we’ve seen from them all season, and both of them look thrilled to have gotten so much alone time.

Next was Aven and Rachel’s date. Honestly, there’s not much to say about them besides that they had fun on a yacht and liked waking up in the same bed. I feel like she likes him but won’t choose him in the end.

Instead, I think Rachel will choose her next date, Tino, who she’s obviously liked since the first night when he got her first impression rose. Worries about Tino’s family’s disapproval or Rachel seeing other guys quickly seemed to fade away as they went horseback riding, told each other they were in love, and shared a hotel room for the night.

Now, here’s where things get messy. Gabby sends Johnny home because he’s not ready for an engagement, but I don’t think anyone really saw them going anywhere. That night, Erich tells her how awful it is to think of her being with other guys, but she feels like she’s being tested and judged about something they apparently already talked about in fantasy suites. I get where Erich was coming from because this is such a weird process, but putting pressure on Gabby like that and telling her it feels like she’s cheating after they already discussed how hard this is for both of them was a bad move. Luckily, he realizes the error in his ways, and they make up pretty quickly.

Sadly, Gabby’s hardships aren’t over, and her and Jason break up during her next overnight date. They end things because he doesn’t see this lasting in the real world, and Gabby is crushed. This cuts deep for her because she has spent the whole season worrying about being unloveable, and it’s like her worst fears are coming true with two guys saying they can’t marry her. Thankfully, the episode ends pretty happily for Gabby when she tells Erich he’s the only one left and that she’s in love with him, allowing the two to rejoice in surviving this process.

Last but not least, Rachel goes on her date with Zach. The day portion goes really well, but something clearly changed overnight. The next day, Zach seems miserable and is saying the future he envisioned with Rachel is gone. He’s mostly upset about Rachel doubting if he was ready for marriage because of his age (which is weird since she’s only a few months older), but I feel like there must be something else that went wrong. Nonetheless, he’s so enraged that he stops the rose ceremony to speak with Rachel and…

Then, the episode stops and host Jesse Palmer steps in to say that what’s coming next is so emotional that we need a break before watching. So I guess you’ll have to come read next week’s post to see what happens.