The Bachelorette Season 16, Week 4 gave Clare the love she was looking for.
The Bachelorette Season 16, Week 4 really threw the love story at us in full swing. There have been overarching themes to Clare’s plan of attack each week and this column has been a weekly update on her journey to self-love and finding her person.
The episode kicked off with a surprise visit from Chris Harrison where he confronts Clare about the feelings of the men in the house. Which, first of all, the men were all incredibly possessive of Clare despite this being an opportunity for HER to find love. This was incredibly telling of who they were as people and it was clear that contestants such as Blake and Jason were more interested in what they could get out of the experience than what Clare was here for. More on this later.
The Bachelorette Season 16, Week 4: A happily ever after
Chris tells Clare that she cannot go on like this and we finally get the moment we had been anticipating: “you’ve just blown up The Bachelorette.” He consoles her, and she is honest about her feelings for Dale (surprise, surprise). Chris then reports to the men that the cocktail party and rose ceremony are canceled, and Clare shows up to a lavish dinner with Dale to tell him she loves him.
Now, all of the weeks leading up to this, we have seen Clare struggling with her past and coping with the abuse that she has experienced. It makes a lot of sense that if someone comes along and treats her right, she wants to stay with that person forever. Her emotional reaction to finding someone that checks all her boxes is amazing to watch and the happiness she feels is overwhelming. She has every right to choose herself and pick who she wants, cutting any corner that she needs to for that to happen.
The worry comes from Clare acting out of fantasy. She explains to Chris that she was looking at his social media profiles, admiring his compassion for lost family, and relating to those moments in her own life. I fear that what she believes Dale to be is in her head, an idealized version of what’s in front of her, causing her to act so quickly. After all, calling for an engagement after four weeks is quite a huge ask of someone.
After everything, Dale feels the same way and proposes, and we are shown clips of them enjoying themselves in their new lives outside of the show. Despite what may appear to be behind Clare’s decision making, it is ultimately her choice, and if Dale is what makes her happy, then we can’t question that.
Now that Clare found her happily ever after, the men will get a new chance at love with our brand new Bachelorette Tayshia!
What’s in store for Tayshia this season? Only time will tell, but we all know that she is ready for love!
What did you think of the ending to Clare’s journey on The Bachelorette Season 16? Are you excited to see what’s to come for Tayshia? Tune in to ABC on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 8/7c to see her season begin!