The Bachelorette Recap: Charity Gets A Rough Wake-Up Call At Fantasy Suites
Charity has narrowed it down to three strong contenders for her heart as The Bachelorette enters fantasy suites week — but maybe all three aren't as strong as she thought.
As Monday's episode opens, Charity is enjoying the tropical paradise of Fiji and ready to spend more time there with her final three men: Dotun, Joey and Xavier. She is still rattled by Aaron's departure last week, and she admits she was falling in love with him... but she's also falling in love with all three of her remaining guys, so she's excited! She has a quick catch-up session with Jesse, where she admits she doesn't fully trust Xavier yet, and Joey's uncle's ominous words of warning are still ringing in her ears. She has no such concerns about Dotun... but then is he maybe too good to be true? Basically, she's torn in (at least) three directions.
First up is Xavier, who still isn't sure he can get down on one knee and propose. (You better figure that out soon, my man, because the finale is coming up soon.) He and Charity reunite on a private island, where they're serenaded by a chorus of native islanders and put through a traditional wedding ceremony. See, he didn't even need to propose! But by the time they're exchanging vows, Xavier is already sweating bullets, and Charity is thrown when he calls her "a delicate flower that I don't want to crush when I pick up." Why would she be crushed, she wonders? Meanwhile, we see that back at home, Aaron is still stewing about his exit... and boarding a flight to Fiji to change Charity's mind!
At dinner, Xavier is heavily conflicted, and he needs to come clean to Charity before they can move forward. He hints at the doubts he's been feeling before he drops the bomb on her: "In the past, with my ex, I was unfaithful, and I wanted to tell you that... I thought you deserved to know." Charity is understandably devastated, explaining that infidelity is her biggest fear in a relationship, since she's been put through that before. She walks off to collect herself, but she returns because she wants to hear him out.
Xavier assures her that he doesn't "want to be unfaithful" to her... but that's not the same as saying he won't be, right? He also explains it happened two years into his relationship, and more than once, while he was "on vacation with my boys," and Charity realizes that it's "exactly what my ex did." When she asks him what he's learned since then, he doesn't have a great answer, and he tries to say cheating on her is "not a possibility... if I choose to be with you and you choose to be with me." (Hmmm.) But then he adds: "Is it going to be hard to do that? Hell yes."
That admission makes Charity's jaw drop — and she gets choked up when the fantasy suite card arrives. She needs to know he's not having any doubts about her before she takes him to the fantasy suite, and Xavier says his heart has no doubts, but "in my mind, there is that doubt," concluding: "I need to see more." That's the last straw for Charity, who calls him out for having these doubts just days before a possible marriage proposal — and she tosses the fantasy suite card away. He tries to apologize, but it's too late: She sends him home, leaving them both reeling at how fast things crumbled between them. Charity sobs while a dazed Xavier admits she deserves a man who's sure about her. Damn right.
The next day, it's Joey's turn, and Charity is still concerned that his Uncle Joe didn't think Joey was being himself. On their date, they tear through the wilderness in an ATV, and it's not a great sign when the vehicle stalls out midway through their ride. But they make the best of it, finding a private cove by a picturesque waterfall, so it seems like they can overcome anything. Joey admits he didn't feel great about the way they left things on his hometown date, and Charity asks him what Uncle Joe meant by saying he wasn't being himself. Joey concedes he was "uncomfortable" and "felt a lot of pressure" on their date. But why, though? He doesn't really explain... but just talking about it is enough for Charity, it seems.
Charity is ready to tell Joey she's falling in love with him at dinner, but Joey is gearing up to tell her that he's not always "perfect." Uh-oh. He tells her he doesn't always feel friendly and upbeat, and he needs someone to accept him for who he really is, flaws and all. Luckily for him, Charity can relate: She's a people-pleaser, too, and she reassures him that it's OK to not be on all the time. He also tells her he's not just falling in love with her, he is in love with her — and she says she is in love with him, too! The happy couple hits the fantasy suite together, and they wake up blissful in bed the next morning... and with Charity using words like "eternal," it sure seems like Joey is locking down that final rose already.
Charity still has one more date left, though, with Dotun, and she raves about how "special" he is to her, so she hasn't made up her mind just yet. While they have fun jet-skiing together, Charity does mention again how she can't find anything wrong with Dotun — but maybe he's just a great guy, Charity! Enjoy it! They pop Champagne on the beach, and Charity gushes about how much she loved Dotun's family, and it really seems like he should be the frontrunner, doesn't it? He confesses he didn't even know that Bachelorette seasons end with an engagement, but since it's Charity, "I'm actually fine with that." Aw! What exactly is the problem here, Charity?
Dotun is "smitten" as they go to dinner, but he admits he's still waiting for Charity to tell him how she feels about him. She grills him about any fears he might have, but he shrugs them off: "The scary part is that I'm not scared." (He even says his head and his heart are in the same place. Take that, Xavier!) And when he declares his love for her, she reciprocates: "I am one hundred percent in love with you." OK, then! They say yes to the fantasy suite, waking up the next morning in a giddy love haze. But is Charity playing with fire by dropping the L-word on two different men? Hasn't she seen how that has blown up in certain Bachelors' faces recently? (Are we the only ones who remember the whole Clayton debacle?)
But Charity might not just have two men left to choose from: As promised, Aaron shows up and surprises her at the hotel pool. (He's got the Hawaiian shirt and everything!) She's shocked to see him, but: "Am I mad about it? No." She's overwhelmed by a mix of emotions as they sit down to talk, and he gets emotional when he tells her how hard that breakup was on him — and how he felt like they still had unfinished emotional business. She feels the same way: "I've been thinking about it every single day... I don't know if I made the right choice." She tells him she was falling in love with him, and this sounds like she's giving him another chance? She takes a moment, but her head is swimming with thoughts of Joey and Dotun, too — and a preview for the finale shows Charity unable to decide between those two, and now Aaron, too, confessing her confusion to her mother and breaking down in sobs at the final rose ceremony. Yikes... are we even getting a happy ending this time?
Got thoughts on this week's fantasy suite dates? Predictions for who's getting Charity's final rose? Hit the comments, Bachelor Nation, to share your thoughts.