A Look Back

I found this among my drafts and now can't even remember if I ever even posted it on the Bachboard. Here, then, for a look back, were my thoughts on this show when they showed the men, ostensibly 'telling all'. It fits in with the discussion Leen started about how contestants are forever changed by having been on the show.

Marianna's Musings: The Men Tell All

The men may have told all they were allowed to tell but the evening definitely belonged to Chris Harrison and Mike Fleiss.

Together, frontman Spin Meister and behind-the-scenes Scheme Meister created a cleverly-pieced promulgation of propaganda. Jillian, the men and any objective presenting of the facts were clearly no match for this formidable duo.

They may have gone from subtly brilliant to slap-in-the-face obvious but let's face facts: all we know of this season, all we saw of this season and all we opined from this season, all this comes completely and utterly through the fickle and factitious filter of Fleiss.

First up, the final 3 bachelors get their 'human, endearing and imperfect' edit. We see athletic Kiptyn missing a step, flailing and straddling the ropes. We see nerdy, serious Ed loosen up after one cocktail too many and slap Jillian's knee, yank at her dress, attempt to touch her nose and assume odd positions in the hotel corridoor. We see poor rhythm-challenged Reid decide not to overthink any dance moves as he throws caution to the wind and attempts some rather unfortunate hula gyrations.

Next on the agenda is Fleiss' not-so-gentle reminder to us that, despite all the drama, true love really is his goal. He trots out Jason and Molly from last season and they are eager to reaffirm their case, salvage their reputation and show us that they are clearing that long-ago overgrown path to lasting love, originally forged by Trista and Ryan.

Momentarily forgetting that this is Jillian's limelight, Chris characterizes Jason's season with his customary superlatives of the 'most... ever' kind. Molly continues this dramatic theme, telling us that they were "ripped to shreds in the media", almost elevating their plight to one approaching world hunger, the economic crisis or the swine flu epidemic. Oh my godness, I guess I just never really realized how awful it's been for them!

But after a few select montages of domestic bliss, albeit only on alternating weekends, Jason and Molly are grinning like a couple of Cheshire cats and the Fleissian message, that tv dating is a viable way to form a long-lasting union, has been none-too-subtly delivered.

And now, for the semblance of spontaneity, the men start sharing their stories. At first, Mike and Michael confess that they really "fell for" Jillian. Jake even calls her a "doll face". But enough sweet talk. Fleiss wants drama and they oblige. Robby is called a drunk; Tanner is called a tattletale; Dave is called a "ticking time bomb".

Then it's time to attack Jake. Dave accuses him of crying like a girl (or a "Mesnick") over the balcony; Jessie calls him "phony" and Sasha, in a flash of irony and perspicaciousness, calls him an "actor in a soap opera." Jake attempts to tarnish his perfect image by swearing at Sasha and later in the show, shares his anguish over Jillian with a highly sympathetic and mostly female audience who cheer him on and boo Dave, who has his own problems trying to justify his actions before wisely deciding to apologize for making Jillian uncomfortable.

Juan is the next victim but this time, Chris Harrison dutifully executes Fleiss' orders to play devil's advocate. There is much discussion of the "Man Code", many descriptions of how different Midwest jocks are from L.A. metrosexuals, and many varied definitions of what it means to tell someone you're going to "kill" them. Jake dismisses it all rather aptly as "alpha-male banter".

The next obvious Fleissian manoeuver is to teach Wes a lesson for not spouting the party line. Pretty much all the men have a field day assassinating Wes' perhaps already dubious character. Not surprisingly, Chris Harrison, who has never bothered to hide his growing contempt for Wes, gleefully leads the troops, calling Wes an "a**hole".

A few men make a feeble attempt to come to Wes' defense, but it is quickly squelched by a video 'tribute to the most-hated contestant in bachelor history", showing Wes' worst bits, edited to within an inch of their lives and accompanied by the soundtrack of his now infamous song. Not yet satisfied, Chris insists on asking Jillian several of the same but reworded questions about how she could have been blind to Wes' ulterior motives and deception.

The show's 'bloopers', however, seem to be a momentary lapse in Fleissian judgment. After all, isn't the very nature of bloopers to show that someone has veered off script? Yes, it's hilarious to see people fall off ski hills but when Jillian is shown reshooting again and again her flubbed line of "the guys keep getting hotter and hotter" and saying she wants to substitute it with the easier to pronounce (perhaps when slightly inebriated?) "better and better looking", then that's when it starts to look a bit like that scripted soap opera that Sasha so guilelessly referred to.

I suspect that this series may have originally started out trying to be a reality show. But reality is not always dramatic, nor its heroes and villains always black and white. And then there is the problem of how to make each season more compelling than the last, in order to draw in the viewers and, consequently, capture those all-important ratings. This is where Fleiss has decided that reality occasionally needs a little kick in the pants.

Actually, some of us viewers need that kick in the pants too. We need to realize that the show is, primarily, about entertainment and that the love story, although undoubtedly present, often ends up playing second fiddle to trumped-up tribulations and contrived contortions of reality. We need to remember that the hapless bachelors and bachelorettes who sign away, if not their lives then certainly their reputations, probably come out of this experience much wiser and, in some cases, quite a bit richer.

But now, on with the storyline. From the previews, next week's show certainly appears to be living up to Chris' promise of "the most emotional finale ever". We see both Ed and Kiptyn in the now classic limo pose, staring pensively at their respective engagement rings. We see a teary Jillian, who is clearly going to be put through the emotional wringer before choosing her Prince Charming. And we see just enough of a glimpse of something that could turn the final 2 premise utterly and completely on its head. We see Reid, ostensibly returning, and we see a ring in his hand too!

Could it be, that our proposal-possessed bachelorette from the last episode now has not one, not two but three promises to ponder?

Nicely done, Fleiss! Next Monday, you'll have us exactly where you want us: glued to our televisions.