SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from Monday’s episode of ABC’s The Bachelorette.
And just like that…it’s time for hometowns. Man, this season has gone by fast, hasn’t it?
This week, Charity is meeting the families of her final four suitors: Dotun, Joey, Xavier and Aaron. She’s kicking things off in Houston with Aaron.
Charity expresses in confessional that, while she and Aaron hit it off in the beginning, she thinks things may have fallen off track. She thinks her connection with Aaron is lacking a bit compared to the ones she’s developed with the other men, and Aaron says something similar, telling Charity he’d hoped to be in love when he introduced a woman to his parents. While he isn’t there yet, he’s hoping the hometown date can push them over the edge so they can say (and feel) the L word.
Aaron’s family welcomes Charity into their home with open arms. In addition to his parents, Aaron’s two brothers and his sister-in-law are there to greet her. Aaron’s siblings seem to take to Charity immediately, but his younger brother tells Aaron it’ll be harder to convince their parents that she’s the one. Well, charming as ever, Charity hits it off with Aaron’s mom during their one-on-one conversation, but when his mom asks what Charity would say if Aaron proposed on the spot, Charity says she would decline.
While she assures his mom it’s not a reflection of Aaron, having to confront that answer puts some doubt in both women’s heads about whether they’re right for each other. However, Aaron’s mom still gives him her stamp of approval. Charity also a great conversation with Aaron’s dad, who tells his son that he’s very impressed with her. He’s ready to see Aaron get down on one knee and propose to Charity.
After meeting the parents, Aaron takes Charity to his high school football field, where they share a picnic under the lights. And that does it! Aaron tells Charity that he thinks after this day he’s falling in love with her. Charity says in a confessional that she feels “the sky is the limit” for their relationship.
Next up is Joey’s hometown of Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Charity is really looking forward to this date, because if all goes well, she’s planning on telling Joey she’s falling in love with him after he said the same thing last week. They start the day with a tennis lesson, courtesy of Coach Joey. In the middle of the lesson, they’re interrupted by Joey’s uncle, Joe — much to the surprise of Joey, who didn’t expect Uncle Joe to be able to make it for the hometown date. Uncle Joe gives Charity a few more tennis pointers while the trio chat it up. Charity and Joey are clearly giddy for each other, but Uncle Joe doesn’t seem sold. In confessional, he tells the cameras that something is “off” with them, but he isn’t sure what it is.
He leaves Charity and Joey to have some alone time before meeting the rest of Joey’s family, which Charity admits she’s still fairly nervous about. Joey is feeling good though, and Charity is met with so much enthusiasm when she steps through the door later that night. As with many of the contestants, Joey has had his heart broken in the past, so his family is definitely skeptical of his and Charity’s relationship timeline.
Charity makes her rounds, first speaking with Joey’s sister, who tells Charity that she wants to protect Joey and his happiness. Charity assures her that, while she can’t see the future, she feels like she’s falling in love with him and she sees a future with him. Meanwhile, Joey is telling his mom more about Charity. His mom tells him that if he just remains true to himself, there’s no way Charity won’t fall in love with him. While he’s nervous, Joey says he trusts the process and he believes that it will work out how it’s meant to.
Next, Joey seeks “unfiltered” advice from Uncle Joe, who tells him that he likes Charity, but he couldn’t gauge whether they were right together when he saw them on the tennis courts earlier. Uncle Joe wants to make sure that Joey is being genuine and not just someone who he thinks Charity wants him to be. Apparently Joey is “a little bit of a pleaser.” Joey says he’s confident he’s been true to himself and he knows how he feels about Charity. Uncle Joe wants to talk to Charity before he’s fully convinced that she’s right for his nephew.
Charity asks Uncle Joe if he thinks Joey is ready to propose and start a life with her. He says that he believes Joey is going to make a great husband and dad, but he can’t say for certain whether Joey is ready for that right now. Uncle Joe tells Charity about his fears that Joey is too much of a people pleaser and he isn’t being true to himself, which is his only concern about their relationship. Charity says she feels confident she’s seen the “real Joey,” but naturally Uncle Joe’s comments leave her confused.
Once they leave the family, Charity and Joey take a second to chat. She doesn’t bring up her concerns, but something about Uncle Joe’s comments must have stuck with her because she opts not to tell Joey that she’s falling in love with him. After an emotional goodbye, Joey is left confused as Charity’s car pulls away to take her to the next hometown date.
Charity is off to Cleveland to meet Xavier’s family. While Charity admits she and Xavier have a strong connection, she says parts of him remind her of her exes who never made her a priority, and those qualities in Xavier make her nervous. But, before Charity meets the parents, Xavier has a surprise for her. He’s arranged for them to crash a knitting club meeting so that she can learn to knit, which is one of Xavier’s favorite hobbies. The knitting lesson brings out a different, more wholesome side of Xavier, which Charity is happy to see. It certainly boosts her confidence in their connection going into the family meeting.
Last week, Xavier was pretty vocal about his hesitations as the process heads toward an engagement. After the knitting lesson, the pair take a moment for themselves, where Charity expresses that his fears have made her a bit nervous about his commitment to getting down on one knee at the end. Xavier tells her that he doesn’t have all the answers, but he’s trying to be open and honest throughout the process so that Charity doesn’t feel blindsided. That doesn’t really leave Charity feeling any better, because Xavier can’t give her any answers about whether or not he’s ready to propose.
As soon as they walk into the home, Charity is met with overwhelming warmth from Xavier’s family. Xavier previously told Charity that his mom has multiple sclerosis, which encouraged him to pursue a career path in research. So, she’s particularly happy to see Xavier’s relationship with his mom. Right off the bat, Charity impresses the family. She tells Xavier’s sister that she’s not quite falling in love with him yet, admitting some of the hesitancies that she had about Xavier. His sister says Xavier has been looking for his person for a while, and he’s been very committed in several of his past relationships. That definitely helps ease Charity’s mind about Xavier, at least a little bit. Charity also tries to suss out the situation with Xavier’s mom, asking if she thinks her son is ready to get married. His mom says she thinks he’s more than ready, and if he seems hesitant, it might be because of the short timeline of their relationship thus far.
Xavier asks his dad for advice on how to tell whether their feelings for each other are long lasting. He thinks that he can fall in love with Charity, but he isn’t there yet. He wants to know if his family thinks he’s ready to be committed to her…which is a bit odd. It doesn’t seem like Xavier is confident of his feelings for Charity, though his family seems to be. Xavier’s sister specifically sings Charity’s praises at the end of the meeting. She’s ready to see her brother propose. Xavier tells Charity that the meeting with his parents gave him much more confidence in their relationship, and he thinks he’s falling in love with her. Charity admits in her confessional that her feelings are swelling for Xavier, and that has made her more confused about her other connections.
Last but certainly not least is Charity’s hometown date with Dotun in Fresno. While she’s excited, Charity says she’s also nervous to see how meeting Dotun’s family will impact their relationship. It seems like Uncle Joe’s comments about Charity not getting to see the real Joey are weighing on her, because now she’s wondering if she really knows any of the guys that well.
Unfortunately, Dotun’s parents aren’t able to make it from Nigeria to Fresno for this hometown, but Charity will still get to meet his siblings and grandmother. That definitely makes Charity nervous, since she had the opportunity to meet everyone else’s parents, but she’s trying to make the best of it. But wait…just as they’re sitting down for lunch, Dotun gets the best surprise as his parents appear in the backyard. While Dotun is excited to see his parents, he also says he’s a bit nervous since his mom is very critical. Hopefully that insight will help Dotun decide if Charity is right for him.
Dotun’s mom tells him that she likes Charity, but she’s nervous about the fact that there’s other men involved. Dotun says he’s falling in love with Charity, and he sees it developing even further. His mom is rightfully concerned about him getting hurt, but she doesn’t seem to be overly critical of Charity — it seems like he may have gotten the seal of approval. Meanwhile, Dotun’s dad and siblings sing his praises to Charity, which confirms for her that she’s been right about his character this whole time.
Before the night is over, Dotun has a surprise for Charity. He’s bringing her to the drive-in for a movie night. But instead of a movie, the screen projects baby pictures and home videos from Dotun and Charity’s childhoods. The pair also get to relive their previous dates and, before long, the show is over — but Charity doesn’t want it to end and neither does Dotun. It looks like both of them are ready for their happy ending.
After a whirlwind of a week, Charity has to decide which man she’s going to send home. During the rose ceremony, she offers roses to Dotun, Joey and Xavier. That means Aaron is going home.
Next week, Charity and her final three men are headed to Fiji for their overnight dates.
The Bachelorette airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.
Content Source: deadline.com