The Bachelor Season 23 Finale Recap: Cassie Makes Her Final Decision

Caution: Spoilers for the finale of The Bachelor, as well as The Bachelorette announcement, are ahead.

The action picks right back up with Colton knocking on Cassie's door and asking to talk. He says it was so hard watching her leave that he's "sacrificed everything" to be with her.

"Sorry…what?" she replies. This is off to a good start.

Colton reveals that he broke up with Tayshia and Hannah. Cassie smiles and puts her hand over her mouth to cover it. Colton pushes on, telling her he doesn't need an engagement. He's happy to take the relationship day-by-day, if that's what she wants. "I'm so nervous right now," she answers. "What? This is crazy. This is really crazy."

Cassie repeats what she's been saying, loud and clear, all along: She's not on the same page as him, and he should pursue other women if he wants a serious commitment.

Nope, Colton says. "Sacrifice is what you do when you love somebody." (Pause for a quick soap box: I know every relationship is different, and you can't compare them, and blah blah blah. But the biggest thing I've ever had to sacrifice for my husband is the hours I lost going to a Phish concert for him. I'll never get that Saturday back, but my point is this: Love doesn't have to be hard, nor does that make it somehow greater or more passionate. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.)

Whatever, this seems to work for Cassie. Now secure, Colton tells her about the fence jump, but she just giggles and changes the conversation. Cassie, I don't think you're fully appreciating the Drama of this moment! They literally lost Colton. The Portuguese police were almost called!

Now that Cassie's giving him a second chance, Colton has another bombshell: His family is waiting to meet them in Spain, if she'll go. She agrees, adding, "This is so weird!"

Colton meets up with his family first, and right away—before anyone gets a chance to talk—he announces that he's no longer a virgin. They all laugh. After a beat too long, Colton tells them he was just joking. Good one, Colton. Then he gives them the real breakdown: There's only one woman here to meet them this week. Oh, and she broke up with me. Oh, and she's not sure if she loves me or not.

Colton's family is skeptical, to say the least. Cassie, meanwhile, is nervous to meet them because, hey, it turns out having to explain to a mom why you're not in love with her son is pretty awkward.

All things considered, the visit goes OK. Colton's mom does lightly suggest that maybe he should be with someone who reciprocates his feelings. Colton, however, is all, Nope. No doubts. Cassie is IT. I am IN LOVE. I stick by my DECISIONS. I am TOTALLY OK with her being ambivalent about her feelings. Man, all those Bird Box memes are right:

The next day, Colton and Cassie have a date. She keeps using words like "nervous" and "anxious" to describe how she's feeling; that said, she finally admits she loves him. (Only to the camera, though, not to Colton.) They have a Serious Chat™, during which Cassie admits she's not freaked out about Colton so much as the idea of commitment. Her last ex was controlling, and she doesn't want to lose her freedom again. "I want us to do what's best for us," Colton replies. He says he wants them to have their own hobbies, interests, friends, etc. Basically, "I want you to live your life." It's amazing where we're at in society that Colton saying the most basic thing—that he wants her to have friends and other interests—is presented as swoon-worthy.

Published at Wed, 13 Mar 2019 02:30:00 +0000