THE BACHELORETTE - SEASON 12 - JOJO FLETCHER - **NO SPOILERS** - *SLEUTHING* DISCUSSION

Bringing this segment over from Jordan's forum. It'd be interesting to see how the other guys--Chase, Robby, Luke--intersect with Jo's conflict:

Episode 3 sets up the rest of Jo's story when she tells us, "I know that I need somebody who is sweet and sensitive, but passionate and loving and deep. I want to be with somebody who has the ability to make me smile and to make me feel special. It is really important for me to end up with somebody who I know will be a best friend; somebody who I could easily see myself spending my life with. I want to feel safe--that's so important to me. It's something that I need, that I must have in a relationship."

Jo emphasizes repeatedly in this season that she needs to feel safe and protected. With that in mind, I'd suggest that Jo's conflict, it seems, is "Who can I trust to fall in love with me?"

^^Very good quote to keep in mind. It reminds me of the comment JoJo made after her date with Chase, that she felt connected and safe with him (not verbatim but the essence). Maybe there's hope for my boy after all!

It also contrasts well with our villain (Chad) who made most, if not all, of the guys feel unsafe. Then think of the crying blue dress cap where JoJo is seen to say, "That scares me."

Great observations, @veg_out & @Litta123! 

Either Jordan comes through for JoJo and she can put a stop to her pattern of loving someone and not having the same level of love returned, or one of the others (Luke, Chase) will come through. I think this is where the VO's & PIs of Jo during Chase's 1:1 may come into play^^^either as the answer or gloomy foreshadowing.

"How can I help you remember that moment?" (the Yabyap feeling of safety in someone's arms) -Chase
"Awww, I will never forget that moment..." -JoJo

We just need to figure out if the challenge that's been storyboarded for Jordan will be overcome at the end , or if it will come between Jorjo's happy ending.

THe tenses Jojo uses up I her blogs are of interest mp not sure if she is doing it deliberately or not.

Her mention of Robby was curious since the edit has not shown him overmuch till now. It's all very weird imo.

Yeah, I felt the same nd. Just reading JoJo's blog, made me sit up and take notice of Robby. Maybe Mia is on to something! JoJo's description of her date with Chase feels like another nail in his F1 coffin.

Thanks Kasha and Blu for posting these. In case anyone forgot where to look...link..

Litta  Robby and luke got present tense refernces, Chas sort of past but jordan a solid past tense.

Veg, that sounds so much like Luke to me, I think he makes her feel all those things!

Litta123 wrote:Yeah, I felt the same nd. Just reading JoJo's blog, made me sit up and take notice of Robby. Maybe Mia is on to something! JoJo's description of her date with Chase feels like another nail in his F1 coffin.

Thanks Kasha and Blu for posting these. In case anyone forgot where to look...link..

Chase and JoJo's story is intriguing. She doesn't mention him at all in blog 1, only a short sentence in blog 2 (why didn't she say more about the snow?) then this comment in blog 3 "I really did feel connected to Chase in that moment." Not sure that statement bodes well for him. Her description of their date left me wanting more, tbh. However, she did say "I felt blessed he would be this vulnerable with me." and "I was on such a high after my date with Chase..." And again no mention of him in blog 4. There has to be more to this story I feel. I'm sensing JoJo holding back with Chase (during filming) and in these blogs, which is not the case with Jordan, Robby, & Luke. So, how then, does Chase go on to Thailand? I definitely think there is a lightbulb moment for JoJo that changes her trajectory going into Thailand...not sure where that leaves Chase yet. 

Who JoJo isn't holding back with is Luke! @Lost17, I really liked the thoughts you shared on him in the Luke thread. If he makes it onto Thailand instead of Jordan, I think he could potentially be her F1. But there is another part of me that believes JoJo and Chris H are really pumping him up for the next lead. The comments made in PIs & about her date with Luke seem kind of over-the-top, frankly. JoJo has also said how important it is for someone to make her laugh and so I hope we see more of Luke's sense of humor.

Robby is definitely in the mix, however, I still have trouble with the lack of storytelling for Rojo. TPTB have a lot of ground to cover for this love story to be compelling enough to make me feel Robby could be her F1. I think after a shake up of some kind, Robby may come to the forefront because someone has to take the place of Jordan or Luke. So this may also be "saving the season" after the shake-up to add to the mystery of the outcome. 

Just speculating, and could be dead wrong, but something seems amiss. I'm thinking that none of these guys seem like her F1, and at the same time, there are still possibilities for each. Call me confused.

agent-thanks. His words might seem OTT to some, but in the context of how he said what he did to Jo, I thought it was a romantic thing to say and a beautiful moment for them. As to the laughing, he does make her laugh, they've cut off a few of their times I noticed when she begins to laugh...we didn't see that whole hot tub date, just the beginnings of it, a lot went on after that final clip (and she sure looked happy) as I'm sure her other dates do...but it's all for storyline.

I agree, something is amiss, we need more previews! I still feel it's between Luke & Jordan since she has very strong feelings for both. IMO

Alright, alright, alright! I see the polar icecaps surrounding Robby might be starting to melt with some of you. Yay! I think alot of what she says in her blogs about Robby relates to what she says she is looking for. See below.


Above, Veg posted this quote:  "Episode 3 sets up the rest of Jo's story when she tells us, "I know that I need somebody who is sweet and sensitive, but passionate and loving and deep. I want to be with somebody who has the ability to make me smile and to make me feel special. It is really important for me to end up with somebody who I know will be a best friend; somebody who I could easily see myself spending my life with. I want to feel safe--that's so important to me. It's something that I need, that I must have in a relationship."

Here is what she said about Robby in her blogs:

@rhondam wrote:

Ep 1
"A few guys even made it personal like Robby, who remembered my mother's infamous champagne sip straight from the bottle during my hometown last season. Robby came prepared with a personalized bottle, which of course in Fletcher fashion, we sipped straight from the bottle. A man after my own heart and one I knew my mom would love."

Ep 4
"At the evening portion of our date, it meant a lot to me that Robby was so forth coming with how he was feeling. I knew I wanted more time with him and I could feel that things with us were progressing. Robby makes me feel so safe, and I really enjoyed the time I was spending with him. He was someone who I felt confident in, and didn't need to question."

Ep 1 Blog
Ep 2 Blog
Ep 3 Blog
Ep 4 Blog

This post is my last one for a bit--I think that I've exhausted the material that we have to date.

I think that the season preview and our team's deductions are telling the story of this season: This season is about JoJo finding safety. The Chad storyline, as other's have mentioned, is a metaphor for her relationship fears. He physically and most likely emotionally makes people feel unsafe. The interesting thing: JoJo was the one who repeatedly stood up to him and eventually eliminates him, setting everyone free of his tyranny. Will she do the same for herself when it comes to choosing a man who will make her feel safe?

Chad in many ways is a foil, just like Olivia was last season for Lauren. A foil is a character who essentially conflicts with a main character by either being his/her polar opposite or by being the same with a major character difference. The whole point is that the foil draws attention to the protagonist.

In the first 1/3 of this season, Act I, Chad is the foil for Jordan. Chad is charged by Derek with only being their for the camera. Is Jordan different? Is he really in it for JoJo or did he do it as a springboard? As we enter Act II of the season, this conflict for Jordan will only escalate if he's F1 or start to be resolved.

I see these next few episodes as crucial to the story. Act I, the first four episodes, were laying the stage for us, introducing us to different characters, different relationships, and telling us (see the quote at top of page) what JoJo is looking for. In Act II, episodes 5-7, Jo is going to encounter new obstacles in figuring out these men and likewise, they will make decisions about who she is (enter the tabloid controversy). We'll see a deepening of certain relationships while others just stall out, so that when we get to Act III where Jo needs to make a decision about her future, we'll have a better sense of who she picks.

Based on the preview and its likeness to Des and Ali's, I actually think that she ends up with someone unexpected.

^great analysis, VO! 

So far, she has said she feels safe with Robby (in her blog), Luke, & Chase. Jordan is still making her feel insecure.

The unexpected F1 at this point would be Robby or Chase out of the F4, IMO.

ETA: there has already been a small hint at a Robby/Chase showdown "the serious and successful guys, versus the silly guys who use gimmicks to get JoJo's attention" (night 1). Also some camera follows when each get a RC rose call-out.