Bachelor Australia - Season 4 - Richie Strahan - Episode Discussion - *Sleuthing - Spoilers* #2

Kiki or Steph

Interesting episode. Very cringeworthy date with Alex, some fleeting cute moments but the overwhelming sense of desperation was back within an instant. Feels like to me Olena is actually getting a similar edit to Richie ATM. The lead is very interested in them, and it comes off as if they are less interested, but it's actually because they are unable to articulate/express how they are feeling well enough. It also reminds me of Sam's frustration over how Richie wasn't expressing himself to her, similar to Olena's current situation right now. This may really be setting her up for the role of Bachelorette next, I mean Richie had such a large fan base, and currently Olena seems to have a larger fan base even with such limited screentime. Also, i think Olena's current realisation of her lack of expression may lead to stronger advances from her, seeing as it really bothered her - either way, we're not seeing any character development for her, it's really annoying!!

I found that date with Alex excruciating to watch. Her reactions to almost everything seem so forced and over the top with Richie, and yet when she's interviewed afterwards she seems relatively balanced and normal. She gives me such a strong impression of being disingenuous, and she seems overly focused on 'winning'. Richie seems very into her though. Would be interested to see what others think!

fangirlsamuri wrote:Interesting episode. Very cringeworthy date with Alex, some fleeting cute moments but the overwhelming sense of desperation was back within an instant. Feels like to me Olena is actually getting a similar edit to Richie ATM. The lead is very interested in them, and it comes off as if they are less interested, but it's actually because they are unable to articulate/express how they are feeling well enough. It also reminds me of Sam's frustration over how Richie wasn't expressing himself to her, similar to Olena's current situation right now. This may really be setting her up for the role of Bachelorette next, I mean Richie had such a large fan base, and currently Olena seems to have a larger fan base even with such limited screentime. Also, i think Olena's current realisation of her lack of expression may lead to stronger advances from her, seeing as it really bothered her - either way, we're not seeing any character development for her, it's really annoying!!

Does someone please mind recapping what happened with Olena to give the context for your comments?

She was chatting with a couple of the girls at the cocktail party about how Alex and Nikki have fallen hard and fast, and how it's hard to compete with women who are willing to put themselves out there like that, when she is someone who needs time for emotions to develop. Richie took her aside for a chat, and she told him that she felt he didn't know her very well yet, and that she would show him she cared for him, but she wouldn't be jumping over other women to get to him. He was a bit frustrated at how hard he has to work to get her to open up, said something like it was 2 steps forward, one step back all the time with her. (He didn't say this to her face).

Oh sorry for the lack of context [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] !! Hopefully you get what i meant by all that now ^.

Emayem wrote:She was chatting with a couple of the girls at the cocktail party about how Alex and Nikki have fallen hard and fast, and how it's hard to compete with women who are willing to put themselves out there like that, when she is someone who needs time for emotions to develop. Richie took her aside for a chat, and she told him that she felt he didn't know her very well yet, and that she would show him she cared for him, but she wouldn't be jumping over other women to get to him. He was a bit frustrated at how hard he has to work to get her to open up, said something like it was 2 steps forward, one step back all the time with her. (He didn't say this to her face).

Also, I can't remember her exact words, but she said something like he couldn't expect her to just force herself to open up to him in that context, it was happening too fast, not like normal life where it happens slowly. I kind of have to respect her for that. She did seem to get a bit teary towards the end. I guess it's worth remembering she's only 23.

Good point [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] . When she cried I got that sense of her being overwhelmed, as if she feels that if she doesn't act like Alex and declare her instant love she'll be rejected. I respect her for that. Her face aww I just wanted to give her a hug!!

No problem at all and thanks so much Emayem - very helpful as I await the episode upload!

It's funny Richie's getting frustrated esp because of the way SFro had to work really hard with him!

Did Richie see any form of vulnerability from olena? Where did her crying happen?

emusha wrote:No problem at all and thanks so much Emayem - very helpful as I await the episode upload!

It's funny Richie's getting frustrated esp because of the way SFro had to work really hard with him!

Did Richie see any form of vulnerability from olena? Where did her crying happen?

Whilst they were talking, she said how she can't rush her feelings and as he was replying, she had to breath in deeply and her eyes were tearing up. He didn't comment on that though. Also, to the camera she said she feared losing him because of her fears of emotions and then slightly started crying. The other girls were also talking about how she's so guarded, calling her a "Ukrainian vault' - Ironically Alex had the most to say about that.

Emayem wrote:She was chatting with a couple of the girls at the cocktail party about how Alex and Nikki have fallen hard and fast, and how it's hard to compete with women who are willing to put themselves out there like that, when she is someone who needs time for emotions to develop. Richie took her aside for a chat, and she told him that she felt he didn't know her very well yet, and that she would show him she cared for him, but she wouldn't be jumping over other women to get to him. He was a bit frustrated at how hard he has to work to get her to open up, said something like it was 2 steps forward, one step back all the time with her. (He didn't say this to her face).

It was moving hey.
The whole love story between them evaporated before your eyes tonight.
She got the sad music and there was no sense of Richie's softness with her.
While you didn't hear everything he said he was really animated and his frustration came through.
I didn't see any sense of him relating to his own shyness but surely he would.
Olena realised that she could have expressed her feelings better and she was right, as her comment about not jumping over other to get his attention showed her sense of dignity and put it back on him, it could also seem passive and that she wants him to do all the work. This was not her intention for it to come out that way I think.
In contrast, Alex is incredibly gushy, full on and open in a superficial way and Richie seems really comfortable with that.

Whilst I understand why Richie would be frustrated/ slightly annoyed at Olena for not opening up, it kind of also comes across as shock/confusion because in contrast to other girls who are so invested and constantly gushing about, asking to kiss him - she's just REAL. Maybe the fact that she had no prior information about him could contribute to this. I saw on SM people saying that Richie can't comprehend a girl not falling for him at first sight, and I'm kind of seeing this. Unfortunately, shows like these don't allow for real time so it may be her downfall