Bachelor 23 - Cassie Randolph - **Sleuthing Spoilers**

Julie81 wrote:

GinaRose wrote:10 Things We Learned About Bachelor’s Cassie Randolph Based on Her Show ‘Young Once’

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/10-facts-about-bachelors-cassie-randolph-based-on-young-once/her-mom-gives-great-love-life-advice/

Cassie pursues an online graduate degree in speech pathology throughout season 2, (Young Once) but she has doubts about her professional future. “Along the way, there are so many cool opportunities that become available. I don’t want to be close-minded to anything else,” she admitted. “It’s hard for me to make really big decisions because I don’t know if it’s what I want or if it’s not. That’s why my brain is so scattered. If I want one thing from God, it’s to make my path clearer to me. Or make me content in not being clear.”

I can relate to the bolded on so many levels, y’all. I truly can. This is why I can’t fault Cassie on her decision to leave when she did. I am the exact same way. I have prayed this exact same prayer to God, that He will make my path clearer and if not, help me to be ok when it’s not.

I can’t  wait to see how the reconciliation occurs. It’s going to be the most dramatic finale for sure

Sharleen wrote:In the evening, Colton wants to smooth over the Fatherly Blessing conversation, while—understandably, given the conversation she’d just had—Cassie isn’t really down to let it go. But, I didn’t love the following exchange…

After watching the above, in my notes I called Cassie “a bit of a brat”. To me, this one little exchange made her seem like she’d be a pretty difficult partner (at least at this point in her life), the kind who’s easygoing until she’s not, the type to pick fights for the sake of fighting. Given Colton cannot CHANGE whether or not he got Cassie’s Fatherly Blessing, he responds kindly and as well as he possibly can. He’s not deterred by this roadblock and expresses it well. But it’s not enough for her. Or rather, it’s nothing she didn’t already “know”. I can’t help but wonder what the point of her question was if not to passive aggressively pick a fight.

Cassie finally reveals that her father casually swung by her hotel room earlier, and in this moment, everything changes…

I touched on this on The Morning After, but not only is this the moment where you can see Colton realize he, too, is a lab rat, it’s also the pivot in terms of his eventual “f*uck it”  attitude. Up until this point, Colton had not done or said any faux-pas from a production standpoint, but to me, this is where it becomes a full-blown free-for-all. And understandably so. After all, if they’re going to go behind his back and fly in his number one girl’s dad to potentially change her mind for the worse, he’s sure as hell allowed to kibosh the “rules” about getting engaged and telling his favorite she’s his favorite.

The best “rule” broken? It’s having THE LEAD HIMSELF bluntly declare the strict timeline of this show unrealistic…

Exhibit A of the “f*uck it” attitude.
From the perspective of this show having a ridiculous timeline and in many ways dooming its own love stories, I LOVE Cassie’s argument in the above .GIF. Remember, I too couldn’t see myself “getting there”, so I have a deep appreciation for Cassie shining a light on how something we’ve all come to accept as normal is actually just the opposite.

That said, Cassie, unfortunately, doesn’t seem to be at the point in her life where she can really appreciate and reciprocate the sort of feelings one is supposed to go on this show to find. Upon hearing Colton’s following declaration of love, hopefully, the object of his affections might reciprocate that declaration. But if she didn’t reciprocate those feelings, you’d hope she would be moved by the words. But even if she weren’t moved, you’d hope she’d at the very least be empathetic. But even if she felt no empathy, you’d hope she’d at least be polite.

But NOOOOOO. Not only is Cassie not reciprocal, not moved, not empathetic, and not polite, she responds by deflecting, even becoming accusatory in the process…

Exhibit B of the “f*uck it” attitude.
I know she’s only 23, but I don’t think age is an excuse here. You can be 23 and still not respond so dismissively (and almost cruelly) to the declaration of love of someone you purport to care deeply about.

Another frustration of mine with Cassie throughout this whole scene was how self-centered she came off. (I already discussed it over at Flare so I won’t repeat myself.) BUT, I realize I’m dissecting this from a very black and white, standards-of-behavior perspective. I had a harsher take on Cassie in this scene than either Claire or Emma, which surprised me. So, lest you think I’m being too hard on Cassie, I’ll provide some interesting food for thought from reader Anna:
“From what we hear, Cassie grew up in a very conservative household. As someone who has also grown up in a strict, Bible teaching house I understand her dilemma with some things. For myself, I grew up with high standards and was always told what those standards and convictions should be and given Biblical reasons for why it has to be that way. After college, I really struggled with who I was as a person and whether I should continue in the standards and expectations set for me or if I should find my own path. I chose the latter and in the process, deeply struggled with those convictions and especially with what I would look for in a partner, not what I was always TOLD to look for. I see that exact dilemma with Cassie. While her father talked, I saw my own father in every bit of that conversation. There was some key terminology her father used that showed his thinking is a very strict Biblical mindset.

First of all, it is clear she has not held herself to the standards taught growing up. This is a wonderful growth in a person, however, she most likely feels guilt for stepping away from those high moral standards. Additionally, since she is only 23 years old and still finding herself, she is still learning what her personal convictions and beliefs are, and therefore, is unsure what her non-negotiables are when looking for a life partner. To me, it seems clear there was a non-negotiable that came up in her relationship with Colton and she felt torn whether that should in fact affect the relationship or she should re-think her initial standard. And I feel her saying she “didn’t know” to Colton was more she didn’t know what her standards should be.

I know these are very typical feelings for every young adult, however, due to her upbringing, that adds an extra level of internal turmoil, that others who didn’t grow up with such strict biblical teachings don’t deal with.”
I appreciate this insight. I was not raised in a conservative, religious household and cannot know how it might have affected Cassie’s decision-making (and possibly her behavior) during this break up. Obviously there are countless ways to analyze and present this, so let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Poor Colton. I had to make a .GIF of him holding Cassie while he shook. You can see in his eyes the moment he realizes it may be the last time he holds her…


I do think Cassie’s general approach was to go into this with a “this is for YOU” vibe, making it more about Colton finding what he’s looking for and less about her needs. But this backfired big time, obviously. So, to me, it felt like as we watched Colton scramble to disprove her arguments, she scrambled for new ones. She began with “not knowing” if she felt she could get there, to it being about the timeline and how if she had more time she might feel differently, to finally, the only argument Colton couldn’t refute…

Colton proved what a consummate gentleman he is by, once hearing this, dropping it completely. He shelved his heartbreak and instantly went from trying to change her mind to respecting her decision. I know I’ve harped on his youth a lot this season, but the way he handled himself here showed maturity and strength beyond his years.

Cocoasneeze wrote:Ok, imho at this point, imho Sharleen is simply picking Cassie apart, for things she said, did, and things she didn't say and didn't do. I've never read her lay into someone this much, pick them apart so thoroughly, and nothing Cassie did or said was right. Even the smallest "I get Cassie's point"  was followed with a BUT. Jmo.

Sharleen wrote:

First of all, it is clear she has not held herself to the standards taught growing up. This is a wonderful growth in a person, however, she most likely feels guilt for stepping away from those high moral standards. Additionally, since she is only 23 years old and still finding herself, she is still learning what her personal convictions and beliefs are, and therefore, is unsure what her non-negotiables are when looking for a life partner. To me, it seems clear there was a non-negotiable that came up in her relationship with Colton and she felt torn whether that should in fact affect the relationship or she should re-think her initial standard. And I feel her saying she “didn’t know” to Colton was more she didn’t know what her standards should be.