Bachelor 25 - Matt James - General Discussion - *Sleuthing Spoilers*

CHO wrote:I am curious about Matt's statement that he hasn't talked with any of the girls since the show.  
So far:  
The last sighting in sc of Bri was the fantasy date - in the long dark blue dress.
For Michelle - there is the sc of Michelle and Matt in the shower scene.
For Rachael - imo - it is Rachael in the dropping from a plane sc.
There are also sc of someone rolling down a hill in plastic bubbles which could be part of any of last chance, fantasy date  or htd activities.

Could it be - that the F1 turns Matt down ? (and that is why he hasn't spoken with her since the show ? )

I don’t recall a rolling down the hill scene. Is that from the season preview? I don’t think he left single, not sure of current status. Matt in interviews has talked about the love he found that was deep, respectful, and sacrificial. I don’t know why, but I get the sense of one leaving and him asking her back. I base that on the fact that Michelle reappeared on SM early, but we have SC’s of her at least making it past HTD’s. There’s just been things he’s said in interviews that indicate that something pushed his love beyond what he imagined. The same could be said for what Rachael might have revealed, but seeing Michelle’s struggle alongside her saying multiple times that she wanted to dig deep and learn as much as she could about him, I think if anyone was the one to probe past his comfort level would’ve been her. Again, in interviews he says his emotion came from conversations that he had with the women where he had to face certain things in his past. Bri and Rachael, from what is televised seem to “Me too” him a lot and not really push him to open up. He and Michelle keep talking about comfort level, I think this will open the door to going deeper with revelations. Will be interesting to see how this plays out. The overall theme of this season is vulnerability. So, I think marking the points where he, not just the girls open up, will show us F1.

I found an interview with a writer from the show posted a week or 2 ago and she said, “It’s all about telling a story.” So from there, I’ve been trying to identify what story is central and what they are trying to tell. See who’s character is more than 2d. See who has a full, cohesive storyline. I’m enjoying more learning how to decipher the story than I am actually watching the episodes.

https://twitter.com/BachelorABC/status/1340718714677829636?s=20

is the link showing the plastic bubbles. You've made some good points - we're all waiting for some development of some story !

luvnunity wrote:So do y’all think there’s been emergency edits to this weeks episode? Just thinking about the lack of any promos for the upcoming episode.  I wouldn’t be mad if they chose to shorten or cut all together the rest of the Heather nonsense. There’s girls on the show that I would much rather see and learn about given HTD’s are right around the corner.

FOR SURE.... All the people of color would get stellar edit from now on.. They would edit out all the bad reactions to Heather.. The show needs some positivity so they would capitalize on the fan faves and the women of color. A study was also done by bachelor data where it was clear the time allocation.. JMO
https://www.instagram.com/p/CLNjAx1juPW/?igshid=15g0z9sx1vdi9

@Ruqibabe IA with the stellar edit.

@luvnunity Good points.


Like I said when the info came out about Rachel, it will be interesting to see her edit going forward. In light of what has happened since, I expect the big bus rolling along right into her.

 

Is it possible that ABC is figuring out if it will continue to air this season? I know that sounds extreme, but why wouldn’t the show or the entertainment media do promos of Jessenia’s and Serena’s 1-1? There likely isn’t anything inherently problematic about those dates so why not do the promos for them that would normally have come out by now? Also, doesn’t the show usually have the lead do something for Valentine’s Day on IG? Why is that being held back?  It makes me wonder if the hope was that if Chris stepped back that would be enough, but maybe going forward with a show where the first Black lead chooses someone with a racist history is not tenable for the network?

ETA: Just checked, and last year the show had 2 Valentines posts with Pilot Pete.

@mbl  I personally don’t think they would completely scrap the whole season.  There’s still quite a lot of people invested enough in it that just wants to see how this all plays out, even if it’s a train wreck.  I’m fed up, but I’m still curious.  I just think they don’t know what the best thing to do would be at the moment.  The environment is so hostile and nothing is ever the right move, so they may just be laying low waiting for the smoke to clear.  I think the show will air, but the narrative may be a little different going forward.  
I just think overall, they really dropped the ball on this season.  They felt they had to play up the race thing, simply because the Lead was black.  I’ve seen bloggers complaining about them not spending enough time talking about certain issues like BLM and George Floyd and I’m over here pulling my hair out thinking, “THAT’S NOT WHAT BLACK PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ON FIRST DATES!”  We talk about family, relationships, feelings just like everyone else.  They missed the opportunity to show how falling in Love is the same no matter who you are and it’s disappointing that these relationships have been dumbed down in this way.  
Imma still watch tomorrow tho!

I am frustrated as a viewer that they chose to focus on the drama rather than what it actually means to have a Black Bachelor and a very diverse cast. I hope they learn from this and do not focus on the drama over everything else going forward. If they are re-editing things than who knows how episodes will turn out. It is very late to be doing any kind of re-editing. Things might feel very choppy. There has been such little development in actually getting to know much about any of the contestants at all let alone their connections with Matt. It has felt like they just kind of "phoned in" this season rather than focusing on what it is like to have the first Black Bachelor as the lead and how it relates to the time that we are in. I also hope that they cover what is going on since filming wrapped and even how the events of the last week has affected things. I hope they don't just "sweep everything under the rug". All JMO.

luvnunity wrote:So do y’all think there’s been emergency edits to this weeks episode? Just thinking about the lack of any promos for the upcoming episode.  I wouldn’t be mad if they chose to shorten or cut all together the rest of the Heather nonsense. There’s girls on the show that I would much rather see and learn about given HTD’s are right around the corner.

They'd be stupid not to make some tweaks. End each episode with a rose ceremony to start with.

Are there any producers who are POC on this show? Maybe they need a little help in that department

@Idlemess Maybe more than a little?
"luvnunity" Another good post - always appreciate how you emphasize that POC are just like anyone else.

Norcalgal wrote:@Idlemess Maybe more than a little?
"luvnunity"  Another good post - always appreciate how you emphasize that POC are just like anyone else.

@Norcalgal @luvnunity

It’s mind boggling to imagine them coming up with concepts of Black ideals and topics of interest. Just a mess! The Leads Rachel and Tayshia were strong, so I can see a pushback. Not so sure of what happened with Matt.

Typically, and throughout the history of television and film, this has been an issue. That’s why it’s important to have a diverse staff in production. Same situation in marketing

@Idleness I think one of the reasons that they haven't had a black bachelor before and they didn't know how to show Matt in the same way they did with Rachel and Tayshia -- the people in charge making the decisions are mostly white men. Whether it is conscious or unconscious, I think that they may have felt a little threatened on some level by the idea of a POC man being showcased as the lead rather than a man who is white. All JMO.