The Bachelor: Finale Recap

It all ends here.

by LAYLA HARRISON ★ MARCH 19, 2021

Bachelor finale, let’s break it all down.

Michelle heads out to meet Matt’s mom and brother John. They get along. Matt’s mom seems to like Michelle and says she would fit into the family. John says that Matt seems really happy. Michelle tells Matt’s mom that she loves Matt.

Rachael meets Matt’s family the following day. Mommy James looks less excited about Rachael until Rachael starts talking about God. Rachael tells Matt’s mom how he prayed over the women and the show is God’s way of bringing them together. Matt’s mom starts to cry and Rachael tells her she loves Matt.

Rachael leaves and Matt’s fam has a pow wow. Matt reveals that his only serious relationships were in high school and college, and he thought he loved his partners but realized through this process that that wasn’t real love. Same history as Rachael! John tells Matt that he supports him and is on board with whatever he decides to do. Matt’s mom then takes the time to remind him that feelings come and go “speaking from experience… love is not the end all be all.” Long pause. Dramatic music. Matt’s mom reassures she loves both the women. Cut to: emotional Matt saying, “I think about my dad not being ready and how that hurt my mom and destroyed our family.”

After this talk, and a confused Matt reevaluating proposing, Chris comes in. It’s time for a Chris pep talk—AKA a desperate attempt to coax a proposal out of Matt. Matt tells Chris about his mom’s warning about falling out of love and shares his worry that he can’t commit to marriage right now. Chris responds with, “This is not the guy I was talking to a week ago—two weeks ago. There was a time where you believed what you were saying about ‘my wife’s in this room.’” Matt says that it would be silly to hear a new perspective and have no change in feelings. Chris says, “Don’t worry. Love ends.” What kind of greeting card is that? Oh, Chris.

Credit: Twitter

The next day, Michelle gets her last one on one with Matt. He takes her repelling off of a building. She tells Matt that she “loved every second” with his family. Then she pulls out a gift bag for Matt. Inside is a basketball jersey that says Mr. James on the back. The front has the team name which is… and I can’t make this sh*t up… The World Changing Warriors. GAG. Sorry, Michelle. That’s really sweet… Next, Michelle says she has another gift. In the bag is, and you guessed, a matching jersey for Michelle that says “Mrs. James” on the back. Matt sits quietly for a while, and then tells Michelle “Right now, I have doubt about our relationship. I feel terrible. I didn’t know this is how I’d feel.”

Immediately she’s crying. She’s pleading with Matt to say how he feels. Matt promises, “This is the only time I’ve felt anything outside of wanting to be with you forever.” Unfortunately, this one feeling is enough to end it all! Matt says that he could just tell her what she wants to hear, and Michelle snaps back dismissively, “That’s not what I’m looking for.” Matt apologizes and leaves Michelle sobbing on the floor of her hotel room.

Credit: Twitter

Chris meets Matt outside and asks if Matt’s ok. Matt’s like, “No.” LOL. He’s sobbing, Chris. Matt tells Chris he needs time. What does Chris take from that? Matt doesn’t need time. He needs his date with Rachael tomorrow canceled, not postponed, and instead, Neil Lane should come show him rings. He gets no final date with Rachael and will see her next on proposal day! I feel like they could’ve just given Matt one cushion day in between Michelle and Rachael, but hey! No rest for the wicked.

Chris tells Rachael that Matt canceled their date for the day, and they’re not getting that time back later. Rachael’s obviously upset. And she looks so good in her black sweater and leather pants. It’s definitely an L.

Meanwhile, Neil Lane shows up at Matt’s house. He gives Matt a nice pep talk, telling him there’s no pressure to propose. He doesn’t even need to choose a ring. He can just look at them for fun and “take it from there.” Matt says he’s “thinking about what that day looks like for Rachael.” Neil Lane recommends a pear shape ring for Matt, saying that it was his favorite shape when he was young. Matt picks the ring Neil Lane likes. He says, “It’s the one… This is more than just a ring. For me, this represents what my father couldn’t give to my mother… If I put this ring on Rachael’s finger, I would never want it to come off.”

The next day, a date card comes for Rachael. It’s pretty cryptic saying, “You deserve answers. Meet me at the lake.” SUS AF.

Credit: Instagram (@bachelor.clown)

We cut to Matt waiting at the lake. It’s a foggy, gray day and smoke moves over the water. Matt paces in the forest, dolled up in a dark color-coordinated suit with purple accents, Gucci loafers, and a Gucci tie pin. Chris Harrison, also dressed to the nines, strolls through the trees to meet Matt. It looks like a scene straight out of The Vampire Diaries. Chris guides Matt to an outdoor stone pavilion, clearly just set up in the middle of the woods for this occasion, but it looks well-built and heavy. It’s literally just the living room from your rich best friend’s mountain home plopped in the middle of the woods. Rachael, donned in a gown, meets Matt at the pavilion. She gives a loving speech, only to be told that Matt can’t propose to her… But CAN see her as his wife and the mother of his children. They decide to leave together and plan on spending their future together. The finale ends with Rachael and Matt kissing as Rachael repeats “I love you.”

Immediately, After the Final Rose starts. We get a breath of fresh air as our stand-in host, Emmanuel Acho, appears. He’s charismatic, empathetic, enthusiastic, and ready to start off this show! As his first order of business, he welcomes Michelle to the stage. She confirms that she wanted an engagement to Matt and was caught off guard by the breakup. Acho asks Michelle her feelings on the photos that leaked of fellow finalist Rachael Kirkconnell. Michelle says, “I feel like Rachael has a good heart.” She goes on to say that it was disappointing and Chris Harrison’s defense was “another weight added on to the difficult feelings.”

Next, Matt comes out to join Michelle on stage. Matt apologizes for leaving abruptly and not giving Michelle closure or having a conversation about their breakup. He said that if he knew how she felt, he would’ve “fought to have that conversation.” Michelle jokes that she hopes Matt learns how to “kiss with [his] eyes closed and learn more phrases than just, “Thanks for sharing that” and leaves.

And then there were two. Acho asks Matt about post-show life with Rachael. Matt says it started off well, then the pictures and stories concerning Rachael came out. Matt dismissed them initially, but eventually had to confront that the rumors were in fact true. It made him “question everything.” Emmanuel asks Matt if he and Rachael are together. Matt says they had a tough breakup and are no longer together.

Here, our host shines. Emmanuel is a star. He’s nailing these tough conversations and asking thoughtful questions. I AM SO BORED OF CHRIS HARRISON. WE’RE OVER HIM. SORRY SOMEONE HAD TO SAY IT. Emmanuel asks why Matt broke up with someone for an action they took three years ago. Matt says, “You know what was a long time ago? Plantations.” Emmanuel essentially asks why Matt felt he couldn’t educate her and grow with her, and if he can condemn her in 2021 for 2018 actions and let that “dictate the love [they] share.” Matt says that the feelings haven’t gone away completely and leaves before Rachael takes the hot seat.

Credit: Twitter

Rachael joins Emmanuel on stage, and the first thing he does is “address the elephant in the room.” A photo of Rachael at an Antebellum party appears on the studio screens. He immediately asks who she has to “blame” for her ignorance. She replies that she doesn’t want to make excuses. Second, he asks what took her so long to apologize. She says, “I wanted to not just to say the right words… but myself to understand why exactly people are so hurt by this.” He asks what steps she’s taken to learn. She then says she can sit and give a list of books and podcasts, but we need to take action. She then gave no action plan, but I truly think she’s taking the steps. Emmanuel asks her how many nights she lay awake worrying the photos might come out. She says she’s embarrassed, but none. She “didn’t think anything of it.” He asks her to talk through the breakup. She says Matt called her to end things. She was “confused and blindsided” and “lost the love of [her] life.”

Then, Matt joins them on stage. Matt says what happened is, “heartbreaking, devastating, disappointing.” Emmanuel probes Matt to say more, but Matt bows his head and is silent. Rachael starts to rub his back. It’s really awkward and sad. Matt starts to cry and Rachael holds his hand. Then, he drops her hand and says it was disappointing to explain to Rachael why what she did was problematic and why he was upset. Matt says Rachael didn’t “understand [his] Blackness and what it means to be a Black man in America… and [he] didn’t sign up to have that conversation.” Emmanuel asks Rachael how she can show Matt she’s the woman he fell in love with, not the girl from 2018. She says he was the only reason she went on the show, and that includes every part of him; she’s never experienced love like this, there’s nobody else out there for her, and at this point she doesn’t see how she could have the same feelings for someone else. Emmanuel asks Matt, “Is the door even slightly open?” Matt’s like NOOO.

Credit: Twitter

Rachael cries and apologizes to Matt. Eep get me out of here! Finally, we have some good news though: IT’S TIME FOR A BACHELORETTE REVEAL! It’s Katie Thurston and Michelle Young! Two seasons!!!! Katie is filming soon, and Michelle is filming over the summer. I’m so excited. Former bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlin Bristowe will be hosting them! Byeeee, Chris!

Cover photo credit: Instagram (@bachelornation)