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OPINION: An hourlong delay and a no-show from Jackie could have made for a disappointing “Love Is Blind” reunion show. But Twitter saved the night.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
No Jackie. No real drama. And no real tea.
After an hour-long delay, we didn’t even get what we came for. (In the words of Joe Clark in “Lean on Me” — “I had to wait all this time for THIS?!”)
None of us won Sunday night. Not the viewers, not Netflix and definitely not Netflix’s tech team. We all took a hard L on this reunion. Lost precious sleep. Lost faith in Netflix’s ability to put on a live show. (And some of these tech folks might’ve even lost jobs — prayers up baby!)
But in the chaos of it all, and in true-to-form fashion, Twitter emerged as the undefeated winner. They, alongside exactly two — and only two — couples, took home wins for the night.
The rest of us were sitting at home either wine drunk or stuffed from all the snacks we ate, quoting the Brett Brown talkin’ bout, “This should not happen. This is avoidable.” Cuz baby … it was. We didn’t need a live reunion if it was gonna be all of this. We didn’t want an outdated reunion either like in season 3, but they definitely could’ve taped this thing last week and had it ready to go for Sunday.
Had it not been for Twitter, the night would’ve been a total bust! They saved us! With humor about how we should all be checking our mailbox for a DVD from Netflix of the live reunion. Jokes about how everyone deserves to share the same password after this fiasco. And comparisons of the Netflix CEO to Teddy Riley’s Verzuz performance.
Twitter had nothing but time Sunday night. We thought we might see Jackie flip over some tables at the reunion, but lo and behold, it was Twitter. Always coming through for the win. They came through with life support. Cuz the show needed some resuscitating.
First of all — why did they think we wanted that hologram of Jackie? Who was drafting homegirl’s contract at Netflix because “show up at the reunion” should’ve been in there.
Show up or forfeit the entire stipend should have been in the contract, period! Show up or return all property — including the ring — paid for by Netflix. Simple. Why did this whole thing get so complex? But we all knew there were gonna be problems when we heard whispers that the NDAs seemed to be falling down on the job. All kinds of messages were surfacing on social media about Jackie and Josh’s relationship before the reunion aired.
Either the NDAs Netflix uses are weaker than its bandwidth or Jackie ain’t never scared! (Or maybe a mix of both!) Because homegirl is doing exactly what TF she wants to do. From keeping that ring to us seeing leaked messages on social media about her man, Josh, to her literally just giving us the cold shoulder for the reunion. She basically said I’m doing exactly what I want to do. Not more. Not less. And I’m not showing up for this dragging.
And I can admit that not showing up was probably the best move for her mental health (getting dragged is never good for anyone’s mental health), but there is something to be said for people showing up and taking ownership of their mistakes. That did not occur last night.
She and Josh made an appearance at the reunion via a pre-recorded video, and it was definitely not what the fans wanted. Some of the ways that she showed up in her relationship with Marshall were not ideal, and folks wanted her to answer for that. She gave what seemed like roundabout answers to the softball questions from Vanessa Lachey (who also took heat for her questions and comments throughout the night). And without Jackie showing up, half of the drama and/or accountability that folks expected to see just didn’t materialize.
And because she didn’t show up, Irina was left to get all the smoke.
To Irina’s credit, she did show up, so there’s something to be said for that. But given Zack’s comment, it makes you wonder whether she really just showed up for TV time, to reframe the narrative, and to shed them fake, invisible tears.
It seemed that Irina truly felt that by showing up, she was going to be able to spin the narrative around a story related to her mental health. But when Zack, our newfound favorite quirky cast member, said she only came on the show to get famous — all the wind was let out of her sails. (Mic drop for this man.)
With that one comment, Zack took home the fan award for the realest in the “LIB” streets that night. Zack literally single-handedly saved the reunion with his direct honesty throughout the night. He had some alley-oops courtesy of his wife Bliss as they tag-teamed to check Irina by not allowing her to use a mental health card to excuse poor character and mistreatment of others. (And spoiler, but those two are one of the couples who won last night, but more on that later.) Irina had no choice but to look at them through her squinted eyes and sit in the reality of her making.
Micah is lucky that she didn’t get the same fate. She could have and should have gotten much more heat. But even with her, it’s Zack who called her out for trying to dig into Paul and play the victim when the facts of the situation just didn’t add up. As folks on Twitter pointed out, she cried that Paul said “No,” but like Paul’s mother said, anything other than a yes is a no, so essentially her punting the question at the altar about whether she would marry him was her truly saying no to him first.
Micah lacked vulnerability and that’s why she couldn’t land either man who was interested in her. You can play the coy, chase-me game and keep someone’s interest for a while, but relationships need vulnerability to thrive. Micah wasn’t giving that in the pods, at the altar or even at the reunion.
With all that said, there were some couples who won last night. Tiffany and Brett’s authenticity continued to shine throughout the night. They truly gave us Black love in the flesh. Brett is giving “I know how to love a Black woman” energy. He came to play no games.
Their connection speaks volumes and is a huge reason why they are fan favorites. They truly seem like down-to-earth people who would have met in life had they not met on this show. Their bond is authentic and genuine. And given that four of the seven brides from the “LIB” series identify as Black women, it’s time the world begins to recognize the magic and beauty to be found in loving a Black woman.
The other couple that won last night was Zack and Bliss. They truly made us all a believer in their love story last night. As weird and as quirky as it is, they seem to be in lockstep. They both are here for everything that the other is throwing out, and they are protecting each other and having each other’s back. (Bliss was not about to let Irina off the hook for her mistreatment of her man). They seem to perfectly embody the phrase, when it’s right, it’s right.
Now, while Kwame and Chlesea also are still married, and I wish them well. Something about their answers was feeling rehearsed, forced — something less than truthful. And while only they know their story, they did go on national television for the world to see, and some of us just have thoughts. But either way, this wouldn’t be the first time the masses were wrong, and if they are as happy as they say they are, we wish them well.
With both the good and bad of this reunion, my only real question is, is our April Netflix bill free or nah?
Kamaria is an attorney, poet, writer, and lover of all things created #ForTheCulture. She runs a blog, ‘Words of My Mother,’ has lived all over the DMV (heavy on the V), and enjoys skating, debating, and car karaoke. (Because, why not?!) She can be reached on Twitter at @like_tha_moon.
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