And so, in a format I imagine is not unlike what Sean will scribble in the obligatory shirtless journal-writing scene that I'm sure will make an appearance in next week's finales, here's my thoughts on why he should pick the girl that's already out of the running, AshLee:
Pro: Sean loves feeling like her protector
Con: AshLee was broken until Sean healed her...but now she's probably broken again
There's no doubt that Sean loves being a protector. Not so much because he's defended one of the lady's honor from a nefarious lothario with ill-intentions, or because he prevented a bear attack, or even because he carries around stain guard to prevent any poorly timed red wine spills from staining (although evidence suggests that they don't allow the contestants to drink red wine), but because he was told us so multiple times. And out of all the ladies that are left, the one thing AshLee's not at great risk of is running out of things from which she needs protection.
Unfortunately for her, this week Sean discovered that the one thing he likes more than protecting enfeebled womenfolk is convincing them that he will protect them so as to better position himself to stomp on their newly hopeful hearts. I'm not saying that he should have picked AshLee. The fact that she has overcome some very real challenges in her life doesn't mean she's not a pretty bad hang. But did he really have to enable her to prattle on about abandonment issues episode after episode if he was eventually just going to abandon her?Pro: She knows what she wants
Con: What she wants is a cushion-cut ring with a diamond band in size 6.5.
Throughout history, Bachelor contestants have been penalized harshly for failing to make their intentions clear. Did you think it was Jane Seymour and her inability to produce a male heir that accounted for Anne Boleyn's downfall? No! It was her refusal to say that she loved King Henry VIII when they spend the night in the bear skin rug lined fantasy suite. And AshLee certainly never hesitated to make clear her feelings about Sean. But, while Bachelors seem to have man-shelters particularly well-equipped to deal with pepperings of L-bombs, men in general want just a little bit of distance. It's not that AshLee shouldn't have told him that she loved him. But it probably wouldn't have hurt her if she had scaled back just a little bit on the talk of soul connections, and awakening her long-comatose heart, and finally learning to love.
Pro: She won't punch you in the face for making her complete trust exercises to prove her worth.Con: She will probably snap and go all murder-y...eventually.
I think Sean actually hit a new low for me in this week's episode. I'd be a little bit impressed that he was still able to elicit such a strong reaction from me at this point in the season (hell, I'm impressed that I can still feel at all at this point of the season), if I wasn't just so grossed out. Sean knew going into his date with AshLee that she had trust issues, but he also knew that she was working really hard to get past them for him (we all knew). And yes, I believe that strong relationships are built on trust, but I don't think it necessarily follows that the best way to build trust with someone is to unnecessarily subject them to something that they know they're going to hate. The whole blindfold-guiding-trust thing certainly wasn't my favorite moment from this season's episodes, but at least it was something driven by AshLee rather than forced upon her by a man who, for some reason, thinks he knows better (and we all know what that reason is - because his innate powers to tell AshLee's what's best for her was endowed upon him along with his external genitalia). The fact that AshLee put up with this exercise without so much as a line of concern wrinkling her brow (although I think science may have more to do with this than AshLee's positive attitude) was at least partially redeemed by her eventual snap at the end of the episode. Not even Desiree and her righteous indignation that any man could select anyone but her came even close to matching AshLee for level of murder-y rage. And you know what, good for AshLee. While I would have loved to see her call Sean out on his poor date-planning ability earlier in the episode, I get that that's not how this show works. And at least seeing her release all that pent up rage as she beat her hasty retreat was somewhat cathartic. If only Chris Harrison had been lurking in the shadows to loan her a knife.
Pro: This isn't a game to her
Con: She gave a shocking lack of details about who it is a game to.When will these girls ever learn that we don't really want them to go out with class? AshLee made it quite clear that this experience wasn't a game to her, but I don't think anyone in the viewing audience had any doubt remaining in their mind about how very seriously she was taking it. So the fact that she said that makes me believe that she thinks this is a game to at least one of the women who took her rightful place. Both Catherine and Lindsay leave room for doubt about how seriously they take things, so why on earth didn't AshLee give us names? How else are you going to guarantee yourself screen time on the Women Tell All? How else will you ensure that Chris Harrison will write you an invitation to spend the summer in the Bachelor Pad (which I imagine would arrive soaked in Axe Body Spray, wrapped in a condom and hand delivered by Michael Stagliano)? Why do these women insist on making unsatisfying allusions when they have nothing to lose but their dignity? Doesn't ABC make them sign a loss of dignity waiver when they sign on for the show?
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