It wasn’t all sunshine and final roses on The Bachelorette finale, but happiness awaits a newly engaged couple.
Charity Lawson, setting a new standard for what every bachelorette should be henceforth measured against — except when she wants ice cream — has finally decided her winning flavor of man.
Just a warning in case it wasn’t incredibly obvious already: Spoilers ahead!
The finale 3-hour episode concluded its first half-hour with Aaron’s departure, though such a send-off was utterly unsurprising considering the bachelorette already booted him in a previous episode. He just wasn’t able to take no for an answer. Thereafter, Aaron told host Jesse Palmer that he wasn’t about to give up, which is basically an admission that he prioritizes his desires before Charity’s wishes, and that’s a major red flag that will utterly fail to earn you a major red rose in this contest of Casanovas.
And Then There Were Two
Joey and Dotun were Charity’s final men, both deserving of the high praise they’ve received throughout the show from fans on social media. The next portion of the finale had the two remaining suitors meet Charity’s family, thankfully not at the same time, though I’m still waiting for the producers to realize how much more entertaining that would be.
Charity told her family, in regards to Joey and Dotun, that they are “the greatest two guys I have met, ever.”
After meeting both of the greatest two guys ever, Charity’s family was impressed, but it seemed they liked Joey a little bit more, something that Charity sensed. At one point, her parents refused to tell her who they would choose despite them clearly having an opinion on the matter. As her mother explained, however, she didn’t want to influence her daughter’s opinion and instead wanted to support whatever her decision turned out to be.
Surprisingly, Charity became pretty upset over this. Another important factor to consider is that Charity’s mother wouldn’t want to name someone and then see her daughter choose the other guy, as she would then have to answer to either him or her daughter. Regardless, the bigger point is that it’s Charity who has to choose who she wants to be engaged to. It shouldn’t be anyone else’s decision except hers, something her family should be commended for staying true to.
Clarity For Charity?
“I did not get the clarity that I came in wanting,” Charity pronounced to herself while trying to figure out what to do. Of course, one final date awaited both men, so clarity for Charity was still very possible.
There was good and bad news for Charity’s last time seeing her men before breaking one of their hearts. The good news was that both Joey and Dotun gave Charity very thoughtful gifts and practically swept her off her feet again. The bad news was that she didn’t receive any of the clarity she was looking for. In fact, she admitted afterward to the cameras that she was still very confused and had no idea what she was going to do.
The Moment Of Truth
Charity chose exactly who we felt was best for her when we made our mid-season predictions.
She chose Dotun.
She first gave a tear-jerking goodbye to Joey, where she told him she never before experienced such a relationship like the one she had with him. After saying she is not choosing him, she then told him that he is in love with him, adding, “My love for you truly is never going to go away.”
Joey stayed mature and thoughtful, offering to hug her to console her despite it being her that was breaking up with him.
From teardrops to sugarplums, Charity segued — somehow gathering herself after seeing Joey off — and welcomed Dotun.
As her soon-to-be fiancé arrived, Charity smiled away her goodbye-Joey pain and planted her eyes upon the man of her dreams.
She told Dotun that she had already realized he was “a man that respected me, that valued me, that adored me, and a man I could love forever.”
He reciprocated and further offered, “The love that we have is perfect, and so, Ms. Charity Lawson, would you do me the honor of turning this fairytale into a reality?” He then got down on bended knee and proposed. Her immediate happiness was all that was required to know her answer.
And thus concludes the fairytale of Charity and Dotun, a couple technically born out of ABC’s desire for higher ratings but a couple nonetheless that proved to overcome the pitfalls of reality TV to show the world that true love is indeed possible.
And that’s my final rose, for this season anyway.