Ready To Love: Season 5/ Episode 13 “DC Reunion Special: Part 1” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

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With a different reunion host comes a different perspective and line of questions, but the same, if not bigger, drama than we’ve seen before.

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Aired	1/14/2022
Network	OWN
Directed By	TBD
Written By	TBD
Introduced This Episode
Reunion Host	Tanika Ray

Recap

Little To No Drama – Phil, Sydney, Sabrina, Shawn, Kheri, Tyrone

The only couple who is undoubtedly still together is Phil and Sydney. They are still cute and flirty, and while there is no engagement, they are exclusively dating and with intention. So, there might be hope we may get the first one to walk down the aisle with those two.

Switching to Sabrina and Shawn, by no means did they get together. But his feelings about the process were noted, especially him feeling pressured to find something, or rather someone, who wasn’t there. And they recap him being attracted to a few ladies, like Sabrina, but with them having no desire for more children, so came him being unable to continue and being glad he was eliminated for what was the alternative? Sticking around for more weeks, just to hope he’d eventually find someone?

As you can imagine, no one wants that. Who wants to be strung along? This is addressed with Tyrone in terms of his elimination and Kheri’s. We saw Tyrone’s elimination as shocking and hurtful since he was starting to grow on certain ladies but made his choice too quickly. Something that Kheri experienced and was taken back by since one of the reasons she wasn’t chosen is because she was considered “Aggressive.”

That word is touched upon, especially how it related to Black women, and alongside an apology from Tyrone comes an acknowledgment on how his delivery could be better. But that isn’t the last time the word “Aggressive” pops up and causes issues.

When Things Started Heating Up – Frank, Mumen

Let’s put Frank in the box of, “You made it to the end and only ended up wasting someone’s time.” For it seemed as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, he was done with Mumen. Now, in case you are wondering, this doesn’t mean he regrets his choice or was crawling back to Sidney afterwards.

Simply put, he didn’t like how things were progressing, based on the timeline he wanted, so he used the scapegoat of acting like he was feeling pressured and not owning that, as many women thought on the show, he wasn’t ready to love. If anything, he was ready to date, flirt, maybe hook up, sure! But love someone and be on the path to marriage? I’d submit Frank may have looked at his life, seen his checklist, and thought marriage is next rather than it being something he is ready for.

Then The Fire Alarm Went Off – Zadia, Kamil, Cornelius, Nai’im, Sidney, Sabrina, Aisha, Tisia

You already know Kamil ended up the center of most, if not all, of the drama, with Zadia co-signing or adding her own two cents in. But, to some surprise, Nai’im joins in too, and it gets to the point Sidney has to ask why aren’t any of the men checking Nai’im for disrespecting the women, whether they are dating them or not?

Now, what were the core issues? The first major one is the “Brown Girls Club” and how exclusory that felt for some, like Sabrina. Someone who tried to hold it in, release a comment here and there, but after a certain point, Tanika caught on and decided it was time to put the spotlight on Sabrina. This led to her, I’d say, coming out of character. Yet, lest we forget, the process itself is hard enough but then a reunion to relive all of that? That’s probably why Shiloh didn’t show up!

But just as the “Brown Girl Squad” heat dies down, so comes everyone talking about Cornelius and expressing worries about his choice and even questioning if he actively made one or not. For with them seeing the “Country Bumpkin” comment, both the men and women are just looking at the scene, then at him and Kamil, and are very much confused. Yet, both seem to be very committed to denying anything is wrong.

In fact, Kamil doubles down as she is pressed to be accountable for what she has said by Aisha. They even replay the scene of Kamil noting she will “F*** ya’ll up” more than once since Kamil denies saying that, and Nai’im even acts like he wasn’t in the room when it happened. And all of this leads to Tisia thinking this whole thing is too ghetto and me certainly agreeing with her.

Review

Highlights

The Backstage Commentary

In past seasons, the people in the back row with the comments and looks often drew your attention more than the people on the couch. Recognizing this, it seems they made sure everyone was properly mic’d, and when they wanted a more keen focus on the people on the couch, they set up a backstage area with a camera and microphone feed for reactions.

I don’t know whose idea that was, but I hope they get a raise because it led to the most HILARIOUS moments in the episode. Especially when someone thought a person on the couch was lying, didn’t deserve someone, or when they saw what Cornelius went through yet stayed with Kamil.

A New Host, A New Perspective

Now, if you’ve ever read any of our recaps, you know how we feel about Nephew Tommy. While he means well, sometimes he veers towards creating good television more than recognizing he is dealing with people with feelings, trauma, and who aren’t media trained beyond this show. Tanika, on the other hand, I feel like, with her not being part of the process, just watching what went down, she is asking the same questions you would if you were in her seat or could send in what you wanted to know.

But, we especially like that she felt like an ally to the men and women when it came to hosting. She wasn’t trying to match two people who were a terrible match, but she would explore things deeper than what some were letting on. She’d even push for accountability from both sides so that Ready To Love didn’t just have a reunion where people were cursing, making excuses, and flipping out, but also could be considered a lesson on red flags, communication, and more.

The Call Outs, And Rewinding The Tape

With that said, I was very much here for the cursing, making excuses, and seeing people act out of character. I’ve long stopped seeing Ready To Love as a means of trying to gain hope as a 30+ who is single. Ready To Love is mainly entertainment, with the occasional gem amongst the heaping of BS.

On The Fence

As Tisia Said, This Is So Ghetto

Yet, as a Black person, I got to admit, I really don’t like how easy it is to find this many Black people who are willing to go on camera, knowing they are not ready for “The Process,” and for them to act like this. Especially since we’re not in the first season. Whether you consider “Last Resort” its own season or not, we have gone through 5 sets of casts, and it has probably gotten worse than better.

Why? Because the process hasn’t really been changed, just the cast members. Nephew Tommy isn’t a psychologist, yet is dealing with people who have multiple personalities, as Kamil claimed she did (jokingly). Also, Nephew Tommy, while he does mean well, isn’t either a couple’s therapist or someone who can handle the trauma these men and women have gone through, which has kept them from being ready to love!

This is why we get these ghetto moments! You got hurt people with a camera on their face, being held accountable in a way they never are in their private life. Thus, with being confronted by multiple people, on camera, this just exacerbates their issues and takes things from being funny to sad, if not exploitive. Thankfully not as bad as past seasons, but the problem is still there.

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Why was Mumen not part of the Brown Girls Club conversation, considering she was the third member?
2. Did Shiloh just decide she wants no further parts of the show for the sake of her mental health? It’s always weird when someone who had a notable story isn’t part of the reunion.
3. So there weren’t any off-screen surprise romances? No couples eliminated that found the process easier when there wasn’t a camera or competition to worry about?

What Could Happen Next

1. While I don’t imagine anyone swinging or spitting, there will be someone getting laid out verbally

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