Despite Ben’s best narrative efforts to make it seem like the women are on even footing — the subtext of who will be the winner is all too clear from the finale’s get-go. Though Courtney may have appeared to be the girl that was being kept around for entertainment purposes in the first few weeks, the finale is laden with clues that she will be Ben’s final pick.
The finale kicks off with the ladies meeting Ben’s mother and sister. Ben’s sister feels an immediate connection with Lindzi — and speaks up regarding her doubts about the fact Courtney didn’t get along with the other girls. However, the playing field gets almost immediately evened out when she actually meets Courtney and states that she is surprised by how kind she finds Courtney to be. When it comes down to it she says she feels Courtney is more of what he’s looking for. Ben makes a telling statement when he reflects on the fact there would be some backlash if he picks Courtney. So is the media fall-out the only thing holding him back from proposing to Courtney at this point?
For their final date, Ben and Lindzi go skiing in the Alps. Despite their romantic outing and Lindzi’s decision to finally open up and tell him she loves him, there still seems as though there may be something missing. Rather than directly answer her question of “can you see a future with us,” Ben skirts around it by saying “the thing is, I’ve seen us” and then goes on to describe how much fun he’s had on their past dates. Lindzi is reassured but his wording seems to leave a lot open to interpretation.
Everything about his date with Courtney indicates she will be his pick. They leave all the talk of her not getting along with the other women in the past as they fully enjoy their romantic helicopter ride and picnic in the snow. Ben even goes so far as to say “I’ve always wanted to feel this comfortable around a woman.” So what are the chances he’ll pick someone he isn’t totally comfortable around? Hmmm … it’s not looking good for Lindzi.
The decision does become a bit more of a mystery when Courtney once more confronts him about whether her past conflicts with the women bother him. This causes him to reveal she sometimes “frustrates” him. But the theme seems to be consistently that he feels more strongly for Courtney and the only road blocks are show related.
After a series of dramatic segments of each of the three walking around Switzerland, gazing thoughtfully at the scenery and talking about their love and vulnerabilty, Ben finds himself on a mountain top, ring in hand, ready to make his proposal.
From the moment we see Lindzi step out of the helicopter first, the leading clues turn into solid evidence that she isn’t going to be the one. She jokingly tells him “if it doesn’t work out, call me.” But let’s face it, there are thousands of guys dying to scoop her up ASAP. This is definitely not the end of her love story.
As Courtney arrives by helicopter she remarks, “I’m a good person and good things happen to good people.” Whether all or part of that statement is true or false remains a mystery. But the fact is that Ben does propose and she gleefully says yes.
So, despite Chris Harrison’s statement at the beginning of the episode that it would be “the most controversial finale in Bachelor history” — there is a proposal, an acceptance and an ensuing engagement. The real controversy seems to lie in what happens next.
Photo courtesy of WENN.com
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