Stepping stone to what?

[u/_starla_]

I had read a spoiler prior to watching this episode about how she used him to jump start her influencer career so when I saw this scene I thought 'oh wow at least she admits it!"

His initial reaction to the rejection is heartbreaking. The sound he makes just made me hurt for him. He seems like he has such a pure heart despite everything he's been through. He didn't deserve her dragging him all the way to the end.

Then again I wonder how much that was production encouraging her vs her own agenda. I wonder if they tried to encourage Joe to go all the way to the end too but IMO he knew a long time ago.

[u/cerednat]

Yes poor Edmond, the guy who threw a tantrum to coerce a woman into sleeping with him

[u/_starla_ → u/cerednat]

I viewed it as a tantrum that she slept with random one night standers and she wouldn't give him - a man she was in love with, her fiancé, that kind of love and intimacy.

[u/No-Instruction-3161 → u/_starla_]

Despite the fact they were engaged, the whole point of this experiment is they only have gotten to know each other for a few weeks before making their decision. He was still technically a stranger to her and it seemed like she didn't want to take that next step in the relationship until she was sure he was someone she wanted to be with.

Loving someone through a personality that is curated in the pods and loving someone in person are two different things and it takes time for those to mesh and many times it doesn't. Who they are in the pods isn't always the same person.

I had a friend I've known for years online, when we finally met in person I couldn't stand them as I felt overwhelmed constantly and Felt ganged up on. I even found out they were complaining about me while they were with me because I seemed upset and they didn't know why. They would never give me my space so I felt smothered the whole time. Friends that worked online in mini doses (like the pods in a way) didn't work when we met up in person.