If anything, Week 2 of

The Bachelorette

was proof the producers need to squeeze in as much drama as possible before Clare Crawley makes her alleged departure from the show. This week’s episode kicked off with the first group date of the season, as Riley, Jordan, Yosef, Ivan, Ben, Bennet, Zach C, Zach J, and Dale followed a trail of hearts to a room in the resort that was decorated like a scene out of

Romeo and Juliet

. There, Harrison explained to the men that the date would revolve around love languages — the different ways through which we express love.

Round One was through words; Clare climbed up into the castle while the men showered her with cliche compliments and metaphors about the journey ahead. Unsurprisingly, the single man who stood out to Clare was Dale, when he professed, “When I saw your energy and your spirit, you made me feel comfortable committing to that, committed to giving you everything I have. I trust you, I’m here for every bit of it. I am who I am and I’m here.” Round Two was the language of gift-giving, which featured a montage of all of the men sprinting back to their rooms in order to get presents for Clare. The physical touch round, where Clare and the men were blindfolded, followed shortly afterward. When it was finally Dale’s turn, the two embraced in an intense moment of passion, leaving the rest of the men in askance with their jaws on the floor.

However, they all had to lick their wounds and recover quickly, because it was soon time for the cocktail hour. Clare pulled into the venue looking stunning (as usual), made a brief toast concerning the next few weeks, and then — nothing.

It was silent. It was as if the men had never seen the show before or had made a mutual pact to be respectful of one another. Unlike other seasons of

The Bachelorette

, not one of the men made a move to steal Clare away — not until she prompted Bennet to do so. But even then, Clare was incapable of focusing on anything that Bennet was saying because, A, Why didn’t any of the men want to talk to her? and B, Bennet was not Dale. Clare promptly marched back to the group of men, made direct eye contact with Dale, and chewed them all out for not showing their interest. Yosef tried to fix the situation by speaking for the group and retorted “you’re crazy to think we didn’t come here for you,” which only enraged the other men because he’d put words in their mouths. Luckily, Dale finally connected the dots, and he swept Clare away before she could see the drama unfold between Yosef and Riley. With Dale on her arm, Clare returned back to her bubbly self. At the end of the night, she gave the group rose to Riley for his slow-dancing prowess, but also because it would have been too suspicious for her to give the rose to Dale again.

Jason, who wore a pregnant stomach for his limo entrance, received the first one-on-one date of the season. Clare took him out into the desert, where they wrote all the things they’d been labeled as on tiles and smashed them against rocks. Clare’s list included “needy,” “hard to love,” and “bitch,” while Jason’s list was “manipulative,” “selfish,” and “cold and mean.” Clare was apparently unbothered by his labels, so the date continued and the two read letters they’d written to their younger selves. Although Jason never explicitly admitted it, it was easy to read between the letter’s lines and conclude his personal demons stemmed from things he witnessed in his parents’ marriage. Clare gave him the rose for his ability to be emotionally vulnerable, and Jason joined Riley among the men who are now safe.

The last date of the week was another group date, and in typical

Bachelorette

fashion, the men played strip dodgeball. The twist of this date was that the losing team had to walk home naked and then miss the cocktail party. In the past week, this date has gotten a lot of flack because of the double standard: the eponymous Bachelor would never be allowed to ask his women contestants to strip, but yet it had somehow been okay when Clare did? Bachelor Nation could have done better than this date, and we all know it.

Later that night, Blake Moynes, the man Clare rewarded for reaching out during quarantine, couldn’t handle that his team had lost the dodgeball game. So, he broke the rules (again) and headed to the cocktail party, despite not having been invited. Clare shared with him (again) how much she appreciated this move, and he went in for a kiss, thinking he had won (again), but Clare rejected him. She told him it would not be honorable with respect to the other men on the date who had won the dodgeball game fair and square, so Blake returned to his room successful only in irritating the other men. Clare then tried to get the date back on track by chatting with Brandon, but he became tongue-tied when Clare asked his reasoning for being on the show. All Brandon had to say was “first of all, you’re absolutely gorgeous,” but could not come up with any other reason he liked Clare. Unsurprisingly, Clare ended the conversation on the spot and walked Brandon out to the limo.

Unfortunately, this episode was jam-packed with so many dates, that Bachelor Nation did not get a rose ceremony this week. Instead, Clare handed a rose to Chasen (Who is

Chasen

? Well, I asked myself the same question.) from the dodgeball group date and an early rose to Blake Moynes (Really? For breaking the rules again?) at the start of the cocktail party. Fans then watched as Clare pulled Dale aside and climbed on top of him for a “truly magical” makeout session. With 22 men left after Brandon’s departure and four men in the clear, Bachelor Nation will have to wait until next week to see which men receive a rose.

Emma’s Inputs From Week #2

Best Moment:

For all of us not repulsed by the Clare and Dale show, who watched until the credits rolled, we were rewarded! In the last 45 seconds of the show, Bennett (dressed in his bathrobe and carrying a martini) gave Eazy a tour of his stunning room at La Quinta Resort and Club. The highlights included his two fireplaces, green smoothies, and neatly organized rows of shows. The two then settled next to the hot tub with their face masks and enjoyed some quality self-care. This is what I was looking for! Like the rest of the Bachelor Nation, I would not be opposed to a mini-series of Bennett bringing each man back to his room.

Worst Moment:

People might argue the men stripping down during dodgeball was the worst part of the episode, but for me it was Clare and Dale’s steamy moment during the physical touch date. Watching the other men watch them broke my heart. It was probably at that moment that they realized they were leagues behind Dale, and I honestly cannot blame them for being suspicious. Did Clare and Dale have contact during quarantine? Signs point to yes, and I hope that it’s addressed next week.

Who’s Out Next?:

I was not expecting Brandon’s departure, that’s for sure! But from what’s brewing beneath the surface, I think Yosef is the next man out. He should have been sent home on Night One after his debacle with Tyler C, and his exasperation with Clare has only grown over this episode. From the snippets we saw in the preview for next week, I feel like we may see Yosef explode, and hopefully Clare will send him packing.