ADVERTISEMENT
Story from Pop Culture
ADVERTISEMENT

Nevermind — Peter’s Mom Is The Real Super Villain Of This Season

Ineye Komonibo
Last Updated March 10, 2020, 3:05 PM
Photo: Courtesy of ABC.
After weeks of Chris Harrison endlessly teasing Bachelor Nation with the show's biggest twist, we finally know who and what Peter Weber’s mother Barbara was bawling about. But the scene was more cringeworthy than we expected, and suddenly, Peter isn't the bad guy anymore.
After sending Victoria Fuller home last week, our bachelor was faced with a major decision with his final two. On one hand, he had Hannah Ann Sluss, a bubbly woman who was fully committed to Peter. On the other, he had Madison Prewett, a woman who was slowly but surely realizing that she and Peter didn’t have enough in common to build a life together. So what’s a man to do when he can’t make up his mind about his love life? Ask his mother, of course.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Peter’s family flew out to the outbacks of Australia just to help their “bud” navigate the last hurdle of his journey as the bachelor, and mama bear came ready and armed with her own opinions of her son’s love life. Barbara didn’t hold back when meeting the women one by one, pressing each for information about their feelings for Peter.
“I’m looking for someone that is going to love my son with all of her heart and be there for him,” Barbara said right off the bat. “I want to see pure happiness in his life.”
It didn’t take long for her to surmise that Hannah Ann — not Hannah Brown, or anyone else we were thinking — would be the one to bring Peter that happiness. Barbara was certain that the 23-year-old Tennessee native was her son’s perfect match, even more so after sitting down with Madison to grill question her about that “ultimatum” during fantasy suite week. The women bumped heads, especially after Madison bravely defended her decision to request Peter to abstain from sleeping with the other women, ultimately leaving Barbara with a bad taste in her mouth.
After Madison left, the Webers reconvened, and Barbara immediately began weeping. "She's not there for you," she said of Madison matter-of-factly to her bewildered son. But, in her opinion, Hannah Ann was.
"Hannah Ann loves you with all of her heart," Barbara begged Peter between sobs. "Don't let her go. Bring her home to us. We will welcome her with loving arms."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
At home, I watched the scene unfold with my mouth slack. Was Peter's mom really using her "tears" (sorry, but those were so fake) to convince him, a grown man, not to pick Madison? It was disappointing to see, as well as manipulative — an underhanded ultimatum in itself. Grown or not, no one wants to let their mother down if they can help it.
Shockingly, Peter wasn't having it. For the first time since we started watching him on this show, our bachelor was immune to tears from a woman — his mother, at that.
"You gotta stop doing this," he told his mom mid-sniffle. "You can't be doing this. This is insane right now."
Bachelor Nation fully agreed. Though Barbara may have been coming from a good place (this is her baby boy after all), her crying spells weren't helping the situation at all. We were proud of Pilot Pete for standing up for the woman he loved when it mattered the most, but we were also shocked by his mom's behavior. In just one episode, public sentiment about Peter's mother had gone from "aww, Barb" to "be quiet, Barbara!"
Sadly, Mrs. Weber may have made a point or two because Madison did end up walking away from Peter after meeting his family again; she decided to surrender to the forces that be after seeing firsthand the mounting incompatibilities between her and Peter. Don't worry — tonight's final episode teases Madison's emotional return to the outback, which almost guarantees another Barbara breakdown. Oh, joy.
Hang in there, Bachelor Nation. We've almost reached the light at the end of the tunnel.

More from TV

R29 Original Series

AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT