This season of Married At First Sight Australia has had us shouting at our TV screens almost every episode; whether it’s because of the cheating scandal between Claire and Adam or the behaviour of grooms like Harrison and Dan.
Then, at last night’s commitment ceremony, we were on the edge of our sofas again when Brontë decided to stay with Harrison despite him breaking up with her over text a few days before.
Fans of the series were confused by her choice, as well as brides like Claire, Melinda and Lyndall who called her out, and Brontë herself even admitted that the decision was controversial. But, I can’t help but think we should all be a little bit kinder to Brontë.
From the series so far, it is clear to see that her and Harrison’s relationship isn’t the healthiest. Whether it’s her covering for him when he’s been caught out in a lie to him admitting he doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong in the relationship so far, Harrison seems like a challenging guy to be around (remember that smirk when he basically ruined Claire and Jesse’s relationship over dinner? Yep, not nice!)
Plus, Brontë has opened up about how she has been in toxic relationships in the past and often didn’t know when was best to leave. In last night’s episode, I also couldn’t help but feel heartbroken for her when she said she sometimes feel like she isn’t good enough for Harrison and couldn’t see why her fellow brides were so concerned for her.
Taking this into consideration, I really do think we should all take it easier on Brontë. It must not be easy when you’re trying so hard to make a relationship work so much that you struggle to see when things just aren’t OK. While it’s often frustrating to watch her tolerate some of Harrison’s behaviour, as some of her fellow brides have felt through the season, it doesn’t mean she’s fake or fame hungry as some viewers have suggested on social media.
Besides, (major spoiler alert, look away now if you want to avoid) as the season has already aired in Australia, we know that Brontë does eventually stand up for herself and choose to leave Harrison! While it took longer than fans and her fellow contestants may have wanted, what matters is that she chose herself in the end and was able to see her worth.
For some, the signs were there from the moment they said “I do”, as one of Brontë’s friends told her Harrison was seeing someone outside the experiment. But, it must be a lot harder to judge when you’re in such a pressured environment that is being literally married at first sight and viewers should take that into consideration before being quick to judge Brontë. A little bit of kindness can go a long way!
