In part one of The Bachelor’s two-part season finale tonight, Madison Prewett faced off against Peter’s mom Barbara about the ultimatum she gave Peter during Fantasy Suites, and Madison was right to stand her ground.
Madison and Peter started off strong with Madison as a clear front runner, managing to stay out of the spotlight and stay away from the drama of the season, that is, until Fantasy Suites. During their one on one that week, Madison revealed to Peter that she was saving herself for marriage and she voiced to Peter that she would struggle to move forward in their relationship if he had been intimate with the other two contestants, Hannah Ann Sluss or Victoria Fuller. Peter admitted to Madison that he was intimate already with the women and since then it’s been a back and forth struggle for the couple. Unsurprisingly, Peter’s family had a lot of opinions to share with their son and with Madison about the situation, but Madison stood her ground.
During an awkward conversation between Barbara and Madison, Peter's mother made it clear she felt that Madison's request for Peter to refrain from being intimate with the other women was unfair. Madison, on the other hand, made it clear that she wasn't going to change her values for anyone regardless of how much she loved them, which many people thought was the right decision on her part. She was never rude to her potential future mother-in-law, but Madison remained true to her beliefs and it was evident that she is confident in who she is outside of a relationship. Madison loves Peter, but as she said to Barbara, her expectations and her feelings are just as valid as Peter's.
Peter has frequently talked about how close he is with his family, how much he values his parents' opinions and how he wants to find a love like his parents have, but that doesn't mean they have a right to overshadow decisions made between Peter and Madison. Madison made the right decision in standing up to for herself in front of Peter's family because ultimately their relationship isn't going to work if they can't work through conflict as a couple. Madison showed that she held firm to her beliefs and she's not willing to compromise them, which is a quality to be admired, not one to be looked down on. Hopefully, Barbara can see that Madison's qualities are good in hindsight. The fact that Peter was also willing to stand up to his family - in particular to his mom - and show them that Madison was his first choice even though they want him to pick Hannah Ann should also be an indicator that Madison is someone of good character because they trust their son's judgment.
After tonight's episode, it's difficult to imagine how Peter's season of The Bachelor is going to end. Peter could end up with Hannah Ann, with Madison, or he could end up alone. No matter how the season ends, Madison can come away from it knowing that she didn't sacrifice her beliefs or the things she values most for the sake of a television show. Now that the season has nearly finished airing, Barbara will also hopefully be able to see that Madison is a woman of strong moral standing and she should be able to respect that, even if she's not sure that Madison is the right choice in the long run for her son.
The Bachelor's second-half of the finale airs Tuesday, March 9th at 8pm EST on ABC.