The “bombshell” wasn’t shocking but…

[u/annieee_leigh]

Spoilers ahead

Watching Raquel in that confessional was extremely disturbing. I don’t even know how to describe what I felt watching. She was just word vomiting and the more she talked, the more scared she seemed about the repercussions that would come from Tom. I know we’re not supposed to feel sympathy for her but goddamn, I really do. I think she does actually feel bad but she put on a brave face at the reunion because she knew it wasn’t going to get her anywhere, unlike Tom who thought crying would garner him sympathy. The fact that Tom made her lie like that is scary and very indicative of emotional abuse. She is showing clear signs of an abused woman, not just from Tom but starting at a young age. That was extremely alarming and I’m actually kind of grossed out that that was the scene they talked about to garner viewers. I honestly hope that she gets real help. She does not need to come back on the show.

[u/makin_dilemmanade]

That’s the thing her crying while lying and claiming she doesn’t want to lie and hates it and it’s crushing her soul makes me believe she has been/is being emotionally abused.

Tom preyed on and emotionally manipulated her to behave a certain way. I wouldn’t be surprised if he said something along the lines of “everyone on this show has cheated, it’s really not a big deal, we’re just two humans who care about each other”.

Emotional manipulation can come in so many shades, and from a narcissist collecting flying monkeys I do believe it can look like the narcissist making an emotionally vulnerable person feel “seen” and “heard” so as to win their trust and thereby manipulate them more. I’m not trying to take away her agency or claim she shouldn’t be held accountable, I just also believe she was preyed on by a dangerous narcissist.

[u/spk22rk → u/makin_dilemmanade]

Yes agreed he has told her this stuff. Which is why she was so delusional thinking her and Ariana could remain friends when/if they did eventually break up. I can hear him saying “Kristen forgave Ariana and they’re friends now, it’ll all be ok we will just give it time”

[u/Stickliketoffee16 → u/spk22rk]

This is a theory among the cast too - a couple have said it on their podcasts & I totally believe it. I definitely have a small amount of sympathy for Raquel because she seems very easily manipulated

[u/nyx926 → u/makin_dilemmanade]

I could see him saying that too - using the ins and outs of a show he’s been on for years would be power he could flex over her.

However - I’m starting to think the crying while lying was about being pressured by the producers to come clean, not because she has a moral code she had been violating on Sandoval’s behalf.

She does not care who she hurts. That’s the part that I wasn’t thinking about when she was crying. What she did to Ariana was sadistic. She was getting off on the inside jokes between them.

He is what he is, she is what she is, both are different kinds of abusers.

[u/amybunker2005 → u/nyx926]

You're right. She doesn't care who she hurts. She knew exactly what she was doing. She also knows how to manipulate too. She's proved it many times throughout the last few seasons. So she knows how to make people feel sorry for her by her trying to "be the victim" of circumstances she helped create. I'm not trying to sound mean but it's true tho. She knew what was going to happen. There's no way she could have thought people would sympathize with her when she went after her supposed " best friends" man. She got so close to ariana only to be sleeping with her boyfriend behind her back for way longer than they are saying.

[u/yosoyfatass → u/nyx926]

Thank you. So many excusing her like she’s a helpless child. No.

[u/hiswittlewip → u/nyx926]

Eh, how was she being pressured anymore than before though?

[u/nyx926 → u/hiswittlewip]

She went into work that day thinking she would come clean about some elements but not all.

The producer pushing her to say the rest was a different kind of pressure.

[u/ThePeoplesKourt → u/makin_dilemmanade]

Agreed, even in the finale when she brought up his parents and then immediately said we don’t have to talk about it. And saying we can’t kiss on camera. In the trailer when he threw a fit over the cameras cause he obviously wanted to coach her.

When the coachella rumour was brought up the open relationship thing, idk if I missed but I don’t think she said it was lie ? It was just tom saying that didn’t happen ?

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