It’s the (not quite) end of the road for the couples of “Love Is Blind” season 3.

Episodes 8, 9 and 10 follow our five couples through the last 10 days leading up to their weddings. It’s always fascinating to watch how the Love Is Blind relationships often find an equilibrium at this point. The couples have been together for a month. They know what they love about their partners and what annoys the crap out of them. They know how to push each other’s buttons, and they have been confronted by the opinions of their closest friends and family members.

For some, it seems like this final stretch provides the chance to exhale and just enjoy. Bartise and Nancy turn a corner (though we suspect that doesn’t mean anything for their longevity as a couple), and SK and Raven have some of their easiest and most romantic moments. Alexa and Brennon continue to be the epitome of stability, while Cole and Zanab and Colleen and Matt seem to be the most overtly conflicted about whether to move forward with a marriage.

A lot of action is packed into this penultimate batch of episodes: We get some forced romantic outings (permanent bracelets! love locks!) and last-chance dates, as well as some pre-wedding rituals. They all go wedding clothes shopping, have group bachelor and bachelorette parties, and, of course, we get to see SK and Raven’s wedding, and half of Bartise and Nancy’s. As always, we had a *lot* to say about it all.

It’s hard to watch some of these couples struggle with what seems like fundamental incompatibilities; the type of things that are simply impossible to know about a person when you are just having deep conversations through the pod walls. Yes, an emotional connection is important to the health of a longterm relationship, but so are so many other things. Will your partner’s family members embrace you? Do you have opposite communication styles when in conflict? Does your partner insist on shooting a Nerf gun while chicken is cooking in hot oil on the stovetop?

We explore all of these questions (and much more) on this week’s LIB3 recap. Hope you enjoy! Xo

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We’ve been reading…

My new thing apparently is reading half of a book and then putting it down for a month and then going back to it? So finally into the latter half of Sloane Crosley’s Cult Classic, and I continue to REALLY enjoy it. Love me some magical realism in New York City. -Emma

I am stalled out right now. The pace of Bachelor in Paradise and Love Is Blind, plus Tell Me Lies, two toddler sick days last week, and a Halloween half-day for a daycare parade and trick-or-treating have left me perpetually scrambling. In lieu of reading any books, I read Brandon Taylor’s latest essay for Sweater Weather, “Against Character Vapor,” which examines how contemporary and modernist fiction engage (or don’t) with characters’ physical forms. Though I like a lot of the novels he critiques, it’s a compelling read, puts words to some writing tics that irritate me as well, and maybe even persuaded me a little bit. -Claire

We’ve been watching…

In honor of Halloween, I watched “The Craft” all the way through for the first time in… decades? The perfect ‘90s aesthetics! The grunge soundtrack! A perfect, dark, twisty, witchy rewatch. -Emma

The premiere of “White Lotus,” season 2 (Italian edition)! Jennifer Coolidge is back as Tanya, an unfulfilled heiress, now rather unhappily married to Greg, her fling from season 1; Aubrey Plaza and Meghann Fahy are also here as the wildly dissimilar wives of two old college friends, one of whom is now a tech billionaire. I’m obsessed with the casting, and I only hope the rest of the season is as fun as the first episode. -Claire

We’ve been listening to…

Friend of the pod (and IRL friend) Jacqueline Trumbull’s raw, honest, compassionate episode of “A Little Help For Our Friends” about her decision to end her engagement. It takes a lot of maturity and bravery to be so open about such a difficult and personal decision, and it was a beautiful listen. -Emma

I have been catching up on some more politically geared podcasts in my queue, and with the midterms rapidly approaching (and in some cases, already taking place!), it’s a stark reminder of how much is at stake in this election, and how likely it is that Republicans will make consequential gains. I’ve been listening to Supreme Court pod “Five Four” on the independent state legislature theory, a once-fringe legal theory conservatives are diligently working to leverage in order to overturn future elections, and “Know Your Enemy” on the crucial importance of winning political battles at the state level to preserve democracy across the country. Abortion is on the ballot; trans lives are on the ballot; democracy is on the ballot. Please vote! -Claire

We’ve been buying…

Shoes! I caved and decided to get back into Uggs after seeing my boyfriend’s sister wearing a particularly cute pair, the Neumel Suede Platform booties. They are so cozy and give you some height, which as a short lady, I very much appreciate. I also have been on a search for a not-wildly-expensive pair of lug sole loafers, and I finally bit the bullet and ordered these Massimo Dutti ones. (I love that they have a gold accent, a nice dupe for the Gucci ones.) They’re gorgeous, and although they’re a little wide for my narrow feet, a simple shoe insert did the trick. Can’t wait to rock them with some visible white socks. -Emma

Some new fall gels from Color Camp! I kind of love the warm, orangey browns that are everywhere this fall, so I’m obsessed with my new caramel nails, but also this crochet-inspired design.

I was (full disclosure) having some issues with my gel press-ons for a bit this summer: I’d remove them to find that I had green under one or two of my nails. This is apparently a kind of fungal infection (ahhhh!), and though it was painless and went away once I left my nails bare, it was obviously disgusting and bad. No one seemed to be talking about this!! No warnings, nothing!! But I did some research and made some changes (dry prep instead of soaking nails before pushing back my cuticles, using nail dehydrator before applying, getting a good nail glue with a brush applicator for even glue coverage) and haven’t had a problem since. If you’re still reading this and want to try at-home gel press-ons, bear in mind that ANY water trapped under a fake nail for a couple weeks can lead to infections. Dehydrate those nails! -Claire

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