Bachelorette recap: Wes slithers into final four; Ed returns (swoon!)

Another week passes and Jillian's capacity for self-delusion continues to grow.

On last night's "Bachelorette," someone -- someone trustworthy! -- finally stepped forward and told Jillian that Wes is the one who admitted to having a girlfriend. It was the moment "Bachelorette" viewers had been waiting for, but Jillian displayed a truly remarkable gift for denial, and ignored the warning.

At this point, I'm thinking if Jillian ends up with lying, cheating, narcissistic Wes, she deserves him.  

To start at the beginning, it was hometown date night. First Jillian visited Reid's hometown and got along fine with his family. Requisite feisty Grandma? Check. (Don't even bother trying to go on this show if you don't have one). I like Reid (right) a lot, but not sure he and Jillian are compatible. Sometimes they seem to really click and sometimes not. I can't make up my mind there. But I think Reid is very funny and cute (even with the neuroses).

Then Jillian visited Michael's hometown. Michael was pretty funny jumping up and down with excitement to see his family, and also when he went to answer the door for Jillian. He opened the door and ran away and then ran back and hugged her. He has the energy of a labrador puppy, and he's about as cute as one. But it's just so obvious that Jillian isn't that into him. Poor Michael. We got to meet Michael's identical twin brother, who did a hard sell on Michael trying to convince Jillian that despite their young age, they are (both) ready to get married. 

Then Jillian meets Kiptyn's family. They seem to be very wealthy, upstanding members of society, but I have to say I wasn't blown away with a sense of warmth and welcome. Manners are all about making guests feel welcome, so imposing a snooty wine-tasting test on a first-time guest to your home doesn't exactly scream, "relax and enjoy." Luckily, Jillian passed the test, but she was a bundle of nerves. Kiptyn's mom was very intimidating, and seemed to get a kick out of watching Jillian squirm. Jillian's insecurity is full-bloom with these folks, whom she describes as "polished, educated, and refined." Which is great, we love all those things! But we love "unpretentious and gracious" more. Jillian feels like Kiptyn's family thinks of her as a "hillbilly."

Then Jillian meets Jesse's family, where Jesse's brother Jacob stole the show. Jacob looked like a cuter, hulkier version of Jesse with Jesus hair. And he was muy skeptical of this whole "find true love on a TV show" deal, but by the end of his interrogation of Jillian, she had won him over. I actually felt there was more chemistry between Jillian and Jacob than she's shown with Jesse. We never learned if Jacob is dating anyone, but I'd watch him as the next Bachelor. Also, Jesse's family all play musical instruments, but his father, who I'm sure is a very nice person, cannot carry a tune.

And then there was Wes. Naturally, Wes wants to introduce Jillian to his band. And by "introduce" I don't mean hang out over beers and get to know each other like regular people, I mean the band is set up on stage where they (along with Wes) perform two songs for Jillian (and for ABC's national audience). I fast-forward every time Wes sings, so I didn't hear them. 

Jillian eats it up. There is no hope for this girl. 

Then when Jillian is hanging out at her hotel, Jake, doing his best Dudley Do-Right, shows up to save the day. He tells Jillian he's not there to try to win her back, he's there to tell her point blank that Wes has a girlfriend, and her name is Laurel. Jillian cries a little and rambles about how she doesn't deserve this, and I hope against hope that she is finally going to see the light and toss Wes aside like the piece of garbage he is. 

When Wes shows up to take her over to meet his moms and sisters, she promises to "grill" him about the girlfriend, but the display is totally disheartening. Every comment and question posed to him is framed in a way that practically begs him to keep lying. Wes tells her more than once Monday night that he's a terrible liar, and he's right. He's a terrible liar, and it's more than obvious to everyone in America except Jillian that he is lying all the time. He's shifty-eyed and evasive, he constantly clears his throat and takes long pauses before answering questions, and he gets defensive and tries to turn the table on those questioning him.

Frustrated Jillian calls Jake to the room so that Jake can confront him. Wes tries to divert attention from himself by telling Jake he has a "[blank]-eating grin" and questions his motives. Jillian sits there between slick-talking Wes and the most straight-arrow, upright-to-the-point-of-nausea dude we have ever seen on "Bachelorette," and decides she believes slicky Wes. 

Jake leaves and drapes himself over a railing and cries in the hallway, bringing back memories of Jason. Then Wes pretty much tells Jillian "let's just end this thing right here" by telling her he's no longer in the mood for her to meet his family. Instead of taking this as a sign, Jillian looks panicked and horrified and said she still wants to meet his family. WHAT!?

So they skip off to meet Wes's mother, step-mother, and gaggle of sisters, and as soon as they arrive, they spill what just happened and commence to bad-mouthing Jake. Wes's adoring band of female fans assure him that he is attacked because he's so awesome and because people are jealous of his awesomeness. Sickening, I tell you! And when Jillian asks Wes's mother -- his mother -- if he has a girlfriend, his mother assures her that he is a straight, honest person. Shocking, that Wes's mother thinks he's a good guy.

I'm about as cynical as Jesse's brother, and I say all these women are in on Wes's scam. They signed him up for the show so that he could get publicity for his CD, and they all want him to be famous so he can make a lot of money and they can all live in Nashville (or wherever) in one of those big Naomi Judd-type compounds. 

And Jillian, who is in complete denial and really wants to believe all these lies, swallows it whole. 

But just when I had lost all respect for Jillian's judgement, my beloved Ed walks back into the picture and convinces Jillian that he made a huge mistake by leaving the show, and that she should give him another chance. The way she greeted him at the door with such excitement, and practically sat in his lap on the sofa while they talked, I knew she would give him that chance. 

It's the smartest thing I've seen Jillian do this entire season. She has shown more emotion over Ed in the short time they've been together than all the other guys put together. She cried harder when Ed left than she did when she heard Wes was a shifty two-timing sack of cornmeal. 

Jillian tells Ed to come to the Rose Ceremony, and when he does, all the guys just about pass out. I felt sorriest for Michael, who immediately knew he had reached the end of the line. Sure enough, Ed gets a rose and Michael and Jesse are sent home. Jesse is ticked, and is also about the 19th person to lash out at Wes (only to the camera, not to Jillian, of course), but Michael is pitiful. He talks about how he "loves the girl" and only wants to see her happy. Too bad he couldn't play the guitar and sing a corny, country song to her. Maybe then, he'd have had a chance.

So yeah, Wes gets another rose and is in the final four. The only way Jillian can be redeemed in my eyes at all is if she ultimately picks and marries Ed. Fat chance.