Last week’s episode of 90 Day Fiance showed Ashley and Manuel visit a couples counselor.
Season 10, Episode 7 showed the two still in Ivanna Colangelo’s office, hashing out their issues. Hopefully as a preventative measure.
But they need to work and make changes if this relationship is going to thrive. Their wedding is supposed to be just a couple of months away, after all.
Ashley and Manuel
Here, Ashley explains how Manuel has put up a wall between her and his family — and it goes both ways. He doesn’t share a lot of things about them and about him with her. And they know next to nothing about her. It’s especially worrisome because his kids are 12 and 14. To her, is she just “some lady” who has taken their dad away? Ashley also admits that the dynamic of secrecy makes her feel like a side piece.
“It’s not like I’ll never introduce her”
Manuel says that the time will come, eventually, to introduce Ashley to various family members — including his kids. But he’s a private person and has previously lived alone. So he’s accustomed to just doing his own thing. This is a major communication problem that can topple relationships.
OH
To the confessional camera more than in the therapist’s office, Manuel admits that Ashley’s temper is an issue. He worries that his kids might see Ashley go off “like a match.” Ashley’s volatility is a genuine issue and she needs to work on it. It’s not cute and it’s not acceptable. And honestly, if Manuel thinks that she’s too volatile to be around his kids, we have to ask why he’s marrying her.
Another twist
Ashley reveals that Manuel sprang on her that he needs to send $250 to his family by the end of the month. There’s no actual explanation for this. Also, this isn’t something that he’s doing. He’s on a K-1 visa and cannot work. This means that Manuel has apparently promised that Ashley will send $250. That’s a huge red flag.
Some of this is easier to explain than fix
Ivanna Colangelo explains that Manuel is likely dealing with childhood and cultural expectations when it comes to Ashley. Simply put, when she is loud, argumentative, and questioning what he’s doing, she doesn’t seem like an incendiary girlfriend. She’s giving off mom vibes, and as an adult man, he’s not going to open up when she wants him to. They’ll have to work through that. And more.
Ugh
After therapy, Manuel seems to call their therapist a “clown” repeatedly. Then he says that he doesn’t need any kind of couples counseling, because he has “always felt fine.” Ashley tries to understand why he doesn’t want support for their relationship. Manuel, who has no intention of more counseling, thinks that therapy is just an American thing. He says that he and Ashley are adults and can think up solutions with their own minds. True! But … why haven’t they? Maybe having a third party in the conversation is helpful?
Enough is enough
Manuel becomes ruder and ruder, openly mocking Ashley. The guy who claims that they can resolve problems just by opening a dialogue just chants “again and again and again” when Ashley keeps talking to him. She pauses and calls him out for speaking to her so disrespectfully. She then asks him if her opinion isn’t important to him when it comes to couples counseling. “No,” Manuel replies.
Here’s Manuel’s huff, and he’s leaving in it
It’s time for them to go. Ashley and Manuel continue to bicker on the way to the car. But Manuel announces that he’s going to walk home. That is just not a mature reaction that one would expect from an adult partner. Ashley clearly has her issues in the relationship, but Manuel keeps outdoing her at every turn.