Source: Daniel Dorsa / lifetime
Instead of spending yet another recap talking about Iris’ virginity, which I’m completely over, I thought I would briefly chat with you about how impressed I am with her husband Keith Manley, as well as Deonna’s husband, Greg Okotie.
I’ve been watching the series consistently for years now and I’ve seen the ups and downs of most of the brothas who’ve been featured (I missed out on Vaughn and Tres, but I heard the women they were matched with, Monet and Vanessa, were just not a good fit whatsoever). At times, as in most times, their actions left me shaking my head.
There was the extremely poor communication of Jephte Pierre (and don’t forget the cheating he admitted to in the Happily Ever After spin-off), who had a penchant for calling his wife Shawniece a “stranger” when they were having a disagreement. Then there was the stone-throwing of Nate Duhon, which occurred when he was frustrated with Sheila (who was a lot though). Tristan Thompson in Season 5 had a wife in Mia who was accused of stalking her ex, but he still managed to not be an empathetic character due to his penchant for being an emotional control freak with colorist tendencies. Keith Dewar of Season 8 ended up being a great match for Kristine, but he initially was looking for a second caregiver as opposed to a wife. And don’t get me started on Will Guess. That man would not be honest about his issues with Jasmine and he gave her mixed signals, leaving her to be the only one to attempt to fight for their marriage on decision day.
But Greg and Keith have been a nice change from the last few years of struggle.
When it comes to dealing with Deonna, Greg has only wanted her to let down her walls and be a bit more emotionally vulnerable. He’s well-aware that not being in a relationship for a decade has left her stunted in some ways. And while he’s been met with her dismissals of his collection of compliments, and her desire to not be straightforward about what entices her sexually, he’s managed to be patient, and in turn, Deonna has warmed up to him. He seems to enjoy looking out for her (like that time she was sick), and doing nice things for her (like the party he threw for her birthday). You get the vibe that he could be falling for her.
As for Keith, you’ve got to give him some credit because Iris is a handful. I’m not referring to her virginity when I say that, but rather, her overall lack of maturity. You could tell it took everything in him to not scream when he asked her to share the secret the expert Viviana encouraged them to reveal to one another, and sis talked about the time she swallowed a quarter as a kid. He too has done a great job of exercising patience and pulling Iris off of the ledge when she’s upset about things like empty condom boxes and her lemonade being consumed.
Both men have their flaws as well (Greg’s mansplaining, which he claimed was a joke was annoying), but it’s clear that they’re both trying as hard as they can to make their marriages work and to be understanding to the sensitivities of their partners. We don’t know if Keith and Iris or Greg and Deonna will stay together, but we’re rooting for them to do what makes them happy.
And if it doesn’t happen to work out, there are a slew of women who wouldn’t mind being the next lady in line for Keith and Greg. Seriously, though, people have been putting their bid in all season long (especially with Keith). Hit the flip to see:
