I think Jade has handled all the shit that has been thrown at her in the space of 24 hours very, very well. She is showing the inner strength that she has always had but doesn't realize is there. I know she is receiving help from the other HMs and I think it's lovely that they seem to want the best for her. If she comes out of this experience knowing more about who she is and confident in her own skin, then no matter what happens, she's a winner.
Having said that, I am really not fond of the new narrative that paints Ed an asshole and Tim and Drew the heroes because reality, as usual, is more complicated than this limited view.
First of all, there's the fact that the only reason that Ed was forced to choose between Jade and Tim that week was because Drew nominated her. Yes, Drew ended up being the "hero" that week but it's definitely complicated. The irony is that Jade was always safe that week and it was mainly because Matt was up there that Ed was safe at all so Drew's act saved Ed rather than Jade. Tim saving her the following week was all about getting Tully out, not wanting to keep Jade in. Tim, of course, used his saving her as his own manipulative tool, both on Jade and on the audience. He set up the narrative of the fool vs. Prince Charming, with Jade as the arrogant princess who didn't appreciate the generous acts of the fool.
Ed nominating Jade is complicated by the fact that he nominated Tahan as well, even though she was one of his closest friends in the house at that time. His mentality was that he was alone and he was playing only for himself, a perfectly valid approach. This is not to say he was not a hypocrite about the whole nomination thing with Drew and Tim. But that's complicated as well, because in some ways he was just defending Jade and Jade WASN'T being a hypocrite. She had very valid reasons for being upset with the boys, particularly since they gave such horrible reasons for her nomination. Tim certainly can feel that Ed's claim that Ed had a different approach to the game than Tim was invalid, but it doesn't negate the fact that Jade still is entitled to make that claim and Ed is entitled to support her in doing so, no matter what his own behavior may be.
As someone who wants Jade to get all the sympathy and votes possible out of the "he done her wrong" narrative, I applaud the shift in attitude I'm seeing towards her. I just want to remind everyone that these relationships are complicated and certainly not zero sum. I think Jade is way too good for Ed, and I would love for her to come to that realization that she deserves better but I also think it's important for her to not just jump between the "good guy" and "bad guy" narratives when considering how she wants to think about all of her relationships in the house. She was blind about Ed's flaws before, ONLY focusing on those flaws is not necessarily a healthier option.
