Warning! The following contains spoilers for the 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days episode "The Dark Is Rising." Stream it with a Max subscription, and read at your own risk!
Niles Valentine is seemingly in over his head trying to figure out the logistics of this knocking ceremony, especially after getting Matilda Nti to agree to postpone the wedding. The 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days cast member hit another roadblock in the ceremony, as he had no idea he needed a family to represent him at the ceremony to ask for his Ghanaian fiancé's hand in marriage. Fortunately, Matilda had a mysterious family friend named Mr. Arc who agreed to be Niles' Ghanian "father," but I wonder if the American can trust him.
This storyline continues to keep me patient for the start of the 2025 TV schedule, though I'm already hoping Mr. Arc is a part of the next year of 90 Day Fiancé programming. Let's talk more about this new dude springing up in the story and why I feel skeptical about his involvement in the knocking ceremony.
Mr. Arc Was Brought In To Play Niles' "Father" For The Knocking Ceremony
As previously mentioned, Niles needed family present at the knocking ceremony for it to align with tradition. As his family did not make the trip to meet Matilda, she suggested he go to a family friend and village elder named Mr. Arc, who could speak as his father and guide him on Ghanaian customs. Matilda warned Niles that Mr. Arc was a bit strange, and she might've undersold that.
Mr. Arc embraced the role of Niles' father a bit too strongly, I would argue. Almost immediately, he berated Niles for not seeing him before he'd spoken to Matilda's family, and also for not following his guidance on preparing for the knocking ceremony.
Despite his loose involvement, he was also unhappy to hear that the wedding would not occur until later, as that did not align with Ghanaian tradition. He's an eccentric bright spot in a largely unlikable cast in Before The 90 Days Season 7, but I think Mr. Arc forgot at some point that he's not actually Niles' father.
Does Mr. Arc's Association With Matilda's Family Make Him A Bad Fit For This Role?
I know I had issues earlier this season with Brian Muniz's frank sex conversations with his sister, but I'd consider that to be fairly normal in relation to this father figure sitch. Mr. Arc speaks to Niles as though he actually is his father all throughout the episode, and they literally had just met in person that day. It'd be a smart move if this were a sitcom plot, but not so much for real life.
It's awkward at best, but at worst I fear it could be deliberate in a way to pressure Niles into doing things he doesn't want to do.
I think Mr. Arc's confusing behavior, paired with Niles admitting early on that being in Ghana has sent his struggles with autism into overload, is a bit concerning. I think that, while Arc is giving some good advice, some of the other things like demanding the wedding happen now is suspicious, and he's taking advantage of someone who may not be equipped to process all of this information on his own.
Let's remember that Matilda wanted to get married on this trip and that Mr. Arc is a friend of her family. As much as I'd like to trust his intentions are pure, I wonder if he's looking out for her and the family's best interests and manipulating Niles ever so slightly to help out some people he knows well. I hope that's not the case, but I'll have to keep streaming 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days Season 7 to see how this story finishes.
90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days airs on TLC on Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. I'm still hooked to this season despite my frustrations with the cast, and I can't wait to hear what else we learn about this season when the tell-all specials finally start.
