Welcome To Plathville's Olivia Boldly Debuts Her New Boyfriend

Fans of the reality TV series Welcome To Plathville will be very familiar with cast member Olivia, who over the course of the series married and divorced the Plath family's eldest son, Ethan. In the most recent season, Olivia and Ethan officially sign the divorce papers, and Olivia finds herself single for the first time in years.

As Olivia ventured back out into the dating pool, however, it didn't seem to take long before she found someone of whom she was very fond. Though at first Olivia kept this new relationship quiet, hardly speaking about it on the show, now she's finally ready to make her new relationship public.

Olivia's New Beau Makes His On-Screen Debut

After months of mentioning her new mystery man in passing, Olivia finally debuted her new relationship on camera, and viewers got to meet Brendan for the first time. The two apparently met when Olivia was photographing a wedding on the East Coast and Brendan was the dog walker who brought the couple's pet to the shoot. He and Olivia hit it off, and the two had been in constant communication ever since. Brendan told the cameras that he felt one of the initial things they bonded over was their mutual love for animals.

The next step in their relationship seemed to be introducing Brendan to another important person in Olivia's life—her sister, Lydia Grace. The two had only ever met once in passing, so now they'd finally get the chance to sit down and really get to know one another.

Olivia talked to the cameras about her dating journey, and how she'd taken a while to assess what it really was she was in search of:

I couldn't decide for a long time if my desire for a monogamous committed relationship was conditioning from how I grew up or if it was what I actually wanted. And I gave myself some time to figure it out and come to terms with things in my own way, which is [that] I am built for long-term relationships.

For his part, Brendan seemed to be very understanding of the situation. Though he'd noted that it was his first time dating someone who was divorced, he was also aware that her relationship with Ethan had been over long before then.

The Sweethearts Appear Smitten With One Another

Unlike the end of her marriage with Ethan, the scenes of which often felt cold or even awkward, Olivia appears incredibly lovey-dovey with Brendan—so much so that the producers even point out how often the couple says "I love you" to one another. Brendan said he knew he loved Olivia very early on, but that he waited to tell her until they'd been dating for a couple of months so he didn't sound crazy. Olivia said she was grateful he did, though, because she was also ready to say it back.

It seems that things are getting serious for the couple in more ways than one. They also shared with the cameras that they'd already gotten matching tattoos; they each sport a small turtle, an homage to a photo shoot that Olivia did in the Caribbean that Brendan tagged along for. She noted that she still had her old tattoo that she'd gotten with Ethan, and that it was a reminder of the first 25 years of her life that felt like a separate chapter from her life today.

Olivia Talks About The Longterm With Brendan

As Olivia and Brendan toured the sights of Sedona, Arizona, they remarked on how comfortable and at ease they were with one another. Several times over the course of the episode, Olivia comments that she "loves doing life" with Brendan, and already it seems like the two are talking about what spending the rest of their lives might look like together.

Despite expressing that she certainly wasn't ready for marriage again, Olivia did tell the producers how much her new boyfriend had changed the way she saw relationships. She spoke even more candidly about the shift in perspective she'd since had:

I feel like this is the first time in my life that I can see myself having a home where I feel like I belong somewhere, and it's so much more about the person than the location. And I don't think I realized that I was missing that key ingredient before.

Things with Brendan are so comfortable, it seems, that Olivia noted that she felt like the more "Type A" one in the couple at times, a complete switch from her previous marriage to Ethan. The change was a nice one for Olivia to observe, and she took it as a sign that her newfound relationship was headed in a much healthier direction.

"It's kind of crazy," she said. "The more you feel seen and understood and safe and loved, regardless of anything, by the person you're with, it's kind of crazy how that makes you feel more in love with them." It seems that Olivia is continuing to learn what a deeper kind of love and understanding looks like for her, realizing she now has the kind of connection that she once only dreamed about.

The smitten couple ended their weekend in Sedona with a romantic bath outdoors, taking the opportunity to kiss beneath the stars. As things continue to progress for the two, the rest of the season teases Brendan meeting Olivia's sister, Lydia Grace, who's known for being extra protective of her sister.

Only time will tell if Olivia and Brendan are able to manage blending their lives, introducing their partner to their loved ones, and keeping up their long-distance relationship. Until then, Welcome To Plathville continues to air each Tuesday on TLC. Episodes of this season and past seasons can be found on both Hulu and HBO.