RedheadZombie

I've long felt it unfair that Meri gets a disproportionate amount of the money, meaning Mariah gets huge perks that the other kids don't. It doesn't bother me as much now, simply because the children are all having their needs met, plus some. But back in Lehi, Janelle's and Christine's kids were crammed into tiny rooms with broken down looking furniture - eating garbage while Meri eats her expensive health food. And it bothered me that while Janelle worked full time and Christine was the full time caretaker of all the kids, Meri supposedly worked part time so she could take impromptu trips with Kody. I liked Meri the first season, and I'm really lightening up on her this season. She and Mariah are much better apart (I'm speaking of on camera only) - they bring out the petulant and whiny in each other. I finally get what Meri means by her empty nest syndrome. I don't think it's because Mariah left, it's because Meri is experiencing it alone. Kody is not experiencing it with her. It may sound trivial, but I see Meri withdrawing from the rest. There's a palpable sadness about her, and she knows how many viewers feel about her. You can see her almost parsing each word she says to avoid misinterpretation or criticism. I've seen really good back and forth between Meri and Christine. On this episode, they were together explaining stuff to Christine's kids in the RV, and they were goofing around with their "Hoover Dam" thing. I think Meri has a fun side, we just haven't seen much since the first season. Meri used to (and maybe still does) sew every child in the family PJ's every Christmas, and it was a tradition for all the kids to model their new PJ's Christmas Day. I often see Meri sharing affection with the littler kids, and she was sliding down the hill with Ysabel. She also has a comfortable way of reprimanding and guiding the kids that sounds like mothering more than nagging. For instance, telling Mykelti to cover her boobs, telling Garrison to take a "potty stop", calling out the boys when they were picking on Robyn's kids. Last episode she was praising Logan and one of the other teenagers. I see real affection between Meri and all the kids. Meri is also the best at incorporating Robyn's kids into the shuffle. You're right, Janelle just doesn't show affection to the other kids - not even Christine's. She does love on Savannah, and calls her kids "honey", so I think she's just not the overtly physical type. Like Meri, Janelle also withdraws from everyone and keeps more to herself.

It was Josiah. It was when they announced the Jubilee pregnancy. Since Michelle almost died with Josie, he was understandably upset and kind of moved quickly away from the group, only to see him returned red eyed and with Jim Bob holding his arm. I think it was just typical let's pretend we're happy, rather than thinking JB man handled him. Other than possible blanket training, I don't think they use corporal punishment. I think Michelle is a lot more militant about that sort of thing, and JB probably didn't want precious Michelle to be upset.

Dayton is special needs and seems well behaved. I actually admire the way all the adults treat him - he needs a calmer approach. All the other boys, except Logan, are pretty rowdy. I think Janelle fights the big fights and lets them get away with a bit otherwise.

All my veggies came from a can growing up. I still can't eat fresh greenbeans. I like them mushy and grayish from a can. That sounds disgusting, doesn't it?

When Giada whispered advice to Lenny, she acted like she was being sneaky. It did seem like she was working extra hard to help him.

I'm the first one to say that Meri and Robyn receive preferential treatment, but I wouldn't be surprised if Janelle and Christine chose to stay in the RVs. Christine loves that sense of adventure, and Janelle is very low maintenance and loves camping. When they went to Wyoming (before Kody's dad died), the sleeping arrangements (I think) were - Janelle and kids at her mom's house, Kody/Meri at Kody's mom's house, and Christine and Robyn with kids at a hotel/motel. I'm torn on Meri. I used to really dislike her, but this season she's really growing on me. I'm not sure why, but she's more laid back, and tends to have a good sense of humor. Meri seems to be the most organized and efficient, and probably made sure she's was packed up ahead of time. The other four adults get so worked up in these situations, and I think Meri chooses to seek out the quiet, and stay out of everybody's way. I thought she said, "I have to almost break my own eyes", and CC agreed with me. I have no idea what the hell that means. She was sort of rolling her eyes at the same time, maybe that's what she was referring to? I caught Christine's comment about not having her oldest two with her, but I didn't think it was all that bad. Back when Christine cared for her own and Janelle's, I'm sure the oldest two got into a habit of helping that just never changed with the move. I absolutely despise how the Duggars enslave their older daughters, and I don't feel the comparison to them is fair. I've never gotten the impression that Christine is lazy while her kids have to do work. The Duggar girls actually do almost one hundred percent of all the work. They sleep with their "buddy" when Michelle rejects them at six months, and do all the getting up in the middle of the night, bathing, feeding, etc. When Garrison told Isabel to "stop being stupid", what female told Garrison to "stop being stupid"? At first I thought it sounded like Mykelti,, but now I think it was Janelle. I don't care if something miraculous happened while the waste was spilling - I do not want to see it TLC. Hunter isn't my favorite, but seeing him holding Solomon on his shoulders was sweet. I remember that when Solomon was born, Hunter was not a fan of Robyn's, and she was moved that Hunter chose to hold the baby right after he was born. I think Truely is just as loved as Solomon - I don't see favoritism.

For some reason, I like Emma's voice. Loreal on the other hand .... I liked Loreal at first too. She is starting to grate. I'm glad she is so passionate about her work, but the fact that it's butchering animals that really turns her on - yuck. Tonight she talked about it as if it's high art. She fulfills every stereotype I've ever heard about Texas. I think Emma could make millions recording children's books and nursery rhymes. Parents can pop the CD in at bedtime, and children can fall asleep feeling safe and secure. I'm not even kidding. She makes me want to fall asleep, but not from boredom. More like a short pleasant nap. I know what you mean about looking mean, but he doesn't seem to be. I couldn't stand him at first, but he really kept his calm and was good natured about that stupid sabotage challenge. I really liked Nicole at first, but not so much this week. Bobby seems to be the guy in charge this season. Is he supposed to be?

Poor Jenny. I wonder if she expected to cuddle in bed like they used to? That's very good for Jenny, but I feel bad for Jordyn. I don't think Jessa will be missing her much. To bad she can't accompany Jennifer.

Do you remember the episode? I don't remember that. I believe Bill married Nicki for the principle, and chose her because she did a good job of caring for Barb. I think the show has always maintained that Barb only agreed to the lifestyle after she was unable to have more children. If it's true that Bill married her for that reason, I don't think Nicki would be hurt. She believes in marrying for the principle, and once stated marrying for love would frighten her, because what would keep the couple together if that love fades. I do think Bill and Nicki have a deep connection because they share such a damaging childhood. They get each other in ways the others can't. The same is true of Nicki and Albie. I won't spoil it in case someone hasn't seen the last season, but Nicki basically tells Albie they are broken or damaged because of their childhood. It was a moving scene because they finally showed there is love between the two of them.

I agree with you. Utah was forced to ban polygamy to enter statehood. I think that's why they're more intolerant of polygamy than any other state. You can't even have families living together there. So even though LDS origins are completely polygamous (which I don't think they've ever repudiated Brigham Young or Joseph Smith for), they despise modern polygamists, and "plyg" kids are tormented by the other kids. Las Vegas seems to have a more open population, and doesn't feel the need to put on a show of fighting against polygamy.

Charming, you forgot the part where Josh rents out the house, and tells Kristen they have ten days to move - from LA to NYC. Did Sonja really complain of extreme fatigue after checking some emails? This woman is spiraling down quickly. Ramona is her last true friend on the show, and Sonja runs to Aviva and says Ramona attacked Aviva more than anyone. I used to feel a lot of empathy for her, but she is so malicious, calculating, and manipulative. I keep reading mentions that the last straw with old man Morgan was the refusal to come home when he was ill. But does anyone remember Sonja counseling someone (Kristen?) on making your husband jealous, and making him question where you're going when you leave the house. She was basically saying - give him a reason to think you're cheating, and he'll be more attentive. I saw that in a movie with Sandra Dee - wonder if Sonja gets most of her moves from 1950's era Hollywood. I've always liked Jonathan, and I think he has enough confidence not to be intimidated by Heather. He was such a good sport at dinner.

During eviction, I noticed that at least three of the ladies had the exact same shoes on. I don't know how it could be a coincidence. Does Zack remind anyone of Dr. Will? There's a vague resemblance but it seems like he studied Will's diary room personality. It's really irritating. I was not a fan. I didn't like the hoh comp. With one exception, I didn't see why people were eliminated. They better pony up the video of Cody disqualifying in Sunday's previously, or people are going to continue to call shenanigans. I really like Donny. He seems a little child-like, but I don't think he's faking. I despise Devin, and it takes a lot to distract me away from his prettiness. I don't believe for a second that he walked away from MLB for his child. I bet he was a benchwarmer in single A minors, and was tossed for his arrogance and bad attitude, as well as performance enhancing drugs. No way did this egomaniac walk away from a sport that draws adoration like baseball.

I continue to be surprised at how hard Sonja is going after LuAnn. She made another nasty crack about LuAnn stealing all the attention. I don't usually blame jealousy in these situations, but I think it's clear that Sonja is jealous of LuAnn. I think they were in London when Sonja said that LuAnn pushes everyone out of the way to make a grand entrance into a room. Sonja just doesn't understand that some women have an inherent ability to command attention in a way that doesn't involve exposing your boobs or crotch. No Bravo does not care. But as someone who's been advocating for animal welfare for years, it's refreshing that so many here are posting their disgust. I made this same mistake. I think the OP is referring to What Remains, and the bidding war was for the widows book.

It happens in next week's preview, but the chief corrects the person. She's still his wife.

Here's something that may help you - If you go to YouTube, there are three Big Love: In the Beginning episodes that are five minutes long. The first is Barb visiting with Nicki in the hospital after her first baby is born. The second is when Bill brought Margene home as the babysitter. The third is when they all lived in the same house, and the wives tell Bill they want their own houses. There's also a small clip called Catch up on Seasons 1-4.

Not me. I hate that macho bullshit. Your not a sap. You're an empathetic person who feels animals should be treated in a humane manner. I personally don't enjoy watching animals being abused as entertainment. There is a place for that cowboy stuff, and it's on the range while you're working. When those calves are sent to slaughter, they have massive internal damage. It really pissed me off that not one of the ladies had a problem with this. They're supposed to be sophisticated New Yorkers. If Kristen was absolutely in the right, I could not back her up while she wore that fucking fur coat. Even my mom snarked on that, and she had furs back in the day. Exactly. It's only a google search away to learn about rodeos. People don't care because they love the whole cowboy myth. I would think a real cowboy would find this kind of thing stupid. Heather wasn't the only hypocrite. Carole pontificates about how wrong it is to judge someone's marriage, then she says people in glass houses should not throw stones. She's being sneaky, but she's saying this - People (Kristen) in glass houses (with their own bad marriage) should not throw stones (accuse others of marriage problems). Translation - Kristen, shame on you for judging someone's marriage. People with bad marriages should not do that. You didn't fool me Carole. You just judged Kristen's marriage. Also, Carole snarked about Reid in one of her blogs - looks like bringing the husband into it to me. How is it possible that Kristen didn't predict that Josh would take Heather's side? I knew he would.

Kenya: "Don't you try that NRA hillbilly shit on me".

I took that at face value - meaning that it was the chief's father who had the breakdown. What I found confusing was this was supposed to be a small town where everyone knows everyone, but someone missed the fact that the chief is suddenly twenty years younger? Maybe the point was that there's mental illness in the family. If that was their point, it was unnecessary. The chief is barely hanging on to his sanity, his wife has temporarily lost hers, the daughter chokes a kid while he jerks off because a game told her to, and the son is involved in a cult. You know I love dogs more than most people (in both senses of the phrase), and I anthropomorphise with the best of them, but even if a dog was staring at it's master when he disappeared, the dog would not become psychologically damaged, revert to a feral state, and secretly rampage on other living creatures. Play peak a boo with a dog - they don't care. The dog would have been distracted by something else and moved on. Now if the premise is that when the humans disappeared, something horrific was seen, I could buy it. But none of the humans seemed to have seen something. Again, I'm not feeling this explanation. In the one example they used, the dog disappeared when his owner did. So my immediate thought was the dog was taken with the owner, and somehow came back - traumatized and wild from what happened. I then could buy that the feral pack experienced the same thing. It would also make sense that no one seems to know about this pack because they disappeared with the owners originally. Otherwise, if these are truly left behind dogs, they would either starve to death inside homes, be taken to shelters, or cared for by family members. I don't have a problem that the dogs became a pack. I just don't buy how they became a pack, and why the town doesn't seem to notice. I completely agree, the animal violence really disturbed me. I don't know what that says about me. I watch GoT, where there's incest, newborn baby boys left out in the cold, pregnant women being repeatedly stabbed in the abdomen, child slaves being murdered, etc. And those things have upset me and I've cried about some of them. But probably one of the most moving moments (for me) was Arya watching Robb's direwolf being killed. I'll have to rewatch, but I took the unhappy baby as being symbolic of a mother who was too distracted and disinterested to comfort him effectively. And if the baby did see something horrific, why didn't any other human witness something. How about the little boys in the parking lot whose parent disappeared while pushing a shopping cart. Maybe part of my disgruntlement relates to having watched Lost, and over analyzing everything on this show. I took Lost at face value (most of the time) and I didn't read anything online about others' frustration with the show, so it didn't add any frustration. I think it's because Lost had so much going on in the first season, that it was the immediacy of what happened post plane crash that was the focus of the show. This show, it's what happened three years ago that's relevant, and everything on the show is a result of what happened. On Lost, we know the characters and even care for the characters, then we learned something that either taught us more about the character, or even knocked our understanding on it's head. Lost was about now, supplemented by then. And I think The Leftovers is the opposite. Maybe that's why it's not working for me.

I feel a little guilty for it, but Robyn's two girls really get on my nerves. They're always in the middle of everything, and the focus of attention. It doesn't matter if it's the scene of Janelle and her children walking into their home for the first time, a scene in which the other kids are saying goodbye to the dog they grew up with, or a scene in which Kody has to watch all the children by himself. Aurora and Brianna are front and center - crying hysterically, having to be carried through seizure-like moments, or just making sure they get camera time. I'll go weeks at a time without seeing the other little kids, but I know I'll see Robyn's girls every episode. It doesn't matter whose house the camera is at, or even whose garage the guys are wrestling in - they are there. Now I try to tell myself that their incredible neediness is because they lack the attention they need. But what they do is suck up extra time the other little kids could get from Kody, and that's not fair. Christine's girls seem assertive enough to push past these two drama queens, but Savannah seems a shy little girl who seems to be forgotten at times. Regarding the trip to Missouri - I think the kids are often overly outspoken about every little thing that irritates them. But then I think of the Duggar children and how they accompany their parents everywhere (even the twenty four year old, and the twenty five year old who has kids). Their eyes glazed over and fake smiles glued on their faces - everything is precious and wonderful. Blah. I'll take these mouthy teenagers.

I didn't find the Eric/Jason scene very hot. I actually thought Ryan seemed nervous, and since he's usually a pro at these scenes, it took me out of the moment. God I hate Hoyt's mom, but calling Sam a "dog bear" was pretty funny. I'm hoping she and Lettie Mae will be thrown into a pit and have to fight it out. I'm worried Jessica's non-healing wound means she's infected. It's too HIV positive to be a coincidence. I'm hating the lynch mob. Other than Hoyt's mom, I can't tell them apart. I did appreciate Kenya's "Don't you try that NRA hillbilly shit on me". I'm a Chicago transplant to Georgia, and this is my typical comment to all the gun freaks. In Georgia, we now can carry guns into bars, churches, and the airport!I I couldn't focus on Sookie's scenes because I was so mesmerized by the hideous sweater she wore. It's hard to make Anna look chubby, but they succeeded. I'm sad that Eric's sick and all, but I don't understand the deification of Eric. I can't forget what he did to Lafayette. And poor Lafayette - he deserves happiness more than anyone. I've warmed up to Holly and I really love Arlene now. I thought the actress killed her scenes. I have no idea who Jane is - unless she's the slutty lush. I didn't even realize Ginger was with them, and I keep forgetting about Nicole - as it seems Sam has as well. I'm really feeling for those ladies. Is anyone actually looking for them? I wish they had established that all the children and elderly had been evacuated to safety, but the rest have stayed to fight for their town. Otherwise, it's just too stupid. Why aren't they looking for the vampires? They must have at least twelve hours of daylight. They could start burning down random buildings to flush them out or expose to sunlight.

Thank you PecanSandie, but I'm just realizing I posted in the wrong thread. If I was still at TWoP, I would be in big trouble!

As much as Jim Bob may think he's the decider in chief, I think it's clear Michelle controls everything. Jim Bob is a true believer, whereas Michelle is a fanatic. There's not one weird religious rule Gothard makes up that Michelle doesn't love. In fact, she'll outdo everyone and make up her own stricter rules. Jim Bob is a total dork, but he loves his kids and it shows. Michelle - I'll give her a little credit. She seems to like Josh and Josie. It's Jim Bob's overly enthusiastic personality that makes him so dorky, but at least he actually feels. So he comes roaring up your driveway with two hundred snotty kids five minutes after you give birth, and honking the horn like a lunatic. Well he's a grandpa and happy to let people know. I think Michelle tolerates Jim Bob while he worships at her feet. I've never heard him say a single bad thing - even neutral thing - about Michelle. And yet she lets everyone know that she doesn't remember meeting him the first time, he has bad breath, he's a whiny and wimpy patient, he's fat and needs to lose weight, etc. I don't have much good to say about Jim Bob, but I feel the need to give him credit where it's due. When Josie was born, I'm sure Michelle would have been happy to be martyred in childbirth, and die as a legend. I think Jim Bob was the one who pushed for the C-section, and he immediately stated that no matter what happened, their lives would never again be the same. He was appropriately solemn, and he understood how dire the circumstances. Jim Bob cried when Josh and Anna were leaving for D.C., and Michelle contorted her face in an attempt to affect sadness. I think the children are more likely to go to JB for affection than Michelle, but all Michelle has to do is wave her butt around and distract him back to her, worshipping her as she prefers. He probably believes your spouse comes before your children, and in that aspect he neglects them.

I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about, but at the reunion, Ramona was quite upset and told Andy that Cindy's brother wore a dead man's suit. I thought it was absolutely hysterical. Andy had lost all control over the reunion - Kelly was acting like a lunatic, and told Andy that she's clearing everything up or making it better, and Andy sadly shook his head and said, "You're not, you're really not". And as Andy is sitting there, practically in tears, Ramona asks him, "Would you wear a dead man's suit?" He just looks at her so sad and says, "I don't know". I love that scene because they hijacked the show and Andy was incapable of regaining control. He didn't get that flustered when Teresa threw him into his chair.

The difference (for me) between Lost and this, is I didn't feel the need to know everything in Lost - at least not until the last season. I would watch in awe, and only later wonder what it was all about. I loved most of the characters on Lost, and I felt it always had a certain amount of hope. Pilots are difficult, but I think they did too much info dumping in this show. It would be like in the first episode of Lost, we learned Locke was paralyzed before the crash, Hurley had won the lottery and it was a curse, and Sayid was an Iraqi torturer. I'm still confused about the dogs. When it was stated that the dog and owner disappeared at the same time, I thought that translated to - ok, maybe the man is coming back too. Or, maybe the man is being kept somewhere near. Instead, it seems that there's a huge pack of rampaging feral dogs that only the bald guy and now the chief can see. And the deer on the dog owner's lawn - I swear it was two different creatures stuck together, you could see the line of demarcation in the middle. The front half looked either alive, or a stuffed deer, and the back half looked like a lawn deer ornament. It was like a Twin Peaks moment. And then it disappeared - presumably under it's own steam. And how apathetic could that nasty woman be? Who cares that the dog's dead??

JFK Jr. and Anthony's mothers were sisters. They weren't linked by marriage, but by blood. I don't razz Carole about not fixing her mouth, because I love when women (Barbra Streisand) are confident in their natural looks. The thing is, Carole is not natural. Her face is filled with all kind of things - fillers and botox, and her lips have been re-sculpted. That just contradicts the whole Carole is comfortable with her looks. As does her hair extensions. I absolutely love that Heather's family tells her she can't have a nose job. I'm sure that kind of acceptance and love feeds self-worth. In return, I love that Heather respects their wishes - after all, it is her face. The reason I have problems with what Carole writes and says, is that she never has the courage to speak these things to people's faces. She's sweet at the time, then records rather nasty talking heads (where someone else is always the butt of her jokes), and writes vicious blogs. That was the root of why Luanne was so upset at the last reunion. As far as Lu knew, they got along fine. I would also be more comfortable with Carole's cruel humor if she was a little self-deprecating. She will tell a joke about herself, but she's never the bad guy - example: the guy who cancelled on her before the first date. He was the bad guy in the story. I find Aviva rather unlikeable myself, but accusing her of Munchausen's is a low blow (being accused of Munchausen's by Proxy can make you lose your kids pretty quick), as is dragging Reid into this mess. I don't care for Reid, but he manages to support his very insecure wife, and tolerates her perverted father. He practically deserves a medal. Lastly, I don't understand why the Kennedy family always gets the blame for the vampire teeth. Ethel had a mouthful of horse teeth of her own, and it's her children that seem to suffer the most from this malady.