VioletNevermind

* Kody's private dressing-down of Christine at the picnic table came off very father-daughter to me. He sat her down at the table to lecture her in the same way my dad used to when I misbehaved as a preteen. Kody's excuse that he's just trying to "manage his reactions" to Christine's wildly changing emotions and hormones is such a cop-out. I certainly don't expect them to talk through their issues in a calm, rational, mature manner, but the childishness on display during this scene was a bit much even for these two. * The Colliers. Nathan's wives appeared to be staking their territory by draping themselves all over him. Other than that, *yawn*. * For the second time so far this season, Janelle walked away from her goofy-ass family when they inevitably embarrassed her. I was happy that she distanced herself during the dinner with the Colliers, but I was a bit surprised when no one (no one) even looked up as she left the table. I continue to hope that she'll keep on walking one day, but she's in neck-deep with these people. It gets harder to leave every year. * Dayton's ATV ride scene felt SO exploitative to me. I can't imagine standing around with my "husband" to pretend to chat in front of cameras while my autistic son walks off by himself, terrified of hurting himself again. Robyn's conversation with Dayton in the car felt far too intimate to have been filmed. * Completely random observation: Nathan Collier's disgusting hat with loose threads hanging from the brim during the talking head sequences. For goodness sake, either put on a clean hat, or, even better, consider not wearing a ball cap on national television, ya jackass.

I've experienced that very same thing. I think that's why this show resonated with me so much. It's not fair to the closeted man or the woman who has to realize that her husband simply isn't as into her as he should be. I was appalled at the guy who openly flirted with other guys and pointed out how hot they were. You could clearly see the pain on his wife's face. If this becomes a series, I don't think I'll be watching.

Forgot to mention that in my post! I noticed the same thing, too. When he cursed, he reminded me of a 10-year-old boy who just said the f-word in front of his friends for the first time, like he did it to impress them or show off what a big, tough badass he is. I'd pay $100 to watch Kody work a room of emotionally healthy, successful grown women. How shocked he would be that no one would fawn over him and his ridiculous hair-tossing antics.

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt. I feel sorry for all concerned in this show, both the men and women. The men are short-changing themselves and the women are forced to deal with their husbands' same-sex attractions. I couldn't marry a man who clearly settled for being with me simply because he couldn't fully express his true self and I wouldn't want him to do that either. One woman even brought up an incident from the past where things got "out of control" when a group of men spent the night at their house. The show played up all of the old stereotypes about gay men: a love of show tunes, enjoying shopping for clothes, dishing about attractive guys, etc. I can't imagine what it must be like to feel like you have to stifle a huge part of who you are in order to remain in compliance with your religious teachings. Note to the producers: Consult a calendar. It's 2015. We're trying as hard as we can to get past this crap and you're not helping.

Boy, we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel now. I barely made it through this one. This was the first night that I've seriously considered giving this show the old heave-ho. It just isn't holding my interest like it once did, even from a rubbernecking, train wreck perspective. Nonetheless . . . * Christine, insisting that Kody's high school friend, Ken, apologize for views he expressed in a text, to the point of almost ruining a vacation? That's more random than any show topic I could have dreamed up. Ken has every right to express his opinions, as long as Kody chooses to listen to them. Christine would be wise to leave the past in the past and focus on the here and now. My humble suggestion: HER KIDS. * They made yet another trip back to the Lehi home and treated us to another shameless milking of their oppressive pasts for melancholy tears. Boo-effing-hoo. * Janelle is looking great. Her weight loss was much more apparent in this episode. * The marshmallows. I'm not exactly a "granola" sort of person, but the sight of those marshmallows floating down the creek and being thrown all over the campground made me kind of angry. My reaction if they didn't clean them up? To quote Kody, "Now I'm pissed." *rimshot*

HA! You could plug this song into any number of situations and interactions. "My Five Wives" is also absolutely RIFE with butthurt.

Forgive me if someone has already said this, but I recall from one of the early episodes that Kody very plainly said that his relationship with Janelle was and is largely platonic. That leads me to believe that her only role in the family was to work and pump out babies, both of which she did until the reality show train rolled into town. Another slap in the face for Meri, who has fertility issues. Not that I'm supporting Meri at all, but I think that explains a lot. I'm sure Kody's ham-fisted handling of the situation didn't help at all. If anything, he probably enjoyed watching the two women duke it out, in competition for his love and affection. (I. Hate. Kody.)

I'm amazed as I'm reading this and I think there's some validity to the notion of Kody deciding largely on the fly where he'd like to spend his time. I just assumed that the Brown families had a rotation like the Williams clan. That would certainly be more fair than allowing Kody to pick and choose night by night. The rampant favoritism would explain why they have such interpersonal drama. What an unapologetic ass he is. Next week's episode should be interesting. (Kody: "And now I'm pissed!")

For once, I can't say one snarky thing. This was one of the most substantive episodes of any reality show I've seen. Bill is definitely to be admired for his stoicism and good-natured attitude and Jen did a fine job as his rock. The kids were handled very well by all of the grandparents. I wish everyone luck and look forward to next season.

Oh my God, you almost got me into trouble at work. I've never seen a better depiction of Kody's . . . umm . . . "dance moves."

Ahh, the Sunday night hate fests have begun anew . . . * Janelle's honesty re: her mortification at Kody and her sister wives' boisterous outbursts. I relate to Janelle more than any of these poor women. Kudos to her for refusing to participate in the ridiculous dance routine. I wish she would jump off of this sinking ship (again). * Mykelti. Oh, girl, that orange headband! That face full of makeup! Those drawings! She really thinks she's hot shit. I was reminded of an old sketchpad that my mom found recently from when I was in junior high. It was filled with drawings of dresses, horses, my own face with a single tear on my cheek, and princesses being rescued by white knights. Back then, I viewed the drawings as the musings of a sensitive, tender, romantic, and deeply talented artist. Now, they look like what they are: teenage crap. Mykelti needs to be reminded that just because you want to embark on a certain career, doesn't mean that you can. Time for her to explore other options. (It needs to be noted that Kody was a massive douchebag when he discussed it with her. He openly rolled his eyes.) * Dayton. That kid talks more maturely than any of the adults. I was so impressed with how well he expressed himself when he was talking about his upcoming surgery. It looks like things turned out well. (Also, no anesthesia! Damn.) * The dance for the graduation party. Dear God Almighty. There's nothing Kody loves more than swooshing that mop of thinning hair around and dancing spastically in front of a crowd of politely clapping guests. I could barely watch without cringing. * They're still plugging away at My Sisterwife's Closet. At what point do they give up on the hope of receiving that loan? No one wants to buy overpriced, silver-plated crap that only applies to a very niche market. And Robyn complaining that she's working too hard to have another baby? Boohoo, lady. The last thing these people need is another baby. How about some JOBS? Kody's portrayal in the graduation film as a "video game-playing loser" was absolutely laughable. Take the beer bottle out of his hand and put him in a hipster shirt that's 20 years too young for him and you have present-day Kody.

I'm almost ashamed to admit how excited I am for the return of this show tonight. I'm watching reruns on TLC now to get all pissed off and irritated in preparation. I'm pleased to report that my loathing for Kody survived the last few months intact and stronger than ever! I can't wait to see how far they drag out the true reason for Janelle's "therapy sessions," to say nothing of the supposed "other woman moving into the house." I look forward to weeks of smoke and mirrors, plots that go nowhere, and discussions about mission statements and the direction of the family while no one works and 20-some children need to eat.

I had no idea that this show even existed until I saw a preview for it while watching a Supernanny rerun this afternoon. I was kind of shocked to see that the Bates are taking another stab at reality TV. As others have said, a few things were very refreshing when viewed through the Duggar lens. The Bates are almost ridiculously normal and real. Kelly is a true mom: no crazy eyes, no ferociously-protected "me time," no sanctimonious proselytizing to the kids at every opportunity. She genuinely seems to enjoy her children. The kids are a pleasant surprise, too. For starters, they act like kids, for lack of a better description. In particular, the girls don't act like brainless automatons, only there to cook TTC, raise their unruly siblings, and otherwise act as indentured servants. My heart hurts every time I see Jana Duggar shoving yet another huge pan of food into the industrial oven while her younger siblings gallivant and enjoy things that every young person should be doing. Unless we just haven't seen it yet, I didn't notice a trace of that with the Bates. Kelly is right in there with everyone else, working, unlike J'Chelle, who would rather do anything but laundry or, God forbid, cook a meal for her children. Now for the issues that I see. The Bates may be refreshingly normal, but at the end of the day, they're still just another Bible-thumping family with 19 kids (and counting?). Based on the previews for next week's episode, we will be treated to explanations of how the bride and groom have "decided to save their first kiss for marriage." Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. I think these similarities are exactly what sunk the Bates' other show. It's just more of the same, although slightly less annoying and off-putting. That brings me to my final point. I am convinced that most of the reason why the Duggars' show is so popular is that people are interested in the train wreck aspects of it. Whether they like it or not, the Bates will always be compared to the Duggars, as I'm sure they're aware. I don't see this show succeeding.

As much as I genuinely enjoy this show, I'm glad that this season is over. I can't stand to watch Danielle's public humiliation by that asshole one more hour. She may deserve the derision that's been thrown her way because of her deplorable decisions that have affected her daughters, but this is terrible. I can't fathom how Danielle is allowing this. Can her self-esteem really be so bad that she honestly believes that "acceptable" translates to "beautiful?" She sat there, clinging to him like a barnacle on a ship, while he blatantly insulted her as a person and woman in every possible way. Mohammed should be hogtied and shipped back to Tunisia tonight, Danielle should be forcibly enrolled in a life skills program for developmentally disabled adults, and her daughters should be given the opportunity to choose where they'd like to live out the remainder of their teen years. Cassia! I was so impressed with her new, more mature look. No more cat eyes and horrible ombre hair! She looked lovely and Jason conducted himself much more reasonably than how he was portrayed during the season. Cassia is very, very young, but I have high hopes for her. Amy looked lovely, as usual. I absolutely hated the host's sex questions. At what point can these kids look at people, smile politely, and say, "Sorry, that's really none of your effing business and it's a little creepy that you're even asking?" I don't want to know what their first night of sex was like. I want to know that Amy will have a good life in her new country, surrounded by that bunch of nosy nuts. I was relieved to hear that that nasty old codger had cleaned up his act. She seems to be a strong, levelheaded girl; I think she'll be fine regardless of what happens. Evelin and Justin. Great big MEH again. Still don't care, never did. Brett and Daya. Again, Cassidy is the most important part of that equation. I never warmed to Daya after her performance during the first several episodes. Brett's mother is a fool for perpetuating the argument by keeping her distance. Way to alienate yourself from your son and granddaughter. Chelsea and Yamir. Chelsea had better have a job if she wants to get out of her parents' basement. If they don't have their own place by now, it's officially ridiculous. I can understand Yamir's employment challenges, but there's no reason why Chelsea shouldn't have a job. I wonder if it's occurred to Yamir that his chances of making it in America as a "pop star" are remote, at best, and it might be time to redirect his focus. He's still cute and I'm honestly pulling for him, but it's time to get real. I already can't wait for the next season! I want to see what happens when a couple decides not to get married (you know, like Danielle should have done).

* Chelsea and Yamir: Once again, Chelsea was in desperate need of a good hair-washing and a scrubdown with a big, soapy brush. She's a nice-looking girl, but that scraggly hair makes her look somewhat dirty and unkempt. Would an updo have killed her? Also, why didn't she take off the extraneous rings during the ceremony so that her special moonstone creation could shine through? As for her dress, um . . . yeah. I sure hope that wasn't the intended end result of mom's handiwork. When I saw the tablecloth-covered haystacks that served as seating at the wedding, I thought, "Of course!" Yamir melted me into a puddle of goo when he called Chelsea his "sunflower of the north." All snark aside (for once), that was a beautiful thing to say. I really do like him a lot. I'm a sucker for sweet boys who love their mamas. I hope he gets to do what he wants to do in life instead of just going along with whatever Chelsea wants to do. * Jason and Cassia: Jason is still a cheap, disrespectful, selfish, socially backward ass. He seems like the kind of guy who would blow up and do very scary things when he's drunk and/or angry. This travesty doesn't quite reach Mohammed/Danielle levels, but I would bet my life on it not lasting, Cassia's hair looked absolutely horrible at the wedding. Her starkly ombre hair looked awful in an updo. On the upside, her makeup was much improved, but still very 1980's, with every feature highlighted. I was just happy for the cat-eye to have a much-deserved day off. Jason's poor dad tried as hard as he could to not touch Cassia's bare back, but with a dress like that, what could he do? * Mohammed and Danielle: Danielle creates such a weird guilt issue for me. On one hand, it's more than obvious that she has developmental and emotional issues. The last thing I want to do is snark on someone who can't adequately defend themselves, but she has a house full of minor daughters! I loved that the one daughter who always speaks for the rest basically said, "We don't give a shit whether he's here or not." Danielle seems to have this deluded fantasy that the girls are sitting around, crying and pining over their daddy like they're a close-knit family going through a tough divorce. Give me a royal effing break. As for Mohammed leaving, I have no issue with that. Yes, that arrogant fuck only came to America for the green card and did/does not love Danielle, but still. This little endurance test certainly blew up in his face, didn't it? * Evelin and Justin: Still one big "meh" for me. I never could convince myself to care about these two, although I do think Evelin is a genuinely nice girl who deserves happiness. I'm just not sure that she'll find that long-term with Justin. *Brett and Daya: These two still repulse me. Married or not married- who cares? The most important person in that scenario is Cassidy.

Thank you, I thought I was going nuts or there was something wrong with my hearing. What a wackadoo episode this was. I'm going to catch it again on the rebound at 11 and post then. I still loathe Mohammed. What a jackass (that's kind).

No flaming here; I love it. My daughter is 14, so I didn't have those electronic crutches, but I don't think I would have used them if I had. Same goes for DVD players built into the headrests of cars so kids can spend entire car rides watching a screen. Whatever happened to singing songs in the car, or God forbid, reading or coloring? I very rarely feel this persnickety and granola about something, but when it comes to kids (babies, really) and devices, I think less is more. Every time I see a baby in a stroller or playpen with an iPhone or iPad in its hands, I feel sad. Anyway, this episode was a bit of snooze for me. I've been feeling this way since the middle of last season. I love the kids (Zoey is beyond adorable) and I'm very pleased with their obvious development and flourishing, but the rest of it is pretty boring, in my opinion. It's as if Bill and Jen have gotten too big for their britches in a way. I'm glad that they have the financial freedom (with TLC's help) to have so much disposable income, but the whole beach house scene was kind of off-putting. I think it would be interesting to see what their lives would be like if they didn't have so much money. Now, there's a more accurate reflection of what actual little people and their families deal with. That being said, if they want that beach house and they can afford it, more power to them. The kids are very, very lucky to have been adopted by Bill and Jen. I was honestly worried about Will's speaking abilities last season, but given his hearing challenges, I think he's doing great. Sometimes, I compare and contrast Will's parents' handling of his special needs with Josie Duggar's idiot parents' handling of hers. There's just no comparison. As for that poor fish, Bill could have at least dipped it back into the water every minute or so to give it a fighting chance. Sheesh.

This show barely holds my interest anymore, not even enough to snark on it. The only relevant thing I have to say is that the Brady body pillow fight scene at the end was seriously weird. I actually had to look away at one point, it was so demeaning and bizarre. I don't understand how someone can get to the point in their lives where this stuff seems normal and acceptable. (Also, the Long Island Medium "knock and shock" BS was seriously annoying. Get that ridiculous harpy and her disgusting fingernails off my screen!)

Nothing whatsoever about Theresa Caputo makes sense to me, from the absurd fingernails, to the screechy voice, to the awful hair, to the fake "readings." The whole "knock and shock" thing seemed very contrived. Those ladies were really dressed in their Sunday best, with impeccable hair, and ready to receive visitors at a moment's notice? Yeah, right. I think the fingernails bother me the most. I mean, how does she do anything with those protuberances hanging off of her fingertips? I don't understand and I don't think I care to either.

Excellent points. I noticed that Amy was forced to sit next to his dad. At first, I thought she did it as a bridge-building tactic, but no. On the second viewing, I realized that it was the only place she could sit. Danny is still very much a child. This marriage will be difficult for Amy.

First of all, poor Amy. She seems like such a sweet girl who was obviously raised very well by a loving family. Danny's father was terribly rude to her, refusing to even shake her hand, unless it was edited out to heighten the drama. Knowing TLC, I wouldn't doubt it. I understand that Danny's dad is an older man, from what will probably be the last generation with very narrow-minded views on life and race. I can almost give him a break when I consider it from that perspective, but he should make more of an effort to build a relationship with the woman his son will spending the rest of his life with (presumably). Dude is stuck in the 1950s. I don't place any blame on Danny's mother for not speaking up when her husband said those things. She's been married to this man for decades and is not about to rock the boat. Amy is class personified and could do so much better than this. Brett and Daya: Ugh. Still. As grateful as I am that we weren't subjected to discussions of Daya's status as a so-called 'insta-mom" this week, I'm still repulsed by them both. That poor little girl, stuck in the middle of this mess. Why doesn't Brett move to the same state his daughter lives in so he can have a more consistent visitation schedule? Side note: Brett's friend Sue seems like a passive-aggressive busybody. Jason and Cassia: Jason continues to fulfill his destiny as a boring, nebbish man who has his balls in a vice. Cassia's insistence that he not have a bachelor party is a little silly. It's possible to have a bachelor party that doesn't involve snorting lines of coke off a stripper's ass. Her pronouncement that he skip the party doesn't bode well for Jason's marital sanity. Also, as an Amazon seller, I totally get the excitement of a new sale. I give him a pass on that, but he should probably take periodic breaks from his phone for the sake of his "relationship." I continue to like Jason's dad. I can't help but appreciate his laid-back style. That poor old guy is just watching the train wreck as it happens. Justin and Evelin: Meh for the third week in a row (but his passive-aggression and jerking his mom around is getting old). Evelin seems like the nicest, most real girl aside from Amy. Danielle and Mohammed: Once again, I want to scream. Danielle is an idiot. Do I recall correctly that she was working as a healthcare aide? I could be wrong, but I think it was some sort of low-skill job like that. My only reaction during the scene where Danielle finally admitted to being fired was to laugh at Mohammed. This certainly isn't turning out to be the gravy train he thought it would be, is it? I love the fact that he came all the way here for the purpose of shafting a lonely, middle-aged woman, but ended up in a situation that is mostly likely worse than the one he left behind in Tunisia. Time for the next prospect/victim, right, Mohammed?

I hear you, but he seems to be one of the only people in her life who dares to speak the truth. And he's right! There's no way in hell this "relationship" will last, especially since it was never a relationship in the first place.

I also neglected to go into detail about Rosemary's diet plan. How degrading, to have to do this on national television. I think the family decathlon is a cute idea, but I hate that they're connecting it so closely to Rosemary's weight loss efforts. This storyline really highlights how much privacy and basic human dignity people on reality shows willingly relinquish for the sake of money. Also, the wife who jokingly requested a "raise in her allowance" during the weekly meeting! Wow. I can't imagine what it feels like to be a fully grown "married" woman who has to ask her husband for an allowance. F*** that, seriously.

This show is starting to stray too far into "Sister Wives" well-worn territory. Jealousy! A wife wants to lose weight! The husband isn't spending enough one-on-one time with one or more of the wives! Yawn. I hate to say it, but as dysfunctional as this family is, I don't think they're dysfunctional enough to merit a reality show. Besides, the Browns already have quite a secure lock on televised polygamous dysfunction. Who the hell does Brady think he is, insisting on a weekly night in his "man cave?" Talk about wanting to have your cake and eat it, too. I know men with one wife and only a couple of kids who would love a weekly night of total solitude, but don't dare act on it because they realize that they have responsibilities. Brady has over two dozen responsibilities. He is beyond arrogant and selfish. I can't stand his holier-than-thou demeanor. Absolom made a comment above about how the numbers for this show are dipping low enough that cancellation might be in sight. I'm not surprised.

Oh, Amy. I'm certainly no Judy Garland, but Amy's voice simply isn't good enough for what they're trying to create for her. As Randy Jackson used to say, she's "a little pitchy, dawg." That song has gotten old fast. The music video segment at the end made me cringe for her. I can't tell if Amy is honestly pursuing this, or the producers are just using her. That Jamie guy is doing her no favors. Amy is a passable karaoke singer at best. I feel mean saying this stuff, but if she's trying to make a career of this at the age of 28, it might be time for a change in plans. At what point does Amy hang this crap up, create a resume, and get a secretarial job? Does Amy realize that, with enough money, anyone can buy studio time and "produce" a music video? This whole thing reminds me of kid's beauty pageants. They all think they're winning when they're actually paying ungodly amounts of money for what is nothing more than an expensive, pointless hobby.