StayingAfterSunday

I excerpted this from your astute post, MrSmith. As another poster upthread also mentioned, it seems like an awful lot of work trying to act younger than your age; in the Darcy/Jesse pairing we're talking nearly two decades. A mother of two in her forties surely has much more to say than what we've seen of her thus far, which boils down to varied nods and mumbled assents during Jesse's reprimands. Darcy is going to continue to "dumb down" to meet Jesse at his level and to appease him - whether it's to make herself look like a compliant young girl or to simply avoid an argument. Either way, she's shortchanging herself and looking foolish all the while. This is too funny, Sprockets! I now have the above image in my head, and have decided to postpone lunch 'til much later. About those panties: Abby, no doubt, is making a killing selling off those panties to her co-workers in the sex trade- the sexier panties command a higher price, I'll bet. Surely Sean suspects as much, which makes it seem almost disingenuous for him to react with such jealousy over Chris. So Chris is just one of many. If I'm interpreting this whole sordid mess accurately, Sean is okay with Abby sleeping with assorted "johns," but not with one, particular person (Chris). And, if this observation is right, it makes me distrust Sean's motives as much as he professes to distrust Chris' intentions with respect to Abby.

I am so glad to see someone address this aspect of the relationship: The work involved! It strikes me, too, as stressful, trying to look and act much younger than her actual age. How can the older woman (Darcey) be herself when she is self conscious about everything she does so as not to draw even more attention to the age gap?

I agree that she did not seem all that drunk. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Jesse's overreaction to Darcey's drinking might suggest that he has a family history of alcoholism/substance abuse. On the "Red Flags" episode Jesse tells Darcey, "Promise me you'll never drink again," a demand that seems unreasonable on surface, but now I'm wondering if more went on behind the scenes that was not shown on t.v. For instance, in a private conversation it could be that Darcey admitted to Jesse that she has a problem with alcohol and that "it would never happen again," or words to that effect. It's possible Jesse was just reiterating and confirming what the two had already discussed. Just a thought...

Weird; I just went to turn on the A/C in my house and the thermostat is a "Lux." So Kailyn is going to call him Lux or Lo? Lux is Latin for "light."

GreatKazu, Thanks for noticing that! I fixed it.

I'm wondering how much more can she get from him? Larry has said, countless times, that he used his 401K on her. I think she's already sucked the well dry; he didn't say how much money he'd spent on her, but he did say he'd been contributing to the 401K for ten years and, from the way he's been talking, it sounds as though he used it all up -- on lifeless, manipulative Jenny.

I have something similar, and it came on gradually, but had nothing to do with pregnancy. I have my theories on what it is but that's for another board (health). Brittany's skin has never looked clear. She may be acne-prone or have some food allergy that affects her complexion. The physical feature of Brittany that I think seems a bit "much" is her extremely generous "derriere." I don't remember her ass looking so massive in previous episodes. Maybe it's another side effect of pregnancy? Or it could be the cheap flat-screen t.v. I'm using to watch the show. Seems like everyone on the t.v. appears short and squat - even people who are possibly quite thin in person.

Eurekagirl, yes, I imagine losing a child is all of those words; I am so sorry.

Yep, I caught the spoiled-and-entitled vibe from her the moment she walked out of that pageant the first night.

I remember reading the online news story of her death; very pretty girl, too. Hmmm. Not sure if what we're seeing on t.v. is a facade. Perhaps participation on a reality show may serve as a sort of therapy for parents still grieving the loss of their child. I have never lost a child but know plenty of people who have and the pain, no doubt, is always present, despite appearances to the contrary. Sometimes I think the hardest job you'll ever have (besides raising children) is losing one and trying to act normally in spite of it.

Oh, I love it! And so true. I've also observed two types of older "Cougars" trying to keep their younger guy, and they are: The cougar who dumbs down in order to seem younger. She will try to dress in a way that may seem inappropriate and unattractive in order to "look young." She may say phrases and use words typically spoken by teens and young adults, and she will often pout (Darcie) and display "cutesy" or coquettish mannerisms often exhibited by much younger women. She might also find it awkward when in the company of her boy toy and/or his (younger) friends the topic of conversation concerns an event or news story that occurred at a time she can easily recall - or at a time when her boy toy was just a small child or, worse, not yet born. It strikes me as stressful, in a way, for a woman to be so conscious of herself, her appearance, and her words, in order to draw less attention to the age difference between herself and her "love." But even sadder is: The cougar who really is the developmental age of her boyfriend. For these women it's just another day in the park (or bar) acting like 22-year-olds when they are, in fact, 42. They're none the wiser as to how they may appear to others. It's just the way they "roll." And it sure seems a lot easier than the first type of cougar.

It's probably not so difficult to "fall in love" when your interactions have not extended beyond the internet. My mother used to say, "It's easy to love somebody, but try living with them." I still think Jesse's affections for older women stem from his attachment to his rather unconventional mother. He may feel as though younger women might be too judgmental about his mother and stepfather's lifestyle and, as he admitted, his prospective girlfriend(s) and his mother must have a good rapport; otherwise, it's a "deal breaker." As for Jesse possibly showboating his body, that's a possibility, but I think he is very good looking. I would not be at all surprised to learn his motives for his being on the show include the exposure should he pursue acting (which we already may safely assume) and/or modeling. Darcey looks every bit of her 42 years - and then some - without her warpaint. It was shocking - and somewhat pathetic - to see her barefaced and crying the day after the drinking and hiding-in-the-bushes debacle. Clearly, Darcey is reaching the point of despair regarding the likelihood of a future with Jesse. Finally, I think I detect a correlation between Jesse's disapproval of Darcey's wine consumption and his mother's drinking. His reaction, as unreasonable as it appeared, may originate in his family history of alcoholism or substance abuse. Based on the limited amount of screen time we've seen of his mother and stepfather, I am going to speculate that both of them enjoy their "cocktails" a tad too much. Assuming I'm correct on this hunch, then Jesse may have a knee-jerk response to seeing others, particularly someone he's dating, inbibe to excess. He may have good reason to be worried since Darcey had been drinking with his mother earlier that same day and evidently didn't stop there. She went out afterwards to a bar, suggesting the possibility, however remote, of a problem.

Yes, I know how you feel. As for Monroe, she may simply be a high-energy, intelligent person like Jeff. Don't know much about her biological mother's personal traits, etc

And another emphatic Yes! to everything above. Very insightful post. I'll add another thought. Jenny gives off a vibe that suggests she possesses a more sinister side as opposed to Abby, who seems to be more of a novice at this game. Jenny makes me shudder - the way she speaks, the way she looks at Larry (as though he is nothing more than some deformed object that she hasn't yet figured out how to operate).

When watching her episodes I cannot take my eyes off her lipliner. I realize these are older reruns but if we ever see her again I'd like to see her with lipstick sans the liner. Do these women not see themselves with a critical eye, or is really all about the commission? Then there's Joan, Director of Sales, with her neglected eyebrows. Don't even get me started on some of the consultants' yellow teeth highlighted by the wrong shades of lipstick.

They look like mechanical mannequins, but that's the whole idea. The models are there to hold up the clothes; essentially, they are no more than human hangers with measurements best suited for showcasing the clothing. Their faces, while pretty most of the time, are not supposed to distract the audience from the main objective: Viewing the dresses.

Not to mention that Haiti doesn't exactly have the best reputation from a Christian perspective. Christian missionaries were descending on Haiti in droves in recent years to rid them of practicing voodoo and the demonic entities associated with it. There's a saying that goes something like, "Haiti is 70 percent Catholic, 30 percent Protestant, and 100 percent Vodou.” Judging from Sean's freaked-out expression during the voodoo cleansing episode, maybe he should re-think his future, and just send Abby and her rash back to Chris in the Dominican Republic.

My instincts tell me that Myriam played Patrick all along. She had no intention of ever making him her boyfriend, let alone spouse. Myriam got herself extended face time on television and got reimbursed for it thanks to the network, and that's all she wanted from her meeting with Patrick and anything that happens from this point forward. She is that obvious. Patrick is naive and a romantic, just yearning to tell the world about his "belle femme" in Paris. If he were truly interested, though, he would not have shown up wearing those clown rags, which suggests a lack of self awareness; conversely, it may reflect self importance in that he thinks he is so special he can dress whichever way he desires, and people will still love him. I call it seriously delusional. I think Karine was smitten, at least during the internet communications with Paul, by his blue eyes. Didn't she say something along those lines? Now that she's got him there in person, though, his blue eyes alone may not prove sufficient to keep her interested. I noticed that although he is considerably older than Karine -- he is 34, and she is 21 or so? -- he is immature, lacks life experience, and even looks young for his age. To that end, Karine will not be getting a man with whom she can feel secure and cared for. Rather, his neurotic, phobic nature may translate to her taking care of him. The Darcie-Jesse match is pitiful. Darcie, what in the world are you thinking? Jesse, I think you either have a mother fixation or you, too, are using reality television as your gateway to fame. Welcome to reality t.v. and all of its wanna-be actors. Intelligence doesn't really play as large a role as one would think when the subject at hand happens to be "love." I know plenty of advance-degreed individuals out there who've been married two and three times, yet are still scouring the globe for that "special someone." I hardly think Jesse is stupid, and I do not think the other guy (the one "in love" with the girl from Haiti) lacks intelligence, either. There are romantics who can't see beyond the fairy tale. They believe what they want to believe when it comes to love, even as the fantasy they've created crashes down around them.

No, I don't believe it, either, Sunnybebe. With respect to Monroe's problem, I noticed Jeff referred to her as "high needs." Yes, that description certainly seems to fit. Nervous systems vary widely and it could be that she has inherited her father's high-strung temperament. On the other hand, she may just have an abundance of energy and curiosity which may bloom into something positive: A passion for living, perhaps? Enviable, to say the least. There are all sorts of in-between explanations, too, including the effect her parents, particularly Gage, may be having on her. Children, even infants, possess a keen sensitivity to the moods and emotions of those around them. As others have noted, Gage's hair-trigger responses every time the baby so much as whimpers may serve to make things worse, not better. Will Monroe's "high needs" manifest into something requiring medical attention? It's anyone's guess since neurological problems and emotional issues often go undiagnosed until a child enters school. Take, for instance, autism, with the most recent data available showing Los Angeles as the county with the highest numbers in the state of California. http://www.autismsocietyca.org/autism-increase.html Of course, even bringing this subject into the discussion with respect to a little baby may be viewed as premature, but it's worth a mention, from a general perspective, because of the increase in autism cases, from one year to the next, nationwide.

He goes by the name, "Gage Edward." He's about 13 or 14 years younger than Jeff, but Jeff tells Jenni that Gage is "not that much younger." I agree that Gage will have no trouble finding employment sans Jeff, but his exposure via "Flipping Out" surely won't hurt his chances. Maybe he'll work in the real-estate sector. Regarding the subject of what Gage wants to be doing, work-wise, right now, I believe Jeff is right when he says that he thinks Gage would like to stay home with the baby. Jeff seems to say that he wouldn't have hired all that child-care help if Gage had just been up front with him from the beginning about wanting to stay home with Monroe. Gage knows that if he did express his preference to stay home rather than be on the job with Jeff and the gang, he would be treated to Jeff's daily dose of disparaging comments comparing his stressful day at work to Gage's life of ease, and reminding Gage that he (Jeff) is the one bringing home the money. He may fear that telling Jeff his true desires would discredit him as a person in Jeff's eyes. I don't think Jeff views stay-at-home parents in quite the same way as he does those who work outside the home. I feel sorry for Gage because I can see the anguish festering behind his stoic facade.

I was married to someone who is a replica of Jeff, personality-wise, and I can almost say with 100% confidence that the acrimony between Jeff and Gage is not staged -- perhaps some of it is, but on balance, no. When Jeff indicated that he let it all out (accompanied by a vomiting gesture) to Gage during dinner I interpreted it in a negative way. It seemed to indicate that he used the dinner as an opportunity to release all of those resentments that have been brewing inside him. I suspect Gage was treated to a relentless critical tirade regarding his inadequacies (Jeff's perspective). If all was well it was only in the sense that Jeff felt satiated after unloading some of that anger he'd been harboring towards Gage. It was also interesting to note the absence of anything remotely romantic, including that sad presentation of flowers that appeared at some point - you know, the ones that showed up without so much as a card? I wonder if Gage was hoping they'd actually come from a secret admirer.

The quads and their parents: The only interesting thing about them is the fact that the quads are two sets of identical twins. Highly unusual. When I learned that Jerrell and Krystal were "just friends" they'd already gone to the bottom of the pile for me. So Krystal pretty much needed to get impregnated the old-fashioned way. And Jerrell was a dope to allow it to happen. Furthermore, she's an aspiring actress, so how interesting can she be on a "reality" show? Like Gonecrackers said, If I hear Brooke whining one more time about Weston not doing enough. He's starting a business, a venture that requires sacrifice from the entire family. How in the world was he supposed to work his construction job and execute that laundry list of baby chores she assigned him before leaving for her trip? I hope it was done for drama's sake and that he utilized family help during Brooke's absence. As for bonding with the baby, it will come in time. But, as he said, "it can't be forced." I agree. The baby is four months old! Aly and Josh. While I don't find them all that interesting I do find them inspiring with Aly's cancer diagnosis, etc. Also, the babies are adorable. Vera is too cute for words! Mars and Doug. Don't know why, but I am getting a perverse sort of kick out of watching them. Doug is so self absorbed it's hilarious. He wears it like a badge of honor. Little Sophie is cute as a button, but Doug called it right: She's two, and she is a handful, to say the least.

Really? Oh, you mean like Leah on Teen Mom 2? The girl who birthed twin girls after a one-night stand in a pick-up truck? She named the fraternal twins variations of the same name (twin #1 = Aliannah Hope, and twin #2 = Alleyah Grace). When it became clear - about four or five years later - that going around calling both girls "Ally" wasn't going to cut it Leah began calling twin #2 her middle name, hence, we now have "Gracie."

And isn't "Hadley" making the rounds, too? I swear, people get so many of these unusual names from soap opera characters.

Yes to this, although I do like some of the belts - and veils - and think they definitely do add something to certain dresses.