General Days

Yesterday, hours ahead of the airing of Season 18 Episode 16, "One on One: Part 2," Gwendlyn did a three-hour live chat. It wasn't a live watch or recap of any episode, just a random chat with patrons. A couple of people asked her to characterize any abuse from Meri. Here is what she had to say. At the 2:44:03 mark, Gwendlyn read aloud a question from a patron: "was meri actually as abusive as janelle says" Gwendlyn's response: "I think it's up to interpretation. Not by your (sic) guys interpretation." [i.e. Gwendlyn's video audience] "I mean like it's up to the specific kid, and it's up to, you know, who says what. So, if Janelle thinks Meri was as abusive as she says, then I think, well, Janelle wasn't abused by Meri, and I don't think her kids had much of the brunt end of it." "But at the same time, when I say that, I'm erasing their experience. And Meri wasn't abusive with me. And I have a lot of good memories with her." "Like one time, she gave me this little blue stuffed bunny, and my mom ended up putting it in the washing machine. And then that night I woke up, and there were like four more — three or four more stuffed bunnies in the washing machine. And I woke up my mom, and I was like, 'Mom, the stuffed bunnies multiplied!'" "I know now that Meri snuck them into the washing machine, so I'd have a surprise when I woke up. But my mom, at the time, was like, 'Shut the fuck up, and go to bed'." "I — I have — I think Meri was I don't know — she was like more of a disciplinarian, whereas the other parents were like complacent, and they would let their sibl—their kids beat other kids." "And it turned, you know, Logan into a parent. And Meri knew how to be a parent. And the other three didn't, is I think what the thing was. The other...* Janelle, dad, my mom — yeah. Um, but that's just my perspective." Answer ends at 2:45:29 mark. [*Note: it was clear while watching that Gwen was counting making sure she meant 3 parents, in addition to Meri. The ellipsis above indicates Gwendlyn's pause as she double-checked her numbers in her head, but the entire statement is quoted.] At 2:46:57, after more chat about other subjects, Gwendlyn read aloud a question from a different patron: "Like what did Meri do that was SO bad that just a comment almost cancelled an entire season? TLC airs almost everything anyway. Wouldn't the truth be better than speculation?" Gwendlyn's response: "I agree that the truth is so much better than speculation, because what — like some of it wasn't amazing, but I feel like the truth is a lot better than speculation." "Like I absolutely agree — that like what she actually did is not as bad as what people think that she did. I think she was just a disciplinarian, when we didn't have one." Answer ends at 2:47:27 mark. Source material, via Gwendlyn Brown, available here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/youtube-live-94012178

Christine and Meri said he melted it when he was courting Robyn. Meri added that it was seven years prior to the catfish, not seven years ago. It's an old, painful story from Meri's humiliating marriage. Why would they have told it? (It probably pre-dates the series.) I get why Christine brought it up here (she shouldn't have, but I get it), but not telling every story that ever happened isn't "hiding" it, and * telling someone else's humiliating story from their marriage doesn't make Christine some brave truth teller.

Some people in the live chat were still bored by this episode, and I get that. At this point the format itself (tease, commercial, recap, fulfill tease, tease next thing, commercial, recap, fulfill tease, etc.) is an enjoyment killer. That said, I enjoyed this episode. I think we covered some new ground. I felt terrible for Meri about the whole melted-down ring thing. She was hurt and angry in the couch segment, but what really got me is that I could almost feel her humiliation. That whole story is humiliating in and of itself, but then she likely knows the catfish already made it public (I didn't know that until the weekend, but Meri must have, right?). Meri may have had years to tell it, but I don't think she wanted it told, and I don't blame her. I think it's a shame Christine told it, and I think Janelle is full of shit about what was done with it, but I can't remember if she mentioned that in this episode, so I'll leave it there. I think Christine is something of a mean girl, but I don't actually think she was trying to be a mean girl is sharing that. I think the whole ring dance with Robyn, Kody, and (against her will) Meri, was just incredible to Christine, and that's why she talked. She shouldn't have told the story, but I don't think Christine was trying to be hurtful in that instance.

And a lie! Don't forget the lie. She was definitely in the family when Kody melted down Meri's ring. (Sorry, I'm behind, but I just had to get that off my chest). See you all in the episode thread. Oh yeah, and go Meri, with the Knife to the Kidneys!

It feels like @TurtlePower hasn't posted in a long while. Is anyone in contact with her outside this board? I'm just wondering if she's okay. She's usually a regular here.

That's not Nathan. We've seen Nathan enough times on the show (long ago and more recently) to tell. Also, I don't necessarily think Meri's dating that guy. She just lost her brother, whom I believe lived in Lehi. Their cult is headquartered right near Lehi, and the whole family is related to a lot of people in the area. I know whoever said Meri and the man had been holding hands at some point, but I've taken a friend's hand (regardless of gender) during serious conversation. I don't think that necessarily means anything romantic. It could be one of Meri's brothers from another mother.

No. Christine heard the angels singingk at the Coyote Pass property. Robyn agreed with Christine. Meri preferred the Cottonwood property (not Cottonwood, AZ, but something like Cottonwood Rd in Flagstaff). Janelle agreed with Meri and was ready to write a check for it, without family approval. Kody was just trying to dickmatize everyone, so he could make some cash. But he was not equipped. Bah duh duh.

Oh my. I don't know how I missed that the first time. That's hilarious.

Amen, Mothra.

The catfish showed up to one of those parties (before luring in Meri), took photos of the interior of Meri's Vegas house, then later, used those photos to make Meri believe that she (the catfish) had cameras hidden inside of the house. It was just so cruel. I know Meri spewed a lot of b.s. in our direction over the catfish/emotional affair, but I do actually believe the catfish terrorized Meri, as things started going south. I am one of the (few?) people who think that by the time the catfish episodes aired on TLC, Meri had come clean with the family. And I think the family already knew what was going on, because of Robyn's friend/employee/minion, Kendra, who seems to have helped the catfish at points. I think the family decided, together, that Meri should spew a lot of b.s. at the cameras, because Kody's ego couldn't take the world knowing that although he'd stopped sleeping with and loving a wife, and legally divorced her prior to all this, she might need to seek comfort elsewhere.

I wonder if Robyn and Kody will end up in St. George? It's closer to Vegas, and while I'm not positive, I think it's probably cheaper.

I don't know. A lot of times, it feels like the producers put together highlight reels for her, because she swallows too much of their b.s. whole. I get why her interviews aren't adversarial. The Browns aren't politicians. They're not accountable to us. Suki doesn't have some duty to the public good to have an adversarial relationship with them. I also think the Browns have some measure of control over what they will and will not discuss on camera. The problem, I think, is that Suki isn't even trying to do good pop culture journalism. I've seen big stars get more pushback when they're making promotional appearances on talk shows, than Suki gives the Browns in episodes billed as "Tell-Alls," and one-on-one interviews. The producers, the Browns, and Suki have really done the audience a disservice with this stuff.

Also? They live in Flagstaff. I'm quite certain they could get groceries and medications delivered. Flagstaff has money.

If I had any wine left, I'd have spit it out of my mouth. Ha! Awesome.

Face touching can be the tell of a liar.

I really don't think the wives ARE trying to blame Robyn. They're blaming Kody for favoring her. Christine has said she doesn't trust her, but they have never blamed her. They've blamed Kody.

I love that Kody feels "betrayed" by Janelle already being on vacation when he contracted Covid, however, Janelle, Savanah, Gabriel, and Garrison all got Covid months before that, and he didn't run his six pack abs over there. He's such a fucknut. EDIT Three cheers for Christine, for putting the kibosh on that.

This is actually ONE place where I believe Kody over Janelle. Janelle left Kody a few times (at least 3, I think) prior to the show ever coming on the air. Janelle likes to leave.

Yup.

Really, Kody has been super ultra bitter for Christine just saying, "The Emperor has no clothes!" And he's been mad at Janelle for thinking Christine has a point. Countdown until he gets mad at Meri for saying, "Well, he's never had any clothes, but that was part of our agreement."

Honestly, I think it's a mix, because of the gender dynamics built into their culture.

Because Kody is under Robyn's thumb.

I know this is a very small thing, but fuck Robyn, Kody, and the production, FOREVER, for having Robyn and Kody drive to the One-On-One interviews in separate cars, like they haven't permanently crawled up inside of each other's colons. It's just an insult to the viewers. EDIT: Okay, and maybe they didn't do their tell-alls at the same time, but for the last several seasons (certainly since Covid struck) they've been living together full time, so this pretense to separate cars in every episode is offensive.

Okay, so it's convoluted, because we would expect no less from the Browns. The season that just ended last week ended in the fall of 2022 (I think Meri mentioned October). The Tell-Alls are filmed much closer to airing, but we don't know exactly when. Maybe there will be some clue during the four (!) tell-alls, or rather One-On-Ones, but it's hard to tell.

During the season, there was a scene teased, of Meri at the picnic table with Robyn and Kody (like from the season finale). And in it, Meri said something like, "You loved me. I know you loved me." Did I just miss that in the season, or was it never shown?