[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

Of course Meri was offended to be given a three-stone Diamond piece by the children!!! 3-stone diamond jewelry is a gift from husband to wife.it is not appropriate to any other relationship. If Kody had given it to her after the divorce she might have liked it.

The kids might as well have bought her an engagement ring. Sure, might be a pretty bauble, to remind you that your husband didn't think enough of you to give you one himself.

.

I hadn't thought of it that way.  It really does up the entire "ICK" factor much higher than I originally thought.  Between the horrifying pencil portrait and Robyn's kids giving Meri something pretty to wear around her neck as a daily reminder that she is no longer useful...I mean, you cannot write stuff this awful and demoralizing.  And yet - there it is, bursting into our living rooms every Sunday night.  Just - wow.

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

I don't think it occurs to them there is anything to get. The emotional needs of the kids don't even seem to be on their radar. 

Isn't this somewhat typical in polygamist families?  There are usually lots of children from several wives.  The wives themselves can be sealed and unsealed (yuck) to other celestial husbands.  In some sects, the girls are married off very young and the boys are sent away for a couple of years.  I know the treatment of the Brown children is not that extreme, but it's pretty clear that the Kody Krew revolves solely around Kody, and everyone else's feelings tend to take a big back seat to whatever he wants to do.

 

I am reminded of their "flight" to Las Vegas, and I seem to remember during one couch session, Christine saying something to the effect that Kody always wanted to move to Las Vegas.  So in my mind, the whole "we gotta go NOW!!" was complete BS, spun by Kody as persecution, but in reality it was what he wanted all along.  He can and has pulled a lot of suspect crap in the name of polygamy.

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

I Googled "sociopath" and this is what came up first.  There are more traits than this, I only copied a few.  Seriously, does this sound like anyone we see on a weekly basis flipping his hair around a certain Las Vegas cuddle-sac?

 

 

Profile of the Sociopath
Glibness and Superficial Charm.
Manipulative and Cunning. They never recognize the rights of others and see their self-serving behaviors as permissible.
Grandiose Sense of Self.
Pathological Lying. 
Lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt.
Shallow Emotions.
Incapacity for Love

 

And this one jumped out at me:

 

Poor Behavioral Controls/Impulsive Nature
Rage alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim. Believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.
 

It's actually kind of chilling.

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

Something I've always noticed regarding Christine but never asked about...in the opening segment, where Christine says her line "I wanted the family, I didn't just want the man," I have always found her delivery of this line to be very strange.  You can barely hear her say the word "man," and I've always thought she says this in a dismissive way - as in, the man really doesn't mean all that much to me.  However, as we tune in each week to watch Christine grovel around the cuddle-sac for the tiniest of Kody Krumbs, we know the opposite to be true.  It's as if she doesn't WANT to want the man, but she does.  She really, really does.

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

Yes, and the wives are married to a pork butt. 

 

This wins everything.^

 

If the adoption wasn't a true "adoption" in the sense that us silly monogamists understand it to be, then why the crap did the entire Brownie troop have to parade into court in their Sunday best and wait for the judge to say or do anything?  I'm struggling with understanding this (although I should probably stop, because I know better).  Are the kids actually, formally adopted now, or was it just some bizarre fake thing to go along with Robyn's Kody Brown fan-fiction that she creates in her head and then forces upon everyone else?

 

And LOLZ at the cake guys hand-delivering the cupcake tree themselves to the Brown compound like they were dropping off some masterpiece in bakery design.

 

Can anyone screencap Logan's reaction to the pencil drawing of Kody and his new spirit kids?  

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

I have to wonder if, after last night's episode aired, Robyn gleefully checked in with social media expecting all us jaded viewers to praise her for that oh-so clever and beautifully rendered portrait of her darling, selfless husband and his three new spirit children...only to find quite the opposite.

 

And on another note, I find the use of the words "sealing" and "unsealing" very...unsettling.

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

Regarding Ysabel, I too was watching her during the unveiling.  She was looking hard at Robyn (who, per usual, couldn't speak through her constipated tears).  At first, I thought - poor Ysabel, she doesn't really know how to react to Robyn's sobbing.  But then I thought - no, they've all got to be pretty used to Robyn's theatrics by now.  That's when it hit me that Ysabel was upset by the portrait (and not just because it's so horrifying).  I have no idea what was going on in Ysabel's head, but she seemed to be really stunned.  At the end of the scene she seemed to be wiping tears from her cheek.  I cannot imagine what Robyn's sociopathic shenanigans are doing to the younger Brown children.

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

Oh my goodness, I just looked at a close-up of the portrait and I totally thought I was looking at a fake that someone else made for laughs...I did not notice Dayton giving the "thumbs-up" nor did I really take a close look at Kody...he's wearing glasses and looks like he's about 75 years old (with the weird lines on his forehead)...and the children are just short of those paintings from the 70's of children with really big eyes that used to creep me out when I was a kid...now I am LOL-ing for real!  At first I thought the picture was just in really bad taste, but upon closer inspection, it's just one big bowl of WRONG.

[S06.E10: A Judge Decides]

And if done properly it certainly would be.  But I can see this turning into the "All About Kodoofus and His Attempts to Re-Gain His Throne While Finding Ways to Torture Meri and Make Her Fear for Her Place on the Celestial Planet" show.

I agree.  I cannot ever see Kody and Robyn allowing this to become anything but Meri's sad, pathetic ploy for affection outside of her celestial marriage to Kody.  I don't know what, if anything, we will see on the show about the catfish incident, but I have to believe that behind closed doors, Kody has completely shunned Meri, Robyn polishes her new tiara every night with an evil smile, Christine takes all the happy pills, and Janelle basks in the warm glow that is karma.  I don't see the other wives coming to Meri's emotional aide at all.  I firmly believe that whenever one wife takes a fall, the others step on her in order to gain ranks in the pecking order.  

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

From now on, whenever Meri says "the children are the most important thing," I will drop and do 50 sit-ups.  By summer, I might just have those abs of steel I've always wanted.

 

I swear, the way she says it, it's like she's dead inside and her brain has programmed her mouth to parrot those words whenever she's interviewed.  I am 99% sure this divorce wasn't Meri's idea at all, but that Robyn and Kody, over time, slyly pushed her to go through with it in the name of the "fam'ly."

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

My DVR cut out partway through the previews for next week - is Meri actually going to discuss the catfish fiasco with the other wives?

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

 

Also, has anyone else noticed how often Robyn's bedroom is shown since she is the now legal wife? I thought it was supposed to be a sacred love grotto or something?

 

I cannot stop laughing!

[S06.E11: Chaos in the Cul-de-Sac]

Well, congrats, Sister Wives!!  I usually don't squirm and cringe with second-hand embarrassment until at least 15 minutes into your show.  Last night, you bested that by approximately 14 1/2 minutes.

 

Let's see, of the 264 oddities that jumped out at me, here are the worst (most have already been discussed but if I don't repeat them, my head will explode):

 

Kody in that portrait.  Was HILARIOUSLY awful.  Logan's reaction was perfect - he covered his mouth with his hand in what I can only imagine was an effort to not fall on the ground laughing.

 

Janelle is more giddy and talkative than I have ever seen, and I have been watching this show since the beginning.  Lately she's just a chipper, happy gal, isn't she?  I wonder why?  Could it be because KARMA has come a-callin' to Mean Meri?  I can think of no other reason.  That's the sickest part of this twisted excuse for a family - the harder one wife falls, the higher the others can rise.

 

Could Meri have BEEN less underwhelmed at the necklace Da'unAuroraBreanna gave her?  She could barely muster a smile.

 

Christine needs to back off a little on the happy juice.  She is working way too hard to smooch Robyn's behind and it's just embarrassing to watch.

 

I noticed that halfway through the show, the wifely seating assignment during the couch sessions changed.  Christine was next to Meri.  I wonder if Robyn, Janelle and Christine had to draw straws to determine who had to sit next to the sourpuss.

 

And mostly - Robyn, MAKE UP YOUR MIND.  The kids get adopted.  Then, they are shown leaving for a two-week visit with their REAL dad.  They are shown returning, after apparently having had a good time.  Then they give Kody a watch that says "Dad."  You can't portray your first husband as a monster, when all other signs point to him being quite the opposite.  And I cannot imagine his anger at seeing Robyn unveil that stupid portrait basically substituting him with Kreepy Kody.  Oh my goodness, those kids are going to need some serious therapy, and soon.

 

Now off to "LIKE" everyone's comments!

[S13.E06: Bunking With The Devil]

I may be the only one but I really don't like how twitter, and the many interviews from evicted people, have changed how we watch the show.  It used to be that we all had the same information to work with to try and figure out what was meant, what happened, what they were thinking, etc. Now,  what a viewer believes, based on what they've seen on the show, can easily be shot down by someone who has additional information from outside the game.  I really preferred the discussions where we all shared the same source.  Now it's the viewer who can be put in the nyah, nyah, nyah position when they guess one motivation and  twitter says something else.  Besides the player, who has had months to think about it can say, "Oh no, that (dumb thing) was not what I was doing, it was all this other hindsite strategy." 

SO MUCH THIS.^

 

I avoid following any of the cast on Twitter - in fact, I pretty much avoid Twitter during Survivor.  I like my Survivor pure and unedited by the players telling us that what we're seeing is not what really happened, or there's more to the story, etc.  Social media changed the entire fiber of how the viewers get their information and interpret the game.  It seems that a game based so much on secrecy is being spoiled when we learn about things we're not seeing on television.

 

Boo to Twitter.  Now get off my lawn.

[S06.E10: A Judge Decides]

I must have fallen asleep and missed this, but did Meri ever get the results from her cancer test at the doctor office?  I saw it happen and then I missed the results.  What caused her to lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks?  I mean, besides her internet activities.

We didn't find out anything.  If this was a ploy to boost ratings, it's beyond reprehensible.  If it was some kind of decoy to throw us gullible viewers away from the idea that Meri lost all that weight because she's an emotional hot mess, it's disgusting.  I wouldn't put anything past the Browns at this point.  They'd better address this whole catfish deal, as it is the current elephant in the room.  It would be like Robyn getting pregnant and then ignoring it...LOL, as if that could ever happen.  But seriously, the catfish story has been in the magazines, no way can they just pretend it didn't happen and ignore it.  I realize that Kody Brown thinks he can spin any story line he chooses into anything he wants, but I also think he believes that just because he said it, the viewers are going to believe it.  

[S31: Ciera Eastin]

When Ciera said that she wasn't thrilled about Savage using her in his master plan, I mentally jumped off my couch and high-fived her.  I love when the quiet ones decide they're not going to fade into the scenery.

[S13.E06: Bunking With The Devil]

While I am very satisfied that the title of this episode was called "Bunking With the Devil," I would've also 100% supported a title called "Oil Up, Joe."

 

I loved this episode (except for Terry being pulled - relieved to see his son is doing well).

 

I loved Ciera saying, "Sorry, Savage - you picked on the wrong girl."  I was hoping she'd follow through with her threat by trying to get him out.  I don't understand the logic in taking out Woo, who seems very swayable as far as alliances go.

 

I do not remember Savage being all annoyingly whispering intensity when he played before, but man, I am over it now.

 

I would love to see Kass and Spencer somehow align and go far together, even though I can't stand Kass and her self-appointed nicknames and accompanying personality traits.  "Chaos Kass" versus "Calm Kass?"  I mean, what the ?  Chaos in this game is great if you're doing it with a purpose, but in remembering Kass' previous season, creating chaos just for the sake of living up to the image you want to create for yourself is pointless.  I was surprised that she was the one to clue in Spencer as to Savage's plans.  Interesting.

 

I always love the gross-food eating challenges.  Tasha shadow-boxing the balut down her throat was awesome.  Reminded me of Gervase slapping himself upside the head while eating grubs in Borneo.

[Snark Should Be Multiplied, Not Divided: General Show Discussion]

I have never understood why the other wives sit there during those stupid couch sessions and listen to Robyn cry time and time again (well, I know why - because it's in their contracts or whatever).  But given the skewed timelines this show force-feeds us, the wives are usually discussing events that happened months ago, yet there's Robyn with yet another fresh set of fake tears.  Typically, emotions become somewhat dulled by the passage of time, but not for Sobbin'.  I know this will never happen, but I keep hoping one or more of the wives will rise, rip off her mic, and storm off when Robyn turns on the dry waterworks for the 285th time.  Robyn's need to be the center of attention during the couch sessions boggles my mind, and watching the other wives just sit there and look at her while she wipes eye-boogers yet again...sheesh.  Now, as soon as she starts crying, I chuckle.  She must have to squeeze a lot of muscles to make those pretend-crying faces.

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

Regarding Janelle's needs w/r/t Kody, here's how I rate all the wives, in marriage order.

Meri gets nothing from Kody, Meri wants nothing from Kody (now), and Meri is miserable.

Janelle gets nothing from Kody, Janelle wants nothing from Kody, and Janelle is happy.

Christine gets nothing from Kody, Christine wants everything from Kody, and Christine is miserable.

Robyn gets everything from Kody, Robyn wants everything from Kody, and Robyn is happy.

This is perfect, except I think that Meri still wants everything from Kody and now realizes that bringing Robyn into the fold was the worst mistake of her entire life, and is miserable.

[S06.E10: A Judge Decides]

When they showed Meri in her office, even though her computer screen was angled away from the camera, I swear I recognized the familiar blue and white Twitter screen on her monitor.

 

And I am so over Meri talking around her situation using such vague statements.  I want to take a nap every time they interview her about how she's feeling.  She seems to be talking through a slow haze of medication, and always says things like "I have all these fillings.  And I am surprised that I have all these fillings, and the fillings - they surprise me because I didn't think I'd have so many conflicting fillings about things that are happening in the fam'ly.  I am full of surprising and conflicting fillings."  YAWN.  I know she can't come out and say what's really going on (at least not yet). but all the filler of her using lots of words but saying nothing is really getting old.  Plus it's insulting to the viewers, who know exactly what's going on.

[S06.E10: A Judge Decides]

(1) I never knew that bending forward from the waist and flipping your thinning hair back was part of tying a necktie.  

 

 

This scene enraged me with the white-hot flames of a thousand suns.

 

Kody professes to want SO MUCH to adopt those kids.  When his newest "son" asks for help tying his tie, for one very brief moment I actually thought that I was about to witness a lovely scene between Kody and Dayton.  What a fool I was!  When a son asks his dad to teach him to tie a tie, it's a very small but very important moment of manhood: the father is teaching the son a skill that will last a lifetime, and someday the son will teach his own son, etc.  I kept waiting for Kody to do SOMETHING meaningful in that moment - tousle Dayton's hair, give him a quick hug, tell him "good job..."  ANYTHING.  Instead, after the most ridiculously pointless hair-fluff in the history of hair-fluffs, he dismisses Dayton with a brusque, "tuck in your shirt."  I was livid on Dayton's behalf!  LIVID, I tell you.  

 

Kody is completely awful.  So is his new "wife."  The way they dismiss Dayton - a smart, thoughtful and confused 15-year old - is reprehensible.

[S06.E09: Robyn's Big Announcement]

I think that was Robyn's niece who lives with her. Robyn has always had live-in help in the form of relatives, which is why she never shoulda been whining about her sisterwives not babysitting her kids.

Why, I thought part of the joy of having sister-wives was the free baby-sitting?  Perhaps every time Robyn looks around for a sitter for King Sol, everyone senses the disturbance in the air and vanishes.

 

How old is her niece?  Old enough to become Wifey #5?  I'm seriously hoping Kody takes another wife just so I can watch karma come around and bite Robyn firmly on the butt cheek.

[S06.E09: Robyn's Big Announcement]

Re: weight - y'all don't recall the show with the first trainer (Bill I think?) where all the wives (including a very pregnant Robyn) stepped on the scale and had their weights announced on TV? Janelle was around 265 - that I remember since that was my heaviest weight, years ago and we're the same height (5'4"). Don't recall Meri and Christine's weights but I'm pretty sure they were both over 200# but not as heavy as Janelle, who is also the shortest. I don't think she's ever been below 230-235 - during her Trainer Sean days.

Of course, they HAD to get Robyn on the scale too, just a few months before Sol was born and I think she was like 165. Kinda like when they went to SF to go beer drinking and clothes shopping and she tried on the tight dresses, just to show the other wives how great they looked, dontcha know.

Petty shit like that.

Exactly, and it's all about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the side of the noggin.  Robyn's all, "Hey ladies - not only am I getting ALL THE COOKIES right now from Kody, but I am going to passively-aggressively show each of you how pretty and skinny I am every single chance I get."   Robyn is HORRIBLE.

 

And this has probably been discussed elsewhere, but the clothes.  They live in Vegas.  I've heard it's hot there.  We know they profess modesty, when it's convenient, anyway.  I will never understand how they can stand the sausage casing layers and sparkle jeans in the heat of a Vegas summer.  Aren't they, like, always really sweaty?  

[S06.E09: Robyn's Big Announcement]

Kody needs to get his sacred undies out of a knot, what was so wrong with the kids throwing different names around? He makes stupid jokes all the time.

 

That's because when his kids have the audacity to be clever, it takes the big shiny spotlight off of Kody, and Kody can't stand that.  Remember the episode where they all went to Hunter's wrestling tournament, and Kody flitted around the entire episode wearing a school wrestling hoodie and giving us - his poor, stupid audience - tips on the rules of wrestling (some of which weren't even correct)?  I'm sure there are about 4,276 more examples but it hurts my brain to think too much about this narcissistic, denim-wearing, caveman-like, beady-eyed, nasty-haired doofus. 

[S06.E09: Robyn's Big Announcement]

This forum has added a dimension of enjoyment to watching this show that I never had before. Now when I watch, I am anticipating what everyone here will say about everything that happens on the show, especially those little looks and glances that are missed by the casual viewer.

That being said, I am getting the feeling that the wheels are coming off big time. Never before have I seen such unvarnished responses and truth come out in their interactions with each other: Kody getting irritated at the kids for making name suggestions, Robyn showing true contempt for Christine's mother, Meri's abject misery radiating out from her on the couch THs, the arrogant and disrespectful way Kody responds to Christine's emotional pain. None of them are working very hard to patch up the cracks anymore for the camera.

And yet, as we are told at the beginning of every show, this lifestyle makes each of them better.  If by "better" they mean "miserable," then yes, they are correct.