laurakaye

However, Kody's silence on the matter is not doing him any favors, as most of the SW viewing audience knows that when any of his wives are miserable or sad, it's probably just PMS and not his problem to fix. Plus, he admitted that he kept quiet because he was afraid that it would all fall on him. So that tells me that he's aware he's not doing enough to keep his wives happy, he just doesn't feel like fixing it. If Meri is miserable, it's not his fault. And I thought when he finally did have a talking head, and he said that he thought Meri was saying that she didn't want to be married to him anymore, he seemed rather stunned - like the idea had never even once entered his brain. This tells me more about Kody than anything. He really does seem to want all of the fun and none of the hormones. When things get tough at one house, does he simply bail to the next house, and so on, until he finds a wife who's not in a bad mood? That's not a marriage, in any sense of the word.

One thing I found somewhat poignant was when Logan, Maddie and their SO's were out together, and Logan asked Michelle and Caleb what they thought of Kody. Logan seemed to have genuine affection for Kody, calling him "wacky" (I think). There was no disparaging of Kody from Logan, no eye-rolling, etc. As the first-born son, clearly he had a larger share of Kody's attention and seems to hold him in more regard than his own younger brothers. I can't decide if this is honorable or sad coming from a kid as seemingly level-headed as Logan. I would TOTALLY watch that!

Well, now, to be fair - in Robyn's fragile pregnant state, they probably shouldn't discuss divorcing Kody just yet. It might make her cry, or dry-heave, or whatever. But this sure does put forth an interesting question...now that the kids are all Brownies, why not have Kody divorce Robyn and marry Christine? Or Janelle? Let them all take turns being the legal wife for a couple of years! I also wonder if the offer came back on the table for Meri to take back her title as legal wife, would she jump at the chance? If legal marriages are just so much nonsense and paperwork, it shouldn't matter who the legal wife is...right, ROBYN?!

What really stood out to me during Meri's talking heads was when she mentioned that at times, her online boyfriend would get angry with her, and "really go off on her." While that raised her red flags, not only did she continue on with the relationship, she apparently spent considerable time apologizing and acting contrite in order to keep "Sam" talking to her. Essentially, she went from one emotionally abusive relationship to another, and that's very sad. As much as I think she made this bed herself, as a woman I find myself sympathizing with her. I always did believe that "Mean-Girl Meri" would get some karma delivered to her, but at the same time, watching a broken and lonely woman sobbing on television is hard to watch, especially since I believe she's probably not getting a whole lot of support from her jerk of an ex-husband and her sister-wives.

At the risk of sounding like a kid who didn't do her homework and wants to copy from her smarter friends...I have to admit, all these catfish details have my head spinning. Kudos to you that understand what happened with Meri - I want to see if I'm on the same page. 1. Meri started an online flirtation with someone named "Sam," but Sam was really Jackie Overton. 2. Whenever Meri went to meet up with Sam, she ended up meeting with someone named Lindsey, who was supposedly Sam's assistant. Who, exactly, was Lindsey? Was Lindsey actually Jackie (who was actually Sam)? I keep seeing a picture of Meri and Jackie (taken as Disney, I believe). And Meri has a big smile on her face. Did Meri think that Jackie was Lindsey at that time? And how and when did Jackie reveal herself to be Sam? Or did Meri figure it out on her own somehow? Yes, I am flunking Catfish 101 and need help on my test. This stuff is confusing!

This is all spot-on. I think Meri wanted so badly to be married to Kody that she agreed to whatever he wanted, maybe assuming that she'd be able to handle it, or that she surely would always be the favored wife and the one in charge. She was very young when she married and although I despise Kody, I can see how, back in the day, he came off as charming and confident. If Robyn hadn't entered the picture, Meri probably would've been pretty content as her place in the family changed. Interesting how Robyn not only stirs the pot, but takes absolutely no culpability in how Meri feels. I'm sure Robyn must know that the divorce is probably what started Meri's emotional freefall, but Robyn would never say as much. Queen Robyn had a plan, and that plan came to fruition. How if affects the others doesn't seem to matter, and no one believes her stupid fake constipated tears anymore.

Wow, so many incredibly insightful comments here, I wish I could quote them all! I too was completely surprised at how much time was actually devoted to the catfish story. I thought for sure we'd get a 10-second teaser and then it would be all, "See ya next season!" Thanks to the posts on this blog, it's crystal clear to me now that while in Alaska, Meri was in the midst of her online flirtation with Sam, which accounts for her smiles and good mood. When someone is paying attention to you and "saying all the right things," it feels good. And at the dinner, she didn't yet know she was being catfished. The whole "going camping for a week by myself" threw me until I realized that was her way of covering for the fact that she was probably planning to meet up with Sam. And Janelle saying, "well, just be back by Thanksgiving" initially threw me as well, until I realized that no one at the table knew about Sam at that point. But Robyn? Could she be any more of a horrible witch? Meri is sitting there, repeating over and over that she doesn't know what to do, and Robyn is all, "Well, if you leave and I - I mean, WE - support that, it doesn't mean we're not gonna miss ya!" Robyn was practically salivating over watching Meri walk away with her suitcase packed. What a stupid and heartless thing to say, but it's Robyn, and I didn't really expect anything less. She's just awful. In other news, why did everyone have to say hello to King Sol when Kody was holding him at the last family meal in Alaska? In my mind, Sol quietly informed Kody that he was going to throw the mother of all tantrums unless everyone acknowledged him first. When are they going to start calling that kid by his real name - "Kody Junior?" Christine's joke on the couch about the bitches was so not funny, it was painful. Sister is medicated and while I don't blame her one bit for needing something to get through the day, it's time for an adjustment. Meri's pain is palpable through the television screen. Kody refuses to react or acknowledge it because that might imply that he is somehow responsible. If this isn't Meri's wake-up call to GTFO, I don't know what is.

Has any Survivor ever asked him to be quiet? I seem to remember Penner giving Probst some lip once, but I would love to see a contestant who is desperately trying to concentrate ask Jeff to please keep his running commentary to himself. I've always thought this was Probst's way of getting into their heads, but if I'm trying to balance or concentrate, and Jeff Probst announces that I'm starting to fall/slip/move, I'm probably going to overcorrect myself and drop out. I'm always impressed by those who seem to be able to completely block out his voice.

Keith did, when he was driving the tuk-tuk around the beach and clearly having a blast doing so. I did love Joe's observation that in 10 years, Keith is going to retire to Cambodia and become a tuk-tuk driver. That was cute.

Epic! EPIC! LOLOL EPIC. Kass - stay klassy. When she waved her hand in front of her face during voting as if someone smelled as they walked by, was Tasha her target? Kass, no one thinks you're clever or funny except you. And possibly Ciera. You and Savage have fun at Ponderosa. Be sure and practice your bird flipping in the mirror for maximum effect. Ciera's eyes rolling independently of each other was slightly creepy. I am starting to get why she feels the need to verbalize her frustrations, though. She's not wrong when she says that in any alliance, there are those who are running the show and those who are expendable. I can't decide if she drives me crazy or is actually playing so hard that she can't help herself, which I can understand. Keith driving the tuk-tuk was the second best part of this episode, after the blindside. I finally figured out what Keith reminds me of - a schnauzer, with his big eyes and all those whiskers. And I do mean that as a compliment! Probst and all the comments about rolling balls...how humiliating would it be to get eliminated from a challenge for giggling at one of those comments? So now what happens...who will decide to throw themselves at the feet of the Wentworth/Abi/Ciera power trio? And how will the girls react? I want to see some serious groveling! Excellent episode!

I DVR'd a few episodes of a show on A&E called "Escaping Polygamy." I don't know how I missed it the first time around. It features Kolleen, the blonde who made an appearance on Sister Wives a couple of seasons ago. While I am certain that some of the show is reenacted and scripted, it features real members of the Kingston cult trying to escape the compound. The majority are young girls who have been presented with a list of potential husbands, where every man on the list is either a relative (uncle, half-brother, cousin), several years or decades older than the girl, or both. These girls are between the ages of 14 and 18. Some of the stories involve mothers moving several of their children under the cover of night to avoid having their young daughters abused by the Kingston men. I have gotten tears in my eyes, and sat with my mouth open in disbelief, as the narrators of this show talk about the lineage of terror from this clan. And then we have the Browns. Are they a church? Well, sometimes - when Kody knows that he's got anthropology students watching. Are they modest? Well, sometimes - but it's pretty hit or miss. Are the kids encouraged to follow polygamy and its tenets, as set forth by the Church of Kody Brown? Not really...I guess they don't have to if they don't want to. Does Kody lead by fear? Hard to say, but mostly he just runs around from mirror to mirror, making sure his hair looks okay. Real polygamy is scary, and awful, and abusive. Kody's brand of polygamy is ridiculous in comparison. He's not following anything but his own loins. He makes rules that are very bendable, depending on how motivated he is to get off the couch and enforce them. His kids are leaving one by one and so far, none of them are following their father's church and its rules. What this all says to me is that Kody is making a mockery of a very serious issue. I don't see how Kody's beliefs, if we can call them that, are rooted in anything but his own brain. Maybe I'm comparing apples and oranges here, and I'll admit to not really being clear on the differences in the Mormon sects. But having watched Sister Wives, followed by watching Escaping Polygamy, it just deepens my disgust of Kody Brown. /end rant, just had to get this off my brain.

I have never understood Kody's dislike of Christine (except for Nacho-Gate - whatever). She chased him - wouldn't this feed right into his massive ego? She's quite beautiful, light-hearted, seems to have a way with the children, she's plyg royalty, and most of all - SHE CHASED HIM. I don't get it.

I bolded this...because did Kody really fall in love with Meri? Or Janelle, or Christine? Or did he find three women that bought what he was selling? Excluding Robyn, of course. I think Kody feels like he landed the grand prize with that one.

As far as Kody's boys showing bullying tendencies, I am actually surprised the kids don't go off on each other more than we see. The middle boys are one of 17 children fighting for a shred of attention from their father. They were young when Robyn entered the hive and from that point on, Kody probably checked out on them, as he was very busy wooing his new sweetie. The two older boys, Logan and Hunter, not only had a little bit more of Kody's attention in the beginning, they also had Christine taking care of them and I think that's where they learned compassion and patience with the younger kids. I don't think Kody had anything to do with how Logan and Hunter turned out. I'm not sure Janelle had much to do with it, either. His kids are turning out to be good human beings despite Kody's best efforts to turn them into younger versions of himself (Sol being the exception, of course).

Zahdii - somehow, you managed to get right inside Kody's brain. Please don't stay too long, it could be very dangerous! As for dividing things among the children - personally, I would always make sure that my own children were properly taken care of before anyone else's. But the Browns tell us that they are all one big spiritual family. That the children have "four mothers." Meri divorced her husband for children that weren't technically even part of the spiritual family, but did it "for the kids." Then, Meri gets upset when she fears she's not getting as big a slice of the pie as the moms with more kids (see: wet bar meltdown). Meri tells us one thing, but acts another. Either you're all one big family and you divide the assets based on the children, or you demand an equal slice because the other kids don't matter as much as yours. Meri can't have it both ways.

Maybe Kody rinses his hair in almond milk to give it that special frizzy bounce. I don't know, I think this show is starting to steal some of my brain cells.

Regarding next week's show, did I hear right that it's the season finale? Based on all the stuff they plan to show, I am 99.9% certain that the catfish portion will not even be mentioned until the very last segment, and we will have to tune in next season for the rest of the scoop. What I want to know is - how much, if any, input do the Brown adults have in what TLC shows? Some of what we've seen has been downright negative. If I wanted to show my supposedly "happy" family and push how great my lifestyle is on the unenlightened public, there are lots of things I would want edited out of the show. Of course, there's always the strong possibility that in their addled minds, the things we see as negative, they see as a great spin job.

I don't know how to feel about Meri anymore. She fell in love with Kody knowing he was a polygamist. Wives were added. Meri could only given Kody one child, but she had the upper hand because she was the legal wife. When Robyn entered the picture (with Meri's approval, I seem to remember), things changed. My feeling is that Robyn and/or Kody probably dropped hints as subtle as anvils on Meri's head about what would happen if anything were to happen to Robyn, and then kids would leave the family, etc. So Meri divorces Kody "for the kids." It's clear she did not want to do this, but knew that she was backed into a corner by the rest of the family, and above all else, she needed to stay relevant to Kody, and by extension, Robyn. A very lonely and very likely depressed Meri entered into an online catfish scheme. Not only was she made a fool of, she now has to live with the fact that this makes Kody look bad (which he does perfectly well on his own, but as a wife, she needs all the approval she can get from that man). She also has to deal with the other wives using Meri's fall from grace as a way to elevate themselves in Kody's eyes - which, based on her statement at the end of yesterday's teaser when she said she had no one to talk to - I'd imagine that approaching another wife about her feelings about someone outside her marriage was something she simply could not do. So, to summarize: she made this bed with Kody willingly and with open eyes. She was mean to the other wives. She demanded things for herself and Mariah that rightfully should've gone to the wives with more children. She was more or less forced into a divorce, and she was catfished. Now she is broken. Do we feel sorry for her? This is what I struggle with. Is it karma? I don't know, but I do know that while I watch this show, seeing a broken-down woman who thought she might've found a smidgen of happiness and confidence with an online predator is just so very sad.

I think this is spot-on. Janelle's boys have shown time and time again that they are more than capable of stepping in as a person for the younger kids to look up to (remember when Logan took the whole brood of young kids to a craft store all by himself)? So when Kody steps in and wants to play "dad" for a few minutes, the boys probably feel pretty resentful, and rightfully so. Those kids are turning out pretty good, despite the lack of a real role model.

Wow, this episode was so incredibly awful, I practically watched it with my hands over my eyes. Kody. You're not a father. You should get on your knees every single morning and be thankful that none of your boys are turning out like you (except Sol). The grocery store and the stockpile of Fiji water...huh, I can pick up a 24-pack of bottled water at Sam's for about $5. Meri loading bottled water into her arms to the point she couldn't carry any more made me furious. This might be how the Kardashians shop for vacation food, but the Browns? Sickening. Even Logan pointed out that part of that mountain of food was probably going to get thrown away. But hey - it's not as if the Browns actually scrimped and saved for this vacation like most families have to do - TLC is footing the bill so might as well throw in some lobster and caviar too! I didn't know whether to laugh or throw my shoe through the television when Kody started telling the eskimo man that he has 4 wives, blah blah blah...Does literally EVERYONE he encounters have to sit through this crap?! SHUT UP KODY. Garrison is turning into a handsome, smart young man just like his older brothers. Good for him. Follow in their footsteps, Garrison. Best of luck. Christine is so over-the-top at this point, it's uncomfortable to watch. Did anyone catch Kody kind of leaning away from her on the couch when she was yammering hysterically about the gold? There's absolutely something not right there. Kody's story to Maddie and Caleb, using that ridiculous voice...I didn't even understand what he was talking about. What a jerk. WHY did they have to bring up the incredibly stupid and extremely tasteless "Angry Maddie" play? Maddie is happy now. What on earth would possess them to blather on and on, in boring detail, about the time in Maddie's life when she was miserable? I mean...???? GAH. Meri and next week's previews...wow. I am not sure if I feel sorry for her or not right now, but that woman is broken, and that's never nice to see when you sit down to be "entertained" on a Sunday night. And did she say, "I don't ever talk to anyone?" Um - how about those wonderful sister-wives that live a few feet from your McMansion? I thought that was part of the draw of the lifestyle, having sister-wives to bond with? Not so much in this crew, huh? I actually felt gross after watching this show. I'm sure next week will be 150 times worse.

I would be very afraid to confide in another wife about the hubby for fear that they would take that information straight back to the husband, and then he might skip Thursday night at my house or something. Although in this particular situation, I'd be more than happy to skip Kody leaving his stank behind in my bedroom. Plus - and I mean this honestly - is there truly not a huge "ICK" factor with these women, knowing that this man was just sleeping with another woman, and now here he is in your bed? What is the tenet of their religion that causes the wives to overlook this? How does polygamy address this, or does it nicely gloss over this detail? Especially when Robyn would show up with cold sores on her mouth...it's just so BLEHHHHKK.

Do they seriously get any traffic at MSWC anymore? I can see maybe getting a little bit from the hardcore fans when it first opened, but now? Maybe Robyn is making Meri stash all the overstock on her wetbar as punishment.

So this Sunday, we will be treated to 30 minutes of rehashed-Brown stuff from last week, two or three teasers about the catfish incident interspersed with 27 commercials, and at the very end, Kody's voice will intone "And next week, on a very special Sister Wives..." Whereupon Meri will say something like, "I just had all these fillings and I didn't know what to do with the fillings, so I did something truly awful..." CUE DRAMATIC MUSIC. TO BE CONTINUED. I can't wait to see if I'm right. To those of you who can no longer watch this show and look at yourselves in the mirror the next day...I understand. I am very close myself. But I have been watching this show since episode 1 and even though I do the walk of shame from my couch after every Sunday's episode, I simply cannot stop. I think what fascinates me the most now is watching the other wives on the couch when one wife is talking. Their facial expressions and body language tell the true story of what's going down in the cuddle-sac. What they say and how they act are just so completely at odds with each other, and yet - I really think they believe that they are continuing to fool their viewers with their vacuous "rainbows and unicorns" Tweets. It's just all so bizarre.

Picture him on stage, in a loincloth, behind the bars of a jail cell, singing "Close Every Door." I mean, SERIOUSLY. Abi had better start shaking things up again and soon, because I am starting to like her. She's perfectly acceptable when she isn't going around telling everyone that they are dead to her. I find myself hoping Savage sticks around for awhile even though he drives me nuts. I have enjoyed watching him go from supreme power player (in his own mind) to telling the others that they can use him however they want as long as they keep him around. I found Ciera's tribal speech rather annoying, but it could be a factor of her age. She's young and sees herself as a badass, and she's not afraid to let everyone know. I'm curious to see what she does now without Kaos. Still miss Varner............

I can't help but look back towards the beginning of this show, when Kody and Meri went out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary, and Meri asked Kody how he would feel if she took another husband. His response, which I remember as clear as day because it made me furious, was "the thought of you with another man sickens me." Well, Kody - it's a good thing you've got your pretty new wifey to take your mind off of what Meri did to you and your humongous ego, yes? Ironic.