[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

Sounds good to me - I enjoy writing recaps only because I love reading them so much, and I know there are folks here who don't watch the show anymore but need to be informed of what LLR outfit Meri is wearing, or how many times Robyn dry-cries, or what state Kody's hair is currently in....that's the important stuff. :)

[Kody Brown: Part-Time Father, Full-Time Asshat]

13 hours ago, cincivic said:

I have started a re-watch. After seeing so many episodes again, I was reminded of 1 reason Kody always bothered me - all of his stupid shirts on hangers. How many shirts did he have? Why did he have to take shirts back and forth to each house when they lived in the rental homes? He couldn't keep shirts at each house? Kody needed to take 3 shirts to Christine's house when it was her day? 

Because Kody is a Professional Time Waster.  Remember when Janelle asked him to hang a tv on her wall when they were in Vegas?  For a couple of hours, he ran in and out of various other wives' houses going through boxes and in garages hunting for a specific tool while Janelle waited - turns out, the tool he needed came in the packaging and it was behind the TV the whole time.  This is what Kody does...he pretends that he's being pulled in a million directions in order to avoid being in one place long enough to have to do boring stuff like parenting.

[The Brown Kids]

I agree that Robyn's kids were more like step-siblings to the original Brownies...I also think that Robyn did a masterful job of pretending that she wanted her kids to blend in with the Big Three's kids while simultaneously working on keeping them separate and "special" so that Kody would automatically want/need to spend more time with them than anyone else in his family.  All part of her diabolical master plan...the funny part is, she won the game, but look at the prize.  

[S17.E02: Is There a Favorite Wife?]

Except the odd thing is that Janelle has left before...she took off on Kody before she was pregnant with Savanah, if I recall.  So if she could do it once when she had five little kids, it seems that she could do it again if Kody refuses to have a relationship with Gabe and Garrison and then blames them for all of it and calls them names on national television like the coward he is.

I have more respect for Meri sticking around for a paycheck and to purposefully be a thorn in Kody's side, but Janelle?  Screw her.  Kody actively dislikes THEIR sons and she's still sticking around?  That's the worst - I don't care how hot she thinks Kody looks in a ponytail.

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

On 9/20/2022 at 8:45 AM, ginger90 said:

Plexus meeting:

What percentage of this trip was paid for on the attendee's dime, do you think?

I really hope Maddie isn't drinking that crap while pregnant, but we all know she is.

[The Brown Kids]

On 9/19/2022 at 9:40 PM, truebluesmoky said:

Paedon is difficult to watch, because even though I love that he’s a huge supporter of his mom, he looks and sounds the most like Kody of any of the kids and even has his mannerisms.

He is usually very intense in his TikToks.  I do like his occasional insights into the family dynamics, but you're right, in that respect he does sadly remind me of Kody.

3 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Savanah may have gotten permission from her school for an educational field trip. 

If by "educational" you mean watching a bunch of grown women giggling and squealing and taking selfies while they pretend to chug from a suggestive looking tube of pink poison, then possibly. :)

I wonder which is worse - going on a trip sponsored by LuLaRoe or Plexus? 😳

[S17.E02: Is There a Favorite Wife?]

1 minute ago, Yeah No said:

The fact that Janelle thinks she has the "last laugh" by saying that what he wants to give her "just happens" to be enough for her is BS.  I don't buy it for a minute.  She has SETTLED because she's convinced herself this is all she needs.  And as long as she's willing to live in her delusion, she thinks she's "happy".  But even if she has lesser needs than the other wives she's still full of it and playing right into Kody's misogyny.

Janelle might only need a small amount of attention from Kody but it's clear that he's hurting Gabe and Garrison deeply, and since THEY clearly need more from Kody than Janelle does, she should be fighting for them.  But she's not.  She's settled (lazy) and doesn't want to rock the boat (get out of her Barcalounger and ask Robyn to let Kody out of her basement so he can spend time with her boys).  For that, Janelle sucks.  I don't care what she does or doesn't need from Kody, she needs to stand up to him for her kids' sake but that's too much work for her.  She is incredibly lucky that those boys don't resent the hell out of her like they do Kody.  She needs to watch it or she's going to be stuck in a crappy RV on Prairie Poop Pond all alone except for her dogs, her mountain of spices, and her tube of Plexus.

[S17.E02: Is There a Favorite Wife?]

On 9/19/2022 at 8:14 PM, MsMalin said:

I was so pissed off when Kody said his kid was a narcissist. What parent who loves his child says that on national tv? 

If I'm not mistaken, the only two kids I've heard Kody talk major crap about are Gabe and Garrison and the armchair psychologist in me wants to know why.  These are two sons of Janelle, the wife he claims to have this chill and easy relationship with (i.e. - she doesn't ask anything of him except to change the occasional lightbulb and a quick boink once every other year), so why would he risk rocking that particular boat?  I can't EVER see Kody talking smack like that about Logan or Hunter - and taking it further - about Leon, Aspyn, Maddie, etc.  Why does he focus his rage on Gabe and Garrison?  Is it because they've been the most vocal about his neglect?  But yet, these are Maddie's brothers, and we know Maddie is a fave of Kody's because of his man-crush on Caleb.  And I thought that Kody worshipped Hunter for his wrestling prowess, and Logan because he was Kody's first and most cherished son.  Or - and this just occurred to me - is it because G & G didn't take Dayton under their protective wings and pretend that it was okay that they suddenly had another brother their own age - a brother that Kody lavished attention on - causing Robyn to dab her dry tears that those big mean boys of Janelle's were being mean to poor widdle Day'un?

That's a lot of thinking about what goes on in the pea-brain of Kody Brown, and I apologize.  I have always wondered why he seems to hate G & G so much.  I hope they both have a great life without their sperm donor, since Logan is basically their real dad anyway.

On 9/19/2022 at 8:36 PM, MsMalin said:

Funniest sight ever: Kody acting like he was King of the World! standing on top of his dirt pile.

I am willing to bet that Kody called production with that idea: "Hey, let me climb up this pretend mountain while you fire up the drone and have it circle me from above - it will look like I am thoughtfully surveying my land, whilst contemplating my place in this world and being at one with the trees and the wind.  This will make me look like the pensive, handsome, deep-thinking, poet/surfer/renaissance man that I see in myself."

Production: (rolling eyes) "Okay."

Audience:  (collectively ROTFLMAO) What a massive toolbag.

[S17.E02: Is There a Favorite Wife?]

Spoiler

The TLC intern made a slight error in naming this episode – “Is There a Favorite Wife” should’ve been, of course, “There IS a Favorite Wife.”  I guess we can let it go this time, young intern, but we’ve got our eyes on you.

We open on a Janelle talking head, where she admits – despite Robyn’s Kody’s 250-page binder listing the Brown Fahm’ly Covid Protoculls  - that she has Covid, as does Garrison, Gabe and Savanah.  She feels like crap.  This is great news for Kody, because it shows that not only did his protoculls work (since he doesn’t have Covid himself) but it means he’s free and clear from having to stop by Janelle’s house and deal with her no-good, free-loading sons for at least two full weeks.  It’s twisted but Covid is the best thing that happened to Kody Brown – he can be at Robyn’s beck and call and it’s not his fault he can’t go anywhere else!  It’s Covid-19’s fault!  He is blameless, you guys – and we’re just getting started.

Kody tells us - in a self-filmed segment from a cozy spot inside of his closet full of Ed Hardy bedazzled lavender shirts - that he simply won’t take accountability for the fact that Christine is leaving him, since her reason for leaving is that he rarely comes over to her house - he says that since Christine keeps insisting on traveling to see her kids in Utah, he can’t possibly come over and risk getting exposed to all her nasty cooties.  But since Kody was rarely at Christine’s house, his reasoning is moot.  He can’t get exposed if he’s never there in the first place.  But honestly, trying to reason with Kody Brown is like trying to reason with a toddler who missed a nap and has a full diaper, and Christine knows this - which is why she answers every one of his accusations throughout this episode with a steadfast certainty that we have not previously seen from her…clearly, taking care of all those children has come in handy for dealing with the biggest child of them all.

Robyn – in a stunning black and purple shiny polyester leopard print blouse (seriously, WHERE does this woman shop?  From the 1981 JC Penney catalog?) – insists that Kody shares his time evenly and if they aren’t tracking that, it’s because they’re struggling – with what, I wonder?  The fact that Kody is never at anyone else’s house?  Because if they’re struggling with that, then clearly he is NOT spreading his time evenly.  Kody and Robyn Brown – Master and Mistress of Gaslighting and Double-Talk, ladies and gentlemen.  Suddenly a disembodied, nails-on-a-chalkboard voice screeches to us that Kody has always been super busy and energetic – who is this??  OH, it’s Meri – I forgot all about her.  She’s STILL here?  The camera flashes on her image and look, I know that wearing horizontal stripes makes one look wider and that the camera adds ten pounds, but WHOA – maybe it’s the camera angle but Meri looks far heavier than Janelle at this point.  The only Meri Brown I am familiar with has the flawless skin of Malibu Barbie and the slim physique of a seasoned athlete, so to come face to orange-tinted face with the real Meri Is jarring.  Janelle pops up and says that she never really knows where the hell Kody is…and I’d like to give the TLC production person a raise because these statements are intercut with images of Kody running aimlessly around the Vegas cul-de-sac like an unhinged lunatic, followed by a clip of him selecting the perfect shovel for scraping snow off of logs on Coyote Pass and – my fave – a drone shot of him standing alone on a pathetic mountain of dirt like he’s playing King of the Castle.  That’s what he’s doing when he’s not visiting his lesser wives and their pesky kids?  Busy my ass – busy hiding from everyone.  That’s likely why he won’t give up Coyote Pass – he’s probably building a tree fort with a sign that says “No Girlz Allowed” as we speak.

Robyn blathers about how Kody is just SO BUSY that she had to hire a nanny to help her with her kids because it wouldn’t be fair to ask Kody to help, since he’s got all of these other stupid obligations to his other kids…and then we hear from Big Daddy who tells us that he’d rather pay someone 20 bucks an hour to watch his kids rather than he himself “baby-sitting” (&^%#$) them because time is money and if he’s stuck in the house trying to keep Ariabellilbla from swinging off the chandelier, he doesn’t have time to check and see if anyone wants him to do a $100 Cameo (still no takers, big guy? Shocker) or to drive around in his convertible wearing his sun visor pretending to take important calls.  The man has obligations!  Just not to his family.  Except Robyn.  It’s simple, really.  But it still doesn’t explain why most of his talking heads are coming from inside his closet.

If you were worried that we wouldn’t get a segment of Robyn’s Dry Cries© (patent pending), fear not.  Look, this pandemic has been hard on her too.  Yes, Kody is at her house 99.9% of the time, but he’s grumpy!  And he’s stressed!  Those logs on Coyote Pass aren’t going to strip themselves!  So it’s not as much fun winning the game having him there ‘cause he’s not the happy-go-lucky doofus that she fell in love with.  As she expertly dabs at a non-existent tear, she tells us she misses her husband.  Oh, poor baby – cry me a dry river, Dark Queen.  You got what you wanted, but now you don’t want it anymore.  To which I reply – hahahahahahaha.  Have fun cleaning his weave from the shower drain on Planet Kody forever.

Back in Christine’s library, she and Kody are talking again.  Kody actually apologizes for being so angry at Christine last time they talked but before my ice-cold heart can melt just a bit, he tells us in a talking head that he thinks her leaving is an injustice to HIM.  He’s afraid she’s going to go around the country telling everyone what a massive jerk he is.  First, if Christine did do a country-wide tour to talk about her life, I would buy a ticket – but second, no one who watches this show needs her to tell us anything about what a dorkwaffle she married…we can certainly see that for ourselves.  Kody may have temporarily pulled the wool over the eyes of The Big Three, but I think it’s safe to say that none of us have been fooled with regard to Kody Brown since the end of season 1.

Let’s try to wrap this up because while this was a good episode for drama and truth-bombs, it’s basically Kody saying that he’s disgusted that Christine wants to break up his precious family – you know, the family that he has no intentions of seeing unless he happens to bump into Garrison at the 7-11 or something.  Speaking of Garrison, Kody tells us that this same narcissistic kid gave Kody a call telling him to peace out, see you never.  Kody is galled – GALLED – at the nerve of this brat who he explicitly ordered to move out of his mother’s house so Kody could spend 15 minutes every other month seeing Janelle and Savanah.  Who does Garrison think he is?  Janelle manages to make me laugh when she tells us that Kody can’t do jack about who lives in her house, since it’s her name on the lease.  Robyn pipes up saying that she’s rilly tried to talk to Gabe and Garrison but they shut her down every time (virtual high-five to G&G).  But then Janelle tells us that whatever minimal time and effort she’s currently getting from Kody works for her – unfortunately her boys don’t see things the same way…while it might be fine for Janelle to interact with Kody once every blue moon, her boys would actually like a relationship with their father.  Janelle has dropped lower than Meri in my wife rankings, because she’s actively allowing Kody to hurt her kids while filming it for our entertainment, so she can suck off to Planet Kody and play second fiddle to Robyn and “buddy” to Kody for eternity.

In conclusion, Ysabel has decided to move in with Maddie and Caleb in order to attend school, and Christine wisely admits that this will be great for Ysabel – to not only be away from Christine while she figures out how to break away from Kody, but so Ysabel can see what a real relationship looks like.  Kody pretends to be worried that Christine bailing on him will cause Ysabel to seek out unhealthy relationships, which is funny – look at your other kids, toolbag.  They moved away from you and they all seem to be doing just fine.  They’re just not that into you, Father of the Year.  Look in the mirror - actually, never mind - you'll just get distracted by your hair.  Jerk.

Episode 2 - it's getting rill, y'all.  Still boring, but rill.

[Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)]

4 hours ago, oliviabenson said:

Jill you will never reach diamond level. Like ever. Stop being jealous of a man.

Also check #3 for a pulse.

What a motley crew....

#1 looks like a noob trying hard to appear interested, #2 is either in the potty or has her phone turned the wrong way, #3 is taking a nap, #4 is Mr. Tippity Toppity, explaining to these women how they'll never level up to Diamonoid if they don't work their game 24/7/365, #5 is Jill's sweet Plexus friend, #6 wants to remain incognito, #7 just ran for the hills, and lastly there's our good ol' #8 in full makeup 'cause she wants Mr. 4 to think she's the prettiest of them all.

[The Brown Kids]

On 9/11/2022 at 6:54 AM, Rabbit Hutch said:

Are any of the Brown girls up in that Bride Tribe group?  Curious if Savanah is in the Bridal party this time.

At the concert, I am pretty sure that's Aspyn and Mykelti at the far end of the top row.

I don't think all of those girls are in the bridal party, this is just the bachelorette festivities.  Michelle has a lot of friends - good for her (unlike Meri's many pretend friends....and Blair Michael).

[Maddie Brown: Seeking a One-Woman Man]

11 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

This is really about Christine, but fits with the Hawaii trip discussion:

https://recognition.plexusworldwide.com/spotlights/weekly-leaders

Scroll halfway down on the page

My takeaway from giving that page a look is, who are all the people buying this pink sludge?  Is Maddie's trip to Hawaii a Plexus "reward?"  If so then Christine and Janelle must be going too?

Do we think Christine is actually selling this crap to people, or does she just have a downline who are buying it from her, causing her to rank up to Opal or Diamonoid or whatever?

I have listened to so many MLM podcasts and watched so many documentaries, and I still remain confused and gobsmacked as to how people make a living at them.

[S17.E01: It’s Over]

@the-grey-lady.....excellent job showing the 50 Shades of Kody's Gaslighting.  It truly is a wonder that none of his adult sons haven't nut-punched him yet.

(P.S. if the thought of another recap is leading you to the Taco Bell drive-thru again, I'd be happy to take one for the team next week.  We both seem to have a sick delight in writing recaps for a show that should've been canceled 14 seasons ago).

[S17.E01: It’s Over]

1 hour ago, magemaud said:

I'm sure that Kody is terrified that once Meri and Janelle see Christine happy and thriving on her own-with or without that hypothetical boyfriend-they will also follow her. He's going to put up every roadblock to her leaving that he can come up with, just to be petty. If one escapes his clutches, they all could. He will look bad to the other Plyg husbands if a handmaid leaves his celestial sphere, especially the one who was considered Polygamy Royalty. He can't afford to lose any more wives and still ensure his own Planet Kody where they will be stuck with him for eternity. 

I think you've nailed it - Kody is going to look like a wee lil' baby-man to his Plyg crush, big  Papa Joe Darger, if his wives all flee him.  I would be surprised if Kody ever really believed in the celestial ramifications of what would happen if all his wives left him - he may have spouted the rules and followed the tenets of the religion but he was always in it for attention and ego, IMO.  He's not interested in what might happen to the family, or to his children...he's worried about how this is going to make him look in the eyes of others.

[S17.E01: It’s Over]

16 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

So what the hell is he talking about in terms of Christine neither cooking nor cleaning?

That's just Kody talking out of his weave again....I'm guessing that it's been a long time since Christine cleaned the house in preparation for one of his bi-monthly visits, or prepared his favorite food for him, or fluffed his favorite pillows or set out his slippers and pipe, etc., and it ticks Kody off - I think he always expected her to drop everything when he darkened their doorway and she stopped doing that because his visits were so sporadic.  I also think she finally decided not to stop her life or the lives of her kids just because Big Daddy remembered his obligation to them.  By his own admission he's also ticked off that Christine had the audacity to travel to see her kids out of state while he holed up in Robyn's mansion wiping down everything within a 5-mile radius with bleach, so in his pea-brain he equates all of this to Christine not cleaning, or cooking, and being too busy for him because she was taking a relaxing vacation bringing Ysabel for surgery.

He tried everything with her and she didn't bite on any of it.  I just love that.  It was wonderful watching that blowhard narcissist slowly lose steam like a deflated balloon.

[S17.E01: It’s Over]

53 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

Christine's calm resolve was a necessity.  Sure, we all want to see her let him have it, but the scene would have lasted minutes instead of (what looked like) all day. If she would have defended herself or tried to explain in any way he would have instantly gone into rage and blame mode. He tried every card in his deck to provoke her and she was amazing at not responding to him and only making her points until he finally fell back and fully shut down like the exhausted toddler he is.

Christine's breathy way of speaking used to drive me insane, but she put it to good use in this episode by calmly shooting down whatever Kody tried to throw at her - it was impressive.  I guess taking care of all of those kids made Christine an expert at shutting down temper tantrums, even when those tantrums are coming from a whiny petulant 50+ year old man with Ramen noodles for hair.

[S17.E01: It’s Over]

1 hour ago, dariafan said:

I wish he sought advice from someone other than Robyn. 

But "Robyn has this way of understanding relationships." - Kody Brown.

Exhibit 245, Subsection B of why I think Robyn is a darkly brilliant borderline sociopathic manipulator...she inserts herself into every single relationship in this entire fahm'ly, pretends to be "the wife whisperer" so all the wives go to her with their issues, which she then not only tells Kody but also tells him how to handle the situations, makes him think that everything is his idea, and nothing is his fault.  Twisted.

1 hour ago, 65mickey said:

When was this season filmed. I take it this was before Avalon was born and she was born in April 2021. It must have been fimed before the vaccines were available to everyone at least these early episodes anyway.

I assume it was summer/fall 2020 but what bugs me is that Kody always proclaims the virus name as "the coronavirus" or  "Covid Nineteen."  By 2022, people were saying "I have Covid" or "I caught the 'Rona."  Hearing Kody constantly call it by its official name tells me how long ago this footage was shot but also something about the way he says it irks me in general.  I think it's because he says it with such reverence, since it was due to Covid that he could finally do what he's always wanted to do - hole up in Robyn's house and not visit, see or talk to anyone else in the family because they didn't wipe down their mail with Clorox and even if they said they did, he'd ask "but did you use the Target brand of wipes?  That doesn't count.  See you in 14 days."  I think Covid was the sick answer to Kody's prayers...he could bail on his family and use the pandemic as an excuse.  

39 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Was Meri even in this episode?  

She was seen briefly in a talking head - I know because I was very confused by her leopard print shirt under a coat made of what looked like leftover blue pleather from a Barcalounger circa 1979.

[S17.E01: It’s Over]

Kody = Gaslighting King.  Fortunately Christine now has the capacity to recognize what he's doing and to shoot him down.  I think it's because she's watched two of her daughters have successful marriages that she's been forced to confront the fact that Kody never loved her and he never will unless she becomes this magical loving unicorn person which she never can become because Kody keeps moving the boundary lines.  It's a gross game and Christine just flipped the board and told Kody she doesn't want to play anymore.

Meri, what do you think about Kody saying, "well, geez, Christine, at least we have more of a relationship than I do with Meri!"  Go ahead and vague-post another platitude like "The strong only get stronger whilst the northern winds blow against the walls of my soul."  Kody is making a fool of you while he attempts to take down Christine.  The difference is, Christine is no longer willing to play doormat.  I guess that's Meri's role now.

Robyn saying "I need to stay out of it" with regards to Kody and Christine made me literally laugh out loud.  Please, Dark Queen.  Your fat fingerprints are all over the demise of that "marriage."  Congrats.  Go back to doodling on your notepad and then go take another nap.

[Maddie Brown: Seeking a One-Woman Man]

I see a lot of Maddie's brothers in Axel (mostly Hunter and Logan), especially when he was a baby/toddler.  He definitely takes after his mom's side of the family.  Evie has completely different features - she looks more like Caleb.

Funny, this is one of the reasons I started watching Sister Wives in the first place - I only have one sibling so large families fascinate me, and one thing I find interesting is how much or how little siblings resemble one another.  In the early seasons I kept confusing Leon as one of Janelle's kids because of their resemblance to Janelle's boys.  Of course Kody is the common thread amongst all of the kids, but I also think the majority of the kids favor their mothers...the exception being Ariabelliola, who could be Kody's twin.

[The Other Duggars: The Lost Girls and Amy]

Is it possible that given the Duggar scandal, the Lost Girls won't be the coveted prizes that their older sisters seemed to be?  Will other Fundie families still be itching to attach their sons to the Duggar name by marrying into this family?  Is JB too exhausted to play matchmaker now?  If so, perhaps the Lost Girls will be able to escape and lead somewhat normal lives without having to hitch themselves to the first guy that passes Daddy's written exam, and they won't be pumping out their first child before they're old enough to legally drink.....wishful thinking, maybe?

[Maddie Brown: Seeking a One-Woman Man]

Not loving Axel's ripped shorts for the first day of school - but I sincerely hope they enjoy school.  Evie will probably be able to proofread and correct her mother's Instagram posts by year's end.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

But oh, the comments....half are telling Meri to stop posting the strong woman platitudes when she still hasn't left Kody or asking her if she uses a trowel to apply her makeup  - while the other half praises her beautiful eyes, proclaim her to be a boss babe, and shoot down the meanies that tell her to lay off the 14 layers of mascara.  Fun times.

[Robyn Brown: She wanted the family, but got stuck with the man.]

52 minutes ago, Art Of Noiz said:

It beats the weedwhacker!

And I think she might've been wearing that same shiny floral polyester blouse in the very believable weedwacking scene too.

I think it's cute how they keep giving Robyn these little pretend jobs to be working on, as if the cameras are catching her caring for the lawn or writing something important on her Dollar Store notepad when we all know she woke up at noon, had breakfast in bed, did her hair and makeup, and only then were cameras allowed to film after she and Kody practiced their lines and Robyn worked on her dry-cry face in the mirror.

[The Duggalos: Jinger and the Holy Goalie]

19 hours ago, ginger90 said:

This picture confuses me....I spy some curly hair under Jeremy's chin and what looks like a black glove - did he cover his daughter's face with his hand to take this picture?  Is including any portion of their heads in a picture of him and Jinger really even necessary, since we are profoundly aware that he's decided to no longer show their faces on social media - if so, why include any portion of them, including their distinct curly hair?

That said, I'm looking forward to Jinger's next cooking video - tuna with BBQ sauce.

[Spoiler, Speculation and Social Media]

That makes more sense, lol - but that whole scene was so staged, I cringed.  Robyn needs to get better at reading her lines.  Loved how she was just sittin' there with a pencil and a small lined notebook because she's so busy and creative, y'all.