Roslyn

I come from a family of Epic grudge carriers. 30 years was nothing. It's all just going through the motions. The four women can sing and dance and make lists and make promises to do better and try harder, but then all of that is erased when Kody opens his mouth and says "I just don't give a sh!t anymore."

Speaking of Reddit...I was scanning comments and someone posted that Kody said in a cameo that all his outbursts etc on the show was "acting". Naturally there was no link to any specific cameo, but if he did make that statement then it contradicts what Janelle and Meri have said, that the show has never been scripted. Every reality show is scripted, just not in the traditional way since reality shows were designed to skip the rules and expenses of the Writers Guild. So the Browns are obviously doing a dance around the semantics of the language. So. Are Janelle and Meri liars? Or is Kody the next Oscar nominee? ...taken with a grain of salt since there was no link to see for yourself...

This is the great conundrum of this whole family really. After watching the show ad nauseam and reading the #1 NYT Bestselling book...every single problem they have is like a giant spider web and every single thing leads back to the center...back to the beginning. It just grew outward with all the issues becoming interconnected. And now in present day it is damn near impossible to solve any of them because a discussion of one issue immediately leads to two, no three, no six other interconnected issues. Where do you even start !? What's at the center? Kody Winn Brown. Every single issue leads back to his unwillingness to actually be the leader that he claims to be. He wants the glory in heaven without having to shoulder the burden on earth.

I don't have a hard time believing. If you go back and watch the old seasons, Christine has the same comments and the same complaints then as she has now. The answer seems to always be the same. Her problems are her problems, keep sweet, suck it up for the whole family. If filming began in 2009, that means that she has had these issues for 12 years. The only change is that she now only has one young(er) child to care for instead of a family gaggle to corral...and Meri. She has seen clearly with the Meri/Kody relationship just how cold and cruel Kody can be and I suspect she has had a hard dose of reality in that her relationship will never repair to anything of what she wants. Her wants just don't matter to Kody, if they really ever did.

Google is available for the big words...

And to boot, that area the property is in has septic systems and trucked in water. I would assume they could tie into the gas line but electric would have to be paid (often by the foot) to bring in 4 (or 5?) hook ups. Looking at the extra 5th lot, there is little to no space to build that conforms to whatever the code would be for the ditch, gas line and property lines. Meri and Christines little strips of land also are close to the same things, with the trees having an upward slope and potential bedrock issues. Without knowing all the codes I am assuming a full site plan would need to be submitted and approved before any test could be done for septic systems or water cisterns, plus where each house will go for the electric to be pulled. And...that is only going by the swiss cheese storyline cooked up by Kody and the producers. In reality (as its been mentioned upthread) the four actual and real lots have very different actual and real property lines that don't line up to Kodys fairy tale print out. Then Robyn's statement of how "the wives can only subdivide and pass down their OWN properties to their own children"...when her name is on every single one of the 4 plots of land.

Oddly enough my husband came down with a severe "Flu" two weeks before Thanksgiving 2019. He was tired Monday morning (not unusual) and drove to his job site for that week about 6 hours away. By evening he had a fever, severe fatigue and heavy brain fog. He was short of breath and had a cough if he breathed too deep. Since he was so sick he normally would have come home. He was working solo so he couldn't and his boss paid the hotel bill/food etc for him to stay put. He had a hell of a time that week, but he wasn't well enough to drive. We wrote it off as a really bad flu. If he lost taste or smell, he was too sick to notice. He did improve enough to drive home that Friday and was still fatigued that weekend. He was afraid to make me sick and so we stayed away from each other and I did extra cleaning etc. After Covid hit the news he always wondered if he had it.

That's the thing with Robyn and (I think) why she gets so much chatter online. Her subtly is very subtle. People seem to watch the same show and come out with two very opposing opinions. It all depends on your personal experiences with people as to how you see her actions/words. I come from a viscous dysfunctional family of nasty, abusive, manipulative women and can see the subtext pretty easily. I think Robyn in the most aware of all the wives and chooses her words very carefully, which is probably why she is very "gitchy" with the various therapists...she fears someone who may be able to see through her. As for prioritizing her own children...well. She has been in the family for 11 years now and sees the reality of their "culture" and is knuckling down to make sure her kids needs are met.

I believe that Gwen has done activities. I remember a photo of her in what looked like a military uniform when she was in LV, possibly ROTC. She has always had a rigid posture since the beginning of the show which can come from dance/gymnastics etc.

I think Kody is a typical product of his upbringing. I am in his age bracket and I grew up in a "old fashioned" family farm area. Men in my age group as well as their fathers and grand fathers are all cut with the same scissors. Kody comes from a traditional ranch world which I assume would be very similar to the family farm world. Men have two emotional levels. Normal and angry. Men aren't allowed to feel emotion and my husband is having a hell of a time in his 50's with the fall out of not having a clue about recognizing or processing emotion, let alone allowing himself to actually feel emotion beyond anger. Kody is in the middle of the pack of 10 kids and he wanted something different than what his father wanted for him. He wanted glory of sports, to stand out from the others and "to look good". His father most likely expected his sons to be mirrors of himself and his daughters to be good Mormon girls who do as they are told and make babies and a hearty meal. Kody can't recognize emotion because his religion tells him it isn't his problem and why burden yourself with such "downer" vibes...only optimism is allowed. Live plural marriage where the women are expected to pray themselves into a sweet Stepford wife role so they can all rule the great Kody Brown planet after they scrap out the details in this life.

While Robyn's LV house was the first to sell, it wasn't the first on the market. Christine put hers on the market first in July 2018 and Janelle's followed in (I think) October. Both of those houses sat for months because Janelle insisted on being the realtor for them, but she moved to Flagstaff and only traveled on occasion back to Vegas. Both of those houses also went through multiple price reductions before Janelle handed the realtor reins over to a seasoned professional. By then Robyn and Meri finally put their houses on the market in Dec or Jan 2019. Robyn had the finished back yard that either the Browns invested in or TLC money was used for filming of the family celebrations and was quickly scooped up. I think Janelle's sold next and then Meri's but then Christine's finally sold in Sept or Oct of 2019. I think her whining about Sol and Ari being unable to last 2 weeks without Kody was more of she can't go 2 weeks without Kody there to help her with the kids. She uses "but the littles" as a reason to get adult help in her household, yet has no problem with Kody going much longer seeing his older kids...cause you know...they are just "jerks" anyway. Ysabel's surgery is showing the great rift in the family that we can see just from the show/SM. If this was truly one big family with All for One and One for all, then they would have all rallied around Ysabel and made damn sure that they all stepped up so that Kody and Christine could have gone to be a united support for her.

Remember way back when, when Kody and the wives were sitting around the table with the Dargers? And the Darger wives were saying "if you find yourself doing another re-set...try sharing a kitchen". Meri pipes up and says something like "but what about deciding how you decorate?" The one Darger wife just slapped back with "what we are doing here is bigger than decorating..." 🤣 Meri is full on one of the "stuff" wives...

I was the only punk in my very rural Pennsylvanian family farming county in the 80s 🤣 My husband heard Janelle say that and he stopped and said "Really!!??" So...I kinda have to respect her a little bit now..." Then listening to the Janelle/Gabe conversation he said ...well maybe not... And a reminder about Gabe. He has pushed back against anything Janelle said or wanted and if her view was lax then his would have probably been highly cautious. He is one of those pushing against any and all things kids, and being smarter than all the adults put together means he can out argue and just push push push. Janelle once said that Kody was pushing her to have another baby and her response was she was afraid to "get another Gabe". She obviously caved and then had Savanah.

Well. I am quoting myself...because this is now bugging me I went back to the first episode... Janelle's hair is the same natural looking blond as in the photos AND Meri has her hair pulled back into a bun at the back of her head...so it was long in the "Meet the wives" S1E1.

I think she has really changed. She was active with the MSWC up until it all just stoppped in March 2019 and she just disappeared off all SM. On camera when she talks she has a breathlessness to her speech. I remember seeing her standing and talking recently (the show or a clip...) and she reached out to steady herself. Her eyes are lifeless when she talks and as @Tuxcat mentioned she also seems much more pious than any of the others, especially in the last seasons in Flagstaff. She has a different way of communicating and seems to sit and listen vs inserting herself as the "all knowing and family expert" on every subject. Most likely she gets all the info from asking quiet questions and then puts her opinion (in her magickal way of speaking to Kody) into Kody's ear so that he can then make it his opinion. I have Chronic Fatigue with no known reason. I can usually gauge my day after I get out of bed and know if it is a day I can get things done or if I just need to accept it and be happy with the bare minimum. It is an exhaustion like no other. I suspect whatever may be ailing her, Robyn can't seem to keep her own house running even with 3 older children now that she doesn't have Mindy at her side. If I remember correctly Mindy moved in not long after they moved into the Vegas houses and so Robyn really has never NOT had help since Solomon was born until the move to Flagstaff.

@Sasha888 has already mentioned that Meri has long hair in the scenes filmed celebrating Robyn's birthday which is in October if I remember. There is one other scene, but it is only quick quick on screen when the camera pans the room as Kody sits all the kids down to giggle while he is trying to tell them that he is going to ask Robyn to "join the family". I looked at the photo in the book and found another online where three are seated and Christine is standing that looks like it is from the same photo shoot. Meri has long hair, but Janelle has natural looking blond hair. My memory tells me she always had bleached looking hair from the beginning, she also looks very uncomfortable in the photos. In my opinion Christine looks like she is on the heavy side as she was, but she is most like beginning to show from her pregnancy. That photo was most likely taken right before they began filming or soon after. The even lighting makes me think the back drops are just that...the professional kind in a photo studio with added props. Even the one with the bit of snow at the bottom doesn't show their feet. Their faces are evenly lit, if its outside it would have been on a very overcast day.

I think this is why we no longer see Tell Alls. Kody refuses to "just sit there" while they play his clips taking turns throwing them all under the bus while filming their faces trying hard to remain stoic.

Armchair diagnosing disclaimer.. What I see in Kody these last seasons I have also seen and experienced in my husband, his family and other men I know. Especially in men nearing their 50s or over 50. Depression is such a powerful force, and it happens in so many different ways. High energy and hyper focus can be depression. Extreme fatigue. Anger...and on and on. Not just "I can't get out of bed, nor do I have any desire to..." kind of thing. I read an article recently that middle aged white men are the highest rate of suicide. His anger and aggression (in my opinion) looks very much like when a toddler is doing what they always do to get a certain result...but they aren't getting that result. However they also can't process to do anything else, so they push more and act out. Then act out more. Then it just escalates further. From what I have seen of Kody on camera over these years is that he might have a wee bit of self reflection...then it just seems to drift away like the smoke of a blown out candle and he is back to reassuring himself that he isn't wrong...they are. He just can't look within himself to see the need for change, let alone ever actually change. He is accustomed to behaving one way and the wives and children are supposed to just jump and respond. Yet the wives are also aging and changing. Growing more like!! Kody is stuck in toddler-like behavior and the wives have grown past him. His children are now free thinking adults and no longer jump and scream when he walks in a room. He is truly the neediest child of the whole lot. This episode sees the huge difference in the way he treats everyone. No matter what you say to Janelle she will just do as she pleases because she knows she can get away with it. Christine is 10 paces in the wrong when she is actually right...but she can't ever be right because Kody has turned her into the enemy of his life. Meri is the annoying ex-girlfriend who happens to be the sister of your new girlfriend so you have to put up with her every time you see your girlfriends family. And Robyn...well. Robyn is mommy. Kody behaves like a child being chastised when Robyn is lecturing him. His entire demeanor changes in a very profound way. This man can not hide any of his feelings through his body language. Nor has he ever learned to put a filter on his mouth. The entire family has moved so many times. Maddie saying that all the adults just get bored. Kody's need to move not long after the Vegas houses were built (based on tiny tidbits within their dialog over the last seasons). He just seems to be testing everyone's breaking point again and again. He gives Robyn a promise to never move (which I think she forced out of him) and then turns and uses it as a weapon. To use (yet another) Office quote, He is "out of carrots and out of sticks" and really has no clue how to make this group of people (that he gave autonomy to) do his bidding. To add on to the comment by @deirdra about the access road, which oddly enough they didn't even mark on their new map layout...yes, it is an easement for the gas line. So. It will come with a lot of its own rules for building. I live in gas well country and they are everywhere. The one and ONLY thing that was clearly marked when I purchased my house was the gas line. The main line runs just off our property and it was clearly staked with flags. If you are going to build a house, and especially a septic system you will have to build in accordance to the easement. The pond and property lines will also have their own codes. I also call a TLC "bull" on the survey guy. He might be one...might. However people who survey are not builders. They measure and mark lines, boundaries and the topography. He made note of the rock in the trees, and then the camera shows a pile of rock...yet who knows what the ground is made out of. Janelle made note long ago that the property had a well...but all the time they have walked the property you have never seen any kind of cap randomly in the ground. One well will not service four(five?) properties/houses. Christines house that was further down the valley and Robyns house both have water delivery cisterns. Kody leaves out so many real life details when talking about the propertieS and the building etc. And...after watching the old Thanksgiving episode it will be fascinating to see how they navigate holidays. Christine was the backbone of their holidays and just like when you are a young adult with a growing family of your own and your parents split up and remarry into patchwork families...who goes where and when for the holidays? If you are a working adult you don't get weeks off to travel multiple places (and sometimes far distances) for multiple get togethers. Will kids have to choose to visit Christine or to travel to Flagstaff for Robyn's version of the holiday? Janelle seems to be more than willing to turn and head straight east for her own small gathering at Maddies.

They aren't... The Pillsbury rolls have a distinctive bubbly surface texture. Those are very thick and have residual flour on the surface showing that a lot of flour was used when shaping them. The dough probably wasn't rested enough, so it didn't stretch to get several rolls for more of a crescent look to them, or it was too flour heavy, which is a common bread making beginner mistake. They were baked either at too high a temperature or on a thin dark baking sheet so the bottoms are way too dark...almost burned.

On a whim, my husband and I watched the old Thanksgiving episode of SW...remember painting the corn cans for centerpieces?? Robyn was pregnant with "baby sister" and the beginning of her swollen neck was clearly evident. That was the time when she really changed and always seemed out of breath and her eyes just became lifeless. Also...it was interesting to watch an older episode after the recent ones. Wow... what a difference.

Gym Tim ??

If anyone can't ""wrap their head around" how emotional manipulation works...that clip sums it up in 2 minutes. Kody...You can choose for yourself. You can do what you want to do. I will choose for myself. Also Kody (subtext through body language and tone) If you do not agree with me, I will not listen to you. I will make little noises but never actually come out a say anything like a grown up. I will disengage. Kindness and love (what Kody considers to be love) are rewards to be handed out to anyone who parrots/mirrors back his desires, wishes and rules with a smile and kind eyes. You know, like how you train a dog with positive reinforcement, play and treats.

I'm such a weirdo!! I always zoom in and have a good look at peoples hats. I love LOVE knitting hats ☺️

I am going out on a limb and "supposing" a potential way that the books could be cooked. The friend could pay for rooms and lets just say that 7 days comes to a total of $500. Pay in cash and on the books there is a booking for 7 days. Then lots of cooking and cleaning needs to be done...and then the friend does all the work and earns $500 for the week. Then she is paid out and so on and so on. I was just being snarky with a "well...it could be like this..." kind of thing. The best way to cook any books is with cash transactions and only "hiring" people on a temporary as needed basis. An actual employee involves a lot of paperwork and a paper trail, but Meri has even stated that she brings in a cook and a cleaner for when people DO stay in the B&B. I highly doubt they are "on the books" employees but someone local paid as needed, like a sub contractor. There was a blurp I read on Reddit where someone traveled through Parawon and drove past the B&B and stopped at the local diner and asked a waitress if the B&Bwas busy. The waitress told them that she thought it had closed up, she has never seen anyone there. We know people have been there (even someone from this board spent the night pre-Covid) but no one seems to know anything about how busy or not busy it is lately. As you said, with this friend there and her children it doesn't seem like a place you would want to stay and if there is actually any rooms available if anyone would want to.

In my opinion as a mother of two. Child #1 gets your undivided attention for awhile before #2 comes along. For me it was a natural progression that when child #1 went to school and left child #2 home "alone" that it was the perfect opportunity for one on one time. Two different children, no matter the gender, have different needs and interests and its the perfect opportunity for you to just be with them. Overall I just don't agree with the social media moaning about motherhood and children in any way. Maybe MAYBE in a private group online....maybe....but at some point your kid is going to look at that and internalize your words.