GuiltiestPleasures

I didn't realize that, I think I missed their first season, but honestly you're right. If he lived in Colombia, I feel like his weird fetishization of Colombian Pao vs. his expectation of what American Pao should be is indeed worse. He knew what this was. He knew who she was. Ugh.

So I know Pao is not very popular on this board, but I'm sorry, the way Russ talks about "allowing" her to do things and constantly acting like he should have veto rights over everything in her life is just creepy. And the whole "Colombian" Pao vs "American" Pao is also creepy. He and Jorge are very similar in my eyes; they went online and found international Barbie dolls to marry. Women who were very open about their sexualities and bodies online when they met them. Then they paid for a plane ticket and put a ring on it, and now they act as though the things that Anfisa and Pao did to attract them are morally reprehensible. I'm sorry, but if you didn't want to marry a model who takes sexy photos, maybe don't MARRY a MODEL who takes SEXY PHOTOS. Do I think Pao is some terrific human? Not particularly. Do I think her best friend there is just an attention seeking idiot who starts fights with Russ on purpose? Sure. Do I think Russ some huge catch who is now being terribly mistreated by his spicy Latina wife? NO! We've seen this again and again on this show, men who think they are buying these women's freedoms when they bring them to the US and marry them. Honestly, good for Pao, at least she's upfront and honest about what she wants. If her career or moving to Miami were deal breakers for Russ, he should leave. But instead he sticks around, constantly making her feel bad about her choices and standing off-camera saying how "uncomfortable" he is and basically implying that his *wife* is a slut. Which is all fine and dandy until you remember that it was that sluttish behavior that attracted him in the first place. If he wanted a Duggar-clone to marry, he's on the wrong show and also could have stayed in Oklahoma to find one. I have very little sympathy for him.

So, I've heard people from the D.R. call it the DR frequently. The Dominican, I think, probably comes from the Spanish "La Republica Dominicana" and I've definitely heard people use "La Dominicana" to refer to the country or to people who are Dominican (i.e. she is Dominicana). It's not as common, but I've definitely heard it being used that way.

THIS. The Family Chantal is SO worried that Pedro is here to "harvest American dollars" that they're going to give those dollars to Private Investigator Barbie's Mom with a terrible dye job instead. Seriously, I grew up with a lot of Dominican friends in a neighborhood with a lot of immigrants from various countries and sending money home is incredibly common. And, of course, the amount of money needed to rent a two or three bedroom apartment in DR is less than the amount to rent a studio here. How does the Family Chantal not understand basic things like exchange rates? The problem in this relationship isn't that Pedro is sending money back to his family, it's that the two of them are so immature and apparently incapable of communicating with each other on a level that allows them to talk about money and how they spend it. At least, not without getting their families involved. (And I agree with others who say that the Family Chantal created this problem themselves with the pre-nup BS from their first season - they told Pedro "what is ours is ours" so many times and now he's telling THEM "what is mine is mine" and they're shocked and appalled. SMH. I mean, the Mother Chantal of the tiny hats and the bizarre speaking cadence was so terribly, terribly offended when they were called ugly Americans but...if the shoe fits. I swear to god, these are some of the most xenophobic people I've ever met. *I* was offended watching the episodes of them in the DR and I'm not Pedro's family...or Dominican! Honestly, after watching those episodes, I'm surprised Pedro's first call wasn't to a divorce attorney, I don't think I could stay with someone who just tolerates their family treating me and my family and even "my culture" (which can we tell the writers of this show that not everything people do is because of "their culture" - like this show plays to the worst stereotypes of every country that they feature people from).

For everyone saying that Nicole's mother should just take Mae away, remember that in most states, grandparents cannot even get visitation orders very easily if the child's parent doesn't want them to. And the process of finding a parent incompetent is very complicated and strict (for good reason - it *shouldn't* be easy to take a child from a parent b/c as you can imagine, or see on our southern borders right now, the damage of family separation is very real). Without clear evidence of child abuse or severe neglect, if I were Nicole's parent's attorney, I would tell them it was absolutely in their best interest to stay in Nicole's life as much as possible. If I remember correctly, that is even the reasoning her father gave for giving her money and sponsoring Azan's application; that he'd rather have her, and Mae, here in the states and not in Morrocco. But, without more, a court is unlikely to find moving abroad alone sufficient reason to take a child away, unless there was a second parent objecting. I don't know the details of custody rules in Nicole's state (I also don't at the present moment remember what state that is - Florida?) but it is absolutely not a slam dunk that Grandma and Grandpa there could get custody even if they wanted to. Their best bet would be, frankly, bribing her to get her to leave Mae home and/or send Mae home after the wedding. Perhaps that's why Mom bought the dress and it sounds like all of the parents are heading over for the "wedding" that I'm sure they're paying for.

So I signed up just to post about this because I love the arc/editing Anfisa is getting this season, it's honestly remarkable. I've always really disliked Jorge and thought his whining and his family's pearl-clutching about Anfisa was absurd. He was a grown man who decided to bring his very own Russian Barbie to the US to marry him and then freaked out when she was an actual person with expectations and, frankly, exactly what she had always said she was. They seemed shocked that she wasn't just falling over herself in gratitude that she has "someone like Jorge" and is in the United States now. I do wonder though, do you think after the last reunion that Anfisa would only come back if she got a better edit and/or more sympathetic treatment? Because the change in the way the show treats her is really noticeable.