maxmama

Kody is becoming unhinged and bizarre. He reactions to some things are very strange, Robyn is also very defensive, and even combative. The two of them are grasping at whatever justification they can come up with to blame anyone else but themselves for the downfall of this entire situation. They apparently are blameless, to listen to them tell it. Well let me just say that three other wives walking away from you and numerous estranged adult kids would seem to imply they are not the problem, Robyn and Kody are. Leave them to their life together, everybody else seems more than capable of, not to mention happy to, move on and find happiness elsewhere. Enough already. You two deserve each other, so go away.

Robyn looks a little scared to me that she is going to be Kody’s full time wife. I don’t think she bargained for that, even though she has done her best to cause discord among everybody. Out of all of them, Meri is best positioned to move on, she has the B & B she can live at and run and never have to see any of the others again, so who knows why she is sticking around to be treated like a sack of you-know-what. Janelle, on the other hand, is blessed with a don’t-give-a-crap attitude and her own fortitude so she will do just fine. As will Christine. They both have adult children starting families of their own, who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by that instead of the mess back in Flagstaff? It must just frost Kody’s cookies that these women are not all woefully dependent (except Robyn and her girl brood) on him for their very existence. He has zero insight into his colossal failings as a polygamist husband and even less insight, were that possible, into why they are leaving the fold. Not to mention his failures as a father, which are unconscionable. (sic?) He deserves every ounce of rejection, indifference, and abscence of respect he gets from any of his kids, he has worked overtime to earn it. Enjoy, Robyn.

I know this is storyline-driven, but why does Christine have to sit and endure judgment and “gaslighting” by Kody, Robyn and Meri? She’s leaving and that’s the end of it. Never complain, never explain, like the old saying goes. She already stated her reasons, Kody refuses to own any of it, and Robyn is just living on her own planet. Meri is a lost cause but that’s her choice. Janelle sees the light and supports Christine. Just get up and go, Christine. Good riddance.

If Kim is such a changed person, why isn’t she initiating a conversation with Olivia, acknowledging and apologizing for her past actions? Wouldn’t that go a long way toward starting to heal the rift here? Why aren’t her kids, who seem to be full of wisdom about what Olivia needs to do, encouraging their mother to take some responsibility and figure out how to heal this family crisis? Ethan in particular, who seems to not have an iota of compassion or any support to offer his own wife, should be hammering his mother with that proposal. Kim seems oddly detached from the needs and concerns of others, including her own children. I agree with another poster upthread who said Kim has probably been up to stuff behind the scenes for a long time. Her “pursuit” of Olivia when she was a teenager is disturbing, and using her oldest son for money behind his back is despicable. Micah and Moriah distanced themselves for a long time, too, but now they are Kim’s adoring supporters. Ethan disgusts me with his arrogant and disdainful dismissal of his own wife’s feelings with his “I don’t cares”, etc. while Olivia is struggling with this. This stuff takes time, and doing it in front of cameras is even harder.

Olivia gives more grace to Ethan than I would. He deliberately keeps repeating the same actions, thinking if he owns up to it at some later date and acts contrite then it’s all good. Of course we don’t see what happens behind the scenes, he could have told her about the motorcycle for all we know, and it’s a storyline. Anyway, it underscores the slow erosion of trust and honesty between two people. Olivia is trying to hold it together but eventually….pffft. I actually thought Kim did pretty well trying to point out the realities of love to a human being, not just to God. The real relationship that has to be lived every day. Lydia has zero point of reference for any of that. Hold the tomatoes, but Barry is growing on me. He seems sincere in his desire to re-establish a relationship with Ethan, and maybe it might just work out fine without Kim in their picture. Hopefully a new side of him will emerge. People can change. It seems Kim and Barry are having a re-awakening at the way they have raised their kids and I hope it benefits everybody.

What exactly has happened in Plathville? Catching up on episodes…suddenly Kim is leaving Barry and the family, Moriah and Max are dunzo and Ethan is back to his old tricks and behaviors again. After raising your kids in an environment of social and emotional deprivation for your religious beliefs, suddenly Kim is feeling a bit unfulfilled in her life? So she bails on the remaining kids and holes up in various rental houses? No, Kim, suck it up, buttercup. You were a partner in creating this, you don’t get to bail when YOUR needs are not being met. Amazingly Barry is getting a better edit in this whole thing, which isn’t saying much but at least he’s buying dinner. Max wasted no time cheating on Moriah, so good riddance. So glad she has decided to stop the crying and whimpering; I realize she has no life experience but she comes across as a child about everything. I hope Olivia will see the light and realize she and Ethan are just not a match. They were young when they married but have clearly gone in different directions. Doesn’t make either one of them bad, they’ve just changed. Ethan wants the simple life with a country girl who shares his visions of life. Olivia wants more of the world. I hope they eventually get the lives they want.

It looks like the weight of the world has been lifted off of Christine’s face, she looks quite relaxed. On the other hand, the weight seems to have shifted over to Robyn. I am sure Christine leaving the family has left a big hole in it, but this is the case with any divorce or separation, or whatever they’ve got. Kody appears to struggle with meaningful relationships with his adult kids, so he will have to figure that out on his own, but it seems pretty likely his adult kids are not clamoring for a relationship with him, and he seems okay with that. Christine’s departure has upset Kody’s little apple cart; he thought he could continue denigrating some wives and elevating others and that would work for everybody. I cannot comprehend why Meri stays, it must be financial. Janelle is not motivated to start over anymore, she seems content where she is and accepts what comes her way. (hey it happens with a lot of older women). Not everyone is a dynamo who wants to go out and change the world, or your own world. Janelle strikes me that way, just leave her alone and let her putter in the garden, or greenhouse, whatever. I hope Christine is happy, and she is taking it slow, learning about herself instead of chasing after a new guy, I can only wish her well. Kody is going to be left picking up the pieces of the wreckage of lives he has created and destroyed with his own behavior, and Robyn will be stuck with him.

All I can say is that I am so happy for Christine that she got herself out of that mess. If only Meri had the courage to take that step and salvage her self-respect.

Ari and her never ending list of grievances and fears and anxieties. Everybody, especially her parents and family, walking on eggshells around her emotional needs, which she appears to be using as a way to control everyone around her. Either believe Bini or not, but stop with the waffling around with going back to Ethiopia or not. You are a parent, grow up and face the music with your head up for a change. Whatever Bini did or not, she has chosen to stay with him, so support him and stop complaining about it. I second all the comments about Kenny and Armando’s wedding. I admit I teared up a little when Armando’s dad said there is no point to putting up “barriers in your mind”. Wise words and a happy ending/beginning. Finally Jenny and Sumit. I have no wish to see the sourpuss face of Mama Sumit on the tell-all. I don’t entirely trust Sumit’s sudden turnaround on getting married; Jenny is kinda naieve but I hope he doesn’t hurt her again. Steven and Alina are sort of like a couple kids playing pretend. The kitties at the wedding was odd, but in Steven’s mind this was a brilliant romantic gesture, and Alina seemed to appreciate it. Whatever, I love cats.

Matt deserves everything he got. He will never have a relationship until he can grow up and peel his mother off his leg. It’s gross. The histrionics at the bar with Kelly was ridiculous too. He and his mother have a severely dysfunctional relationship. It’s just abnormal behavior. If Kim orchestrated this move to Austin to figure out how to end the relationship, it was brilliant. Good for her. Same with Shekeb. Although the whole Emily thing seems sadly scripted, I wouldn’t blame her if she still threw the plants at Laila’s house. Shekeb is another overgrown baby who is not marriage or even boyfriend material. Cut your losses, Emily, leave Laila and Shekeb to their life together. I am rooting for Mike and Stephanie, and got mh hopes up when he said he moved to California to be with her. Then his mother shows up. Out of all of them, though, Liz seems the most able to let him go. We’ll see. Glad that Stephanie isn’t jumping right back into it.

I’m kind of rooting for Stephanie and Mike. Of all of them, they seem to really love each other but are struggling with other stuff. Last nite, even Mike’s mom (tearfully) admitted she couldn’t stop him if he wants to go to L.A. He seems to really want to be with Stephanie but Mama is not letting go of the apron strings. I hope they make it. Shekeb and Emily, all pretty scripted. The “romantic picnic” was pretty awful. Laila’s iron grip on her spineless son is forever, I’m afraid. Even Matt and apathetic Kim are just drifiting along here; at least Kim had the incentive to get out for a while.

Ari, please get over yourself. You deliberately flew back to America, leaving Bini in Ethiopia, for a surgery that was supposedly so urgent, but after a month has not happened yet. Now she is complaining he is “not there for her” or “supporting her”. What would she have him do, besides being available at her beck and call 24/7 by phone? I guess he should stay in bed all day, motionless, waiting for her royal calls. She has orchestrated this entire situation and of course is now whimpering and complaining about it, while also holding that child over Bini’s head. Really nauseating. Watching Jenny make a fool of herself and Sumit and his parents make a fool of her is just sad. Go home, Jenny, rebuild your life. He really is too young for you, and the cultural issues are a hill you will never be able to get over. What was up with Sumit’s greasy hair tonight? FF’d thru Kenny and Armando. I adore Armando, but Kenny and his endless search for something to be depressed about is a bad omen. From the previews he is now stuck on a sunset wedding, tonight he is upset about being homesick. Half the world was homesick during Covid. It’s like he can never be happy. You could get married on the side of the road and be happy, so buck up a little, okay? I’m glad I have another week to decompress, I’m starting to take it all personally.

I don’t like anybody on this iteration of the show. Maybe Ellie, a little, and Bini, who just desperately doesn’t want to lose another child to a baby-mama from another country who is dangling that possibility in front of him all the time, this time in the form of her ex-husband. Just gross. Will content myself reading all of the informative and insightful recaps from all of you, and I thank you!

Sad to see how dark Ethan has become. He is so consumed with anger. I can’t figure Olivia out, does she want to staynwith or not? Could have done without some of of the cutesy Moriah and Matt scenes.

I actually thought Angela, for all her faults, hit the nail on the head when she jumped on Natalie for her forever-victim attitude. We all know Mike is no prize, but something is off about Natalie. She constantly provokes, then claims she is a victim of Mike. I give him zero excuses for his own conduct, but nine times out of ten she is the instigator. When Trish came out and gave her her a dressing-down, it was well deserved, IMO. Brandon looks tired and clearly distressed by his father’s illness, regardless of what we think of Ron and Betty, they are his parents. He seems torn by a screeching wife and being there for them. I get that Julia does not want to live at the farm, but marriage is the art of compromise. Her insulting rant about only going there to visit her dog must have stung a little. Not a good look. Angela was repugnant, as usual. She and Michael need to call it a divorce. Same for Tiffany and Ronald. Neither one is worth the effort. Hopefully child visitation agreements can be worked out, but I won’t hold my breath.