[Beyond Paradise - General Discussion]

On 4/9/2024 at 9:37 PM, wanderingstar said:

Hard to believe, but this show is growing on me.

I am enjoying this 2nd season more than the first, especially since the small police force has really gelled into a cohesive team, plus Humphrey and Martha are interacting more so as true members of the community. 

[Madame Blanc Mysteries - General Discussion]

On 3/18/2024 at 11:04 AM, Prevailing Wind said:

Was that a marriage proposal?

I don't think so--I think Dom just asked if Jean would be interested in moving beyond being just friends to officially dating.

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

15 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

David has money?  Who knew!!!

Anyone who Googles "David Woolley"; just be sure to find the one who married Christine Brown.... He's not a billionaire, but he does own a construction business as well as some real estate. Christine probably looked him up--not accusing her of being a gold-digger--but given how Kody ran the family, bringing in little money himself (except for the TLC bucks) and expecting the 3OG wives to earn money for the family coffers, I think Christine would have looked for a man who works/has a career and isn't expecting her to be the primary income earner.

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

I have long wondered why none of them have gotten jobs where you clock in and out for a steady paycheck and insurance for your family, but that's not how they roll. 

Didn't Meri have a regular job (I think in a counselling center--not sure what her position was, probably clerical/admin?) in Utah before/as the show started, but because of the show she was "let go" because the office didn't want her private lifestyle newly made public to reflect badly on the office. Also, Janelle worked in real estate, although I don't know how active of an agent she was or if she mainly worked in the office. Christine, too, worked in real estate for awhile with Janelle--again, not sure what exactly she did, if she showed houses or did clerical work in the office, AND didn't Christine work a part-time evening job while the kids were young? She cared for the kids all day and then worked part-time somewhere in the evenings, if I recall correctly. Seems the 3OG wives did ALL the income earning while Kody played at gun shows and hung out with his buddies (and then with Robyn). 

I think the 3 ladies prefer the MLM work because they can set their own hours, take time off when they like, put in as much or as little effort as they want/need, and if they work really hard to be successful, they get to go on lots of fun trips. They may also have more than 1 MLM going on at a time to keep money coming in, and now with David's help, Christine is able to get into another revenue generating gig with this AirBnB (hats off to her for not just sitting on her butt now that she married a well-off guy; she's continuing with her MLM plus branching out into other money-making avenues to secure her future and help her family).

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

10 hours ago, Denize said:

I wonder if Meri hung her old marriage licence up on the wall at Lizzies? It had a nice frame. 

I doubt it; however, now that Christine finally has an actual marriage license of her own, maybe she framed hers and put it up in her AirBnB?

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

23 hours ago, Sandy W said:

She didn't even know that branch of the family did not live the polygamous lifestyle.

So much for the inn having a special meaning for her when she didn't know something as basic as that.

Why would Meri know personal details about other branches of the family, especially since the inn/that branch of the family is located in Utah and Meri grew up in California? I grew up in Indiana, then Minnesota -- I was in High School before I learned that 3 of my dad's siblings (2 in California; 1 in Ohio) were Jehovah's Witnesses.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

13 hours ago, Denize said:

The first owner was a Davenport who married an Adams; both names sound English, not Irish. 

Here's a link to the interview Meri gave regarding her Irish roots. Whether it's true or she's just making it up, I can't say: https://tvshowsace.com/2019/03/18/sister-wives-meri-brown-shares-her-irish-ancestry-on-st-patricks-day/

 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

16 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

Is Meri's family Irish? 

I think I saw an interview where Meri said her mom's side of the family was Irish (Lizzie who originally owned the inn).

I'm not one to shell out $50 for a tour but I must say that Meri at least is constantly scrambling to find ways to keep making money. She still has the B&B (hasn't gone bankrupt or closed its doors permanently) so I gather she makes some money from that business despite it not being in a high traffic tourist area. 

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

28 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Yeah for me personally, I would be a huge red flag and turn off if my partner was obsessed with petty revenge on an ex. When an ex is really that bad, and you are ready to move on, minimal polite contact dealing with the kids is about it. None of this petty beer and skittles crap.

I think the "beer and skittles" crap is simply for ratings (for the show)/viewers or clicks (or whatever it's called) for the podcast. Meri has had plenty of time to badmouth her former sister wives and Kody, yet she really hasn't said much, if anything, about them. She's poked back at Kody and Robyn on HER podcast, but so far (at least as far as I can tell) she hasn't done so in national media. Perhaps if she gets invited to do some of those type of interviews (like Christine and Janelle did), we'll see if she continues the "beer and skittles" crap, or if she'll take the high road, like in her statement last January when she and Kody made their split final and public.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

I find it suspect that the only details being mentioned are those that throw a bad light on Meri's new beau. We know nothing else, like where's he from, what does he do for a living, does he have a family, how did they meet, etc. Personally--my opinion only--I wouldn't put it past Kody to demand TLC production to tell him the guy's name, then pass that info on to contacts at InTouch to dig up all the dirt. I think Kody views all his wives as his property, even if he is done with 3 of them, and he can't stand to see his property being happy without him, especially finding love with someone else.

Also, there's no reason to think that Meri's announcement about Amos means they'll soon be getting engaged (didn't Christine and David take 4 months from dating to engagement?), just that he's become more than a casual date. Still, that could change in a few months or so, so if he's the one, I hope Meri will be happy and that Kody will leave them alone.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

21 minutes ago, Quof said:

Damn, Meri, can't you do better than a guy who wears a hat at the dinner table? 

Maybe that was their first date and he was uncomfortable to show his bald head, unsure of whether Meri would laugh, make fun of him, get up and leave, etc. I wonder if he was a blind date set up by Jen and her hubby?

[Shetland - General Discussion]

13 minutes ago, dleighg said:

and didn't they say that Tosh could only be temporary, because to be a "full" DI she'd have to do a stint (at least) somewhere other than Shetland?

Yes, and she didn't want to do that because she'd either have to leave her family in Shetland while she worked elsewhere for a year or two; or her family would have to move with her, and I don't think her hubby/significant other (are they married?) wants to put his career aside or seek work elsewhere. Evidently, whatever he does in Shetland, he has more time to spend with their daughter so she's always left in daycare for long hours every day.

[Shetland - General Discussion]

Enjoyed the season, loved Tosh as the "temporary" DI, but I thought Ruth was going to end up replacing Jimmy Perez, yet that hasn't happened. Granted, Ruth is staying on Shetland for another month or so, but it's implied that she will return to her job in London after her holiday break.  I suppose if the show is renewed for another series, Ruth will already be established as the new DI in charge several months or longer since this series' ending.

[S18.E21: Talk Back Part 2 (Special Episode)]

17 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I believe what he actually said was  "You can fall in line or get the the hell out and they did."  Nice guy a real gentleman. 

Yes, and then he was surprised that Christine and Janelle left (he didn't care about Meri and wanted her gone years ago -- as long as he didn't have to say the words to her face and could play it off as her choice to leave, no blame on him).

[S18.E19: Sister Wives: Talk Back Part 1 (Special Episode)]

15 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

Meri may have found an ideal person then if she had been more realistic in assessing what was going on with "Sam".  Did she really think a younger, handsome, multi millionaire was madly in love with her and ready to swoop her off to a life of luxury? Come On!!!

Considering how naive and sheltered polygamous girls are (and Meri was a 19-yr old virgin when she married Kody--I believe he was her first and only boyfriend), plus how lonely and vulnerable Meri was at that time (this was after the real divorce and K&R's legal marriage) I can see how she would overlook logic/believability and focus on a "fantasy dream come true" dream.

[S18.E19: Sister Wives: Talk Back Part 1 (Special Episode)]

14 hours ago, Meow Mix said:

Regarding the catfish, I think Meri is holding onto the fact that when she initially went online, she wasn't on a manhunt.  She probably was just genuinely looking for community.  The problem is that she won't admit that had that been a real guy, she would have been gone.  I wish she would acknowledge that because no one would blame her after the way Kody and Robyn treated her.  And I still want to know how Robyn, Kendra, and the catfisher were connected.  I suspect Robyn is deeper into that whole thing than we know.

I agree--and I still think that TLC doesn't want her to say anything more than the "I'm the victim" line. I do wonder if she were to now say, "yes, I would have definitely left Kody and the family had Sam been real"--how would Kody react?

[Madame Blanc Mysteries - General Discussion]

20 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

There's only one new episode, right?  The Christmas episode.

Yes, if I recall correctly, the 2nd series started a few weeks after the Christmas episode (the one where Caron's wife was murdered), so I'm hoping the 3rd series will be starting in the next few weeks, too.

[S18.E19: Sister Wives: Talk Back Part 1 (Special Episode)]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

So when Meri engaged the catfish I think she did it knowing he had completely released her.  He for sure wouldn't have wanted her to pursue a new relationship so she tried to do it surreptitiously, but then got found out.  Of course rather than admit the truth to the public and look bad, he spun it that she betrayed him.  And she still didn't say anything for fear of some kind of retribution. 

I agree. I also think TLC, while enjoying the ratings boost the catfish scandal brought to the show, probably wouldn't (probably still won't as long as the show continues) allow Meri to say anything else except that she's "the victim". In some respects she is a victim of being catfished, but she wouldn't have been had she not been seeking something better online. I think there are a lot more details to this whole saga that TLC won't let her speak about. Even a recent mention about Robyn knowing about the catfish incident while it was happening was downplayed. I hope once the show is finally over and Meri writes her Tell All book, she'll finally spell it all out--what was really going on with her and Kody, why she sought out someone online, how/why she fell for who she believed that person was (I agree with you that Meri believed Kody released her as she was ready to leave the family and run away with her dream guy), and what parts Robyn and her pal, Kendra, had in the whole debacle.

I also hope she spills the tea on whatever hold Kody had on her to make her stick around and  put up with all his BS after the catfish scandal. I think Christine making the bold move to leave finally woke Meri up to the possibility that she, too, could finally get out from under his oppressive control.

[S18.E19: Sister Wives: Talk Back Part 1 (Special Episode)]

Islandgal140 said:

I'm kinda mad at Meri because she has me agreeing with Kody. She had an emotional online affair at worst, at best she was highly flirty and was entertaining "possibilities" with a man, but she won't even admit to that.

What gripes me the most about the catfish scandal is that Kody gets a total pass for his part in this. If he had remained a husband to Meri, would she have been online looking for friends, companionship, love? Her only child was away at college and rarely at home and her so-called spiritual hubby couldn't bear to so much as give her the time of day! I recall she said that he'd be in her bed but he wouldn't touch her (not even hold her hand) nor speak to her. What kind of marriage is that?

[Midsomer Murders - General Discussion]

1 hour ago, BlackberryJam said:

I was really bothered by the dog collar murder. It was just so cruel.

Indeed it was. On the other hand, Paddy running around and behaving like an irascible dog was pretty funny. I wonder though, how old he's supposed to be? I recall John acquired him in Winter's first case (and Paddy wasn't a puppy then) not too long after Sykes passed away (Betty was a toddler then). I think the show jumped a few years so Betty is now old enough for boarding school--so wouldn't Paddy be a lot older now? Yet he was running around like he was still a young dog.

[Leon Brown: So Here's Me]

19 minutes ago, ladle said:

I'm curious about this... Kody, yes, is obviously an asshole, just as surely as the sun sets in the west. But why do people hate Leon so much? I know when they were younger they were maybe a bit entitled (but that's not unusual with teens?) but I haven't seen them act in a really objectionable way on the show. That said, I didn't watch a couple of seasons and I don't follow them outside of the show, so... what am I missing??

Leon is Meri's only child -- and a lot of people on this forum hate Meri thus hate her child.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

2 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

We will never know.  Lies, spinning the truth, different perspectives from all of them will lead us to absolutely nothing.

No doubt a lot of sugar-coating, too. I can't see any of these people telling true, hard, complete facts, especially if the truth includes admitting their own foibles, mistakes, and guilt.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

24 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

They tell one story and two interview segments later say the opposite.  None of them even know what the word "truth" means anymore. I wouldn't believe a word that any of them says. 

True--but they are all under contract to TLC so they have to watch what they say and if necessary, put some additional spin on it. Hopefully once the legal constraints are gone, someone will start talking, give full details. For example, all the tidbits from Paedon, Maddie, and Mykelti about Meri ("abrasive", "abusive", "horror", "scary", "unsafe") seem to be enough to rile up the Meri haters but there are no details as to WHY or HOW Meri was those things. Gwen stated that Meri acted like a parent, dishing out discipline, yelling/scolding--but Kody was the one who spanked (hand, not with anything like a belt, paddle), while Christine and Janelle let the kids pretty much do whatever. So what's the real story? 

My memory may be a bit faulty (old lady here) but I remember seeing an episode or two where Meri yelled at some of the boys (one was hitting Solomon; another was hitting Dayton) so I can believe she yelled/scolded, maybe even threatened with punishment, but anything worse than that (ie, hitting a child), if it happened, it would have been off-screen.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

19 hours ago, islandgal140 said:

I know this is being speculated all over the place, but Meri loves to play coy and frankly, she is gonna have to show and prove. I'm gonna need a book on the shelf to even begin to believe it.   

To this day, as far as I know she has still stands firm that the catfish was just a friend and there was no romance or plans to run off with another dude. If she does come out with a book and doesn't admit to this, I won't believe a single word in that book. 

It could be that Meri has to toe the line regarding the catfish incident and other storylines due to her TLC contracts. Once she's out of the show (or it becomes the Christine/Janelle After Sister Wives Show), then Meri's free to tell the all the real details. I hope she does write a book and spills all the tea (AND TELLS THE TRUTH) about everything since she dated/married Kody through the entire show (and events that happened but not put on the show). 

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

On 11/21/2023 at 1:53 PM, MMEButterfly said:

I think part of Kody's rage was that Christine played him. He didn't want anything to do with her. He barely kept up with 'her' children, but Christine was getting her ducks in a row.

Christine was very smart in getting everything prepared in the background before she made the actual split--major kudos to her for planning ahead! I wonder if she had any help/advice to work out what all she needed to do? She did spend some time with her sister out East while Ysabel was recuperating after her surgery and I wonder if they discussed what all Christine needed to do to get out of her relationship entanglement with Kody. Maybe her mother gave her some advice, too--didn't she leave her polygamous relationship?