the-grey-lady

Am I missing something here? 2700 people "like" a picture of two trash bags? Maybe I should start schilling pictures of the clumps of hair in my shower drain and see if I can match Janelle's popularity.

You know, every so often I think we're reached the pinnacle of "My 600-lb. Life" craziness. Honestly, I thought Schenee's boyfriend reassuring her that Dr. Now was intimidated by Schenee's considerable intelligence was the height of hilarity. Then Bettie Jo and her "cancer" returned to my screen, and her Cro-magnon husband threw a tantrum on camera. This show's editors are truly doing God's work. (My dad, like a few other loved ones of commentators, died of cancer: gliobastoma. It was sheer, unadulterated Hell. Fuck anyone who uses cancer as a sympathy card.) Ooh, ooh! I almost forgot my favorite part of Josh's outburst. He's all, "I know you need to use a telescope to diagnose cancer, and Bettie Jo hasn't had that, but Dr. Now shouldn't be telling us we don't know if she has cancer." Um, okay.

Assuming Meri and Kody were already "spiritually united" at the point of their legal marriage, I'm guessing they would still be considered married. I'm going to assume that was the case. If K&M needed to "remarry" post-divorce, I'm sure they wouldn't have passed up the chance to write a new family mission statement and force 200 of their closest friends to listen to them read it out loud.

Only two, Aunt Jess. Part of the reason Schenee was so irritated with Freddy's inability to find her cleanin' bleach was because they ONLY had two refrigerators, as if two is some paltry number, and most of us have at least a dozen.

Shit. Schenee could lose half her body weight, and she'd still be considered plus-size.

I'm approaching the end of this shitshow, and thank the maker for that. Someone, anyone, please tell me that I did not hear Schenee complaining that Freddy was "selfish" and "didn't do anything for her." Please, I'm begging you. PLEASE assure me that she did not whine about his refusal to spend TWO HOURS bleaching her fat folds. Go ahead. I can wait. It's going to take me awhile to scrape my poor jaw off of the couch.

I noticed that, too. Sasha got a few minutes into explaining how living plural marriage would bring her closer to Jesus, and then she kind of trailed off and admitted that it was hard to explain. Yeah, no kidding.

Um, this. Was the host honestly praising these idiots for "staying together," i.e. living on the same block and barely seeing each other, as if that's some sort of accomplishment? Let's see...both Kody and Meri SAY they want to fix their relationship, but at the same time, they're 1) supposedly clueless about what they could possibly do to fix said relationship, 2) doing absolutely nothing to even figure out where to start fixing said relationship, and 3) making everyone else miserable as they continue some semblance of a so-called relationship. Real role models, those two.

Maaaan, this episode has me conflicted. On the one hand, kudos to Meri for ditching her bizarre LLR outfits for the tell-nothing. The fewer times I have to see stripes matched with flowers, the better. On the other, um, if she did decide to step out of the LLR cult for a night, why did she decide on a clothing theme like "glittery trash bag"? On the upside, I now know what a Hefty bag would look like if it were drenched in glitter glue, so I guess there's that.

That's a fair point, but wasn't Becky nearly done with her senior year before she found out about her nonexistent college fund? That time span wouldn't have left her with a lot of time to pursue other options, especially if she'd been led to believe there was money for her.

I'm sure I'm alone in this opinion, but I always feel really bad for Becky when she finds out she no longer has a college fund. I'm not saying she isn't bratty to her parents in that scene, because she is, but from her point of view, she's been working her butt off for good grades under the reasonable assumption that her parents have some money set aside for her, and she only finds out that the money is gone because she asks. Who knows if Dan and Roseanne would've said anything otherwise? I totally understand that Dan and Roseanne have had a really hard year financially, but in my opinion, Becky has a right to be upset to find out that she, a high-school senior, won't have any of the money she'd been promised.

THIS. Good Lord, this was one depressing two hours. I wondered more than once why Renee was even bothering with Dr. Now, since she didn't seem to care whether she lived or died. Even Dr. Now's pronouncements regarding her heart and kidney failures were met with almost no reaction. And her backstory was one of the saddest I've ever heard. I so hope we get a happy update on Renee at some point in the future.

Oh, FFS. Tal and Whitney talked all of three minutes about possibly adopting a baby, a conversation in which Whitney assured him the whole thing wouldn't be too serious, i.e. Tal would just need to provide occasional care (y'know, like taking care of her freaking cats). Then, something like a minute and a half later, she's proudly braying to her parents that she and Tal now "want to adopt." Obviously a well thought out, carefully considered process here. I'm fucking impressed. Does Whitney EVER consider anyone else's feelings, like, EVER? If she wanted to see Buddy, why not CALL HIM AND SEE IF HE'S UP FOR IT? Instead she just swans into town, uninvited, announces her presence, and waits for him to lavish her with attention. Gee, I don't know - it seems possible to me that a recovering addict might want some space, especially if she's setting up a new, sober life in a new town, and maybe, JUST MAYBE, his friends shouldn't pop in to see him without talking to him first. But that's just me; what do I know?

The therapy session and the Meri/Christine convo were...excruciating? Nah, that isn't strong enough. From Christine's breathy, "What can I do to make you feel safe?", when what she really meant was, "What can you do to make us feel safe around you?" (because, really, that's the problem) to Janelle's surprisingly honest, "Maddie's birth wasn't about you," this whole episode was cringeworthy. Some of these women have known each other for more than two decades, and they can't even suffer through a civil lunch together. I think all Meri wants from the fambly (the one that doesn't trust her) is the recognition that comes with being part of a plural family. I don't think she has any interest in actually acting familial (sharing her feelings, consulting the other wives about decisions, helping raise kids, hosting functions). I thinks he WANTS Christine, Janelle, and Robyn to do those things for her, and to want those things from her, but I don't thinks she wants to put any work in. She spent this episode's entire two hours complaining about feeling left out, and then drove off to Parawon to buy a house behind the fambly's collective backs. Real team player, that Meri.

I keep trying to forget about this episode. The tail wagging! I couldn't take it!

I got married at a B&B, too, but it was...actually set up for weddings. Like, it was impeccably clean, decorated to the nines, located near a big city but in a scenic area with a lovely, well-maintained yard. And the owners knew B&Bs and weddings inside and out, and they attended to my every question, even before I know I had a lot of them. Their rates were way more reasonable than $2500 a night. The food was plentiful and excellent. So...not like Meri's B&B. Um...the opposite of that.

Janelle likes to talk about how other people should STRIVE. She doesn't believe in doing it herself.

I might be bordering on crazy, but I like to chat with myself during these episodes. Preferably in all caps. Meri: So my mom wants to live here, but not run it as a business. Me: THEN SHE CAN BUY IT. Kody: Doesn't Meri think about how she already lives in a house that's too big for her, and now her mom wants a huge house? Me: THEN TELL HER THAT, AND SAY NO. Meri: I don't care about anyone in the fambly thinks about this house. Me: THEN WHY TAKE THEM TO SEE IT, AND ASK FOR THEIR MONEY? DO IT YOURSELF IF YOU DON'T GIVE A FUCK. [Approximately 731 people, sans Meri, gather in folding chairs to get front-row seats to Maddie's vagina.] Me: ARE YOU WAITING TO SEE CHRISTIANS FED TO LIONS? GET THE HELL OUT. Meri wants to be talk big about the family, and then do whatever the hell she wants when she wants, which...sort of defeats the purpose of being part of a family. So...like, single, but with access to other people's money? Yeah, I think that's it. I have to say, I felt so grateful after viewing this episode. Grateful for the clean hospital in which my son was born (no air fresheners or dog treats in sight!) and for the heroic anesthesiologist who rode into my hospital room on his horse and delivered me the gift of a pain-free delivery. Bless that heroic soul. I was tempted to propose to the man.

I've noticed (too) that she never scolds her fans for complimenting her on her supposed weight loss, even though she doesn't "believe" in weight loss as a goal. And even though she insists that she does NOT want to lose weight, and has said so more than once, her fans keep telling her how skinny she looks.

Is there some reason why we can't go a few weeks without having to gaze upon that godawful Pnina with the giant clusters of rhinestones and the ruched bodice? Seriously, that thing has gotta be four or five years old, at least? Why do they keep digging it out of mothballs and pontificating about how gorgeous, trendsetting, and unique it is (despite the fact that it is not one of those adjectives)? C'mon show. Let that dress die a natural death. Just in case anyone would like to see it one last (I hope) time... https://www.pinterest.com/pin/355573333060874421/

I've been reading all of these comments that say, "Meri, leave," and I'm nodding my head, but honestly...hasn't she already left? She's operating two businesses completely out of the family sphere, she doesn't seem to know what her sister wives are doing at a given time, even when they're celebrating an important milestone, Kody doesn't visit her house, etc. In what way is she even really a member of the family? Maybe previous posters are right, and Meri really does want to rekindle a real relationship with Kody, but she seems wholly unwilling to do any work to get that relationship, not limited to but including being honest about her relationship with "Sam" and actually ASKING KODY if there's a chance for them to be a real couple. How does she expect this change to occur? Magic? Pyramid power? A seance? And Kody isn't any better. He tells the camera that he has zero interest in ANY type of authentic relationship with Meri, and yet he tap dances in the therapy session and strings Meri along. If you really feel that way, jackass, that your marriage is effectively over, THEN SAY THAT. You just look like a coward now. What does the facade of the "relationship" give either of them? I suppose Meri gets her outsized share of the family money pot, and Kody gets to bloviate and brag on every street corner about how he has four -- count 'em! Four! -- wives! Oh...I guess I answered my own question. What a miserable way to live.

I rolled my eyes so hard during the Heather/closure scene that I fear I'll need the services of an opthamologist. No, Heather, Buddy does not owe you closure. He just doesn't. He owes you decent treatment and an honest breakup, which it looks like you got. He does not owe you an explanation as to why your relationship ended. He does not owe you a post-mortem regarding the relationship wherein you ask whiny questions and he tries to get you to leave. He doesn't owe you another chance. He's said clearly that relationships are a trigger for him to use, so if you truly love him, you'll encourage him to stay single (even away from a relationship with you) to help him stay sober. I'm sorry. Every single time I've seen a friend, post-relationship, who wants to dissect the breakup, it's because he/she wants to get the dumper into the same room in hopes that he/she will realize this dumpee's greatness and take them back. I am thoroughly convinced that Heather wanted a talk/confrontation with Buddy so he'd see how much he missed her and give their relationship another shot. Because SHE can't let go. And Whit? You do NOT need to get involved in your friends' conflicts. Keep your bazoo out of their personal lives!

Damn. Every single man Becca met in advance of her season has more personality than Arie. Girl dodged a gray bullet.

Ah, what a beautiful love story. Lauren is so lucky; what woman doesn't dream of getting engaged to someone who was engaged to someone else two months before? And they say chivalry is dead.

That's where we disagree, Yorklee. I think Arie is about as dumb and interesting as a box of rocks.