LilWharveyGal

Here she is modeling the final product.

Well you could be rational and choose to save money, but then you'd deprive yourself of the priceless experience of #LivingYourWhy. It's Meri logic! #overpriced #LuLaNo #fatguyinalittlecoat

It was the one about Mr. Bingley at the Meryton ball.

U is for Uncle Nunzio, but we call his goat a pet.

@riley702, I was there just over a year ago and we didn't have time to fit in a ghost tour, but we randomly happened across one of the ranger-led tours of the battlefield while visiting the museum/visitors center and it was the absolute highlight of the trip. The whole place was amazing, though. Have fun!

R is for Russia, the land of voting and bad toilet paper.

Very interesting! Thanks for the scoop, @silverspoons.

I don't think I've ever seen Gustav in anything besides Vikings, and even though he appears to be getting a villain edit here I like him about 100x better without his Floki accent.

Aging and pregnancy can take a toll, no question, and healthy goals are great. But I have to chuckle just a bit when I remember back to when new, thinnest wife Robyn insisted that she didn't like to eat and had to make herself do it.

Ooh, good catch! I noticed the lack of R&H and West Side Story, but forgot about Love Me Tonight. And now I'll be humming "Isn't it Romantic?" for the rest of the day...

An ad for this free online TCM class about musicals just popped up in my Facebook feed. Sounds intriguing, but they're sure covering a lot of ground in just a month. Is anyone here planning on participating?

Next season we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for Meri's impressive new bling.

Boy, she sure gets around these days. And it's clearly NOT the B&B that's keeping her away from the bosom of her loving fambly.

K is for Kendall, Blanche's boss who wasn't really killed during the murder mystery weekend.

G is for the Great Herring War. Specifically, the one between the Lindstroms and the Johanssons.

Touche, @DakotaJustice. :) I totally forgot about that picture. But, in my defense, Meri herself says that those "fashions" are "out of their box." (The box needs to be re-packed and thrown into a volcano, IMO.)

Interesting, I can't picture either Mariah or Audrey even wearing the stuff. I wonder if they'll suck it up and start posing in head-to-toe outfits like Meri to drum up sales. (Though I don't think Maddie does that, either.) And doesn't Mariah already shill for some kind of athletic wear? Seems like a conflict of interest somehow. Not to mention a lot of work on top of grad school.

Did anyone catch tonight's Call The Midwife? Oof! The polygamy storyline made Meri's first wife experience look like a walk in the park.

It’s time for Part 2 of the tell-all. Now I know how marathon runners feel when they complete mile 25. The finish line is practically in sight and we only have to suffer a little bit longer! Question 1: “How are the newlyweds doing? Tony and Mykelti.” Speaking of suffering! Christine tells us they are doing great and that their conversations are in sync. Tony is officially considered a Brown and he brings personality and excitement to the family. Kody loves that Tony’s antics take the heat off of Kody himself. We flashback to the weddingk planningk. Andrea asks Kody to explain his “trite” comment. Latter-day Noah Webster says that he found their plans celebratory and irreverent. Andrea asks the group if anyone worried that Mykelti might not be emotionally ready to be a wife. Kody says yes. Robyn chimes in that Tony was Mykelti’s destiny. Wow, that girl racked up some bad karma. Andrea asks if there had been a budget discussion before the planning. Christine says no, and Kody says they should have had one, but Christine adds that they eventually came up with a budget, which was why Mykelti made her own flowers. Kody informs us that they ran out of tacos. Andrea asks if it’s typical for the father to pay for the bride’s wedding in plural families. Kody answers that he and Meri paid for their wedding, and typically adults adding new wives pay for their own. But, Christine says, her dad chipped in for her wedding, so it’s a case-by-case basis. Question 2: “How does Kody balance each relationship?” Flashback of Kody’s many musings on marriage. Andrea notes that the idea of keeping secrets from spouses came up when Kody and Janelle had to keep the secret of Maddie’s pregnancy. Kody says he’s an open book but he does have to keep his relationships separate. Andrea asks if anyone in the group would be open to another wife. Christine instantly says no. Janelle is a maybe. Robyn is open to God’s plans. Meri can’t see it happening. Andrea asks Kody how many grandchildren he thinks he may have. Kody notes that his mom has 50-something. Conversation turns to Axel, and how he brings the family together and how much Kody loves having Caleb around. Janelle adds that they love all of the kids’ significant others. Andrea asks Meri about being at the gay bar in Seattle. She says it was goofy and fun and adds that it’s the only bar she’s ever been to. Neither Kody nor Janelle think they’ve ever been to a bar either. Kody is not sure he would have been willing to go to the bar because he gets hit on a lot. Riiiiight. When we return the adults are gone and the older kids have been assembled. If I may be shallow for just a moment, Maddie appears to have lost weight but I think Audrey, Tony, and Mykelti found it. Andrea welcomes Audrey to her first tell-all and comments that Mariah seems to have a new spring in her step. Mariah says it’s been a great year with Audrey. Flashback to Mariah inviting Meri and Janelle to the march. Mariah tells Andrea that she invited Janelle because Janelle was the first feminist she saw in her life, and has always been inspired by her. Andrea asks the group how they felt about Meri and Janelle attending the march together. Diplomatic Logan says it was a good opportunity before Paedon jumps in with, “It was kind of odd.” Nobody in the group had any issues with the march itself. Now we flashback to the Utah march. Andrea asks Paedon about his decision to not attend. He responds that it was very easy. He did not want to go and does not consider Utah home anymore. Mariah notes that Paedon had to keep himself “safe.” Caleb also had reservations about attending and possibly getting arrested, until he realized he was doing nothing wrong. Andrea asks Tony what life is like with 4 mothers-in-law. Tony answers that he and Robyn are like playful puppies, he and Christine are like fighting siblings, he and Janelle are like business partners, and that he and Meri are, like, “Hey!” They don’t know each other very well. Tony and Mykelti are loving married life, but Tony says the first year has been challenging. Logan talks briefly about his engagement to Michelle. Aspyn also announces that she is engaged to Mitch and that they will not practice polygamy. Andrea thinks that they’re all getting married young, but Logan says they’re on the older end of the spectrum by LDS standards. Mariah and Audrey could also see themselves getting engaged down the road. Now we’re flashing back to Maddie’s labor, which I never needed to hear again. Maddie says it was the best of times and the worst of times. In the wake of that footage, Mykelti and Tony definitely don’t want kids soon. Maddie says that Axel is doing great, and everyone thinks that Maddie and Caleb are wonderful parents. Paedon has not been changing diapers. Andrea asks Caleb about his health scare, and he talks about his pulmonary embolism. Conversation then turns to Ysabel’s scoliosis and she chokes up when Andrea asks what mean comments she received about her back brace. Ysabel shares a story about a mean girl at school but is glad that her hardship can be used to bring about awareness. Mariah has found Ysabel’s journey empowering. After the break, the kids have departed and the parents are back. Christine says that going through Ysabel’s health issues is the hardest thing she’s ever done. Switching gears to wedding talk, Christine explains that Aspyn’s taste is very different from Mykelti’s and their goal is to have a smaller wedding like Maddie’s. Andrea tells Meri about Mariah and Audrey’s comments about being serious, and Meri is thrilled because she loves Audrey. Kody, Janelle, and Robyn share their thoughts on the differences between monogamist and polygamist wedding days, and I think we’ve heard it all before. Andrea asks about the failure of Kody and Meri’s relationship, and Kody answers that he and Meri share the responsibility for that. Meri says that things between them are about the same as they were during the show. She wants to make it work. Kody does too, but he doesn’t know how. Andrea asks if they’ve thought about taking a weekend trip alone. There’s silence and then Kody starts stammering. Andrea switches into their language and asks if something like that would be “safe.” Kody says it would not fill safe. Meri feels the ball is in Kody’s court. Question 3: “Kody, the ball is in your court. What are you going to do?” Kody says that there are certain steps to process, he doesn’t know what they are, but they have to come before he and Meri go on a weekend trip together. But, unlike the rest of the world, Kody thinks that their relationship still has hope because they still have opportunity. Uhhhhh, what? Meri says she thought about walking away but that it’s not what she wants. Kody points out again that he and Meri have a platonic relationship. Andrea asks him if he can pinpoint when things started going south, but Kody won’t discuss that here. Meri thinks they were both faking their relationship for years and not being honest with each other. Andrea wonders what the other wives think of the situation. Robyn says it sucks and is not fun. Christine says it’s sad to see their broken hearts and not be able to fix it. None of them think the situation is hopeless. Meri gets choked up. Kody gets another dig in at Andrea’s weekend idea when he says that they’ve been creating this hole for 25 years and it can’t be fixed with a getaway. Well, on that awkward note Andrea closes out the show and lets us know that we can go online to find out more about these upbeat and engaging beacons of polygamy. And now, chug some electrolytes, folks, because we’re just about to pass mile 26. Our last hurdle is a special episode where the Browns will answer questions about the plural life. Kody, sporting a low ponytail, reads the first question: “Kody, we know you go out one-on-one with each wife, but do you ever repeat the same date with a different wife?” Robyn and Christine instantly crack up. They do have favorite restaurants they’ll re-visit, and sometimes the wives will want to see the same movies. Robyn adds that the wives do have different interests, but they have to be open-minded and not think of any one activity as their own special thing with Kody. “Do you share chores to make things more efficient? Like one person does all the laundry while another watches the kids, and somebody else cooks for everybody?” Efficient, the Browns? Janelle quickly tells us that it doesn’t work like that because she’s a complete person. Kody knows the wives don’t want other wives going through their laundry. Robyn asks if it wasn’t more like that when they all lived in the same house. Flashback to Janelle going to work and voiceovering about not having to do the cooking or chauffeuring. Back in the present, Robyn says that they do work together on family functions. “If you could go back in time and keep your life private would you?” Flashback to the evil press outside the Lehi house. Janelle feels that the benefits they’ve gained from going public far outweigh anything they’ve had to sacrifice. The rest agree they would never go back to having to hide. We hear again about Christine’s fear of the outside world, and how glad she is that their kids don’t have to experience that. A shot of the calendar lets us know that it’s January, and Kody is frosty as he reads the next question: “Why is there never one wife and multiple husbands?” Christine answers that men are too much work. We flashback through Kody working on his hair and having various hissy fits. Meri tells us that she knows families who have one wife and multiple husbands, so it does happen. “Did any of you wear the prairie dresses when you were growing up? Why are those polygamists so different from your family?” Robyn says it’s a different church and different beliefs. We flashback to Maddie and Aspyn dressing up in the prairie dresses and the wives getting emotional about how oppressive the image was. “Cody (sic), if you wanted to bring in a fifth wife, how would you do that? Would you have to get permission first?” Janelle says that men in their faith do not go cruising for chicks, and Christine adds that the men who behave that way are looked down upon. Robyn repeats exactly what they just said, but adds that the “inspiration” really needs to start with the woman or one of the wives. Kody says that the family isn’t in a place where they’re open to that. Christine admits that there have been women who have wanted to join their family, particularly one 18 years ago. “With such a big family, how do you get gifts for everyone? Are you always buying (and getting) millions of gifts?” Flashback montage of Brown birthdays and Christmases. Short answer is yes. “Would you object if one of the girls wanted to marry someone with 10 wives or something?” Kody thinks 10 wives is ridiculous. Flashback to Maddie’s wedding, for some reason. Janelle doesn’t know how a man with 10 wives would have the time to properly court somebody. Flashback to a much smaller Robyn interviewing that she wishes Maddie, Aspyn, and Mariah would have sister wives someday, which leads to… “Do you still want your kids to become polygamists? Are you disappointed that many are saying they don’t want to?” Robyn thinks the kids would have made different choices if the family had stayed in Utah near their church. She would like the kids to consider plural marriage but it has meant a lot to her to see how happy the married monogamist kids are. “What was it like when you first came out as polygamists?” We get another montage of early footage from 2009-2010. Robyn says that the family had agreed to the show before she joined, and she initially had reservations about it. Kody says that going public was like a terrifying jump out of an airplane. Meri adds that soon after the county started an investigation of the family. Yet another flashback to the flight from Utah. Kody repeats that they’re living in exile in Las Vegas. “Is anyone allowed to discipline any kids? Is there a line that you are not supposed to cross with aother wife’s kid?” Flashback to Meri yelling at the kids in 2011. Christine says that there is a line. Robyn starts rambling about something. “I know you don’t do this, but I’ve always wanted to ask if there are any polygamists that all sleep together in one bed.” Kody says Mormon fundamentalists don’t, but he doesn’t know about other kinds of polygamists. In their tradition, he continues, the wife owns the bed and the bedroom. “My question is, with your life in the public eye so much, how do you handle so much negativity and hate? How often does the family actually read the hateful and angry things people post? How does it affect you?” Flashback to 2011 and Madison coming across negative internet stuff. Meri says people use social media as a way to be mean and hide behind their screens. Kody prefers to not read it. Robyn says that they’re regular people who just want to connect to other regular people. She wishes she people could learn how to communicate and have more intelligent interactions on social media. “Do you still have people come up to you now and judge you or confront you about being polygamists?” Meri had an experience where someone asked if she was still with Kody after their legal divorce. This person was glad Meri was doing her own thing away from Kody. Meri didn’t know how to respond. “Meri, I have heard you say once that you are not sure you would be a polygamist if it wasn’t for your religion. I have always wondered why you said that.” Flashback to some vacation with another family where Meri made that statement, and are they playing the soundtrack from The Social Network? Meri says that if it wasn’t for her religion she wouldn’t seek out a sister wives set-up. She believes you have to have a testimony to be able to live through polygamy. “If something should ever happen to Kody, God forbid, what will happen with the wives? Do they stay together and find a new husband?” Meri doesn’t think another man would take them all. Janelle says that historically it can go several different ways. If something happened to Kody, her opinion is that the wives would stay together long enough to raise all the children. “What’s the worst thing about being a polygamist and what’s the best thing?” Kody answers that time and money are the toughest things. The best thing is the kids. Janelle agrees that the worst is not having enough time, but there are too many bests to count. Robyn thinks the world’s “survival of the fittest” mentality is the worst thing because it doesn’t jive with polygamy, and the best thing is raising children. Christine’s worst is that she still feels jealousy, and she wishes it wasn’t a monogamist world so that she could see more examples of polygamy. The best thing for her is the relationship with her sister wives. The worst part for Meri is not having time to work on relationships, and the best part is that everyone is patient with her while she doesn’t have time to work on relationships with them. With that, my DVR has crossed the finish line and collapsed. I think we all deserve a medal, a space blanket, and a tall glass of chocolate milk. We survived the season! Be "safe," everyone!

Ugh, not those shoes again!

Wow, Robyn spent the wee hours of Easter Sunday actually interacting with "haters" on Twitter: 1. Heh. Who wants to explain the difference between "apart" and "a part" to Robyn? 2. If "we are all over it now," then I assume we'll never need to see Therapist Nancy or hear the word "platonic" again on the show, right? Yeah, I'm not holding my breath. 3. Legal marriage is just a piece of paper that was valuable enough for Kody and Robyn to celebrate with a Hawaiian honeymoon. If that's how they treat something that means very little, I'd love to see what they do for something that means a whole lot. She should have gone back to bed rather than acting like an April Fool.

Run, Paedon, run! Why thank you, @Kohola3. I can't say it's been a pleasure to watch, but it has been a pleasure to serve. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter/Passover/April Fool's Day!

*Applause* I totally agree, and I get the sense this might be an unpopular opinion. I believe the only loss Meri is truly grieving over is the loss of her HBIC status - not Kody, not sex.

In my experience, the people who need to repeat over and over how nice/intelligent/sexy/popular/etc. they are.....aren't.

I got a kick out of Moira's elderly lock partner being Simon Tremayne from Road to Avonlea. And the Dollar-Store-reject baby pinata was hilarious.