S07.E02: They Don’t Know

[FrancescaFiore]

4 minutes ago, Silver Bells said:

Interesting.  I think those girls do tricks like no other women.  What, I couldn’t imagine.  BTW, my mother was going to name me Francesca, instead opted for Frances.  I wish it was the other.  So beautiful.

Oh my, yes. Yes those girls do. I mean, not all of them of course. But daughters are pretty routinely groomed to ensnare wealthy men from other countries so they can send money home.

Francesca Fiore isn't really my name. It was my ancient TWoP screen name, based on a Kids in the Hall character. Worth a YouTube search, if you're a fan of sketch comedy.

[Bryce Lynch]

51 minutes ago, Lesia said:

Russians are very into using nicknames.  Masha is the nickname for Maria.  Sasha is the nickname for both Alexander and Alexandra.  But really, Sasha and Masha, that's funny...

Bryson needs structure.  And his own bed.  

Anna and Murcel have a lot to talk about.  But they can't!! 

It might be better if Anna and Murcel can't talk.  They might not figure out they hate each other until they are too old to get a divorce.  

[Takitaki]

31 minutes ago, b2H said:

Again, I'm bothered by the fact that neither one of them has made any effort to learn the other's language.  There was time for even a cursory conversational English/Turkish course - all of six weeks, maybe - to know how to say hello, good bye, where's the bathroom, where are we going, why are we in the handbasket - you know, the rudimentary stuff. 

They mentioned Murcel had been taking English lessons, but it looks like the only thing he picked up was "good"!

[mamadrama]

16 hours ago, zoltana said:

Julianna, if they are asking you those kind of questions then they have a reason for doing so.   Now they have to provide a police report.  Why is there a police report?  He emphatically said she's NOT a prostitute.  That much money, these guys at yacht parties probably consider these girls/models as just part of the party.  I'm guessing an escort is no big deal because they're arm candy and we've worked hard to make this money, we deserve pretty things.  A prostitute is probably seen as something you get off the corner and don't talk about.  An escort is like "Pretty Woman" and she is taken out and shown off like a date.  Sorry, I'm rambling.

My British husband also got asked these things and everyone has to provide a police report for the K-1 visa. It's policy and not aimed specifically at Julianna. 

With that said, I still think she may have been an escort. 

[Takitaki]

1 minute ago, mamadrama said:

My British husband also got asked these things and everyone has to provide a police report for the K-1 visa. It's policy and not aimed specifically at Julianna. 

With that said, I still think she may have been an escort. 

Even for a regular degular tourist visa you have to answer a bunch of questions like "have you ever been involved in a genocide?" 

[Bryce Lynch]

4 hours ago, FrancescaFiore said:

At least a child doing that would make more sense than a grown-ass woman making a mess on the airport floor that she had no intention of cleaning up once it served her purpose. And I know it's already been discussed, but the fact that Tania didn't bother to find out whether opening a bottle of alcohol in the middle of JFK was permitted before she just steamrolled through with her BIG PLENS PLANS. (Suger S - U - G - A - R )

I was also wondering if it was legal to pop open the champagne at JFK.

https://www.jfkt4.nyc/rules-regulations/

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

No person shall drink or carry an open alcoholic beverage except where alcoholic beverages are served for on-premises consumption. Any person who appears intoxicated shall be asked to leave the premises. 

[mamadrama]

Ordering pizza for their first night at home wasn't that weird to me. My mom used to be really big into the folk dancing scene and we traveled all over the world with her performance group. We also hosted international groups here in the US and for several years there were always people staying with us. We almost always ordered pizza for their first night here because it's something that most people recognize and find comforting. Plus, you're not leaving your guest sitting in a living room full of strangers while you're cooking. I give Bee Lady a pass for that. 

On an episode full of littering in airports, yelling at blue collar workers, making a child sleep next to a strange woman he's never met, and a whole bunch of other crazy, that's one of the least weirdest things I saw. 

I have a good friend who's a very successful Polish author. He visits the US once a year and I always go down to Nashville to meet him (did so last weekend, in fact). He is also one of these "everything is better in my country" kind of people. Polish eggs are better, Polish music is better, Polish countryside is prettier, Polish women are more attractive...We just laugh it off. I think it's 40% cultural and 60% homesickness. The longer he's here, the better it gets. 

With that said, how in the world did the Bee People interact in Turkey for 6 weeks? I do not have an ear for foreign languages, but even I can pick up more phrases than what they're getting out of each other. I'm with everyone else-how can you "love" each other when your conversations basically comprise of "send more money" and "I love you so much"?

[moonbunnychan]

9 hours ago, watchingtvaddict said:

Syngjin was way too extra. WOW! I'm in AMERICA I am just a BOY from THE BUSH but now I am in THE CONCRETE JUNGLE! Look at all the BRIGHT LIGHTS! This is ALL SO AMAZING!!!

He sounds like a little kid not a 29 year old man.

I think he's about to get a rude awakening to realize that most Americans don't live like what he's been seeing on tv.  Where she lives is nothing like NYC.  In fact, the majority of Americans live relatively boring, isolated, suburban lives.  It seems to be a continuing theme on the show really...

[DiamondGirl]

5 hours ago, MajorNelson said:

Also, that 10 hour drive must have been terrible with so little way to communicate!  Murcel "lose his excitement" on the drive, lol.

I was born and raised NW of Chicago - moved to Omaha in high school.  Can’t count how many times I’ve made that trip and I can’t imagine being stuck all those hours without being able to talk to someone!  I don’t know WHAT they were thinking by not having him fly into Omaha.  Unless Anna wanted an excuse to stay overnight with him alone.        
 

🤔  Nope, still not worth it.

[RoxiP]

1 hour ago, Lesia said:

Russians are very into using nicknames.  Masha is the nickname for Maria.  Sasha is the nickname for both Alexander and Alexandra.  But really, Sasha and Masha, that's funny...

Bryson needs structure.  And his own bed.  

Anna and Murcel have a lot to talk about.  But they can't!! 

Speaking of nicknames, wasn't at one time Sinjin a nickname for St. John?  One of those random thoughts I can't get out of my head...

[MajorNelson]

29 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I was also wondering if it was legal to pop open the champagne at JFK.

https://www.jfkt4.nyc/rules-regulations/

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

No person shall drink or carry an open alcoholic beverage except..

You know Tania..."not my rules."

[TzuShih]

9 hours ago, JasonH said:

Getting this out of the way, I think Mursel might be slow.

Anna is one of those people that just lets things happen.

"Slow, meet Slower." (Me thinks they may have been stung by a few too many bees.)  :-0

[mamadrama]

I can't believe Anna continued the relationship after Mursel asked her to leave her children and move to Turkey. The fact that he would even ask would've been a red flag to me. I have Turkish friends and they're very family oriented. This is not "typical" behavior. It's weird. 

I would've had zero trouble cutting someone off after such a conversation. I mean, they don't even seem to be able to communicate-how strong could their bond have possibly been?

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, Bryce Lynch said:

It might be better if Anna and Murcel can't talk.  They might not figure out they hate each other until they are too old to get a divorce.  

Who gets custody of the bees if they break up?

[TzuShih]

41 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

Speaking of nicknames, wasn't at one time Sinjin a nickname for St. John?  One of those random thoughts I can't get out of my head...

ROXIP:  If you've ever seen "A View To A Kill," one of James Bond's aliases is 'St. John Smith.' When someone calls him [SAYNT-jon SMITH] he corrects the 'Saynt-jon with the older English pronunciation of [Sin-jin ].  My twin lived in St. John's Wood, London for many years....but we honestly never heard British friends say "Sinjin."  It was more like "Sint John's" ("Sint' not Saint and emphasis on the 'John's')-- at least that is the way it sounded to 'American ears.'  :-D

[Spike]

6 hours ago, RealReality said:

I will give Robert some credit.  He is doing the best he can in a shit situation.  Bryson had a temper tantrum but Robert didn't have a meltdown or lose his natural mind like Devan. 

He seemed to take it in stride although I know that people like me were probably looking at him.  He said he understood, as it had been a long time waiting.  In my very limited experience, he should have invested in a tablet......kids love whatever is on a tablet.  

He thinks anny is a fix, because I think he naively assumes that any woman has some natural parenting ability. 

Robert is not the best father, but I think he is at least trying. He could maybe benefit from some parenting classes because I think he wants to be a good father. 

Hopefully, if anny stays, it means Robert can either pick up more Uber shifts or maybe get a job with some benefits since he won't have to have a job that allows him to schedule around Bryson. 

If Bryson is three than he really only needs to make this work for three more years until Bryson is in school full day.  

LOL.  How quick Michael went from righteous indignation to...."well, I don't know, how much can you really trust anyone" and "I'll have to do some soil searching" when it seemed like she would get denied.  

Their overreaction is the best indicator that some of what has been alleged is true.  

The fact that they met.....at a yacht party thrown by a rich man is another clue.  

"Yeah, I mean sometimes I would be modelling....which is technically the term for men taking pictures of you on their yacht right?  Anyways, sometimes I'd be modelling and sometimes I'd just find myself at these parties with like ten old dudes and 53 other women under 24.  And yes, I got paid like $4500 for this, but sex never happened, and I'm disgusted and offended that you would even ask!"

They pay for my time not for the sex.  

[Kath94]

8 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I am thinking that Michael and Juliana might have played up her supposed offense at the prostitution question, for dramatic purposes.   It is a standard question on the visa application along with questions about terrorism, plots to overthrow the government, drug trafficking, etc. 

It was interesting that Michael claimed the interviewer asked if she was working as an "escort" when they met.  She might have been legally and legitimately an escort paid to hang out with men on yachts, but not necessarily to have sex with them.   If this was the case, I wonder how that would affect her ability to get a visa.  

This bugged me, too.  He has GOT to know that those "yacht girls" weren't just boat decorations.  And even Juliana admitted that "some girls" do those "other" things, but not HER, so how DARE THEY ask HER about prostitution.   They're acting willfully ignorant for TEEVEE.

[Spike]

5 hours ago, MajorNelson said:

 The BBC article reports 17 hours average for two year olds (ugh) and even 25 hours per week as they got older.  

It’s so rare to see BBC refer to British Broadcasting Company anymore.

[RealReality]

17 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

I can't believe Anna continued the relationship after Mursel asked her to leave her children and move to Turkey. The fact that he would even ask would've been a red flag to me. I have Turkish friends and they're very family oriented. This is not "typical" behavior. It's weird. 

I would've had zero trouble cutting someone off after such a conversation. I mean, they don't even seem to be able to communicate-how strong could their bond have possibly been?

It seems like Anna is desperate.  But I don't understand why.  

She is a blonde American woman,. apparently that's capnip for men around the world, no matter the woman's age, shape or facial features.  

She is better looking and younger than Jenny and Laura.  If she wanted the D so bad there are any number of men around the world dying to meet her and will happily deal with kids and probably know more English. 

Remember that guy from zieds soccer game?  That guy would date Anna in a hot second, no strings attached!!!

[Gobi]

24 minutes ago, RealReality said:

It seems like Anna is desperate.  But I don't understand why.  

She is a blonde American woman,. apparently that's capnip for men around the world, no matter the woman's age, shape or facial features.  

She is better looking and younger than Jenny and Laura.  If she wanted the D so bad there are any number of men around the world dying to meet her and will happily deal with kids and probably know more English. 

Remember that guy from zieds soccer game?  That guy would date Anna in a hot second, no strings attached!!!

Yeah, but Metamucil is the bee's knees!

[Kath94]

A few random thoughts:

Someone upthread asked if Mursel was eating pepperoni pizza.  I wondered that myself.  He may not have had pepperoni before, but did anyone think that it likely contains pork?  And they could use a translator app lesson from Paul & Karina, which is just sad.

Michael said a few times that Juliana was unable to get a tourist visa, and so their only remaining option was the K1.  Not that he wants to marry her, but the only way to get her to the U.S. was to file for the K1.  That would worry me.

Tania & Syngin are two strong personalities about to clash.  Sure, he looks & sounds like the easygoing, surfer dude, but I have a feeling that won't last.

Robert is a total idiot.  One before for all three?  If they're in a 1-bedroom apartment, as it appears to be, Bryson's going to get a harsh introduction to sleeping alone, and both Robert and Anny had better get a sofabed.  There's something wrong with the boy having just met Anny & crying for her or wanting to snuggle to get him to sleep.

[Bej]

I think bee woman's oldest son was such a little prick.

[Kath94]

7 minutes ago, Bej said:

I think bee woman's oldest son was such a little prick.

Nah, he's just a teenager with a dopey mother who brought home a strange who doesn't speak English.  I can't blame him.  Being a teenager sucks already, and he's being thrust into an odd situation.

[HappyDancex2]

I'm still managing my way through this episode but I thought "Suger" was some kind of alt name LOL.  Rhymes with Cougar.

Syngin and Tania are indeed annoying AF.  The thirst emanates.   The whole kicking the friends out scene for sex could have been edited out.   Mainly so I didn't have to cringe when the friends were summoned back for the next requisite "going out on the town" scene but the one friend sat on the bed where they just rammed it up.  Like no.

Equal no is the morning bed scene with creepy Michael in his under wear and creepy girl in her underwear.  I didn't need to see her apply makeup.  And his stuff could have been dealt with in a talking head.  Michael looked like her lawyer in that Department Store suit.

10 years as an escort?  So starting at 13?   This is so common that it's the main question?  Yikers.  Why didn't she bring a portfolio of her modeling gigs?   Maybe she doesn't understand that a model in Brazil isn't the same as America?   If she's just a party girl for rich men around the world that's not a model.   (Things she should know, not judging her, which means she should not be surprised of the questioning since many of them are trying to snag a guy to get out of their country)   

Or the reality is that she is a lying and this indignant look is fake.  I'll upvote that theory.

[RealReality]

5 minutes ago, Kath94 said:

Nah, he's just a teenager with a dopey mother who brought home a strange who doesn't speak English.  I can't blame him.  Being a teenager sucks already, and he's being thrust into an odd situation.

As far as recaltricant teens go, I thought he was great.  

He asked murcel if he liked pizza, he asked murcel to play video games.  Without complaint be brought up murcels luggage ..though murcel looks able bodied enough to carry up his own luggage. 

He didn't want man kisses, but I think thats par for the course with teen boys, who probably don't want man kisses, old lady kisses or kisses from anyone other than girls who look like Julianna. 

Murcel on the other hand, insulted the food, didn't even help bring up his luggage, refused to play video games and wouldn't even bring his plate up to the sink. 

If he wants to adhere to traditional gender roles that allow Anna and her kids to wait on him hand and foot while he sits on the couch.....be should be ready to adhere to the traditional male role of being the primary financial breadwinner.  

[Alonzo Mosely FBI]

Whoa whoa whoa hold the phone. THESE POOR KIDS!

Bryson does NOT need a sippy cup to self soothe himself to sleep at his age! He is not going to have any teeth left . He needs attention, intimacy from his caregiver(s) and security . I am watching abject neglect of this child. Yes I said it he is being neglected . Robert is a POS. I kept screaming PICK HIM UP at the airport! Wanting love and being told to watch tv? What does he say and do to this kid when the cameras are OFF. Hate Robert. 

How does a single mother like Danielle II afford a new Honda Pilot and a big house ? Curious. Feel bad for her boy watching all that go down at the restaurant. The mom is not in control of her life. Her mom cemented it. Those poor boys. 

Edited November 12, 2019 by Alonzo Mosely FBI

[HappyDancex2]

Do we trust that Anna knows bacon is pork cuz those looked like bacon bits on the nachos to me LOL

[LovesLinus]

Syngin reminds me of a younger Kody from Sister Wives. Albeit he is better looking, he still reminds me of Kody. Must be the hair 😀

[Pondlass1]

I wonder if he asked her about the car she bought with his credit card?  Did she sell it?  I did sense a feeling of real desperation from her... almost like he’s her last chance.  She speaks English and a naturally pretty girl, not hardened by life yet.  Hope she makes it to the US.

I actually am not keen on this series that includes the children of these idiots. I’d rather they left children out of it. 

 

[LennieBriscoe]

Robert is a broke-arse weirdo. Bryson sleeping in the middle of them because his old man hasn't bought him a bed?! And the kid's behavior needs some serious "Child Whispering"!

And at the very end: Who the heck is Natalie?!

Edited November 12, 2019 by LennieBriscoe

[RealReality]

5 minutes ago, Pondlass1 said:

I wonder if he asked her about the car she bought with his credit card?  Did she sell it?  I did sense a feeling of real desperation from her... almost like he’s her last chance.  She speaks English and a naturally pretty girl, not hardened by life yet.  Hope she makes it to the US.

I actually am not keen on this series that includes the children of these idiots. I’d rather they left children out of it. 

 

I feel like if her family is poor she probably just gave it to them or left it with them.  Michael said something about him being "past it" which I assume means that he got some sort of amazing blow job and decided to let it go. 

I mean, really, what can he do at this point?  He was the dummy who handed her a card with enough credit to purchase a car.  If he didn't immediately call his bank and lower the credit limits on the card, then he deserves what he gets. 

[watchingtvaddict]

2 hours ago, DiamondGirl said:

I was born and raised NW of Chicago - moved to Omaha in high school.  Can’t count how many times I’ve made that trip and I can’t imagine being stuck all those hours without being able to talk to someone!  I don’t know WHAT they were thinking by not having him fly into Omaha.  Unless Anna wanted an excuse to stay overnight with him alone.        
 

🤔  Nope, still not worth it.

When immigrants land in the States they have to go through an interview process that is different to the regular process when you land. It can take a few hours and you can miss your flight if you don't give yourself a big enough layover/ A friend of mine was flying to the States with his foreign wife and they were given the advice to fly into their first port of entry, then stay the night at a hotel and then and fly to their final destination the next day. 

I'm thinking Anna didn't trust he would be able to handle the layover in Chicago. Its a pretty big airport and I got lost at it a few years back. 

[LennieBriscoe]

Michael is naive. Sure, Juliana might be a model; but on yachts she's advertising, and you, Mikey, bought the product.

Edited November 12, 2019 by LennieBriscoe
It's good to get the names right!

[Bej]

So if Juliana is only 20 and they asked her if she had Ben a prostitute for the last ten years that would have made her 10 years old when she first became a whore. I guess they start early in Brazil 

[Floatingbison]

It's so bizarre UberRobert didn't get a small bed for Bryson for the living room.  The first thing I'd want to do is schedule some sexy time with Anny, especially because she said she was pretty much good to go with the jiggy jiggy.

Edited November 12, 2019 by Floatingbison

[gingerella]

2 hours ago, RoxiP said:

Bryson needs structure.  And his own bed.  

And some discipline! If a kid his age kicked me like that he'd quickly find himself with his legs tied together in a very long time out. That father has zero control over that little monster, who makes little Dracula look like Heidi running through a field of daisies...

[LennieBriscoe]

20 hours ago, Silver Bells said:

If Michael wants a 23 yr old prostitute, why not just go to Vegas and get one that doesn’t need a K-1.?

Where's the power play therein, though?

[mamadrama]

37 minutes ago, Bej said:

So if Juliana is only 20 and they asked her if she had Ben a prostitute for the last ten years that would have made her 10 years old when she first became a whore. I guess they start early in Brazil 

She's either 22 or 23. 

A 10 year old's not a "whore", though. That's a sex trafficked child. 

[kylies-lips]

14 minutes ago, Bej said:

So if Juliana is only 20 and they asked her if she had Ben a prostitute for the last ten years that would have made her 10 years old when she first became a whore. I guess they start early in Brazil 

I think she is actually 23 now, but was about 20 when they met. Ick. And a young kid being sex trafficked at that age is appalling but not far from the realm of possibilities especially in poor areas like where she grew up.

It would not shock me if Juliana has true feelings for Michael but not romantic. I think she seems him as a source of stability and comfort. He funds her life and is giving her a ticket out of her hometown. Michael thinks he has a hot piece of ass and Juliana thinks she has a new dad. *shrug*

I believe Sasha's ex wife. Was a little confused by her hand lingering on his arm and her wistfully telling him not to leave Russia. Does she still have feelings for him, LOL?

Yawn @ Robert and Anny.  Robert reminds me so many dudes I've known in life. Priorities in the wrong place. Your child doesn't have his own bed but you are pressed over a  woman you have only been around for less than a day. Run Anny. Take Bryson with you!

Anna is the worst. All things considered her sons handled Mursel well. I can't imagine what it feels like having your mom show up with a man who openly doesnt like you and who speaks no English. Anna is shitty for letting her mom disrespect Mursel like that to his face. Her mom was shitty for having the kid type it into the translator app. 

Is Mursel mentally challenged? Why is he ok having premarital sex with Anna but not okay with her drinking a beer?

Has Tania ever dated a man before? Like a real one? The flower petals and the weird misspelled sign in the middle of Times Square was just WEIRD. That plus the need to have your two friends as crutches makes me think Taina is not used to dating or feels terribly uncomfortable with this man. Sinjin seems like the type who is just along for the ride and when he gets to see Tania for real he is gonna run!

[mamadrama]

2 hours ago, RealReality said:

It seems like Anna is desperate.  But I don't understand why.  

She is a blonde American woman,. apparently that's capnip for men around the world, no matter the woman's age, shape or facial features.  

She is better looking and younger than Jenny and Laura.  If she wanted the D so bad there are any number of men around the world dying to meet her and will happily deal with kids and probably know more English. 

Remember that guy from zieds soccer game?  That guy would date Anna in a hot second, no strings attached!!!

We could've had Friend Zied hooked up so many times just from other random cast members. We should start our own "dating" service on here. Single contestants could pay us to fix them up with other cast members. Would that make up pimps? Who cares, we're clearly better at this than they are. 

[Kdawg82]

20 hours ago, lizajane said:

You mean Masha? I thought she was just onto his game - she seemed to be dropping some truth bombs.  She looks a bit like Carole Radziwill to me.

YES!!! As soon as I layed eyes on Masha, I couldn't unsee Carole Radziwill!!! Yes she's onto him and I kind of read her as "take him if you want him." 

[magemaud]

1 hour ago, LennieBriscoe said:

And at the very end: Who the heck is Natalie?!

My DVR cut off the last couple of minutes, but I hope it’s Ashley’s friend Natalie on the scooter.

[moonbunnychan]

"Whore" is a really ugly word.  And even if she did accept money for sex, it's hard for me to judge that from my stable American background.  If I had grown up in poverty and it was that or starve, I mean, the choice would seem kind of obvious.  People do what they need to survive.  I don't think she's a "model", or at best MAYBE an instagram model.  I think she was hired to be eye candy for men on expensive boat parties so that it's not a floating sausage fest.  If it gave her a way better life then the alternatives, who am I to judge?

Robert seems a little slow on the uptake, and really has no business bringing someone into the country, but I think he's doing the best he knows how for his son.  Of all the terrible parents this show has given us, he's one of the better (at least so far).

Anna's mom made me sad because I know there are a LOT of Anna's moms out there...I've met them.  People who just assume any Muslim and all Muslim countries are basically like ISIS.  There's so many other things to judge him on, like being rude and not liking her kids.

[GuiltiestPleasures]

So, I created this account to comment quite a long time ago (and had completely forgotten my username) but I HAD to get back on because something in this episode made me so ANGRY! Juliana is only 22 or 23 years old right now. When she met Michael she was only twenty. That means that ten years ago, she was either 12 or 13.

If ICE is right* and she HAS been "working as a prostitute" (which - who really knows - perhaps those modelling gigs fell somewhere in the gray zone) for the past ten years, then she was neither "working" (in so much as she would have been incapable of giving consent even if she could) - I think the word they are looking for is "exploited" - and she also was not a "prostitute" - she was a victim of child sex trafficking.

• *Note: a lot of what I said in this is somewhat predicated on the idea that ICE was right. I'm not at all convinced of that; she very well could have just been working as a model at parties for the rich and famous, which I don't think is unusual. But back to regularly scheduled programming.

If it is truly ICE's contention that girls (and boys of course) who were trafficked for sex cannot be granted a visa of any kind to get into this country because they may be planning to participate in "nefarious activities" in the USA is horrifyingly inhumane. Basically, if trafficked girls do finally find a way out to protect themselves/get out of the life, it is absolutely shameful that our government (and lets face it, a decent percentage of the population) protects them as potential dangers that must be excluded.

I know some people on here have been surprised that Juliana seems to actually have feelings for Michael despite the large age difference. I think that there are two "obvious" reasons that Juliana is so fond of Michael:

• (a) he has more money than the other old guys who have brought over much younger fiancees in other seasons [I'm looking at you Anna's David who, remarkably, have some of the best chemistry on all of Pillow Talk]. Even guys who brought women over who were about their age, they had so frequently lied about how much money they have that it was absurd. Now, I have no idea how much money Michael has but it is very clear that he is significantly more wealth than most, if not all, of the men who used this ploy (what's up Jorge, Coltee, and, David again, and I know I'm just barely scraping the surface). So of course she appreciates he has money. If she *were* trafficked as a child, that kind of fiscal security (as well as emotional security) would be a heady thing.
• (b) Secondly, it has not escaped my notice that Michael is somewhat more handsome than most or all of the other older dudes with young fiancees too. 

But I'd also point out, if Juliana was trafficked as a child, it wouldn't really be a surprise that she would be looking for a man who she believed could protect her. She might even be doing it sub-consciously. And I don't think there is really anything wrong with that  (even though I spring-fall relationships do freak me out) because we all have types. And he seems like he really cares about her and sees her as something than a sex doll come to life, though I guess we'll see as the season progresses. 

TL;DR If ICE is correct, Juliana was exploited by child sex trafficking and excluding her from the country because of it seems deeply wrong. Also, it kind of helps explain what she sees in Michael.

[GuiltiestPleasures]

5 hours ago, FrancescaFiore said:

I'm confident in my belief that Leo didn't invent the party-favor girl. It's been a thing forEVVVVVAAAA. And there's little doubt Julianna was one. Brazilians have a WAY more casual attitude about sex than Americans.

So a lot of people have made these sorts of comments but can we keep in mind, if ICE is really right that she has worked as a prostitute for the last ten years, she wasn't a prostitute, she was a victim of child sex trafficking and it would be nice to see people showing that distinction a lot more respect.

1 hour ago, kylies-lips said:

Anna is shitty for letting her mom disrespect Mursel like that to his face. Her mom was shitty for having the kid type it into the translator app. 

Makes me wonder if Anna's Mom is trying to participate herself as the next Family Chantal because one spin off show about a super xenophobic family abusing their child's foreign spouse. Ugh.

[MajorNelson]

3 hours ago, Kath94 said:

Someone upthread asked if Mursel was eating pepperoni pizza.  I wondered that myself.  He may not have had pepperoni before, but did anyone think that it likely contains pork?  And they could use a translator app lesson from Paul & Karina, which is just sad.

2 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Do we trust that Anna knows bacon is pork cuz those looked like bacon bits on the nachos to me LOL

I heard him ask Anna in the Keno restaurant if something was pork, and she said no.  As you ask, do we/him trust Anna to be careful or knowledgeable?

[RealReality]

Is the backdating 10 years on the question of sex work just a standard boilerplate ICE question?  

It just kinda sounds like a standard question on a form that someone has to ask.  I imagine the decade mark is just an arbitrary line to say that anything earlier than 10 years may show you're still involved in sex work and anything more remote than the 10 year window may tend to show you're truly out of the game. 

[GuiltiestPleasures]

1 minute ago, RealReality said:

Is the backdating 10 years on the question of sex work just a standard boilerplate ICE question?  

It just kinda sounds like a standard question on a form that someone has to ask.  I imagine the decade mark is just an arbitrary line to say that anything earlier than 10 years may show you're still involved in sex work and anything more remote than the 10 year window may tend to show you're truly out of the game. 

I certainly hope so but in the wake of Epstein, I don't think we can just accept that she was a (ostensibly) consenting adult when she was first trafficked for sex. I mean, she was only 20 when she met Michael and her passports already had "lots" of stamps in it from her jet-setting ways. So that couldn't have just happened over night.

I also don't think that asking about working as a prostitute is on the standard ICE interview sheet (I've done some asylum work) but is probably something they include when there are suspicions. 

But no matter when it started, I think piling on a super young, super poor girl for turning to sex work to support herself is kind of gross. Why is it always the prostitute who gets blamed and abused in these situations when really the focus should be on the Johns who exploited her.

[MajorNelson]

I looked up some of the questions and some of the reasons a person might be blocked  - eg crime(s) of moral turpitude.  But a common question it is to list all the countries you have entered in the last 10 years.  Miss "has a lot of stamps on her passport" could easily make a mistake and maybe did in regards the failed tourist applications.

I'm not buying the consulate is asking about her sex life at age 10 and 12 other than there being a standard question or two about that generally, about her employment, terrorism etc in the last 10 years or whatever.  Like others have pointed out (perhaps couples' thread) everyone is asked such questions.  

From what I recall on the show, they asked if she was a prostitute when she and Michael met, and what's wrong with asking?  The situation requires it, even if the question and answer are a bit silly if unprovable.  

From what I read, these answers can be used later to deport if she was found to be lying.

Edited November 12, 2019 by MajorNelson

[Scarlett45]

11 hours ago, islandgal140 said:

Julianna is a pretty girl but damn she is thin. Thought is was interesting that during Pillow Talk Tarik and Dean didn't really flip over her but Dean did over Anny. 

I think Julianna is very pretty (and naturally so), I think Anny is very pretty as well, but Dean and Tariq probably find Anny’s body type more sexually appealing than Julianna’s (although if asked they would say she was pretty).