S01.E05: Just Look Cool

[Guest]

Airs December 3, 2019

Quote

Much to Moriah's excitement and disbelief, she and Kim plan out a college tour. Micah tries his hand at modeling but nearly jeopardizes his career before it begins. Ethan, Olivia, Kim & Barry finally sit down to discuss their issues.

Description from TVGuide

[Hockey Addict]

Kim  is setting the stage to have the exact opposite of what she claims she wants. If she is not careful one day the other kids will run too.

[b2H]

12 hours ago, Hockey Addict said:

Kim  is setting the stage to have the exact opposite of what she claims she wants. If she is not careful one day the other kids will run too.

The four older ones are already out the door.  It's too soon to know if Isaac and the other younger ones will follow, but it's not looking good.

I felt bad for Ethan - as has been said several times on the show, the siblings are the only people he had, growing up.  Now the parents are keeping him from the siblings because of who he married.  If Olivia was indeed rejected from the start, it's going to take a whole lot for her to feel accepted.  Mom is on notice - we see you; we see how you're running things.  Mom will be the cause of the destruction of the family unit and Ethan, Moriah and Micah will be the first ones to lead the exodus.  Lydia will stay behind and take care of the 'rents to the end of their lives, but the rest will bolt.  It's a given, as they realize everything that was taken away from them.

Next week is the season finale.  Wouldn't surprise me if it's also the series finale.  The general consensus with these types of shows is to free the kids from the parents.  I think that's exactly what's going to happen.

[camom]

The only people who know the computer password are mom and Lydia?  They seem to want to treat all of the kids like they're five years old.  It's so sad that they didn't have any friends except their siblings growing up.  I thought they probably at least had a church 'family,' but apparently not.  Blaming Olivia for Mariah's behavior is ludicrous.  Where does Mariah get the $$ for her clothes?  There's no way her mom bought her that bathing suit.

[Armchair Critic]

Lydia does all the cooking and cleaning, no wonder Kim wants her to stick around.

I thought it was nice that Olivia was happy to see Ethan socializing with people from their church since he wasn't allowed to do that growing up.

Ethan the big old dork has grown on me but I still can't stand his old man haircut.

[sATL]

what could possibly Ma Kim have against a certain brand of toothpaste ? And to make a comment about it early in the relationship ?

[Hockey Addict]

Kim's approval of some things over others makes no sense to me either. Michah said something about them not being alowed certain brands of ice cream. Wtf? Isn't ice cream ice cream no matter who makes it?

[Snickerdoodle]

3 hours ago, camom said:

The only people who know the computer password are mom and Lydia?  They seem to want to treat all of the kids like they're five years old.  It's so sad that they didn't have any friends except their siblings growing up.  I thought they probably at least had a church 'family,' but apparently not.  Blaming Olivia for Mariah's behavior is ludicrous.  Where does Mariah get the $$ for her clothes?  There's no way her mom bought her that bathing suit.

I feel bad for Lydia. Does she ever get to be a kid? She cooks for the family, she takes care of the little kids, follows the ridiculous rules and does what she’s told. Her reward is housework! Then we have Moriah, her older sister who does whatever she wants without consequence. Her reward is no responsibility and a fun trip to San Francisco. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for Moriah to leave “Plathville” behind, but she should share some of the household responsibilities with the older kids that live at home. Kim seems to have given up on Moriah. 

[Armchair Critic]

46 minutes ago, Hockey Addict said:

Michah said something about them not being alowed certain brands of ice cream. Wtf? Isn't ice cream ice cream no matter who makes it?

It looked like he bought Breyers, I guess they consider that okay because it claims to be "natural"

[TexasGal]

I’m sure mom would have been just as cool about going to see about a career in modeling if it had been one of the girls.  Ridiculous 

[TwirlyGirly]

2 hours ago, Hockey Addict said:

Kim's approval of some things over others makes no sense to me either. Michah said something about them not being alowed certain brands of ice cream. Wtf? Isn't ice cream ice cream no matter who makes it?

Welllll....prolly wouldn't approve of having this brand in the house:

...for obvious reasons...🤣

(Big Gay Ice Cream IS really yummy, though).

Edited December 5, 2019 by TwirlyGirly
Added link to Big Gay Ice Cream

[Armchair Critic]

It would be interesting to see how they would deal with a gay child. My money would be on Micah. 😉

[TwirlyGirly]

2 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

It would be interesting to see how they would deal with a gay child. My money would be on Micah. 😉

There has been research suggesting a boy is more likely to be gay the more older brothers he has:

Fraternal Birth Order Effect on Sexual Orientation

[calliope1975]

56 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

I’m sure mom would have been just as cool about going to see about a career in modeling if it had been one of the girls.  Ridiculous 

I liked that mom was totally cool with modeling, an industry with a host of issues including exploitation, but wants to have serious, in depth conversations and has a whole host of reservations about college. 🙄

Edited December 5, 2019 by calliope1975

[Jeanne222]

So  I'm kind of being drawn into watching this series.  What say you?

[b2H]

1 hour ago, Jeanne222 said:

So  I'm kind of being drawn into watching this series.  What say you?

I suspect this is a one-hit wonder.  What I would really like to know is how the family is dealing with the fall-out of the edit.  I cannot imagine Mom is thrilled with how she is being portrayed, regardless of how true or honest it is.

I can’t honestly see this getting a second season.

[Pingaponga]

I find the body language in this fascinating. Moriah frequently holds her arms in front of her when talking to people. When Olivia and Ethan are talking to Kim and Barry, Olivia is clearly holding her arms in a very controlled manner. And Barry has a smirk on his face through the entire conversation.

You can tell so much from body language. Moriah's arms indicate she is trying to protect herself. Olivia was clearly uncomfortable. And Barry is just humouring his son and daughter-in-law.

[Kiss my mutt]

I’d be down for a second season 

[Armchair Critic]

2 hours ago, b2H said:

What I would really like to know is how the family is dealing with the fall-out of the edit.  I cannot imagine Mom is thrilled with how she is being portrayed, regardless of how true or honest it is.

I also wonder about Olivia and Ethan, when this season airs and some of the interviews they have given about family stuff are out, I think it would be hard to repair things with his parents. I know on these shows they sometimes stage drama but I think the rift between Olivia and his parents is for real.

[b2H]

10 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

I also wonder about Olivia and Ethan, when this season airs and some of the interviews they have given about family stuff are out, I think it would be hard to repair things with his parents. I know on these shows they sometimes stage drama but I think the rift between Olivia and his parents is for real.

Olivia was quite clear in her interview as well as in the sit-down as to how difficult Mom was in the introduction into the family.  I mean, come on, criticizing the toothpaste Olivia used?  Mom was making it very clear Olivia wasn't welcome if the nitpicking came down to toothpaste.

Olivia was the introduction of the real world into the very insular world Mom and Dad had created.  They were not welcoming of the intrusion at all.  There's no other way to spin that.

[Nysha]

22 minutes ago, b2H said:

Olivia was the introduction of the real world into the very insular world Mom and Dad had created.  They were not welcoming of the intrusion at all.  There's no other way to spin that.

This makes the Plath children a bit luckier than the Duggars, and Bates, kids whose spouses pretty much fell into line with a few minor, acceptable deviations. Even they hadn't been filmed, I think the Plath parents would have been a lot harsher on Ethan, Olivia, and Moriah. It's too late now, the younger children have been introduced to the world and know that if they rebel, their parents will pitch a fit and then cave in.

[b2H]

13 minutes ago, Nysha said:

This makes the Plath children a bit luckier than the Duggars, and Bates, kids whose spouses pretty much fell into line with a few minor, acceptable deviations. Even they hadn't been filmed, I think the Plath parents would have been a lot harsher on Ethan, Olivia, and Moriah. It's too late now, the younger children have been introduced to the world and know that if they rebel, their parents will pitch a fit and then cave in.

There was something telling in Olivia's take on Ethan's upbringing.  The Plaths insist it is religion based, yet they had no church or congregation they were a part of.  This is more than insular.  And I still go back to Ethan having NO ONE ELSE in his life but his siblings for his entire life before marrying Olivia.  These awful parents are cutting him off from everything he's ever known because he left the family to marry her.

This is where it becomes abusive.  The parents don't see it that way, of course, as they insist they're doing it to protect their kids, but they're seeing how it is actually more harmful than good.  And they don't like it one bit.

[FurBabyMama]

I don’t understand why this family agreed to be filmed... they’re portraying themselves as such close minded and controlling people. They’re basically going to have no relationship with the older kids. And yet I can’t stop warching

[mjstrick]

That Lydia creeps me the hell out.  I mean, I know she is the "good" one and whatever.  But she is CREEPY.  And if I were Moriah or Micah, I'd be yelling BS at the top of my lungs at a 15 year old having control over what I do or don't do.  Hell no.

[Loves2Dance]

1 hour ago, FurBabyMama said:

I don’t understand why this family agreed to be filmed... they’re portraying themselves as such close minded and controlling people. They’re basically going to have no relationship with the older kids. And yet I can’t stop warching

When you can't see yourself clearly, you have no concept of how you look to the outside world. Olivia and Ethan, per their own personal interview, had almost no communication with Kim and what's his name before being approached to film. And Ethan only agreed because he was told he'd be able to spend time with his siblings if he did. 

[camom]

Looking ahead 15 years -- the parents and never-married Lydia are alone and wondering why none of the kids ever call.

[tm909]

This is the second episode in which I noticed something odd slipped in...

Around 40 minutes into the episode, Ethan asks if they can watch Donald Duck, and Isaac replies "My dad loves that."

He's looking at Ethan when he says it, clearly addressing him. 

Why wouldn't he just say "dad"? And wouldn't Ethan already know that, having grown up in the same household?

ETA: Perhaps he was speaking indirectly to Olivia, since Ethan turns to her.

However, a similar thing happened in the third episode, after the confrontation between Ethan, Olivia and the parents.

Lydia runs off and is praying, and shortly afterwards, when it's just Lydia, Moriah, Micah and Isaac together, Micah says "How do you feel about, like, my parents not letting Ethan and Olivia hang out with their siblings?"

Why would he say "my parents" if he's talking to his own siblings?

Is this a blended family? Are some adopted? Foster children? Seems like a weird choice of words when referring to their own family members.

Edited December 7, 2019 by tm909

[ethalfrida]

On 12/7/2019 at 6:29 AM, tm909 said:

This is the second episode in which I noticed something odd slipped in...

Around 40 minutes into the episode, Ethan asks if they can watch Donald Duck, and Isaac replies "My dad loves that."

He's looking at Ethan when he says it, clearly addressing him. 

Why wouldn't he just say "dad"? And wouldn't Ethan already know that, having grown up in the same household?

ETA: Perhaps he was speaking indirectly to Olivia, since Ethan turns to her.

However, a similar thing happened in the third episode, after the confrontation between Ethan, Olivia and the parents.

Lydia runs off and is praying, and shortly afterwards, when it's just Lydia, Moriah, Micah and Isaac together, Micah says "How do you feel about, like, my parents not letting Ethan and Olivia hang out with their siblings?"

Why would he say "my parents" if he's talking to his own siblings?

Is this a blended family? Are some adopted? Foster children? Seems like a weird choice of words when referring to their own family members.

I have friends and cousins who refer to their parents in those terms even though they are speaking with their siblings.

[queenanne]

3 hours ago, ethalfrida said:

I have friends and cousins who refer to their parents in those terms even though they are speaking with their siblings.

It's funny the Plath kids would, though, IMO, as I was raised in an authoritarian fundamentalist family myself, and my mother would (and in fact did) lose her shit on the infrequent occasions I would say to my sister "because your mother/father doesn't want you doing XYZ".  "I am YOUR mother!" (foams at mouth).

[HaaCHOO]

On 12/7/2019 at 7:29 AM, tm909 said:

Is this a blended family? Are some adopted? Foster children? Seems like a weird choice of words when referring to their own family members.

Maybe they're "God's" children?

[HaaCHOO]

On 12/4/2019 at 9:44 AM, b2H said:

Mom will be the cause of the destruction of the family unit and Ethan, Moriah and Micah will be the first ones to lead the exodus. 

I feel that Mom was a "slut" in college...drinkin', smokin' whatever, diddlin' with the boys.  Apparently she feels that every female who goes to college will act accordingly and fall prey to those nasty predatory males.  She's a danger to herself and others!  RUN, KIDS, RUN !!!   (I hope the show gets another season or two--just so we can see the younger children freed by relatives or Dad's new paramour.)

P.S.  Now that the series has aired, is Dad ridiculed at work and out in the world?  Or praised?

Edited December 9, 2019 by HaaCHOO
The P.S.

[HaaCHOO]

On 12/5/2019 at 1:22 PM, FurBabyMama said:

I don’t understand why this family agreed to be filmed... they’re portraying themselves as such close minded and controlling people.

They're just so right.  The world is wrong.  Olivia is wrong. Ethan has already gone down the wrong path.  I'd bet Mom thought that by agreeing to this series she'd be discovered as the next Martha Stewart...on the Fundamentalist and naturopathic wave.  She'll have her own TV show and product lines...starting with LIPSTICK!

[ethalfrida]

On 12/8/2019 at 10:37 PM, queenanne said:

It's funny the Plath kids would, though, IMO, as I was raised in an authoritarian fundamentalist family myself, and my mother would (and in fact did) lose her shit on the infrequent occasions I would say to my sister "because your mother/father doesn't want you doing XYZ".  "I am YOUR mother!" (foams at mouth).

It is not a faith based thing. And it is not always used negatively but rather a term of endearment and staking claim to a beloved parent. 

[materialgirl101]

Or the opposite.  When a parent has said or done something offensive, my brother will ask me if I know what MY (insert appropriate parent) has done/said.  

[ShaNaeNae]

On 12/7/2019 at 8:29 AM, tm909 said:

This is the second episode in which I noticed something odd slipped in...

Around 40 minutes into the episode, Ethan asks if they can watch Donald Duck, and Isaac replies "My dad loves that."

He's looking at Ethan when he says it, clearly addressing him. 

Why wouldn't he just say "dad"? And wouldn't Ethan already know that, having grown up in the same household?

ETA: Perhaps he was speaking indirectly to Olivia, since Ethan turns to her.

However, a similar thing happened in the third episode, after the confrontation between Ethan, Olivia and the parents.

Lydia runs off and is praying, and shortly afterwards, when it's just Lydia, Moriah, Micah and Isaac together, Micah says "How do you feel about, like, my parents not letting Ethan and Olivia hang out with their siblings?"

Why would he say "my parents" if he's talking to his own siblings?

Is this a blended family? Are some adopted? Foster children? Seems like a weird choice of words when referring to their own family members.

I think mentioning they're adopted/blended/foster kids is reaching just because they use the word "my...".  I've heard many people do that.  

[Dakisela]

On 12/9/2019 at 2:01 PM, HaaCHOO said:

Maybe they're "God's" children?

Do they ever just refer to themselves as "brothers and sisters" instead of "siblings"?  That part seems weird to me.