S02.E02: My Mystery Man

[Guest]

Airs November 17, 2020

Quote

Micah reunites with model-friend Helena for a very hot and steamy modelling session. Barry and Isaac try to talk about the birds and the bees. Lydia reveals she has a secret crush, and Moriah goes on her first date ever.

 

[toomuchtv]

So Ethan had no clue about periods until he was dating Olivia... I wonder what he was told about sex...

[Steff]

NIKE!  Micah....oh lordy NIKE NIKE NIKE!!!!!!  

[Madding crowd]

What kind of photo shoot was that? If models are getting paid for a shoot they are not usually picking out their own outfits, deciding on poses or filming in a bland hotel room. 

I kind of like the older kids and can’t believe they don’t even teach about menstruation. What is the deal with that? Then we are supposed to believe the dad was open to questions from the son. 

[DNR]

I can’t stand Ethan’s wife, she’s so bitchy

[Mothra]

So Micah is the same kind of "model" Lacey, Pao (90DF) and Heather (LOL) are?  What was the deal about shooing the cameras out of the room?  Is he making a sex tape?  Has anyone found any example of Micah's modeling?  WTH?

[Twopper]

28 minutes ago, Mothra said:

So Micah is the same kind of "model" Lacey, Pao (90DF) and Heather (LOL) are?  What was the deal about shooing the cameras out of the room?  Is he making a sex tape?  Has anyone found any example of Micah's modeling?  WTH?

I h;ave no idea about Lacy and Pao.  I just figured they were making a modeling tape for her youtube channel or something similar, and they hope to be "discovered" by a real modeling agency or "talent scout" and then get catapulted into stardom.  I don't look online about people on these shows so I have no idea if there are other examples of his modeling.   I think if he wants a career in modeling or being a trainer, he needs to get out of Cairo

[Mothra]

1 minute ago, Twopper said:

I h;ave no idea about Lacy and Pao.  I just figured they were making a modeling tape for her youtube channel or something similar, and they hope to be "discovered" by a real modeling agency or "talent scout" and then get catapulted into stardom.  I don't look online about people on these shows so I have no idea if there are other examples of his modeling.   I think if he wants a career in modeling or being a trainer, he needs to get out of Cairo

But twop, why did he shoe the cameras away after they moved the "shoot" to the bed?  He already had his pants unfastened at the top.  The clear implication (to me, at least) was that they were going to do something unsuitable for basic cable, and to me that means nudity.

If he wants a serious career in modeling, I would think that his first move would be finding a legitimate agent to guide him through creating a portfolio of photos and contacting legitimate agencies that hire for legitimate retail outlets.  I think you must be right, that these videos are made by and for his female partner (Helena?) to post on her site.   And you have to pay extra to see the nudies.

[Twopper]

1 minute ago, Mothra said:

But twop, why did he shoe the cameras away after they moved the "shoot" to the bed?  He already had his pants unfastened at the top.  The clear implication (to me, at least) was that they were going to do something unsuitable for basic cable, and to me that means nudity.

I thought they were just going to have some personal time if you get my drift, followed by pillow talk. 

[the-grey-lady]

Ethan's confessional about how he never learned to deal with human emotions made me really sad. I feel like, at their core, the Plath kids are fundamentally decent and caring, but their parents have done absolutely nothing to nurture that aspect of their development.

That segment with Barry and Isaac having the world's cringiest "man talk" felt like a conversation between a man and his roofer, for all the warmth and comfort there.

[Jeanne222]

Well here we are.  Ethans wife no longer able to stir the Plaths soup is now a very unlikable young lady!  The glee of interfering is gone from her eyes.  She now takes everything out on poor Ethan who thought he was moving up when he married her.  Not so.

Mariah has always been a wild child and now at 17 living with her brother with no adult supervision or guidance.  She has gone from the pot to the swimming pool!  Her parents might be at the least odd but they were letting her GO while in their home.  It was never enough.  All that red lipstick, tight clothes and tons of make up make her look cheap.

I like her but think she is very hard to raise.

Micah is heading in the wrong direction!  He needs help if he's ever to have a modeling career and not sink to porn.

Note to Micah..drop Helene and run fast!!!

[Twopper]

13 hours ago, the-grey-lady said:

Ethan's confessional about how he never learned to deal with human emotions made me really sad. I feel like, at their core, the Plath kids are fundamentally decent and caring, but their parents have done absolutely nothing to nurture that aspect of their development.

That segment with Barry and Isaac having the world's cringiest "man talk" felt like a conversation between a man and his roofer, for all the warmth and comfort there.

I agree.  That scene with Isaac was so very awkward.  I wanted to slap the dad for even attempting it while on camera.  Find another subject to discuss --or attempt to discuss---with Isaac if you have to have a daddy-son talk.

I like Mariah, and I hope she makes her way through life without two many stumbles. 

I would love to be a fly on the wall when the parents watch this episode. I think  I dislike them more than Ma and Pa Dugger.  I have no idea why they thought going on tv was a good idea. 

[GingerSnappy]

I have one question.  Where do they plug the dad in to recharge at night?  

[Mothra]

The father seemed to be tearing up when one of the kids asked him why he didn't prepare them better for the real world, but I have no sympathy or even compassion.  How much of an ignorant dildo do you have to be to understand that when your kids grow up and leave Dumbass Eden, things will be different, and said kids will have no fucking idea of how to comport themselves, much less how to support themselves, find friends and a place to live, figure out how retail works, etc. etc. etc.?

Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.

He and the missus both went to college.  How unfair to deny their kids *any* kind of educational experience with other kids their age.  Not even field trips or sports with other homeschoolers.

I am willing to give the mother a little tiny bit of slack because accidentally killing a child through her negligence has clearly driven her crazy about controlling her remaining children.  She is just as harmful to them, but I can see why, sort of.  Has she *ever* had any kind of counseling about this horrible trauma?  Other than reading the Bible, I mean.  She needs years of talk therapy, imo, accompanied by liberal doses of Prozac and Wellbutrin, stat.

[geej]

I think these are horrible parents. They seem blinded to the results of their harden beliefs. I too was saddened hearing Ethan say what he missed, and Micah saying none were allowed  friends. It has stilted their learning/maturing. There is something creepy about Dad's smile. And he is your basic fugly guy. how in the WORLD did a mildly attractive woman mate with a man so basic and produce remarkably gorgeous children(that  all look alike to me). Is something off there? Ethan(the oldest boy right?) is lucky he found a partner that will help raise him moderately. She might be on the bitchy side, but that is all he knows. He could have gotten super rebellious and found a wife that would really take him own a dark path. the parents should be grateful their older kids are making good choices as they are, considering how sheltered they were. If Mom and Dad were more enlightened, less insecure, they would step back and give themselves credit that they instilled  rightous values, trust in themselves they did it right. I don't think they did it right, but they seem to be telling us they know it all.(esp. mom, and dad seems a bit scared of Mom. i bet she can be very very scary)

Taking all (safe)choices away from young  children can result in terrible rebellion later. I am intrigued by this semi-awful semi-scripted (semi) show. and i too wish we could get more in depth with how Mom handled the tragic death of the run-over child. But i bet this is all we get because what we saw was all she did. She does not strike me a one full of depth. Come to think of it she also has a creepster smile.

One more thing, didn't we learn last season that Mom went to college and partied hard, wasted the money and that is why going to college is worthless? I wanna know more about her parents. I want dad to just stay in the shed.

[Mothra]

10 hours ago, geej said:

There is something creepy about Dad's smile. And he is your basic fugly guy. how in the WORLD did a mildly attractive woman mate with a man so basic and produce remarkably gorgeous children(that  all look alike to me). Is something off there?

I agree with your entire post, and I, too, have wondered how these two ended up together.  I think maybe the father is someone who is easily led and controlled, yet is willing to pretend (unconsciously) that he is the head of the family, when it's clearly mom who wears the pants.  I think she might have zeroed in on him blindly, like a bat to a moth.

[RedDelicious]

The mom is so horribly condescending, as if she's the authority on life and her children who are stunted by her own arrogance in raising them couldn't possibly have an independent thought or any idea how to figure out anything on their own. UGH.

Olivia is kind of bitchy but I can't blame her. What's his face her husband is annoying AF. Why she ever agreed to marry the man child with the weird family I will never understand.  I probably would have left when the fam moved in on their territory, especially since the mother thinks she is all-knowing with her eyes and ears everywhere.

[gingerella]

The mother is so sanctimonious and condescending about everything, yet she ran over her own child, and raised the rest of them to know absolutely nothing about the real world or life in general. From what I've seen and heard on this show, the only thing they wanted to shield their kids from was evil SEX. And for that, they hid them away and stunted them. Poor Lydia doesn't know which end is up and is terrified to go against her dumbass parents. How typical of these fundy families that all the kids end up moving away from their crazy ass parents and their weirdo lifestyle because the kids know it's all BS.

[emmawoodhouse]

Olivia's family is every bit as "weird"  as the Plaths. Rumor has it that Lydia's secret crush is one of Olivia's brothers.

Edited November 20, 2020 by emmawoodhouse

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, gingerella said:

the only thing they wanted to shield their kids from was evil SEX

Not true.  They also wanted to shield them from evil SUGAR, for some reason.  That sugar ban really stumps me.  I know, I know, there are health benefits related to honey, but god in heaven how much honey (or sugar) do people eat?  Again:  I know, I know, too much, but wouldn't it make more sense to limit sweets as a class of foods?  It puzzles me because we've never to my recollection been told about any other class of food that's forbidden.  Are they on a special kind of diet, like vegan, or does the mother want to lose weight so badly that she enlists the unconscious help of the rest of the family (my theory)?

And I'd like to add that in my experience, the only good sex is evil SEX.

[TwirlyGirly]

'Nuf said:

[ReadMeLattice]

I get why people are saying it I guess, but don't really see that Olivia is any "bitchier" than I would be in similar circumstances. If my in-laws literally said my husband could visit their home and I couldn't without supervision because I WORE TANK TOPS and ATE SUGAR, I would hardly be able to disguise my disgust. I mean, you can't take that stuff seriously. There's respecting other people's beliefs, and then there's...whatever they believe in. Your kids can't play the guitar alone together because one of them eats sugar and watches TV? No, that's insane. 

IMO the parents need to be told they're insanely controlling, and often. No amount of sweetness and obedience will ever be enough for them. They didn't even let their kids have birth certificates or high school diplomas. In my opinion, you can have whatever religious faith you want, but you don't have the right to deny your child the fundamental setup of life, like an ID, access to education, and basic knowledge of health, jobs, money, and the world. 

Edited November 21, 2020 by ReadMeLattice

[emmawoodhouse]

I wonder what happened between the births of Ethan and Micah. Hosanna and Ethan had birth certificates. The rest weren't made whole until Micah needed a driver's license.

[Spazamanaz]

I guess not getting the kids their birth certificates is just another form of control. Stripping them of their identities, so they are just a little more dependant of their parents. 

[ReadMeLattice]

On 11/20/2020 at 7:58 PM, Mothra said:

Not true.  They also wanted to shield them from evil SUGAR, for some reason.  That sugar ban really stumps me.  I know, I know, there are health benefits related to honey, but god in heaven how much honey (or sugar) do people eat?  Again:  I know, I know, too much, but wouldn't it make more sense to limit sweets as a class of foods?  It puzzles me because we've never to my recollection been told about any other class of food that's forbidden.  Are they on a special kind of diet, like vegan, or does the mother want to lose weight so badly that she enlists the unconscious help of the rest of the family (my theory)?

And I'd like to add that in my experience, the only good sex is evil SEX.

The mom is a naturopath or something, I think. 

Oh, and re: Ethan and Olivia- I think both have alluded to the fact that some of the resentment/anger from Olivia is because Ethan basically threw his wife under the bus for almost two years of marriage. Kim criticized everything from her diet to her TOOTHPASTE CHOICE (!!) because it wasn't "natural" enough. Instead of defending her, he basically kept quiet to keep the peace. I'd be resentful of that, too. 

I don't think she's a perfect person, but it would be extremely hard to be a 20-year-old newlywed who's thrown into a family like that and then have to fend for myself while my husband just sits there. I assume that's the source of a bit of the snark and irritability we see coming from her at times. I'm glad he finally figured it out, though - just sad that they have the damage of those 2 years to contend with. 

Edited November 22, 2020 by ReadMeLattice

[Kiss my mutt]

Not having any sugar in the house sure isn’t helping Kim with her weight. She looks a lot bigger this season. They look like Jack Sprat and his wife. 

That modeling shoot was all sorts of cringe, plus, wouldn’t taking photos is front of the window just wash the photo out? I’m no photog expert but that was one of the first things I learned. 
I honestly don’t know how Olivia manages to have sex with such a “younger brother vibe going on with her man child. He would bug the shit out of me. 

[gingerella]

32 minutes ago, Kiss my mutt said:

I honestly don’t know how Olivia manages to have sex with such a “younger brother vibe going on with her man child. He would bug the shit out of me. 

I cant really even think about that aspect of their marriage or I will throw up in my own mouth. It's beyond gross and I cannot imagine that it's satisfying for her...maybe that's why she's in a shit mood so often.

[emmawoodhouse]

Lydia just can't win. Her "mystery man," Olivia's brother, just posted a happy 3 month anniversary picture with his girlfriend. 

[charmed1]

On 11/20/2020 at 4:30 AM, Mothra said:

I agree with your entire post, and I, too, have wondered how these two ended up together.  I think maybe the father is someone who is easily led and controlled, yet is willing to pretend (unconsciously) that he is the head of the family, when it's clearly mom who wears the pants.  I think she might have zeroed in on him blindly, like a bat to a moth.

I think Barry was the rebound guy. Kim was dating his friend first.

[Boston]

On 11/22/2020 at 3:02 PM, Kiss my mutt said:

Not having any sugar in the house sure isn’t helping Kim with her weight. She looks a lot bigger this season. They look like Jack Sprat and his wife. 

That modeling shoot was all sorts of cringe, plus, wouldn’t taking photos is front of the window just wash the photo out? I’m no photog expert but that was one of the first things I learned. 
I honestly don’t know how Olivia manages to have sex with such a “younger brother vibe going on with her man child. He would bug the shit out of me. 

That is SOO funny, . Jack Sprat.. still laughing.. but this show makes me shake (in a bad way).  Kim needs therapy (or needed it years ago) and i am amazed at how SAD i am for the kids (yes, the adult ones too).  No life, really.  ugh

[Kiss my mutt]

6 hours ago, Boston said:

That is SOO funny, . Jack Sprat.. still laughing.. but this show makes me shake (in a bad way).  Kim needs therapy (or needed it years ago) and i am amazed at how SAD i am for the kids (yes, the adult ones too).  No life, really.  ugh

Lol same. Kim sucks the energy out of everyone. Those kids would have been better off raised by wolves! 

[ethalfrida]

On 11/20/2020 at 4:58 PM, Mothra said:

Not true.  They also wanted to shield them from evil SUGAR, for some reason.  That sugar ban really stumps me.  I know, I know, there are health benefits related to honey, but god in heaven how much honey (or sugar) do people eat?  Again:  I know, I know, too much, but wouldn't it make more sense to limit sweets as a class of foods?  It puzzles me because we've never to my recollection been told about any other class of food that's forbidden.  Are they on a special kind of diet, like vegan, or does the mother want to lose weight so badly that she enlists the unconscious help of the rest of the family (my theory)?

And I'd like to add that in my experience, the only good sex is evil SEX.

There are documentaries about sugar. It really is a concern. People who eat fast foods eat more of it than they know. And some cultures put in and on everything, not just sweet tea. Reading labels will often show that sugar is dominant in the list of ingredients. 

[salvame]

anyone care to explain what kind of modeling job that was?  I mean if it was legit, what the hell were they supposed to be modeling - underwear? jeans?  There was a variety of dress/undress, and to me, it just seemed like  a poor excuse for porno shots.

 

[MargeGunderson]

My guess is that they were having pictures taken for their modeling portfolios, not a photoshoot for an actual modeling job (could be totally off base though)

[Kiss my mutt]

Only Fans here we come!

[albarino]

This is my first season of watching this and I am completely sucked in.  I think the older kids need to leave Cairo and attend some sort of deprogramming program.  Don't they have those for people leaving cults?  I think it will take a while for them to learn the concept of "normal."  Why does that one son want to be a model?  If he never read magazines, does he understand a certain level of taste?  What does the older one do?

Speaking of taste, I'm glad the daughter was able to visit San Francisco but she has a deficit of taste as well.  Don't get me wrong, I understand it, I hope she attends a community college and observes her peers.  A course in American History would not be out of line either.

I'm no mental health professional but will those kids ever be okay?  I never watched the Duggars so I assume they are at least functioning adults.  Regardless, those parents have left their children at such a deficit I'm not sure they can climb out of.  

I say sometimes (especially in these crazy times) that I am an observer of this culture but I don't always understand it.  But my gift is I've been an observer/participant for over 60 years.  

[ReadMeLattice]

On 11/25/2020 at 10:40 AM, ethalfrida said:

There are documentaries about sugar. It really is a concern. People who eat fast foods eat more of it than they know. And some cultures put in and on everything, not just sweet tea. Reading labels will often show that sugar is dominant in the list of ingredients. 

It's true that we eat way too much sugar, but I have an issue with the hypocrisy- it's long been rumored that Kim actually eats candy sometimes and just doesn't let her kids do it. I have no idea if that's true, but - and this is not meant to body-shame, just being realistic - I wouldn't be surprised, based on her appearance vs. the kids'. 

Also I feel like ZERO sugar is a bit much, personally. The kids I knew with really restrictive diets at home always binged on pizza and brownies at friends' houses because they didn't know how to moderate/regulate their intake when they finally had access to it. My bet is that some of the Plath kids will develop weird habits around eating and/or drinking because all the confinement just went way too far.

[ethalfrida]

1 hour ago, ReadMeLattice said:

It's true that we eat way too much sugar, but I have an issue with the hypocrisy- it's long been rumored that Kim actually eats candy sometimes and just doesn't let her kids do it. I have no idea if that's true, but - and this is not meant to body-shame, just being realistic - I wouldn't be surprised, based on her appearance vs. the kids'. 

Also I feel like ZERO sugar is a bit much, personally. The kids I knew with really restrictive diets at home always binged on pizza and brownies at friends' houses because they didn't know how to moderate/regulate their intake when they finally had access to it. My bet is that some of the Plath kids will develop weird habits around eating and/or drinking because all the confinement just went way too far.

I have to agree with you on your point of view. And plus, they probably eat all kinds of processed foods and carbs otherwise...

[Back Atcha]

16 hours ago, albarino said:

 Why does that one son want to be a model?

He had no idea what modeling was.  He went into "the city," and someone suggested that he should be a model.  I don't really recall what transpired, but it seemed like fun at first -- and now it seems like easy money.  He had always done physical labor to earn money.  One of the good posters can tell it well.

On 11/22/2020 at 5:58 PM, emmawoodhouse said:

Lydia just can't win. Her "mystery man," Olivia's brother, just posted a happy 3 month anniversary picture with his girlfriend. 

Everything's temporary.

[Back Atcha]

On 11/17/2020 at 7:22 PM, toomuchtv said:

So Ethan had no clue about periods until he was dating Olivia... I wonder what he was told about sex...

NOTHING...apparently.   Maybe Olivia has had to tell him how "humans" work.  He probably knows about cows and chickens.  Then, after Moriah's and Micah's "serious talk with the parents," we see the father trying to discuss that topic with the oldest boy at home.  FAIL!