S08.E03: Bless This Mess

[Jeanne222]

What happened to pillow talk?  I loved that show!

[Neurochick]

14 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

For a woman that married a man that has been married twice before and has 4 other kids, Brandon's mommy sure acts like a prude. Loosen up, lady! You married a very experienced man yourself and it hasn't seemed to hurt you any. Let Brandon and his girl kick it without you interfering. The girlfriend said she didn't want kids any time soon so mind your business and go milk some cows. 

So, just because you marry a man whose been married before means anything goes?  

I have to disagree.  My home, my rules, you don't like it leave.

I think Brandon should tell his parents, "okay, we're getting married NOW."  Now that would be great TV.

I think Pillow Talk will probably be only on the Discovery app.

I detest Tariq.  He has a special needs daughter and is going to bring a stranger in to take care of her?  I don't like Tariq because he reminds me of black men I know who won't lift a finger for a black woman but would turn themselves into a pretzel for non black women.  Just saying.
 

 

Edited December 22, 2020 by Neurochick

[charmed1]

9 hours ago, magemaud said:

the comment about the souvenir shopping made me think of my daughter’s 8th grade class trip to DC. They had dinner in the shopping mall near Union Station and afterwards the students had some free time to shop in the mall before getting on the bus to come home. Most opted to buy typical souvenirs like T-shirts, key chains and little statues but one girl headed to Victoria’s Secret and spent her money on a bra. 

Ha ha ha! That store is still there. It’s downstairs in the corner and it’s mostly populated with kids, both tourist and native.

[AZChristian]

Deleted . . . may have posted something from the following episode thinking it was all part of the same thing.  Didn't want to post a spoiler.

Edited December 22, 2020 by AZChristian

[1011101010001]

37 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

We finally got around to watching the episode last night.

1.  The average monthly temperature in Kiev is about 10-15 degrees colder than Sequim, with a similar number of rainy days.  Shut up, Natalie.  Put on a sweater.

2.  They way it was shown, Brandon's parents were walking Julia around and teaching her how to feed the livestock before they even took her into the house so she could freshen up or even go to the bathroom.  They even told her that she would be doing that starting the next day.  That's not a very gracious way to welcome a newcomer.  Day one should have been a tour of the farm and general introduction to the animals.  They could have made it clear that she would be expected to help out, but to start on-the-job training on the first day was REALLY rude.  I'm also a city slicker.  I would have told them to leave my luggage in the car and take me to a hotel.  A little compromise from both sides would be nice. 

Are you talking about the preview because I did not see her on the farm?

[1011101010001]

The closed captioner thought it was spelled Manilla.  We really need to teach geography again.

[misokinesia]

14 hours ago, mamadrama said:

16 hours ago, magemaud said:

I’m surprised Brandon’s mother doesn’t make their sharing a room contingent on them using birth control, it would be such an easy solution 

Maybe I’m cruel but I don’t blame Natalie for not wanting Uncle Beau around. I thought last season he was living in a separate building on the farm. 

I swear they said he was living in the barn on the previous system. 

All this talk about Uncle Cousin Beau moving out...What Mike actually said is that Beau was going to move out "for a while." Even without the extra stuff we know about him, I don't think this is unreasonable. If Mike and Natalie do truly want to work on their relationship then it makes sense for them to want to be alone for a bit. 

Yes, when we first met Beau I'm pretty sure he was living in the barn as well. I'm guessing that either a) Mike let Beau move in after the world found out that his 'uncle' lived in a barn OR b) Mike usually lets him move inside for the winter. I'm guessing the barn is drafty..?

When Beau was packing up, Mike also said that he would work on trying to get him back there soon, even if it was just into the barn.

Edited December 22, 2020 by misokinesia
speeling

[AZChristian]

22 minutes ago, MrBuhBye said:

Are you talking about the preview because I did not see . . . 

I had a 2-hour episode and then a 45-minute one.  Most of the previews have been 30 minutes.  I'll delete my post and alter my quote of yours because I don't want to give away something that might be a spoiler.  My mistake!!!

You might want to edit out your original follow-up question to me, as you quoted me and I can't edit that.

Edited December 22, 2020 by AZChristian

[1011101010001]

2 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I had a 2-hour episode and then a 45-minute one.  Most of the previews have been 30 minutes.  I'll delete my post and alter yours because I don't want to give away something that might be a spoiler.  My mistake!!!

I don’t think you spoiled anything important I just could not recall that scene.  The previews vary from 25 to 45 depending on the week.  Although this season they have not been available on the TLC app. 

[lamujerdecente]

I watched the preview- I want to smack the  fillers and extensions out of the cougar for her own good. She is actually very pretty and would have aged well without the plastic barbie look we think is youth in America. A wrinkle can be accessorized well boos. We earned them. 

 

Natalie sucks the life out of every room. Coming from a dog person, who is a cat herself, my cat daughter, Electra told me this revelation, that cat has Natalie's number. Frenchie confuses me. However she could have my place here in Miami and I will take her place in the village of France. No need to marry that big hip Mama's Boy, his entitlement about using Mexico in the middle of a pandemic, his working with children, a risk both ways, his elderly mother, a risk for her, He rubs me the wrong way. And if he pressures her because he gives her money... Grrrrrrr. 

 

 

Tarik is a herb and clown. I write spoken word in my sleep drunk on Xanax that sounds better then that mess he was sucking up oxygen with. His being a sex tourist clued me in, my ex has a special needs daughter and because he is a capable, decent father to her, he thinks that excuses his trips to DR. And everything else he does that is shitty. Tarik gives me that vibe.  I hope Hazel gets that green card and drops his ass. Hazel looked bloated to me, not so much bigger. Maybe she's on birth control which can give u water retention and bloat suddenly.

Edited December 22, 2020 by lamujerdecente

[Dirtybubble]

11 hours ago, magemaud said:

It’s one thing to be touring your own country’s capital, but I wouldn’t want to be forced to ride around, jet lagged, and feign interest in monuments for dead foreign statesmen I know nothing about. 

That's my real problem with Brandon's parents.  I get the my house my rules thing that's ok.  But them planning out their day is just stupid!  If you want to see the sights then you go.  Politely invite the young couple but if they don't want to go (for obvious reasons) then DROP IT.  Dragging them around the city and then snarking about her selfie stick is just mean.

[bichonblitz]

2 hours ago, Neurochick said:

So, just because you marry a man whose been married before means anything goes?  

I have to disagree.  My home, my rules, you don't like it leave.

It's not just about the sleeping arrangements in their house, though. My point was that it's about the involvement in birth control, having to go with Brandon to pick up his girlfriend at the airport, having to book a hotel and have dinners and sightseeing together. Like I said, mom and dad should let them kick it by themselves and mind their business. Plenty of time for family get togethers.  There was no reason for them to go to the airport and sit in the backseat calling the Dr. to set up birth control appointments. That was sick and not normal by any stretch. Of course it will never change until Brandon moves out on his own.  

[Neurochick]

3 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

It's not just about the sleeping arrangements in their house, though. My point was that it's about the involvement in birth control, having to go with Brandon to pick up his girlfriend at the airport, having to book a hotel and have dinners and sightseeing together. Like I said, mom and dad should let them kick it by themselves and mind their business. Plenty of time for family get togethers.  There was no reason for them to go to the airport and sit in the backseat calling the Dr. to set up birth control appointments. That was sick and not normal by any stretch. Of course it will never change until Brandon moves out on his own.  

But my point was just because a woman married a man who has been married before, doesn't mean that everything should be thrown to the wind.  

My feeling about the birth control is that I can see why the parents would be concerned BUT, they need to take that up with THEIR son.  "Brandon, you don't have the money to take care of a baby now, so wrap it up kid."  The way they talked to Julia was as if she was going to engage in birth tourism.

[Jeanne222]

Brandon's parents should have stayed home!  He should have gone alone and taken her to their new home, apartment!  But love is blind, parents are controlling and nobody but mom's worried about birth control!  Plus Brandon is broke.  He spent his money traveling!

What a mess!

[StatisticalOutlier]

12 hours ago, kirklandia said:

Sequim is quite close to the Olympic Mountains, but because it is in their rain shadow, it is much drier than nearby areas (like Seattle!) - and the average yearly snowfall is only two Inches.

It's not the snow that's the problem.  It's the damp cold, and the lack of sun sure doesn't help.  I checked a random forecast, and the lowest humidity for the next two weeks is 85%, and only two days weren't cloudy, raining, or snowing.  That was my experience.

Something I noticed was that neck scarves/mufflers are more prevalent in the Pacific Northwest than anywhere I've ever been.  Just covering up the back of your neck in that weather makes a world of difference.  As would having enough heat on so your fiancée isn't freezing, Mike.  Electricity in Washington is almost the cheapest in the nation--use some of it to make the girl comfortable.  Assuming you want her to be comfortable--I was getting the same vibe I got when whoever it was who was with Evelin arrived and she (according to the show) made him find his way to her remote village on his own instead of meeting him at the airport, and it sure seemed like she hated him.

[mamadrama]

See, I don't think any of the things Family Brandon did was particularly wrong or weird on the surface:

- going to pick her up at the airport together (my mom went with me, she was as excited to see my husband-as he was her-as I was)

- concerned over birth control (they probably don't want to be stuck raising their grandkids)

- spending the day sightseeing  together (our nation's capital, why not?)

- making them sleep in their own rooms (it's a facade, Mama Brandon herself even said she was sure they'd sneak to each other's room at night. She just wants to be blissfully ignorant)

I don't find any of those things weird at all. It's the way they played out that's weird. 

- calling up the gynecologist and talking about Julia's reproductive system without her permission

- calling Julia herself out about her reproductive system on national television when that should really be a private matter between her and Brandon (unless Julia herself brings it up)

- seemingly scheduling everything, from dinner to sightseeing, the moment Julia arrived and giving them seemingly no time alone. Sure she and Brandon got their own room but were they ever in it? (Although TBF that could be editing nonsense.)

They're treating Julia like their foreign exchange student, not their son's fiancee. But, then again, he's letting them. 

[magemaud]

Didn’t Amira say something about seeing Andrew regularly pre Covid? Who footed the bill for those trips? 

[AZChristian]

I kind of feel like Brandon has become accustomed to the "if you don't pay rent, you will continue to be treated as our child, not as an adult" scenario.

Whenever our kids have boomeranged back home during their adulthood (both had "practice" first marriages that didn't last), they were welcome to stay with us, but we had some of the same types of rules.  No one they were dating was permitted to spend the night.  If they were going to be gone overnight, we requested the courtesy of knowing that so we wouldn't be calling the police to see if there were any unidentified dead bodies in the area.  They were also responsible for their own laundry and keeping their room clean (to OUR standards).  Stuff like that.

We once paid for our two kids and their spouses to go with us on a cruise to Alaska.  We paid for their cabins and transportation, plus a one-time gift of spending money that they could use as they chose.  The only rule was that we would have dinner together every evening in the dining room.  Other than that, they were free to have whatever meals, shore excursions, on-board activities, etc., that each couple chose for themselves.

Gotta be honest . . . as much as we love them all, dinner every night was PLENTY of time to spend with them.  LOL.

[charmed1]

3 hours ago, lamujerdecente said:

Tarik is a herb and clown. I write spoken word in my sleep drunk on Xanax that sounds better then that mess he was sucking up oxygen with. His being a sex tourist clued me in, my ex has a special needs daughter and because he is a capable, decent father to her, he thinks that excuses his trips to DR. And everything else he does that is shitty. Tarik gives me that vibe.  I hope Hazel gets that green card and drops his ass. Hazel looked bloated to me, not so much bigger. Maybe she's on birth control which can give u water retention and bloat suddenly.

And a bama. Everything else you said is a word too.

[lamujerdecente]

1 hour ago, charmed1 said:

And a bama. Everything else you said is a word too.

Lol I forgot that. I remember being at a bar and this fine ass man was at the bar. We were at AC, some cold off weekend, the pickings were slim, yet here was this handsome man unattended. As soon as he opened up his mouth, it was apparent why. The sword cutting  cucumbers, like dude, (my mom would say this to us in Spanish for effect),"You don't have ANY friends?" if this behavior got past them. 

[Auntie Anxiety]

5 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Brandon's parents should have stayed home!  He should have gone alone and taken her to their new home, apartment!  But love is blind, parents are controlling and nobody but mom's worried about birth control!  

Hey, Betty wants to double date with them as often as possible even if that means going sight-seeing in DC together! And Julia should be taking notes, because Betty is not going to change, Brandon will be a momma’s boy forever and this is what Julia can look forward to for the rest of her life. In fact, if she and Brandon have kids, Betty will probably be even more insufferable/suffocating. 

I have to wonder if, by contract, Brandon has to live at the farm with Julia. Much more drama material there than if they had their own place.

[lilysmom]

18 hours ago, magemaud said:

OMG, how many times does Natalie say “Oh my God”! We should add it to the Bingo card 

AND, "I don't have the ring!"

[Mrs. Hanson]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

We once paid for our two kids and their spouses to go with us on a cruise to Alaska.  We paid for their cabins and transportation, plus a one-time gift of spending money that they could use as they chose.  The only rule was that we would have dinner together every evening in the dining room.  Other than that, they were free to have whatever meals, shore excursions, on-board activities, etc., that each couple chose for themselves.

Gotta be honest . . . as much as we love them all, dinner every night was PLENTY of time to spend with them.  LOL.

I like this idea!!  My first in-laws would have been wanting to be together off shore 24/7, traveling in a group, doing what THEY wanted.  The gesture would have been awesome (as I know it was towards your kids) but if it seems to come with a lot of strings then it is not a gift, no?

[kirklandia]

"It's not the snow that's the problem.  It's the damp cold, and the lack of sun sure doesn't help."

I just mentioned the snow statistics because people seem to think since Sequim is close to the mountains it's snowy all the time. The amount of snow on the ground during this episode is very atypical.

Damp cold - yup. Normally when winter comes, I go into a PNW hibernation. But right now, if I want to see my friends and family, it has to be outside. So, we gear up, mask up, and go for lots of walks.  

[mamadrama]

1 hour ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Hey, Betty wants to double date with them as often as possible even if that means going sight-seeing in DC together! And Julia should be taking notes, because Betty is not going to change, Brandon will be a momma’s boy forever and this is what Julia can look forward to for the rest of her life. In fact, if she and Brandon have kids, Betty will probably be even more insufferable/suffocating. 

I have to wonder if, by contract, Brandon has to live at the farm with Julia. Much more drama material there than if they had their own place.

Yeah, I'm having trouble taking the housing arrangement seriously. It wouldn't surprise me if Sharp requested this or it's incredibly temporary- like they're waiting until their modular home is put in on the farm or whatever. It's possible.

Also possible that this is totally to take at face value and Brandon truly IS a man child who has no intentions of leaving Mama. 

[TwirlyGirly]

On 12/21/2020 at 4:38 PM, mamadrama said:

Many have co-sponsors. The income stipulation is that one must earn, at minimum, 125% of the federal poverty limit. That is $21550, so it's fairly low. 

I don't think Brandon is truly broke, I think he just wants to keep staying with his parents.

No, he is. 

I can't remember whether it was E1 or E2, but he explained due to the trips to France and Iceland, and the expenses associated with the K-1 visa, he'd not only depleted his savings but had also accrued over $10,000.00 in credit card debt. He said he had to pay that off, hence the reason they were staying with his parents. Julia thinks it's only for a few weeks, but in reality it's going to be months. Just one more bit of info Brandon omitted from the fiancee packet...

On 12/21/2020 at 6:20 PM, bichonblitz said:

For a woman that married a man that has been married twice before and has 4 other kids, Brandon's mommy sure acts like a prude. Loosen up, lady! You married a very experienced man yourself and it hasn't seemed to hurt you any. Let Brandon and his girl kick it without you interfering. The girlfriend said she didn't want kids any time soon so mind your business and go milk some cows. 

Except...Julia refuses to use birth control and Brandon doesn't want to use condoms because they aren't much "fun." Trouble is, when you're not using BC it doesn't matter if you don't want kids anytime soon; Mother Nature makes her own decisions regardless of what people do or do not want.

While I agree Brandon's mother has overstepped, I also think she sees a potential disaster in the making that could ultimately negatively impact both her and Brandon's dad.

With Brandon in debt and unable to support himself and Julia, what's going to happen if Julia gets pregnant? If Brandon can't support two people, he certainly can't support three. His mother doesn't want to be put in the position of having Brandon, Julia - and possibly a grandchild - living there indefinitely, and having to support them financially, too.

I think Brandon's father should have taken Brandon aside, before Julia arrived, and told him "You can't force Julia to use birth control. Her body, her choice. But you should use it, and I insist you do - for as long as you're living under our roof.

If you're mature enough to get married, you're mature enough to understand adults take responsibility for their actions. Meaning, don't have a child if you can't afford to house them and feed them and clothe them. Right now, you can't afford to house yourself and Julia - let alone a child. Your mother and I expect you to do everything you can to earn enough money so you and Julia can move into your own place, as soon as possible. After that, if you can afford to add a child to the mix, go right ahead.

Your mother and I have raised and supported you - our child. If and when you have children, the responsibility for raising and supporting them will be yours." 

[mamadrama]

48 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

No, he is. 

I can't remember whether it was E1 or E2, but he explained due to the trips to France and Iceland, and the expenses associated with the K-1 visa, he'd not only depleted his savings but had also accrued over $10,000.00 in credit card debt. He said he had to pay that off, hence the reason they were staying with his parents. Julia thinks it's only for a few weeks, but in reality it's going to be months. Just one more bit of info Brandon omitted from the fiancee packet...

 

I remember him saying that. I just don't believe it. 

[Lily247]

9 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Brandon's parents should have stayed home!  He should have gone alone and taken her to their new home, apartment!  But love is blind, parents are controlling and nobody but mom's worried about birth control!  Plus Brandon is broke.  He spent his money traveling!

What a mess!

Brandon's parents treat him and his girlfriend like they are 13 year olds and she is coming over to bake cookies on a playdate. 

Julia looks exactly like Sasha Cohen, the figure skater 

Yara is too high. Maintenance for "the Bayou". She was also very very controlling and bitchy. She doesn't want to be liked AT ALL by his mom. 

[KateHearts]

5 hours ago, lamujerdecente said:

Lol I forgot that. I remember being at a bar and this fine ass man was at the bar. We were at AC, some cold off weekend, the pickings were slim, yet here was this handsome man unattended. As soon as he opened up his mouth, it was apparent why. The sword cutting  cucumbers, like dude, (my mom would say this to us in Spanish for effect),"You don't have ANY friends?" if this behavior got past them. 

Is anyone else confused?

[magemaud]

17 minutes ago, KateHearts said:

Is anyone else confused?

I am, but I just chalked it up to being old 

[1011101010001]

It was a comparator to Tarik.  

[magemaud]

33 minutes ago, MrBuhBye said:

It was a comparator to Tarik.  

Thanks, I get that it was about Tarik but I still don’t understand 

[1011101010001]

2 minutes ago, magemaud said:

Thanks, I get that it was about Tarik but I still don’t understand 

Just that on the surface that he seems desirable but he is really a dork.  Like waving around the silly sword and the lame rapping. That’s my take.

[Starlight925]

Hazel mentioned her son and a better life in the U.S., more than once.  Seems to me like she's in it for the green card and for the hopeful possibility of bringing her son over.  

Tarik and Dean are unfortunately letting all of this get in the middle of their brotherly relationship, and I do hope that once these non-relationships fall apart, that they can come back together and find peace as a family.  If Hazel (and Dean's new squeeze) were worth even one dollar, they'd try and help the brothers mend, rather than letting this be the reason their brotherly relationship falls apart.  

I get that it's up to the brothers themselves to repair their own relationship, but they are both blinded now by sex with these ungrateful women (at least Hazel is), and it makes me saddened that two such close brothers should have this large a falling out over something like this.

Edited December 23, 2020 by Starlight925

[JLaw]

On 12/21/2020 at 1:19 PM, TeapotWakeen said:

Kids don't want to hear their parents having sex --- and parents don't want to hear their kids having sex! YMMV.

this is why i am glad that when i visit my dad and his wife that we stay on different levels 😉

[AZChristian]

 

 

15 minutes ago, Starlight925 said:

I get that it's up to the brothers themselves to repair their own relationship, but they are both blinded now by sex with these ungrateful women (at least Hazel is), and it makes me saddened that two such close brothers should have this large a falling out over something like this.

There's a link in the Couples thread where Tarik explains why he and Dean have had a falling out.  It was not primarily the women.

[lamujerdecente]

10 hours ago, MrBuhBye said:

Just that on the surface that he seems desirable but he is really a dork.  Like waving around the silly sword and the lame rapping. That’s my take.

It’s a regional thing. The word bama- universally I would say Tarik is the douche, in the club, decent looking, but the trained eye sees the tacky clothes, the too cool for school antics (like using a sword to cut cucumbers,), if you ever seen night at the Roxbury, those dudes. 

Tarik reads douche to me because he seems to want us to overlook what a sex tourist he is because he has a special needs child. The whole agreeing to this “open relationship” for Hazel, when it’s for his desires as well. 
Where does A special needs child, that needs structure and Routines more than most, structures and routines they set, fit into his soft porn fantasies with a woman who has to adjust to a new country, being a mom to a special needs child, language barriers, etc. 

my head hurts. I have thought more about Tarik’s kid then he has. 

[Starlight925]

30 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

 

 

There's a link in the Couples thread where Tarik explains why he and Dean have had a falling out.  It was not primarily the women.

Ahhh....thank you!

[StatisticalOutlier]

14 hours ago, kirklandia said:

Damp cold - yup. Normally when winter comes, I go into a PNW hibernation. But right now, if I want to see my friends and family, it has to be outside. So, we gear up, mask up, and go for lots of walks.  

Yay masks in cold weather!  Natalie will be the most compliant person ever because the mask will stay fixed to her face because her jaw never moves.  None of that slipping-below-the-nose-when-she-talks for her. 

 

12 hours ago, Lily247 said:

Julia looks exactly like Sasha Cohen, the figure skater 

Thank you.  I'm always appreciative when people identify doppelgangers because it can drive me crazy thinking WHO does she look like?  It's even better when it's someone I actually know and not some current pop star.  Or Disney actor.  Or internet sensation.  Or...the list goes on.  😀

[1011101010001]

8 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Yay masks in cold weather!  Natalie will be the most compliant person ever because the mask will stay fixed to her face because her jaw never moves.  None of that slipping-below-the-nose-when-she-talks for her. 

 

Thank you.  I'm always appreciative when people identify doppelgangers because it can drive me crazy thinking WHO does she look like?  It's even better when it's someone I actually know and not some current pop star.  Or Disney actor.  Or internet sensation.  Or...the list goes on.  😀

See I don’t know skating so I was thinking Borat.

[AZChristian]

8 minutes ago, MrBuhBye said:

See I don’t know skating so I was thinking Borat.

Me too.  I couldn't figure out why anyone thought she looked like Thenardier from the movie "Les Miserables."

[evansmom10]

On 12/21/2020 at 9:11 AM, itsadryheat said:

Physically speaking, both Mike and Natalie look different to me compared to when we were first introduced to them. Mike looks beat up and tired, Natalie's nose looks huge and the her hairy eyeball glare makes her look downright possessed. She's a pretty good actress to pull off the craazy to this extent if in fact she is sane.

YES, she looks SO different this time. And it's like she has two speeds: Coquettish or Crazy and neither one is a good look. 

[RoxiP]

Not defending Natalie, because she's crazy, but Mike seems to be going out of his way to make her as uncomfortable as possible.  I wonder if they are just going along with this farce so he can continue riding the gravy train so he can pay off his farm sooner rather than later!  I just hope she's in on the game.  Aside from sex he seems totally disinterested in a relationship with her.

[Kath94]

On 12/22/2020 at 10:57 AM, mamadrama said:

They're treating Julia like their foreign exchange student, not their son's fiancee. But, then again, he's letting them. 

THIS!

[Twopper]

18 hours ago, mamadrama said:

Yeah, I'm having trouble taking the housing arrangement seriously. It wouldn't surprise me if Sharp requested this or it's incredibly temporary- like they're waiting until their modular home is put in on the farm or whatever. It's possible.

It wouldn't surprise me if the birth control issue is TLC driven .   Between the birth control talk and the talk of separate bedrooms it keeps the focus on Brandon and Julia's sex life.

[Christina]

I don't think the $15k they get for this show is important to Mike, at all. Like Amira and Yara, this show was Natalie's idea, to get her modeling jobs here, with Amira and Yara wanting to be SMIs and Mike seems to be going along because he signed the contract. He has a good job outside of owning the Christmas tree farm and I don't actually think his debt was that horrible.

As far as the timeline goes, what is being shown took place right after the Yell All was filmed, maybe a week later she received her visa. I think he was expecting more time to get past all the drama and anger of her throwing his ring at him, not saying she loved him, and accusing him of cheating on the Tell Nothing, but her medical exam was due to expire leaving her twenty days to travel to the US after the visa arrived, and he was out of time. She was in the US and filming at the airport and Pike Place Market within a few days of the Tell All airing. 

I think Natalie and Mike speak different languages and will never be on the same page. They do not seem to have anything at all in common and I'm not sure why they like each other. 

[Neurochick]

5 hours ago, lamujerdecente said:

Tarik reads douche to me because he seems to want us to overlook what a sex tourist he is because he has a special needs child. The whole agreeing to this “open relationship” for Hazel, when it’s for his desires as well. 
Where does A special needs child, that needs structure and Routines more than most, structures and routines they set, fit into his soft porn fantasies with a woman who has to adjust to a new country, being a mom to a special needs child, language barriers, etc. 

my head hurts. I have thought more about Tarik’s kid then he has. 

That is what confuses me about Tarik.  He seems to be the primary care giver for his daughter.  

His daughter has special needs, she needs structure.

Why find a woman in another country, a woman who's primary language isn't English, to be the step mother to his special needs daughter?  I don't get him at all.

[Rt66vintage]

5 hours ago, Twopper said:

It wouldn't surprise me if the birth control issue is TLC driven .   Between the birth control talk and the talk of separate bedrooms it keeps the focus on Brandon and Julia's sex life.

Yep, because Brandon is definitely a straight alpha man, bygod. 

[nytonc]

I finally got around to watching the rest of the episode. Julia is to way too smart to be on this Calvalcade of Losers.  Mommy Brandon may be entitled to her [IMO stupid] rules in her house but every one of those rules will be another nail in the coffin of that relationship.  That’s just what she’s counting on. Mommy may claim to like her baby boy’s girlfriend/fiancé but guaranteed there’s a huge flashing red sign in her head that says “WHORE” every time she looks at Julia.

What happened to Nutso Natalie’s face? It looks like her nose got longer or her chin got shorter or something.  Poor Natalie. She had to leave the lap of luxury in her mother’s spacious penthouse to wallow with the pigs in the squalor of Mike’s farm on Tobacco Road. No wonder she’s losing her mind. 

Edited December 24, 2020 by nytonc
Had another mocking thought about Natalie

[Auntie Anxiety]

9 hours ago, Neurochick said:

Why find a woman in another country, a woman who's primary language isn't English, to be the step mother to his special needs daughter?  I don't get him at all

Tarik is another one of those whose child is the most important thing to him, other than getting laid and finding a girlfriend for his fiancée, I mean.