S15.E01: Being Strong or Being a Bitch

[candall]

It was brutal watching Kody try out different versions of "Hey, maybe this isn't working out for us anymore, amirite ladies?"

I can't imagine sitting and listening to my husband speculate that, given the chance to go back in time, he wouldn't want to get married.

And then he has the balls to add "Don't get me wrong, I'm all good.  Just worried about my wimmins."

 

You're such a shallow narcissistic dick, Kody.  I hope all your hair falls out but one long strand that you try to wrap around your head and everyone laughs at you.

 

.

[Sandy W]

12 minutes ago, notnowimbusy said:

I have a question about the house Kody & Robyn bought.  In order to get a loan, wouldn't they have had to put up something as collateral?  I'm just assuming they used the Coyote Pass property to secure the loan - because that has to be a big loan.    Anyway, what happens if 1) they default - the bank would be in first position to take over the house and Coyote Pass.  2) If one of the other wives wanted to purchase a home, and they needed to use their interest in the property to qualify for a loan.  But the property is already assigned to another loan.    3).  If they did use Coyote Pass as collateral, they can't use it for a construction loan to build houses on the property until it's released from the other loan.   

There is the possibility that they didn't need to use Coyote Pass as collateral to purchase the new house.  When they purchased the LV properties, and for several years after, they were in their prime earning years with TLC.  When Robyn had problems getting mortgage approval on the LV house, I think it had more to do with her credit history, more so than her income at the time. 

Robyn may have taken advantage of the opportunity to make periodic lump sum payments on the LV house, reducing her mortgage or possibly even paying it off.  I believe they purchased LV homes in the $225,000. range and Robyn sold hers for slightly over $500,000.  After real estate commissions and related selling expenses, she could possibly have walked away with over $400,000 clutched tightly in her hot little fist.

To expand a little on this theory, what if all 4 of the wives did the same mortgage paydown.  Kody was on title to all of their homes I believe...what if, Kody demanded his share of the equity from Meri and Janelle's homes and threw it into the pot to enable Robyn to purchase her nest.  Christine would have needed every dime from her LV sale in order to purchase in Flagstaff and the only way I see that she could possibly qualify to purchase is if she owed very little or zero on her LV home.  If she hadn't reduced the principal amount of her LV home, she would have walked away from it with almost zero, after carrying costs and real estate fees for well over a year.

[the-grey-lady]

I like to run (jog? okay, walk) on my treadmill while I watch this show. Usually this works out okay.

Tonight I heard Kody announce that he'd finally, at long last, figured out that polygamy might be hard on women.

I yelled, "And it only took you 28 years!" and almost slid off my treadmill.

Blah blah blah. The "wives" miss being a fambly. They don't actually want to DO family things (like living together, or hanging out, or even TEXTING), but they miss...something? That they may or  may not have had?

It's a good thing Kody doesn't plan to advocate for polygamy anymore. This episode made it seem like a funeral procession through Hell.

[Palomar]

So they seem to be no longer hiding the fact that Kody pretty much lives full time with Robyn with occasional visits to Janell and Christine to see their kids and catch up with them. The "rotation" was probably only always for TV only. Definitely should have stayed in Vegas.

[NotinKansasanymore]

On 2/15/2021 at 7:16 AM, ginger90 said:

Some tweets from last night, Christine did not participate:

So doesn’t Kody’s tweet confirm that he spends no time at Meri’s house. Every 3 or 6 days that means he’s only going to three houses! Strange though he states he visits every house, he really just doesn’t include Meri now as family I guess.

[deirdra]

41 minutes ago, Sandy W said:

Robyn may have taken advantage of the opportunity to make periodic lump sum payments on the LV house, reducing her mortgage or possibly even paying it off.  I believe they purchased LV homes in the $225,000. range and Robyn sold hers for slightly over $500,000.  After real estate commissions and related selling expenses, she could possibly have walked away with over $400,000 clutched tightly in her hot little fist.

Your theory makes sense for "normal" people, but I find it hard to believe any of the Brown Clowns pay more than the minimum on any bill, if that.  Robyn didn't have money (or insurance) to pay Day-un's medical bills. They all ran out and bought brand new master bedroom sets for their cult-de-sac homes, always have late-model SUVs for the wives and children of driving age.  They made nothing on the sale of the Lehi home (losing all of Janelle's inheritance). Several of them have been in arears on property taxes, which suggests to me they don't have much equity in the houses and could afford to lose them.  I suspect they have maximized HELOCs against what little equity they have during COVID.  And I wouldn't put it past them to temporarily move money around before applying for loans to make it look as if they had enough money.  That's why it took a month of following the money in the other wives' accounts before the mortgage was approved.

1 minute ago, NotinKansasanymore said:

So doesn’t Kody’s tweet confirm that he spends no time at Meri’s house. Every 3 or 6 days that means he’s only going to three houses! Strange though he states he visits every house, he really just doesn’t include Meri now as family I guess.

Well, there was a SM pic of Kootie "visiting the house", Savannah & Gabe in the driveway.

[deirdra]

Someone on here looked up the Prairie Dog Plague deeds soon after the purchase(s) and found that it was separated into parcels with different deeds, and one parcel was much bigger than the others.  I think each parcel had 2 names except for one, possibly the biggest property, had 3 names on it. So if the bank took one of the properties, they could hold onto the other 3 until they need to sell them since the dream for everyone being together would be dead after the loss of one parcel (if it isn't dead already or one of the wives leaves the fambly). 

Edited February 16, 2021 by deirdra

[LilWharveyGal]

I haven't been able to watch in almost an entire season but this episode popped up on my DVR and I just had to see for myself if the mask was slipping as much as y'all said it was.

Hoooooo, doggies.

The ONLY time there was any joy in Kody's voice was when he was in the presence of Caleb his grandbabies.  He's even talking back to and/or blowing off Robyn on the couch.  I agree with whoever hypothesized that he's done with all the ladies and wishes he could ride off into the sunset with Caleb.

Of course Meri had to "work" the whole time Maddie visited.  Those tweets to her gay BFF don't just write themselves, you know!

Hearing these goofballs discuss housing and finances is like listening to my toddler's idea of a recipe.  "I stir Legos, water, and stickers together with a broom and out comes chocolate chip cookies because that's what I want!!"

And finally, if my husband ever referred to the time we spend together as, "coming over," there would be serious problems.

[truebluesmoky]

I know it’s our fault for continuing to watch it, but I can’t believe TLC has made this many seasons of a show that was supposed to be about how a polygamous family functions as a family unit, and is instead just about a bunch of miserable people who don’t even live near each other getting more and more miserable.

Christine looks great and has her own house that she likes. If Kody is on the mortgage, she should find a way to get him off. She should get a job or use Lula money to be off on her own and maybe try online dating. She could stay friends with Janelle and still be a second mother and grandmother to her children.

Meri should move permanently to the B&B and run that while doing her Lula scam until the jig is up on that. She can visit Mariah and Audrey and maybe even try online dating herself. 

if Janelle still feels devoted to Kody, she should move into Robyn’s mansion. Her remaining kids at home would have more of a sibling relationship with Robyn’s kids and she would get more Kody attention by default because they would spend more time together. I don’t think she cares about the sex anyway... Kody would probably like having her around to vent when Robyn annoys him. 

[jacksgirl]

1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

 

Robyn may have taken advantage of the opportunity to make periodic lump sum payments on the LV house, reducing her mortgage or possibly even paying it off.  I believe they purchased LV homes in the $225,000. range and Robyn sold hers for slightly over $500,000.  After real estate commissions and related selling expenses, she could possibly have walked away with over $400,000 clutched tightly in her hot little fist.

 

Like the theory, but a lot of our more wordly members were convinced the LV houses were a lot pricier than that to build, and the way the mortgages were structured, the rates were going to balloon and that is one reason the move to Flag was made. I'll get that we will never know, but the money owed in Flag must be higher than that in Vegas. 

[Twopper]

2 hours ago, candall said:

t was brutal watching Kody try out different versions of "Hey, maybe this isn't working out for us anymore, amirite ladies?"

I can't imagine sitting and listening to my husband speculate that, given the chance to go back in time, he wouldn't want to get married.

And then he has the balls to add "Don't get me wrong, I'm all good.  Just worried about my wimmins."

but it's the wimmins jobs to mend their relationships with him and each other.

He drove me nuts with how he said he got all the love, but the wimmins are pining for him  (that's a paraphrase, but pretty close) and then in the talking head he is talking about he doesn't want to live/put up with a bunch of complaining wives.   Hate to tell you Kody, but if your wives are complaining so much, you aren't getting all the love from them that you think you are.  It made me think of the dead parrot skit by Monty Python,.  I think this polygamous marriage is a dead parrot.

[LilyD]

2 hours ago, TurtlePower said:

Feeling bad for Meri?  Meri has been a passive aggressive, lying, whiny game player for years. She was ready to ditch the family for a catfish. Then, she lied—deflecting the blame off of herself (even though she pursued the relationship like a cat in heat). And they all knew it. 

Meri can’t stand criticism—any criticism of any kind. Everyone has to walk on eggshells around her. If you’re not nice to her, her “walls” come up and she cries cries cries. 

I might have felt sorry for Meri if she owned her part in everything, but she deflects and lies. To this day.  I think she even believes the lies she tells herself. 

Most people here have Robyn taking the number one position as the most evil wife-witch. Well, my money has always firmly been on Meri. For the reasons Turtlepower mentioned above, and definitely the constant misuse that trump card "Am I to be punished for not being able to have more kids?" Especially when she couldn't get what she wanted.

I just rewatched the episodes regarding the purchase and builds of the LV homes and she kept pulling that stupid card. Just after the move she was complaining about over-spending on a big rental. Her excuse: It is not fair that I cannot have a nice home because I have only one kid. Then there was the LV new-build. She was the only one who was way over budget even before she had picked a kitchen, tiles and carpets because she wanted a wet bar, extra hobby room, pantry etc stuff they wouldn't build unless she took the 6th (!!) bedroom. And again..tears... because she felt attacked for overspending and it wasn't her fault she only had one kid. If I remember correctly there was also something about how much budget each wife had for food and stuff (different season?). Well, it is only fair that she got a smaller budget because there were only 2 mouths to feed rather than 7. But, of course she disagreed.

Yes, I feel  really sorry for her being unable to have more than 1 kid, that pain is hard to bear. But to use that sorrow to manipulate people to get what you want (and to make up for your sorrow...) No..NO. NO!! it despises me. A lot....

[Dustbunny]

2 hours ago, NotinKansasanymore said:

So doesn’t Kody’s tweet confirm that he spends no time at Meri’s house. Every 3 or 6 days that means he’s only going to three houses! Strange though he states he visits every house, he really just doesn’t include Meri now as family I guess.

yes and Meri as much as said so during the show.

I don't recall exactly what she said but it was something like she never hears from Kody, not by phone or text and certainly not in person.

That relationship is DEAD and I think Kody views the "catfish" as a blessing in disguise.

We found out during their last visit with Nancy the therapist that Kody felt like he was conned into a relationship with Meri and he looks back on his marriage to her as a huge mistake and not something he wants in his life.

It seems like he's now moved on to ridding himself of Christine.

He's ok with Janelle for now because she helps him spend more time with Robyn.

[65mickey]

I have a feeling that Kody and Robyn most likey screwed the other wives out of any equity in Coyote Pass so that they could get the big mansion. 

[65mickey]

I have sympathy for Meri. She was the first wife. Kody and Robyn cooked up the scheme to have Meri divorce Kody so that he could marry Robyn. Meri was obviously heartbroken by that divorce. She did what a lot of spurned wives or husbands do. She tried to find someone who would love her and value her unlike her former husband Kody. She didn't owe him anything.  Kody no longer loved or wanted why shouldn't she move on? She just did it in a stupid way.  

[RedDelicious]

24 minutes ago, 65mickey said:

I have sympathy for Meri. She was the first wife. Kody and Robyn cooked up the scheme to have Meri divorce Kody so that he could marry Robyn. Meri was obviously heartbroken by that divorce. She did what a lot of spurned wives or husbands do. She tried to find someone who would love her and value her unlike her former husband Kody. She didn't owe him anything.  Kody no longer loved or wanted why shouldn't she move on? She just did it in a stupid way.  

I agree. They (Meri and Kody) were still acting giddy and stupid on Robyn’s wedding day. That door closed fast. 

[Tuxcat]

1 hour ago, Dustbunny said:

yes and Meri as much as said so during the show.

I don't recall exactly what she said but it was something like she never hears from Kody, not by phone or text and certainly not in person.

That relationship is DEAD and I think Kody views the "catfish" as a blessing in disguise.

We found out during their last visit with Nancy the therapist that Kody felt like he was conned into a relationship with Meri and he looks back on his marriage to her as a huge mistake and not something he wants in his life.

It seems like he's now moved on to ridding himself of Christine.

He's ok with Janelle for now because she helps him spend more time with Robyn.

Right. "Every 3 to 6 days depending on 1-2 day stays." I wonder what determines the 1 or 2 day stays - and of course Christine mentioned its only evenings really anyway.  So he rotates between the three wives - primarily for the children or the appearances of being a father. But Meri is totally out of the rotation and family of course too.

Therefore the question - why is Meri still in the family? It's got to be for the show only. She does not have nor will she ever have a relationship with Kody. He has said it multiple times loud and clear. The "hope" is storyline bait only.

[the-grey-lady]

1 hour ago, Dustbunny said:

yes and Meri as much as said so during the show.

I don't recall exactly what she said but it was something like she never hears from Kody, not by phone or text and certainly not in person.

That relationship is DEAD and I think Kody views the "catfish" as a blessing in disguise.

Now now, Dustbunny. Let's not be unfair here. 

Meri did say Kody sometimes calls her FOR BUSINESS.

You know, just like you see in all the healthiest long-term marriages.

[LilyD]

1 hour ago, 65mickey said:

I have sympathy for Meri. She was the first wife. Kody and Robyn cooked up the scheme to have Meri divorce Kody so that he could marry Robyn. Meri was obviously heartbroken by that divorce. She did what a lot of spurned wives or husbands do. She tried to find someone who would love her and value her unlike her former husband Kody. She didn't owe him anything.  Kody no longer loved or wanted why shouldn't she move on? She just did it in a stupid way.  

As much as I don't like her, I agree with you that she needs to move on. She doesn't need that guy, (neither does Christine or Janelle.) For Meri's sake, I hope she has moved on and is happy now. (I am not buying that crap of still being in a relationship with the others, she is there for the show, full stop)

[DakotaJustice]

4 hours ago, truebluesmoky said:

I know it’s our fault for continuing to watch it, but I can’t believe TLC has made this many seasons of a show that was supposed to be about how a polygamous family functions as a family unit, and is instead just about a bunch of miserable people who don’t even live near each other getting more and more miserable.

Christine looks great and has her own house that she likes. If Kody is on the mortgage, she should find a way to get him off. She should get a job or use Lula money to be off on her own and maybe try online dating. She could stay friends with Janelle and still be a second mother and grandmother to her children.

Meri should move permanently to the B&B and run that while doing her Lula scam until the jig is up on that. She can visit Mariah and Audrey and maybe even try online dating herself. 

if Janelle still feels devoted to Kody, she should move into Robyn’s mansion. Her remaining kids at home would have more of a sibling relationship with Robyn’s kids and she would get more Kody attention by default because they would spend more time together. I don’t think she cares about the sex anyway... Kody would probably like having her around to vent when Robyn annoys him. 

I have to take umbrage at the theory of Meri and Christine trying online dating. 

First thing, it's tough out there, online dating or no, and it's tougher as one gets older. I know this from experience. Ugh. 

Second, there's just no way they can do it and keep it a secret. As soon as someone sees them on Bumble, Ok Cupid, Tinder or Match, it'll be all over the tabloids. What kind of nice guy is gonna want that kind of spotlight on him? 

Third, what kind of guy is going to want to have to deal with Kody, who will always be in the picture at least as far as Christine is concerned since she still has Truely. 

I just remember two TLC "celebrities" who did online dating and it turned out to be a huge scandal.  Honey Boo Boo's bio dad and the oldest Duggar male kid, I can't remember either of their names.

 

[MerisWetBar]

9 hours ago, 65mickey said:

You could be right about them living separately and that this is fake drama.  But I actually think this could be the makings of a better show, Sanity after polygamy. I would love to see a show featured around Meri and at least Christine leaving Kody moving out back to Utah or where ever and starting a new life with all of the trials and tribulations and a promise of the good life. I bet they could get a few seasons out of this. And Kody and Robyn get nada! I just don't understand why TLC keeps repeating the same stale storyline season after season. Yes weget it. They are all miserable well maybe not Robyn's kids. 

Yes! I used to think Janelle and Christine were the two I wanted to join forces and get away but I realized after this last episode that its really MERI and Christine. Seems like an odd pairing but I think they could pull off a Grace & Frankie situation but with less sex toys and more LulaRoe. They can both find new partners, new lives, new experiences. I'd watch it. 

 

[Teafortwo]

4 minutes ago, I8A 4RE said:

I would love to see a show featured around Meri and at least Christine leaving Kody moving out back to Utah or where ever and starting a new life with all of the trials and tribulations and a promise of the good life.

Just please don't show the packing and moving!

[Meowwww]

5 hours ago, LilyDutch said:

Most people here have Robyn taking the number one position as the most evil wife-witch. Well, my money has always firmly been on Meri. For the reasons Turtlepower mentioned above, and definitely the constant misuse that trump card "Am I to be punished for not being able to have more kids?" Especially when she couldn't get what she wanted.

I just rewatched the episodes regarding the purchase and builds of the LV homes and she kept pulling that stupid card. Just after the move she was complaining about over-spending on a big rental. Her excuse: It is not fair that I cannot have a nice home because I have only one kid. Then there was the LV new-build. She was the only one who was way over budget even before she had picked a kitchen, tiles and carpets because she wanted a wet bar, extra hobby room, pantry etc stuff they wouldn't build unless she took the 6th (!!) bedroom. And again..tears... because she felt attacked for overspending and it wasn't her fault she only had one kid. If I remember correctly there was also something about how much budget each wife had for food and stuff (different season?). Well, it is only fair that she got a smaller budget because there were only 2 mouths to feed rather than 7. But, of course she disagreed.

Yes, I feel  really sorry for her being unable to have more than 1 kid, that pain is hard to bear. But to use that sorrow to manipulate people to get what you want (and to make up for your sorrow...) No..NO. NO!! it despises me. A lot....

Right?   I had zero kids....despite years of infertility treatment and IVF.  At least she has one.  And I’m not out here demanding a huge house.  2 bathrooms is my only ask, and a dishwasher.  
She loves that card.  Ugh. 
 

[Adeejay]

On 2/15/2021 at 7:07 PM, Cetacean said:

Mariah never helped anybody, she was a princess from the get go. I remember a very early episode where she was being a total bitch when the older girls got together to make a breakfast - maybe for Mother's Day?  The rest were making fun of her as I recall.

It was really upsetting to watch the other siblings deferring to Princess Mariah.  I honestly believe that to this day, Aspyn, Mykelti and Maddie are still harboring some resentments.   

I think the only wife who still wants to live the Principle is Janelle.  The irony is that she is the only one who wasn't raised in polygamy. 

[Kbo]

8 hours ago, candall said:

It was brutal watching Kody try out different versions of "Hey, maybe this isn't working out for us anymore, amirite ladies?"

I can't imagine sitting and listening to my husband speculate that, given the chance to go back in time, he wouldn't want to get married.

And then he has the balls to add "Don't get me wrong, I'm all good.  Just worried about my wimmins."

 

You're such a shallow narcissistic dick, Kody.  I hope all your hair falls out but one long strand that you try to wrap around your head and everyone laughs at you.

 

.

Totally agree - he’s gone from being the supposed spiritual head of the family to “hey, don’t stick around for any silly religious ideas”.  Do any of the original wives actually believe in their religion anymore?  And even if they do, do they honestly think Kody is going to pull them through the veil?  I can’t wait to see what happens when this show goes off the air.  Much like the Duggar’s, that’s when the real action is going to go down!

[Art Of Noiz]

Right after Robyn pulled out her pink elephant, Janelle said "oh no nonono". Then Christine said,"I'm sorry that you think that's the pink elephant in the room right now".

 

She said it so quickly, it didn't sound sincere to me. It was reflexive. If thats even a word, lol. Like a knee jerk. Robyn just looked at her and her mouth turned down even more. I think that was Christine's sly way of shutting her down.

[itsadryheat]

Two visuals that appear to be burned in my brain and not leaving:

Meri cowering in her chair, mumbling about not remembering the conversation Janelle was referring to, while trying to shrink into the wood of her chair and desperately avoiding the question like her life depended on it.

And the pompous, arrogance of the Ayatollah making his pronouncement from high atop the garage: no more plyg, no more signing off on future real estate deals and how deeply unhappy he is with his women having a voice and he not having money. Next scene: the great u-haul dilemma.

These two need to be filmed together more-alone. Plyg, passive aggressive version of War of the Roses.

 

[Joan of Argh]

I've tried but I just don't have any sympathy for Meri.

Just my opinion but...

Kody told Nancy that he was lied to and promised things by Meri that were a lie, from watching the show and reading their book it seems to me that Meri went into the marriage pretending that she wanted sister wives and she wanted Kody to have several wives and that she'd be an awesome first wife but in reality she was a horrible bitch to Janelle and she wasn't nice to Christine either, she never actually wanted to share Kody with anyone and I think she thought over time she'd be able to convince Kody that he didn't need anyone else, she traveled with him and called him "lover" but Kody wanted WIVES and he wasn't actually that attracted to Meri but he liked that she wanted sister wives as much as he did..... Eventually he figured it out and realized that Meri has been the biggest source of problems with the other wives AND problems with the older children like Maddie....she did everything in her power to make her sister wives miserable and make their children miserable too.

Even bringing Robyn into the family was more of Meri manipulating and trying to make the others miserable, Christine was huge pregnant with Truely and Meri was skipping around giggling with Robyn while Christine suffered... Eventually it all caught up with Meri when Kody fell head over heels for Robyn and she became the new puppet master... Robyn had her own agenda and couldn't care less about fat, dumpy old Meri.

Robyn is smart enough to know that Meri's way was stupid, don't alienate the other wives, pretend that you love them and you want your own relationship with them separate from kody's.... Robyn works her magic behind the scenes and she let's Kody be the asshole to the wives while she squeaks out a tear and cries about how much she wants them all to be happy...ya right.. She's an evil witch.

Robyn also acts like she loves all the kids even though she rarely spends any time with them and really couldn't care less as long as they don't get in her way..... Robyn bent over backwards to hug Mariah and act all happy when she came out of the closet but in reality I don't think she cares about the other kids at all... She wouldn't even look after other kids when they were in Vegas....She's just smart enough to run the show without the dummies knowing that she's the one calling the shots.

She's sitting in a million dollar McMansion and Kody is at her beck and call, meanwhile Meri is finished, stick a fork in her she's DONE!...There's no way that Kody will ever be in Meri's bed again and now Robyn has moved on to alienating Christine... Don't turn your back on Robyn, she'll knife a bitch and smile while doing it. 🔪☺

In the preview for next week we hear Robyn saying something about one of the wives coming between her and Kody and that she can't be trusted... I bet she's referring to Christine because she's the next on her HIT LIST...... Then she'll move on to Janelle.

[Art Of Noiz]

5 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

I've tried but I just don't have any sympathy for Meri.

Just my opinion but...

Kody told Nancy that he was lied to and promised things by Meri that were a lie, from watching the show and reading their book it seems to me that Meri went into the marriage pretending that she wanted sister wives and she wanted Kody to have several wives and that she'd be an awesome first wife but in reality she was a horrible bitch to Janelle and she wasn't nice to Christine either, she never actually wanted to share Kody with anyone and I think she thought over time she'd be able to convince Kody that he didn't need anyone else, she traveled with him and called him "lover" but Kody wanted WIVES and he wasn't actually that attracted to Meri but he liked that she wanted sister wives as much as he did..... Eventually he figured it out and realized that Meri has been the biggest source of problems with the other wives AND problems with the older children like Maddie....she did everything in her power to make her sister wives miserable and make their children miserable too.

Even bringing Robyn into the family was more of Meri manipulating and trying to make the others miserable, Christine was huge pregnant with Truely and Meri was skipping around giggling with Robyn while Christine suffered... Eventually it all caught up with Meri when Kody fell head over heels for Robyn and she became the new puppet master... Robyn had her own agenda and couldn't care less about fat, dumpy old Meri.

Robyn is smart enough to know that Meri's way was stupid, don't alienate the other wives, pretend that you love them and you want your own relationship with them separate from kody's.... Robyn works her magic behind the scenes and she let's Kody be the asshole to the wives while she squeaks out a tear and cries about how much she wants them all to be happy...ya right.. She's an evil witch.

Robyn also acts like she loves all the kids even though she rarely spends any time with them and really couldn't care less as long as they don't get in her way..... Robyn bent over backwards to hug Mariah and act all happy when she came out of the closet but in reality I don't think she cares about the other kids at all... She wouldn't even look after other kids when they were in Vegas....She's just smart enough to run the show without the dummies knowing that she's the one calling the shots.

She's sitting in a million dollar McMansion and Kody is at her beck and call, meanwhile Meri is finished, stick a fork in her she's DONE!...There's no way that Kody will ever be in Meri's bed again and now Robyn has moved on to alienating Christine... Don't turn your back on Robyn, she'll knife a bitch and smile while doing it. 🔪☺

In the preview for next week we hear Robyn saying something about one of the wives coming between her and Kody and that she can't be trusted... I bet she's referring to Christine because she's the next on her HIT LIST...... Then she'll move on to Janelle.

 

I'm going to posit a theory. TLC wanted the 4th wife storyline, so the Browns put the word out in their church community. 

 

In plyg families, it is tradition that first wife screen prospective brides, so Robyn approached Meri. Meri knew Kody didn't want Robyn's history, ex husband, small children, but pointed her out anyway. Meri must have overlooked the fact that Robyn looks so much like Kody's mom, Genielle.  

[TurtlePower]

15 hours ago, truebluesmoky said:

I know it’s our fault for continuing to watch it, but I can’t believe TLC has made this many seasons of a show that was supposed to be about how a polygamous family functions as a family unit, and is instead just about a bunch of miserable people who don’t even live near each other getting more and more miserable.

Christine looks great and has her own house that she likes. If Kody is on the mortgage, she should find a way to get him off. She should get a job or use Lula money to be off on her own and maybe try online dating. She could stay friends with Janelle and still be a second mother and grandmother to her children.

Meri should move permanently to the B&B and run that while doing her Lula scam until the jig is up on that. She can visit Mariah and Audrey and maybe even try online dating herself. 

if Janelle still feels devoted to Kody, she should move into Robyn’s mansion. Her remaining kids at home would have more of a sibling relationship with Robyn’s kids and she would get more Kody attention by default because they would spend more time together. I don’t think she cares about the sex anyway... Kody would probably like having her around to vent when Robyn annoys him. 

And every season I look forward to some real drama and am always let down. Yes, it’s all our faults this drags on. Currently I’m hate-watching to catch glimpses of Meri crying and deflecting—I always get a good laugh out of that.  The others are a bit boring. 

Oh man is Robyn ever looking tired, bloated and old. She’s catching up to the rest of them. Christine is the only one who looks like she’s got some energy. 

[Mothra]

21 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

What is funny is Robyn is the least physically attractive of the bunch (in my opinion)!  What she does have going for her is she knows exactly how to play Curly Kurly.  Don't know if it is an unhinging jaw, penchant for VS knickers, fecundity or more experienced than the others.  Maybe she has LOTS of tricks.  All I can say is if I were pushed aside for a new flavor of candy after nearly 20 years I might be super salty.  Especially if she came in acting like the family NEEDED her.  I bet the wives were pretty ok without her.  Kurly just wanted some strange.

Totally agree.  Meri agreed to surrender her first wife status and divorce Kurly so he could marry Robyn  in order to adopt her children from her previous marriage.  Why, if the divorce/marriage were a necessary technicality to benefit the children, has it not been put back the way it's supposed to be?  I want Meri to demand Kurly divorce R. and remarry her.  That's for starters.

Then I want the other wives to agree to let Robyn have him.  He's no prize, but he obviously loves her.  Let her see just what she's got there--24/7 with the sparkling Kurly, yum yum.

But!  She's not technically his wife!  And Meri as first (and only legal) wife--I'm such a fan of Big Love--should have the final say in issues that affect the family--and Meri could give a shit.  She wants to run her b&b (and live there with her mother) and sell that dreadful clothing.  She's apparently horny, so she should be able to demand her marital rights whenever she wants them.  And is there anything wrong with her having male friends?  Could not emotional infidelity be something she could get away with?

I know I dream.  I want Robyn to get what she wants--Kurly all to herself, except sexually when Meri requires his services (which would really rankle old Robyn).  And I want the other women to do whatever they want, without endangering their eternal afterlife.  What a kick in the pants for Kurly.

[65mickey]

On the one hand I think that Meri and Christine should split from this family and get on with making a new life for themselves away from this disfunctional crew.  But then as long as the TLC  money is still coming in why should they leave and not get their share? They have put up with Kody for years so ride it out until the show ends or pitch a new story line to TLC and get their own show with some say in how they are portrayed.   

[A-Lo]

On 2/14/2021 at 11:24 PM, deirdra said:

"Seeing pink elephants" is a euphemism for a drunken hallucination

So THAT'S where it came from!  It made no sense at all when she said it.

[laurakaye]

We've speculated on this before, but I really think that this is the last season of this show and as much as I look forward to the delicious snark here, we're really picking at a carcass at this point.  Moving is not exciting to film or to watch.  This lunch that I recapped was so boring, I skipped right over parts of the dialogue because it was just all so much word salad deflection, passive-aggression, manipulation, etc., that we have heard one million times before.  I think the only way this show continues is if they actually do in fact split apart as a family, and then - would they even want that filmed for television?  I'm sure that Kody would panic, knowing that the teevee gravy train was finally coming to a screeching halt, and demand that his wives film their misery in order to squeeze one more paycheck from TLC.  

And dammit......I would still watch it.

[Cetacean]

Further evidence of the Brain Trust of the clown family, it's a mashup of "elephant in the room" (meaning that there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about) and "pink elephant" (a hallucination experienced by a drunk person).  Morons.

[Sandy W]

8 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

I've tried but I just don't have any sympathy for Meri.

Just my opinion but...

Kody told Nancy that he was lied to and promised things by Meri that were a lie, from watching the show and reading their book it seems to me that Meri went into the marriage pretending that she wanted sister wives and she wanted Kody to have several wives and that she'd be an awesome first wife but in reality she was a horrible bitch to Janelle and she wasn't nice to Christine either, she never actually wanted to share Kody with anyone and I think she thought over time she'd be able to convince Kody that he didn't need anyone else, she traveled with him and called him "lover" but Kody wanted WIVES and he wasn't actually that attracted to Meri but he liked that she wanted sister wives as much as he did..... Eventually he figured it out and realized that Meri has been the biggest source of problems with the other wives AND problems with the older children like Maddie....she did everything in her power to make her sister wives miserable and make their children miserable too.

Even bringing Robyn into the family was more of Meri manipulating and trying to make the others miserable, Christine was huge pregnant with Truely and Meri was skipping around giggling with Robyn while Christine suffered... Eventually it all caught up with Meri when Kody fell head over heels for Robyn and she became the new puppet master... Robyn had her own agenda and couldn't care less about fat, dumpy old Meri.

Robyn is smart enough to know that Meri's way was stupid, don't alienate the other wives, pretend that you love them and you want your own relationship with them separate from kody's.... Robyn works her magic behind the scenes and she let's Kody be the asshole to the wives while she squeaks out a tear and cries about how much she wants them all to be happy...ya right.. She's an evil witch.

Robyn also acts like she loves all the kids even though she rarely spends any time with them and really couldn't care less as long as they don't get in her way..... Robyn bent over backwards to hug Mariah and act all happy when she came out of the closet but in reality I don't think she cares about the other kids at all... She wouldn't even look after other kids when they were in Vegas....She's just smart enough to run the show without the dummies knowing that she's the one calling the shots.

She's sitting in a million dollar McMansion and Kody is at her beck and call, meanwhile Meri is finished, stick a fork in her she's DONE!...There's no way that Kody will ever be in Meri's bed again and now Robyn has moved on to alienating Christine... Don't turn your back on Robyn, she'll knife a bitch and smile while doing it. 🔪☺

In the preview for next week we hear Robyn saying something about one of the wives coming between her and Kody and that she can't be trusted... I bet she's referring to Christine because she's the next on her HIT LIST...... Then she'll move on to Janelle.

THANK YOU JOAN!!! You have so clearly articulated my viewpoint of Meri.  If I could add one small point, it would be that Kody and Janelle were novices at polygamy.  Meri had been raised in the lifestyle and no doubt Kody and Janelle looked to her to mentor them through the rough spots based on her own family experiences.  Instead, she weaponized her status as first/legal wife against Janelle and eventually Christine, and I think this is where Kody's sense of betrayal by Meri stems from.

[deirdra]

11 hours ago, Adeejay said:

I think the only wife who still wants to live the Principle is Janelle.  The irony is that she is the only one who wasn't raised in polygamy. 

The other three probably never realized what their mothers went through until they lived it themselves.  Their childhoods in a huge "happy"/keeping-sweet fambly weren't as idyllic as they thought.

12 hours ago, Teafortwo said:

Just please don't show the packing and moving!

Or Kootie trying multiple times to back up the trucks, blaming his errors on the people directing him.

[Absolom]

Ratings are in:  1.429 M viewers and a .29 rating.  Sixth cable show of the day.

[Kellyee]

Quote

Ratings are in:  1.429 M viewers and a .29 rating.  Sixth cable show of the day.

TLC won't cancel it. This show has at least one more season in it. There is only so much that TLC can get out of 5,000 90 Day Fiance spin-offs and Dr. Pimple Popper. Both this and Counting On will stay on the schedule for a while. I'm sure they're pretty cheap to produce and they have a core following. 

That being said, I cannot figure out how these people are surviving financially with no real jobs. Meri makes great profit with LulaRoe, but I doubt she shares, and they have so many mortgages and rents and other expenses. Are they covering college tuition for every kid? Every house except Janelle's is huge and has to be expensive. And what does Kody do all day? The mind boggles. They remind of House Hunters where people who make and sell their own cheese can somehow afford a $700,000 house. 

 

 

 

[DakotaJustice]

I think the only way it's going to be cancelled is if there's a huge scandal - like a death or an affair with an actual person. 

Honey Boo Boo had huge ratings and they got cancelled after June began dating an ex-con child molester. 

[Pickleinthemiddle]

2 hours ago, Cetacean said:

Further evidence of the Brain Trust of the clown family, it's a mashup of "elephant in the room" (meaning that there is an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about) and "pink elephant" (a hallucination experienced by a drunk person).  Morons.

Agree.  What she should have said was the elephant in the room, which is Robyn and yes, some of the family problems was her coming into the family, which changed the entire dynamics of the family.  Several times over the years, they let it slip that the kids were saying they hadn't seen their father in several weeks.  Even after they moved to Vegas. Christine complained that Kody spent too much time with Robyn and her kids.  Favoring them over the rest of his family.  He would even get a little upset if the kids complained about it.

[Twopper]

1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

THANK YOU JOAN!!! You have so clearly articulated my viewpoint of Meri.  If I could add one small point, it would be that Kody and Janelle were novices at polygamy.  Meri had been raised in the lifestyle and no doubt Kody and Janelle looked to her to mentor them through the rough spots based on her own family experiences.  Instead, she weaponized her status as first/legal wife against Janelle and eventually Christine, and I think this is where Kody's sense of betrayal by Meri stems from.

Maybe.  Meri grew up around polygamy, but she says she was 11 before her dad took another wife.   So her  formative years  were in a nuclear family.  Also as a teen with  just one extra mom, she just wouldn't have the experience needed.   I suspect her mother resented the second wife as much as Meri did.   Kody's real sense of betrayal, I think, comes much more from the catfishing and knowing that Meri wanted to leave,  but he can't wrap his head around her wanting to leave him because his wives all are pining for him in his mind.  He can't deal with that so he has to revise their history together to make it appear she was trouble from day one.  

 

16 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I have a feeling that Kody and Robyn most likey screwed the other wives out of any equity in Coyote Pass so that they could get the big mansion. 

I may have this wrong, but I think Kody and Christine paid cash for her home.  At some point Kody was removed from the title and Christine had to take out a home equity loan to pay off Kody.  Now Christine has a mortgage to pay on her previously paid for house.   I guess Kody took out enough money from this for a down payment on the masionette.  That also explains the delay due to paperwork.   Christine was screwed out of equity in her own home to help Robyn and Kody get that house.   I think they are in arrears as far as tax payments go on Prairie Dog Village Flats.  

[Teafortwo]

52 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

Are they covering college tuition for every kid?

Christine commented last fall that Gwen was postponing college due to the pandemic. I think Gabe took a semester off as well but not sure. That would leave only AuROARa in college, at least for now (if she is even enrolled). Last I heard, Day'un had dropped out of NAU and was attending community college, but that was old news from before the pandemic.

[Teafortwo]

46 minutes ago, Twopper said:

Christine was screwed out of equity in her own home to help Robyn and Kody get that house.

If that is the case, it's no wonder Christine is royally pissed!

[Twopper]

25 minutes ago, Teafortwo said:

If that is the case, it's no wonder Christine is royally pissed!

Well, I am pretty sure the part about the home equity loan is true.  It may be they took cash out for some other reason.  In fact, it may have been in part to fund Ysabel's surgery, but money is fungible so I do suspect her loan helped in some way with Kody buying the mansion for his rill family. I  forget the details but they paid cash for the house which I think was in the upper $400,000 price range.

[MargeGunderson]

1 hour ago, Twopper said:

Maybe.  Meri grew up around polygamy, but she says she was 11 before her dad took another wife.   So her  formative years  were in a nuclear family.  Also as a teen with  just one extra mom, she just wouldn't have the experience needed.   I suspect her mother resented the second wife as much as Meri did.   Kody's real sense of betrayal, I think, comes much more from the catfishing and knowing that Meri wanted to leave,  but he can't wrap his head around her wanting to leave him because his wives all are pining for him in his mind.  He can't deal with that so he has to revise their history together to make it appear she was trouble from day one.  

Meri may have grown up around polygamy, but that doesn’t mean she understood the dynamics at play. It’s possible that her mom completely resented the second wife, but didn’t let on to Meri. Or that Meri just assumed she be better at being a polygamist than her own parents. I think Meri thought she could handle it going in, but in the end she couldn’t. If that’s the case, she needs to own up next either resolve it with Kody or get out. 

[b2H]

Here's how I came away from this episode:

This is probably the most honest I've seen them actually talk to each other in the entire life of the show at the pizza restaurant.  There is some terribly raw emotion in all of their discussion and I absolutely agree that Vegas was the beginning of the end for them.  Yes, it is Kody's fault.  He has no idea and doesn't want to know what the Principle means to each of his wives.  He doesn't know or care to consider what it even means to him, by himself.  The wives were absolutely pouring their hearts out to this guy.  It was beginning to make a dent in his façade.

And then later in the show, he's back to how he wishes the wives would stop complaining.  Their pain just simply meant nothing to him.

That's when I knew this group is absolutely hopeless and I'm only watching now to see how long it is before Christine leaves, Meri leaves and Janelle is left to try to figure out the financial pieces.  Robyn will be the last wife standing and she will have deserved everything that happens from that point forward, for better or for worse.

Kody?  Absolutely irredeemable.  There's no hope for him.  His Narcissistic Personality Disorder will never allow him to accept responsibility for any of this, as long as he's getting what he wants from Robyn.  The rest would be better off bailing and standing on their own.  The Principle failed them.  Period.

[Jeanne222]

I can't believe another season with the same old shit.  They must be really hard up for writers to find new material.

I was bored the whole hour but watched so I could come over here and snark about the whole 'family'! 

[laurakaye]

2 hours ago, Twopper said:

Kody's real sense of betrayal, I think, comes much more from the catfishing and knowing that Meri wanted to leave,  but he can't wrap his head around her wanting to leave him because his wives all are pining for him in his mind.  He can't deal with that so he has to revise their history together to make it appear she was trouble from day one. 

THIS.  He is as much a rewriter of history as his current wife.  They 100% deserve each other.

[MV713]

On 2/15/2021 at 5:05 PM, Joan of Argh said:

Caleb sounded like a stupid jerk.

He's 2 for 2 with both children having special needs.

Axel has apraxia plus if you follow Maddie he has regular meltdowns and emotional problems, he throws tantrums over the smallest things and gets violent, like trying to shove the flat-screen TV to the floor and smashing it... Maddie has cut back on details but she still references Axel needing extra attention and the stress it creates.

Miss EvieK has missing fingers and had her foot amputated plus Maddie regularly posts about Evie having meltdowns and needing to be held and rocked.

Maddie can say that EvieK will be a warrior and not a victim...blah, blah, blah all she wants but real life is often more difficult than stupid catch phrases and proclamations. 🙄

Meanwhile big dumb doofus Caleb is away at work while Maddie has to deal with all the problems.

I won't be at all surprised if they have more special needs children

I wonder if down the line, its due to too much in-polygamist-breeding...