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S15.E04: The Basement Wife


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This was a better episode beCAUSE for the first part of the episode GrodyKody wasn't in as many scenes. A+ on that. A little less Robyn would be nice. I dont think Robyn did any drycryin this time.  

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1 hour ago, Chicklet said:

News flash Christine is insecure.

Christine and her children appear to be the "least of the apostles", so I can totally understand.  Meri was the first wife and head bitch in charge; Janelle had four sons and Robyn is the youngest and shiniest.  Where does that leave Christine?  And Kody had the effing nerves to say that Robyn gets the crumbs.  

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When you watch this crowd, you have to piece random comments together and read between lines, while adding some past history.  No one ever really comes out and says how things were back in the Lehigh house.  Back  in the Lehigh house days, Janelle worked full time, so Christine raised, watched Janelle's kids along with her own.  Not sure what Mer did, besides polish her wedding certificate on the wall.  Janelle had one side of the home, probably because she had more kids at the time.  Christine lived in the other side in the basement with  Meri and Mariah over head. there were stories where when Janelle's kids went down to Christine's area, they were made to go around and outside to get into C's area. Meri didn't want them tromping thru her domain, and disturbing her. That's the reason why they are afraid if they Mer the access to the pond at Coyote, that no one else will be able to use it.  Big Mer was always the queen bee and called the shots.  I think Christine would live in the one house Meri wasn't in it. 

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1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

And I suddenly find myself not loathing her as much as the others, lol.  I feel like she's the true "basement wife," and if anyone got crumbs in this fam'ly, it's certainly Christine.  I think it's possible that she's had enough and is starting to drop some truth bombs on the viewing audience.  I found myself kind of riveted when she told the truth about the Lehi house, how she was the one responsible for Janelle's kids at the expense of her own, and how isolated she was.  Now I take everything this family says with a giant grain of salt because I know how desperate they are to keep this show on the air, but darned if I wasn't thinking that perhaps we are starting to see how things rilly went down, and Christine is going to be our narrator while the others pretend like they don't know what she's talking about.

Its interesting that Janelle's kids had their needs met 1st. 

I wonder at this. I've 8 wondered if Janelle's income was always a  veiled threat. Its not really UNspoken. For some reason, Janelle still presents as the "logical" one. Or as coming from a "financial" perspective. I think she might have used this as her subtle power base. 

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11 hours ago, sheshark said:

The worst was Kootie dancingk.  

 

11 hours ago, Art Of Noiz said:

He tries to moonwalk. 

Ok, Ok, I'll take my lumps for this, but at least Kody attempted to display some moves.  I didn't notice Christine or Janelle, but Meri, Mariah and Audge lumbered about the dance floor like a herd of oxen.  Robyn went for dainty with her hands on her upper thighs as if she were doing the Charleston.🤷‍♀️

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11 hours ago, sheshark said:

The worst was Kootie dancingk.  

 

11 hours ago, Art Of Noiz said:

He tries to moonwalk. 

Kody danced to mark his territory, especially since Audrey's father was there.  Audrey's father's trademark move is the surfer, so Kody had to let him know who the alpha surfer dude is.

Kody also was lying down on top of one of the picnic tables at the snow mobile venue, in the middle of the entire group.  He's an embarrassment.

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OMG this episode annoyed the crap out of me.  The Covid conversations from a year ago are so dramatic and the music is annoying.  And the amount of wrinkles that Robyn in generating from the constant frowning and gloom and doom.  FLAGSTAFF...NOW...HAS A CASE...OF THE... CORONAVIRUS.

But we now know that Christine is regretting her backdoor entrance.  HAHA

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(edited)

So Mariah and Audrey have to wed on Sunday?  I’d try to consider days that accommodate out of town guests. Some people need to get back home to jobs, school, etc.  That’s difficult with a Sunday wedding.  Maybe, they are not expecting out of town guests.  
 

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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6 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So Mariah and Audrey have to wed on Sunday?  I’d try to consider days that accommodate out of town guests. Some people need to get back home to jobs, school, etc.  That’s difficult with a Sunday wedding.  Maybe, they are not expecting out of town guests.  
 

They have to marry on the 29th, which happens to be a Sunday in August 2021.  They want the 29th because Audrey and Mariah's birthdays are on the 29th (I believe Audrey's is December 29th and Mariah's is July 29th).

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7 minutes ago, smarty2020 said:

They have to marry on the 29th, which happens to be a Sunday in August 2021.  They want the 29th because Audrey and Mariah's birthdays are on the 29th (I believe Audrey's is December 29th and Mariah's is July 29th).

Much ado about nothing.  I may have seen their rationale if both their birthdays fell on August 29th, but this is a stretch to inconvenience guests,  a Saturday wedding is more traditional for reason.

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1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So Mariah and Audrey have to wed on Sunday?  I’d try to consider days that accommodate out of town guests. Some people need to get back home to jobs, school, etc.  That’s difficult with a Sunday wedding.  Maybe, they are not expecting out of town guests.  
 

I have learned recently that most dgaf about how convenient or inconvenient their weddings are.  The trend here in NJ is mid week weddings now!

7 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

 

I don't remember what Janelle did for a living but it was a lucrative job, before Kody effed it up and decided they needed to run for cover in the middle of the night to Vegas. 

I recall something financial maybe?  I also remember Meri had a job and when the show aired she was either fired or forced to quit.

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11 hours ago, crimson23 said:

Janelle had one side of the home, probably because she had more kids at the time. 

At that time, money in the Brown household was allotted by the number of wives, not number of kids. Which meant that Meri with her one blessing, was given the same amount as the other two ladies with their six.  As Meri so often reminded us, it wasn’t her fault that she had one child; she intended to have eight.  So, Janelle had one side of the Lehi home, because she bought the house with money from an inheritance and by  tapping into her 401K.  For whatever reason, she added Kody and Meri to the deed. 

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(edited)
1 hour ago, eskimo said:

I absolutely believe Christine about the 'basement wife', despite what Meri says.  If there were no hierarchy then Christine would have had first pick of apartments as a practical matter.  She was the one who was home 24/7 in that apt, while everyone else was at work all day.  And even if Jenelle gave birth to more kids, Christine actually had them more (I'm not counting time spent sleeping), plus all hers too.  So they lost me with that whole 'there's no hierarchy' thing.  If it were based on family needs, Christine would have had the biggest place.  It would have benefited all the kids. 

Meri's just asking them to ostracize her in her typical passive-aggressive way so that she can later cry that she was the victim.  If she honestly didn't know about the "basement wife," they were not at all close or as loving as they claimed to be and yearn to return to.  And, she is even more incompetent to guide them about living the Principle than Robyn.  Meanwhile, Robyn's takeaway from her visit with Christine is that maybe they deceived her by presenting themselves as such a happy polygamous family before she joined.  (Fortunately, she limits their participation in her monogamous marriage to financial support.)

There was another clue that Meri's completely removed from the family: Kody hints at LulaRoe, saying, "Meri and Christine both booked a cruise, and now it's canceled."  Immediately after, when Meri embellishes, she talks about it as her cruise alone.  

Edited by Grifter Lives
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1 hour ago, bichonblitz said:

Edited to add: Christine has the most amazing hair. I love, love that loose side braid she was sporting. Just thought I would say something nice about Christine because I rarely ever do! 

I was thinking that last night too!!

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I was curious what the price was for Wadley  Farms with the castle venue. The castle by itself is 4,000 just for rental. The outside barn and garden is another 2,500. Plus cost of catering and decorations.

im curious as to if every child gets the same budget for their wedding. It only seems fair to tell each child you get this much. If you want more you pay the extra and if it’s less you keep the difference. That’s what my family did. 

 

plus I wonder if Audrey’s parents are paying for half since their are two brides.

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2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Much ado about nothing.  I may have seen their rationale if both their birthdays fell on August 29th, but this is a stretch to inconvenience guests,  a Saturday wedding is more traditional for reason.

I prefer a Sunday Brunch wedding. 

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32 minutes ago, the-grey-lady said:

Not to brag or anything, but as a monogamous person, I have never – not once – had to worry about where my husband was showering.

I don't even understand what that is all about. Is showering a sign for loving the other wives more? I remember seeing Christines Vegas bathroom a couple of times and it was a pigpen. Maybe that's why Kootie didn't want to shower there. A dirty bathroom, especiall a dirty shower can be a dealbreaker for me. 

I can't deal with Mariah and Audrey being back on my TeeVee. They are boring, have gotten fat, sloppy and did I say boring? Do either one if them have jobs? 

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2 hours ago, CocoPuffs said:

Meri was the Queen and she can stop lying like she wasn’t aware of a hierarchy in their family and polygamy in general.

Meri is trying to rewrite history.  She lauded over the other ladies with her first wife status and used to throw her weight around, which is why some of the older kids resent her.  At the end of Kody and Robyn's wedding reception, before they left for their honeymoon, Robyn had to step aside so that Meri and Kody could have a special moment.  While Janelle’s kids appear to consider Christine a bonus mom, it’s clear they harbor no such feeling for Meri.  I’ll never forget her ripping Aspyn a new one for showing too much cleavage or wearing too short shorts.  I’ve seen her yell at Janelle’s boys for being overly rambunctious.  When Kody said all those negative things about her to Nancy, those were clearly thoughts that he’d been harboring all these years.

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Do you wonder if maybe Christine was lax on discipline so it put Meri in the position of having to be the mean mom?  Based on the Christmas tree jumping we've seen allowed at Christine's house I sense she might have been more laid back.  

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3 hours ago, Quickbeam said:

I don’t think Kody ever liked Christine. She’s polygamy royalty and it was a feather in his cap. Got 6 kids from her, done. If he could throw her out like an old paper bag, he would. 
 

Janelle was the boy bringer. And I don’t think she asks much from him. 

As I recall, he said as much and that he was grossed out watching her eat tortilla chips or something.  I have to say, she did improve as she aged.   

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3 hours ago, laurakaye said:

This.  Kody probably times his visits to Janelle for just after she's had her afternoon snack of Fritos and peanut butter and is sound asleep in the La-Z-Boy, her laptop dangling precariously from her belly. 

DEAD.  LOL.

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9 hours ago, Grifter Lives said:

Meri: Regular interaction is so important.  I prefer the friends in my head and catfish; they treat me better.

Meri, dear, therapist Nancy was talking about YOU in particular making up conversations in your head when you aren't conversing with people, not that all people do this.  I can go months without talking to some family, friends or enemies and just pick up where we left off the next time we talk.  I never make up conversations about what they might be thinking about me in the interim. I'm busy living my life.

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4 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Not a Christine fan at all, and I can't believe I'm about to defend Janelle but Christine has left out an integral part of the Lehi structure. Janelle was the only wife working outside the home and from what I gather she had a very good job which she excelled at that she loved and paid very well. She enjoyed being out of the home. It was also her money along with Kody's that paid all the bills. Let's remember there was no TLC money at that time. The agreement was that Janelle works a full time job and Christine stays home with all the kids. Christine never had a career. All she was ever good for was brood mare and babysitter. Now she's whining about being the basement wife. Please. Cry me a river, Chrissy. It's what she wanted at the time.

I remember this spoken about vididly because I found it so very interesting how their plyg dynamic worked, living in one house and all. This was during the first season of the show when things were real, when they were real. Anybody remember those days? Before Robyn came on board? 

I don't remember what Janelle did for a living but it was a lucrative job, before Kody effed it up and decided they needed to run for cover in the middle of the night to Vegas. 

Edited to add: Christine has the most amazing hair. I love, love that loose side braid she was sporting. Just thought I would say something nice about Christine because I rarely ever do! 

Wow Christine is really doing the re-write if you ask me. IIRC she LOVED being the third wife. She didn't want to be #1 or #2 - only #3. And the arrangement in Lehi was because Janelle used her finances to buy the house. She worked full time. She had "the boys." Meri only had one child and therefore lived in the smallest portion of the house - plus she worked too. Christine got the second biggest part.

Christine hasn't ever been able to keep focus or have a job outside of the home. Even when presented the opportunity, she was not suited. She is the playful, almost child like caretaker and that was her choice when they were working out the Lehi house.

Not to mention - she was more of the fun playful favorite wife and was perfectly fine with playing that role. 

The thing that triggered these "now painful memories" is because Kody stopped favoring her when Robyn entered and Christine grew up a little and realized that things could be different in an adult relationship. I don't feel sorry for Christine at all. These were her choices.

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(edited)
5 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Much ado about nothing.  I may have seen their rationale if both their birthdays fell on August 29th, but this is a stretch to inconvenience guests,  a Saturday wedding is more traditional for reason.

Why not get married on Saturday the 28th, hang out at the reception until just after midnight and then have all 24 hrs of the 29th as your first day married?  I guess it depends on what the other venues look like. Aren't Kootie and the wives worried they'll be arrested for being polygamists while driving to SLC for the weddingk?

19 hours ago, RedDelicious said:

And Kody went a little overboard with the toothbrush and the Grecian Formula.

On his mustache & beard?  I'd never seen his 'stache that dark before and there was a lot of grey in his beard the last couple of seasons.

------

Since Kootie likes babies, Christine was probably thinking when pregnant with Truely, that after sacrificing for years to rear and school the other 12 kids that she & her kids might finally get the attention from Dad that they deserved.  Then Robyn took that from her. And Meri had a hand in that, possibly so that Christine & Janelle didn't get too comfortable.

In past shows Meri talked about loving to go on road trips with Kootie.  That would have left Janelle to work and Christine to do every thing else for 12 kids. Meri must have been working sporadically to be able to take off for days.

Edited by deirdra
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1 minute ago, deirdra said:

Why not get married on Saturday the 28th, hang out at the reception until just after midnight and thehave all 24 hrs of the 29th as your first day married?  I guess it depends on what the other venues look like.  

I was a bit confused.  Didn't the manager of the facility they all liked say that Utah is closed for business on Sunday, then that was glossed over and it appeared that Sunday the 29th would be OK. ???

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4 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

Not a Christine fan at all, and I can't believe I'm about to defend Janelle but Christine has left out an integral part of the Lehi structure. Janelle was the only wife working outside the home and from what I gather she had a very good job which she excelled at that she loved and paid very well. She enjoyed being out of the home. It was also her money along with Kody's that paid all the bills. Let's remember there was no TLC money at that time. The agreement was that Janelle works a full time job and Christine stays home with all the kids. Christine never had a career. All she was ever good for was brood mare and babysitter. Now she's whining about being the basement wife. Please. Cry me a river, Chrissy. It's what she wanted at the time.

I remember this spoken about vididly because I found it so very interesting how their plyg dynamic worked, living in one house and all. This was during the first season of the show when things were real, when they were real. Anybody remember those days? Before Robyn came on board? 

I don't remember what Janelle did for a living but it was a lucrative job, before Kody effed it up and decided they needed to run for cover in the middle of the night to Vegas. 

Edited to add: Christine has the most amazing hair. I love, love that loose side braid she was sporting. Just thought I would say something nice about Christine because I rarely ever do! 

Iirc, she worked for the State of Utah, not sure in which capacity. But I vaguely remember something about retirement plans (whose, I'm not sure)  being cashed out for MSWC. 

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