S04.E08: B*** Teenage Girl

[StatisticalOutlier]

Our favorite idiots have moved to Monday night.  My DirecTV on-screen synopsis says: "At the hospital, Myrka's contractions get worse; Jenna's mom causes a scene at her baby shower."  (That's also where I got the episode title, and for the life of me can't figure out what B*** is.  I have counted the asterisks at least 5 times, and there are definitely 3 of them, so it's not "Bitch."  Not that "bitch" would make sense in the title, but at least it's something that would be represented by asterisks.  B***?  I got nothing.)

ETA:  Duh.  It's episode 8, not 7.  That'll teach me to copy and paste and modify.  ETA2:  Thank for for correcting my episode title, moderators.

Edited March 16, 2021 by StatisticalOutlier

[Shelbie]

All the girls are irritating but each in their own way. These two bugged me the most.

Lilly and her insistence on giving the new baby the father’s last name because “this time” it’s different really bugged me. She hasn’t matured at all.

Jenna is an indulged twit who wants instant obedience and doesn’t seem capable of understanding anything adult.

 

[RoxiP]

Reanna was on the show?  If she was it was so quick that I didn't even see her.

I don't have a problem with Tyra having fun and although it looked like she was getting a little too close to one of the basketball players in the end she did say that at this point she wasn't ready to break ties with Alex.  (Alec?)  I do think ultimately she will have her daughter with her full-time and I hope if her college education doesn't teach her anything else it is to use a condom.  I suspect it is far more likely he will cheat than she because it is hard to be left behind when she it out seeing the world.  He needs to grow a backbone.  WHy couldn't he relocate nearer to where she is going to school instead of sponging off grandma?

I felt so bad for Myrka's boyfriend - he was woefully unprepared (but then again is any first time dad prepared?).  Full props to him for sticking it out though.  He seems like a really good guy.  This was painful to watch and I hope they get it over with soon because I really don't need to see her full labor!

I do think Jenna is an entitled brat but I also feel kind of sorry for her because her parents are a mess and I do get controlling vibes from the boyfriend.  Smirking "I will have my say" - sometimes you need to just shut up!

[heatherchandler]

40 minutes ago, RoxiP said:

I don't have a problem with Tyra having fun and although it looked like she was getting a little too close to one of the basketball players in the end she did say that at this point she wasn't ready to break ties with Alex.  (Alec?)  I do think ultimately she will have her daughter with her full-time and I hope if her college education doesn't teach her anything else it is to use a condom.  I suspect it is far more likely he will cheat than she because it is hard to be left behind when she it out seeing the world.  He needs to grow a backbone.  WHy couldn't he relocate nearer to where she is going to school instead of sponging off grandma?

 

I think Tyra should have considered all of this BEFORE getting pregnant.  She is behaving as if she doesn't have a baby who misses her and actually needs time with her.  She is away at school all week, the precious time she has on the weekend should be spent with her baby.  I have kids and a job and I don't think all of my time should be spent with my kids, but I LIVE WITH THEM.  So a weekend away is just that.  

I don't think Alex has a job, I think he just lives with the baby at the grandma's.  

[jacksgirl]

Missed this sh******. Myrka, labor hurts, that's why it's called labor. Quit obsessing about your butt hole. Jenna, if you are embarrassed about being a 17 year old almost new mom, don't go on a TV show about young moms. Your bf and dad are right, you and your mother can't get along for a short period of time. Tyra, your time away from Layla is all day every day. Your time home with her is occasional weekends. We get it, you want to be a full time college student not a full time mom. I would say exactly the same thing if roles were reversed and Alex was away most of the time. Lily,  your mom and her bf have you pegged. They know in a short time you will be the single parent of 2 littles, and your almost 3 year old needs some better parenting. Hate it when kids trash tables at restaurants.  That's not on Aaliyah, it's on the adults. Give her a coloring book or something. 

16 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Our favorite idiots have moved to Monday night.  My DirecTV on-screen synopsis says: "At the hospital, Myrka's contractions get worse; Jenna's mom causes a scene at her baby shower."  (That's also where I got the episode title, and for the life of me can't figure out what B*** is.  I have counted the asterisks at least 5 times, and there are definitely 3 of them, so it's not "Bitch."  Not that "bitch" would make sense in the title, but at least it's something that would be represented by asterisks.  B***?  I got nothing.)

 

Has to be something surrounding Myrka's obsession with her B***hole during labor.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

I'm just gonna go there:  I couldn't get over that basketball player saying Tyra's body was so great, that she didn't look like she'd had a baby, etc.  I know that teenage girls aren't generally the twigs they were back in my day, and big asses have become much more popular than they were back then, but does anybody really think a protruding gut looks good, and nothing like the effect of having had a baby?

Myrka and Ethan really really bug me.  Myrka's mother told Myrka she disapproved of Myrka having a baby and would have nothing to do with it, and Myrka whines that she wants her mom in the delivery room.  What part of "I don't approve and I want nothing to do with it" does she not understand?  God, I hate it when people don't take me at my word. 

And Ethan complaining that Myrka's mother is putting the responsibility on his parents.  No, Ethan's parents offered to shoulder the responsibility, and Ethan and Myrka are letting them. 

 

2 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

 I don't think Alex has a job, I think he just lives with the baby at the grandma's.  

I think he does have a job. I remember he was wearing some sort of fluorescent colored safety vest one day.  So I think he works, and his grandmother takes care of the baby, and Tyra is off at school. 

And what a sad little basketball game that was.  I think there were more cheerleaders than spectators. 

 

2 hours ago, RoxiP said:

I do think Jenna is an entitled brat but I also feel kind of sorry for her because her parents are a mess and I do get controlling vibes from the boyfriend.  Smirking "I will have my say" - sometimes you need to just shut up!

Jenna is so unlikable, but damn if her parents don't make it hard for me to hate her.

[bref]

Thank heavens Myrka was there to take up the butthole-talk banner after Reanna's departure.

Jenna's mother is awful, and so is her BF. Dad is no prize either. I'm starting to understand why she acts the way she does.

[heatherchandler]

59 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

 

 

I think he does have a job. I remember he was wearing some sort of fluorescent colored safety vest one day.  So I think he works, and his grandmother takes care of the baby, and Tyra is off at school. 

And what a sad little basketball game that was.  I think there were more cheerleaders than spectators. 

 

I laugh as I type this but I think that vest was for fashion?  

I remember last season, he mentioned being with the baby 24/7 and that they nap together, so I think he just hangs with the baby all day like a stay at home dad.  

That pathetic little basketball game was the reason to travel to Miami?  

[Chellichik]

25 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

That pathetic little basketball game was the reason to travel to Miami?  

What college pays to send the cheerleaders to a game like that??  I wonder if the cheerleaders had to pay their own way or something because that was a joke.  She wins the a-hole award for me this week.  She needs to go home and be a mother.

[StatisticalOutlier]

49 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

I laugh as I type this but I think that vest was for fashion?  

I remember last season, he mentioned being with the baby 24/7 and that they nap together, so I think he just hangs with the baby all day like a stay at home dad.  

I remember the 24/7 comment, but thought he was just exaggerating.  It never occurred to me that the vest would have been a fashion statement.  If it was, that guy is even weirder than I thought.

 

21 minutes ago, Chellichik said:

What college pays to send the cheerleaders to a game like that??  I wonder if the cheerleaders had to pay their own way or something because that was a joke. 

All I know is she said they begged or wheedled the athletic director to let them go.  Maybe it was like a spring break trip or something. 

[readheaded]

2 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I remember the 24/7 comment, but thought he was just exaggerating.  It never occurred to me that the vest would have been a fashion statement.  If it was, that guy is even weirder than I thought.

 

All I know is she said they begged or wheedled the athletic director to let them go.  Maybe it was like a spring break trip or something. 

I don't know if the vest is for work, but Alex mentioned being at work on last night's show.

[IvySpice]

Boy, Jenna's mom is a piece of work, isn't she? Jenna has the excuse of being an _actual_ teenage girl. Her mom has zero business acting like a high-drama 12-year-old. Jenna's dad, Mr. Three Percenter, described her actions as "borderline," and that's how she came across to me, too. I hate Jenna, but...poor Jenna.

Aden's mom gave him great advice when she told him to just stay out of it and let Jenna and her mom have their dysfunctional dance. No matter how much of a nightmare the mom is, if you insult or criticize her, Jenna is going to feel defensive. That's the only mother she'll ever have. Your critique just serves to rub Jenna's face in the fact that she has a rotten mother.

Quote

That pathetic little basketball game was the reason to travel to Miami?  

Right? I'd take any excuse to go to Miami with my friends in the winter, but that game was super pitiful.

[kitkat343]

I think the basketball game looked so pathetic because of covid restrictions on fans.  Of course, that raises the separate question of why an unranked (low ranked? whatever this is it isn't Gonzaga)   college basketball program needs to travel halfway across the county for games or bring its cheerleaders to a game in Miami in the middle of a pandemic.

 

Uh, Jenna, you are filming a show about teenage pregnancy.  Normally in a high school, everyone knows you are pregnant about 15 minutes after you pee on a stick, but in your case you really don't need to officially confirm this fact since there's a whole camera crew following you around.  Skip the whole baby shower altogether if you are hoping to avoid gossip and judgement.

 

I can sympathize with the fact that Myrka's mom doesn't support the pregnancy, but she could handle this a little better.  When your teenage daughter calls to tell you she's in labor, you can at least wish her well.  It's not a great time to make an unkind comment - you've proven to her that you will not be rescuing her and her baby by throwing her out of the house, so you can afford to be kind now and just tell her good luck.  With covid restrictions, a new mom is lucky if one person is allowed to come as the support system so Myrka's mom is even off the hook for showing up at the hospital.

Edited March 17, 2021 by kitkat343

[IvySpice]

Quote

unranked (low ranked? whatever this is it isn't Gonzaga) college basketball program

It's below unranked -- it's not even NCAA or NAIA. It's ranked in its division within the Christian colleges athletic association, which is worth exactly what it sounds like.

Why the heck you need cheerleaders when there's neither a crowd nor a TV audience, I don't know. But do we know when Tyra's segments were filmed? Have they confirmed that this Miami trip was in the last 12 months?

[StatisticalOutlier]

13 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I think the basketball game looked so pathetic because of covid restrictions on fans.  

I thought of that, but that looked like a regular old gymnasium, with like 5 rows of bleachers.  My high school basketball gym had more seating.  Heck, our pool had that many bleachers. 

Even if they'd been filled, it would still be a meager crowd.  It does look like the game wasn't the main draw in Miami, but instead the vehicle for getting there.  Which is fine, but I don't know...maybe be more honest about it?  Or maybe they just edited out the part where Tyra said, "It obviously a nothing game

13 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

Uh, Jenna, you are filming a show about teenage pregnancy.  Normally in a high school, everyone knows you are pregnant about 15 minutes after you pee on a stick, but in your case you really don't need to officially confirm this fact since there's a whole camera crew following you around.  Skip the whole baby shower altogether if you are hoping to avoid gossip and judgement.

Or have a baby shower where people don't invite guests without running them past you first.  I think her mother was out of line regardless of who she invited, if she didn't check with Jenna first to see if she wanted them there.  It's her party, after all.

13 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I can sympathize with the fact that Myrka's mom doesn't support the pregnancy, but she could handle this a little better.  When your teenage daughter calls to tell you she's in labor, you can at least wish her well.  It's not a great time to make an unkind comment - you've proven to her that you will not be rescuing her and her baby by throwing her out of the house, so you can afford to be kind now and just tell her good luck. 

You have a point, and "good luck" (in a not snide tone) would be the right call.  But I know I got sick of Myrka continuing to expect her mother to accept the pregnancy, and can only imagine how Myrka's mom felt, so I cut her a little slack.  How many times does she have to tell her?

 

[Auntie Anxiety]

Lily, how about giving the kid your last name and then changing it if you ever marry Lawrence? Crazy, right?

I loathe parents who refuse to discipline their kids. Lily says she doesn’t know how to do that. So let’s compound the problem and have yet another baby! What a great idea! Lily, I’m sure you spend many hours on the Internet. How about researching the topic?

On 3/16/2021 at 5:26 PM, heatherchandler said:

hat pathetic little basketball game was the reason to travel to Miami?  

Producer paid for and driven? Because Tyra’s story has gotten boring and stale?

It wasn’t as if Tyra didn’t know how this all works before she willfully got pregnant. Once you become a mother, you give up life as you had known it. She has multiple generations of teen unwed mothers in her family to see how this worked. She continues to make bad choices and her baby will suffer the brunt of it.

I cannot take much more of entitled Myrka and her clueless baby daddy. It never occurred to them to read a short article about labor and delivery? Okay, don’t want to read? Then how about a ten minute video which surely exists somewhere in the world. I know that Myrka’s mother is harsh, but if I had to choose between her and Lily’s mouse of an enabling mother, I’d choose Mother Myrka. 

[readheaded]

On 3/16/2021 at 5:26 PM, heatherchandler said:

I laugh as I type this but I think that vest was for fashion?  

I remember last season, he mentioned being with the baby 24/7 and that they nap together, so I think he just hangs with the baby all day like a stay at home dad.  

That pathetic little basketball game was the reason to travel to Miami?  

Tyra said it was a tournament.  My son plays Division 3 college basketball and we've been to several college and AAU tournaments before college where there were so many teams, the early (elimination) games are played at gyms in high schools and other colleges in the surrounding areas of the host school or league.  The more teams, the crappier some of the venues are.  My guess is that Tyra's school's team didn't fare well and was eliminated early on while they were still playing in the crappy venues.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

8 hours ago, readheaded said:

My guess is that Tyra's school's team didn't fare well and was eliminated early on while they were still playing in the crappy venues.  

Cool.  More time at the beach.

[Marisagf]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Cool.  More time at the beach.

God forbid she go home early and see her kid!

Edited March 18, 2021 by Marisagf

[readheaded]

38 minutes ago, Marisagf said:

God forbid she go home early and see her kid!

She was traveling with a school group and probably couldn't make her own travel arrangements, at least not without paying for them herself.

[PicnicLife77]

On 3/16/2021 at 2:24 PM, StatisticalOutlier said:

I'm just gonna go there:  I couldn't get over that basketball player saying Tyra's body was so great, that she didn't look like she'd had a baby, etc.  I know that teenage girls aren't generally the twigs they were back in my day, and big asses have become much more popular than they were back then, but does anybody really think a protruding gut looks good, and nothing like the effect of having had a baby?

Myrka and Ethan really really bug me.  Myrka's mother told Myrka she disapproved of Myrka having a baby and would have nothing to do with it, and Myrka whines that she wants her mom in the delivery room.  What part of "I don't approve and I want nothing to do with it" does she not understand?  God, I hate it when people don't take me at my word. 

And Ethan complaining that Myrka's mother is putting the responsibility on his parents.  No, Ethan's parents offered to shoulder the responsibility, and Ethan and Myrka are letting them. 

 

I think he does have a job. I remember he was wearing some sort of fluorescent colored safety vest one day.  So I think he works, and his grandmother takes care of the baby, and Tyra is off at school. 

And what a sad little basketball game that was.  I think there were more cheerleaders than spectators. 

 

Jenna is so unlikable, but damn if her parents don't make it hard for me to hate her.

Re Tyra's body: Yeah, I see all sides here. It was odd and gross how the guy was gushing over her, but but maybe that's what he's into. And of course I noticed the same thing, that there were other girls there who were much more fit. I'll just say, in sort of a defense of Tyra, that she has a short torso (so do I) and may never look classically thin. And she was wearing a high-waisted bathing suit because of all those stretch marks she got. It's unfortunate, because high-waisted isn't going to be the best look for her body type, but considering it all, I think she looked the best she could have. Definitely better than I'll probably ever hope to look again. She also has large breasts, so the guy could've been into that?

[StatisticalOutlier]

16 hours ago, abracadabra said:

Re Tyra's body: Yeah, I see all sides here. It was odd and gross how the guy was gushing over her, but but maybe that's what he's into.

My main thing was his saying she didn't look like she'd had a baby, and that's just delusional.  I have no problem with her happening to be 100% what he's into; in fact that would be great (well, except she's currently taken).  But don't tell me you'd never guess she'd had a baby.

[PicnicLife77]

4 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

My main thing was his saying she didn't look like she'd had a baby, and that's just delusional.  I have no problem with her happening to be 100% what he's into; in fact that would be great (well, except she's currently taken).  But don't tell me you'd never guess she'd had a baby.

Eh, they're young. Maybe he has a really skewed perception of what pregnancy does to the body :shrug:

[configdotsys]

I'm finally caught up with all the episodes. First of all, why the hell does it take 8 episodes for them to give birth? Every week is like a rehash of the one before: disagreements, whining, and the ever present "They have no idea what they are in for." It really drags on and on.

The lack of discipline from parents today is something that really makes me raise an eyebrow. When Aliya (however you spell it) kicked Lilly while she was on the couch I almost lost it. Unacceptable. Stern warning the kid's face. But no-no-no, hitting and throwing objects just does not and never will fly. She's a dolt. I worry that Lawrence, Mr. You Need to Discipline Her, will be more lax with his namesake son so before he's in the fire, he needs to stfu. I wanted to punch him in the face when they were in the car and he was blowing off the pain she was describing. "It only hurts because you believe it does." I swear... I just can't.

Jenna is a product of her parents. Her father is an arrogant, dismissive prick with this "I'm expected to put my tail between my legs and take it." Oh please. Ya big baby. There was a point in an earlier episode in which Jenna said the mother was not allowed to pull into the driveway to pick up Jenna. I get a Betty Broderick vibe from the mother in that it seems the father just drove her mad. He reeks of being a controll freak except with Jenna. The new wife likely puts up with a lot of shit from him and stays quiet. These are exes who get off on pushing each others' buttons. Jenna being so young does not understand that dynamic and thinks putting toxic people in one room will result in Kumbaya "for the baby." She needs to buy a clue.

Aden looks like that guy in that show Bates Motel. Seems quiet, and meek but has a bit of a psycho vibe to me. He comes across as weird. His practically whispering "Go fuck yourself," to Jenna was eerie. I could picture him hitting her with a shovel at some point.

I am having a hard time reading Taron. I can't stand Reanna but she's a petulant 15 year old wrapped up in 15 year old drama. Wait untli the baby comes and mom tries to guide her. She'll be all about "it's my baby, leave me alone."

To me, Tyra wanting to go to college is admirable but going away for a month at a time to a distant school is wrong. It's not a binary choice. She can go local. She will never be a full time, professional cheerleader so this cheering for her is essentially an outlet. You don't get outlets when you have a baby. You don't get to pawn off your responsibilities on others because you need a monthlong break every month. She didn't see Alex for a month and when she gets home, she completely ignores him. Awful. I feel most sorry for the grandmother who has probably seen both Alex's and his mother's tempers plenty of times in her life. Now there is a baby involved and while she'd love peace and quiet at home, she is fearful of telling them all to get the hell out and support themselves. I get that grandmas love their grands, but this lady, at 65 and looking 75, is likely raising this kid and doing most of the work.

Finally, Myrka. First, someone said way, way back in another thread that Ethan gave them a gay vibe. I agree with that. I can relate to well to Myrka's shock and disbelief in an earlier show that Ethan and his family laughed and joked in a diner and seem to actually like each other. Myrka thought that was totally fake and only happens on television. She is my twin in that regard. I canot relate to Ethan's family or any family where "fun" is part of daily life. Just not relatable in any sense to me. My mother would have been just like Myrka's with zero bending. She would not have come to any shower ever. Her views would not change and she would feel zero guilt. People (like me) with parents like that are aware from a very young age that these are the rules, these are the consequences for breaking those rules. Then you live your life proceeding at your own risk. There is no room for surprise when you break a rule and the hammer comes down. She was warned. Right or wrong, she was aware of what the consequences would be.

Sorry for the long post. I've been out of the loop for a while and had DVR troubles. Apparently there was a marathon of this program not long ago and I was able to get all the eps from this season. I did not get the tell all though, which makes me sad. Will head over and read that thread now.

Edited March 20, 2021 by configdotsys

[Ucross]

On 3/17/2021 at 5:57 PM, Auntie Anxiety said:

It never occurred to them to read a short article about labor and delivery?

I don't think Myrka understands the female reproductive system and human digestive systems are separate.

Jenna is such a horrible brat, but she sure figured out her meal ticket. Now she never has to get a job or finish high school, much less college.

[Quilty]

Tyra ugh! If that sweet baby doesn't want some ugly uncomfortable bow in her hair then don't do it. She held her little arms down to put the bow on her head. Crying the whole time.

[Quilty]

And who does that to a baby with the cake?! Her birthday was ruined.

[zenme]

I’m sorry, but my sympathies lay with   Tyra’s baby daddy. I feel like he’s bearing most of the responsibility of the baby—along with grandma. It was evident at the party. 

[Shelbie]

What kind of person shoves a cake piled high with icing into the face of a one year old ?

 I was proud of the father for taking Layla out of the situation. Tyra didn’t have a clue what was appropriate and didn’t care.
 

 

[applewood]

On a side note, I don't know if has been brought up already, but apparently Tyra's sister Tiarra is pregnant again. She is having another girl and naming her Ensley Joanne. 18 and two kids! Yikes!

[TipseyGirl]

4 hours ago, Shelbie said:

What kind of person shoves a cake piled high with icing into the face of a one year old ?
 

 

An asshole.

[Auntie Anxiety]

On 3/23/2021 at 11:18 AM, applewood said:

On a side note, I don't know if has been brought up already, but apparently Tyra's sister Tiarra is pregnant again. She is having another girl and naming her Ensley Joanne. 18 and two kids! Yikes!

As far as I’m concerned, she can have a thousand babies with a thousand different fathers. I just don’t want my tax dollars underwriting her choice not to use birth control.