S15.E10: Polygamy Hell

[RoxiP]

It would serve him right if all of his children turn their back on him.

 

[magemaud]

3 hours ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

I’d watch a Christine On Her Own show! I bet she would blossom once she got on her feet.

They could call it “The New Adventures of Old Christine” 

[readheaded]

5 hours ago, magemaud said:

They could call it “The New Adventures of Old Christine” 

I’d watch a show about Christine!  I think we’re watching her come to the sorrow-filled realization that her life isn’t at all what she thought it was and the love she thought she had from Kody for her and their kids was a lie. When she’s done grieving, she’s going to be enraged. That rage combined with middle age could be something awesome to watch in action.  

[65mickey]

The Browns are such a horribly dysfunctional family that I don't know whether to feel sorry for the 3 notRobyns or to feel like they just deserve what they get from Kody. What Kody put on display in this latest show should have killed any love or respect that Christine ever felt for this monster. He has shown in his words and deeds this season that he doesn't give a damn about her or Meri. And now he has let it be known publicly  that he doesn't care if his own daughter is in extreme pain for another 6 months. What more does he have to do to drive them away?  I hope that there is not some legal entaglement with the homes and land that requires Christine upon sale of her home to put the equity that she receives in a joint family account. But I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case. 

[ReadMeLattice]

7 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

I agree that if she had an ounce of brains, she would leave that scumbag of a "husband". However...Christine has been making easy TLC money for about 10 years and has a $400,000 house she can sell if she chooses to leave Kody and Flagstaff to make a fresh start. Not to mention her share of the land on Rodent Poop Pass.

I haven't got the slightest inclination to give her one dime of my money.

True. The cynical part of me wonders how much some of their greed/materialism plays in their choice to stay. 

[ErikaAlyson]

Meri looks softer and girlier this episode especially in her TH's. Christine looked really pretty when they were all talking outside on the picnic tables. She also looked really nice when she was talking to Kody alone. But jokes on Kody about the wives reaction. When his favorite wife Robyn openly disrespects and laughs in his face all the time on national television. Even when he does whatever she says.

[ErikaAlyson]

I've always liked Hunter the most out of the boys haha. To me he looks the most like Janelle. I think he was sitting by his mom to let everyone know who he sides with and a F you to Kody lol. I wonder if Robyn and Kody talked prior before they all met up at the picnic tables. It seemed like he was just talking to the 3 wives directly. Like he was saying what Robyn and him both agree on. I've never seen Robyn that quiet and then it looked like she sat where her and Kody could be in an authoritative way lol.

[65mickey]

I don't know if it is greed so much as none of them are really equiped to go out into the real world and make a living. Ceretainly not Robyn, or Christine.  Lula Roe sales will dry up once the show ends. What is the draw for Meri's Pawowan B&B when the show ends unless it appeals to other plural families. Although Maybe Parowan has some historical significance for tourists.  Janelle well if she weren't so lazy she could revise her real estate business or go back to accounting. I can't see anyone hiring Kody the scammer and you know Robyn had pneumonia once and can't put herself at risk. Like so many other reality show players the Browns have become dependent on TLC money and will be lost when it dries up. That's why none of the wives will leave and they are hanging on to the show for dear life. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by 65mickey

[ErikaAlyson]

Kody was funny when he made the analogy about the unattractive woman marriage comment lol

[OdinO.]

11 hours ago, bobalina said:

I was 5 in 1st grade but I could already read and had been learning for 3 years. Sol has 2 parents and a bunch if older brothers and sisters. There is no excuse for his not being age proficient except parental laziness.

 

9 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Even if he’s the youngest in his class, at 8 years old he should be fully reading, he should not be “learning to read.”  My 11 yo has ADHD and he was reading at the end of preschool if I remember correctly.  Not War and Peace or anything, but age appropriate books.  Scholastic has a good guide according to age, in my opinion.  
 

Are Robyn’s kids homeschooled?  I know that kids are not where they should be because of the pandemic, but if they are homeschooled I’d think they should be on track.

Maybe he is dyslexic.

[aimlessbird]

Robyn Brown needs to take a long hard look at how her white knight of a husband treats and interacts with his other wives and children.  For a woman who proclaims continuously that she was mistreated and abused by her first purity stealing husband she should be horrified at how Kody treated Ysabel and Christine and at the cold inhumane way he spoke to Ysabel.  Even if the way he treats and speaks to Meri seems justified to Robyn it is still heartless and cruel,  It is abusive.  So much for standing up for other women Robyn.  This also goes to Janelle to a lesser extent.

Is this family so dysfunctional that Robyn does not see the abuse and emotional neglect Kody inflicts continuously on other family members?  Or is it she doesn't care as long as she and her children are sitting pretty?

The 2 hour finale was sickening.

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by aimlessbird
I was so angry that I misspelled a few things

[MargeGunderson]

Just now, aimlessbird said:

Robyn Brown needs to take a long hard look at how her white knight of a husband treats and interacts with his other wives and children.  For a woman who proclaims continuously that she was mistreated and abused by her first purity stealing husband she should be horrified at how Kody treated Ysabel and Christine and at the cold inhumane way he spoke to Ysabel.  Even if the way he treats and speaks to Meri seems justified to Robyn it is still heartless and cruel,  It is abusive.  So much for standing up for other woman Robyn.  This also goes to Janelle to a lesser extent.

Is this family so dysfunctional that Robyn does not see the abuse and emotional neglect Kody inflicts continuously on other family members?  Or is it she doesn't care as long as she and her children are sitting pretty?

The  hour finale was sickening.

 

My vote is for “just doesn’t care.” As long as Robyn get a what Robyn wants, the rest of the wives can go kick rocks. 

[aimlessbird]

3 minutes ago, OdinO. said:

 

Maybe he is dyslexic.

I believe that Solomon is very shy.  He may have felt to be under a lot of pressure being alone with Kody and being filmed.  I mean Sol watched Kody belittle Truely over a bike ride.  He doesn't want to be the next target.

 

[ReadMeLattice]

32 minutes ago, 65mickey said:

I don't know if it is greed so much as none of them are really equiped to go out into the real world and make a living. Ceretainly not Robyn, or Christine.  Lula Roe sales will dry up once the show ends. What is the draw for Meri's Pawowan B&B when the show ends unless it appeals to other plural families. Although Maybe Parowan has some historical significance for tourists.  Janelle well if she weren't so lazy she could revise her real estate business or go back to accounting. I can't see anyone hiring Kody the scammer and you know Robyn had pneumonia once and can't put herself at risk. Like so many other reality show players the Browns have become dependent on TLC money and will be lost when it dries up. That's why none of the wives will leave and they are hanging on to the show for dear life. 

True although I think they are very used to a certain lifestyle now after 10 years on the show. I can’t really imagine any of them living in a simple, normal home at this point. They all live WAYYY beyond their means. Could they make it on their own? Probably, but they definitely couldn’t live like they do now. I get the feeling that’s very important to at least some of them. 

There’s also just a lot of what I want to call... foolishness? Impulsivity? In that family about money. They don’t keep it when they have it, they just don’t. And that goes for all the adults.

Also I died at “Robyn had pneumonia once” 😂 😂 

17 minutes ago, aimlessbird said:

I believe that Solomon is very shy.  He may have felt to be under a lot of pressure being alone with Kody and being filmed.  I mean Sol watched Kody belittle Truely over a bike ride.  He doesn't want to be the next target.

 

Yeah, honestly when we watch Kody and his kids together they practically seem like strangers. It’s like they’re going out for the day with that one uncle that they don’t know that well. So I’m never sure how much of the kids’ real personalities we get out of those interactions. They all seem fairly guarded around him. 

[laurakaye]

Oh man, in my rage-posting, I keep losing quotes that I wanted to emphasize!  

 

*rolls up sleeves, removes earrings*

 

First, full disclosure - I still have a half-hour of this trainwreck to watch.  I usually watch about 40 minutes of TV in the morning when I'm having my coffee and Cheerios.  I don't know if it's because I switched to YouTube TV or this is normal for TLC but the commercial breaks are incredibly long so I only end up able to watch two or three segments at a time, at the most.  I mean it's Tuesday and I still haven't finished.  It's ridiculous.

BUT - the part I did see this morning was Kody with Christine and Ysabel.  I know I'm just re-emphasizing what everyone here has already been saying - that Kody is 1,000 times worse than the plague-infested scum at the bottom of Prairie Poo Pond.  I have often thought that the reason Christine has always done that horrible breathy-whispery keep sweet crap is because she has always known that if Kody gets angry or upset with her, it would trickle down to the way he treats her kids.  Well, here you go.  Kody himself ADMITS on the couch that he took his frustration at Christine out on Ysabel.  THERE IT IS, POINT BLANK and PERIOD.  He looked into the sweet face of his daughter who is going through something that he neither understands nor cares about and told her that her choice was to either wait out her pain until Covid is "over" or get on a plane herself and go under the knife without her parents there.  That was such a horrendous thing to say......I am struggling to find something more damaging he could've said to her.  I swear, my eyes were frozen to my tv screen and I am 99% sure I saw the light go out of Ysabel's eyes when she understood, once and forever, how little her father cares about her.  He did damage that he can never undo.  And I hope that if Christine was too overwhelmed in the moment to understand this, perhaps in rewatch - now that Ysabel's surgery is done - she absolutely, unequivocally understands this as well.  Kody DOES. NOT. CARE.  There is simply no excuse that he can ever give to make what he said to his daughter better.  It wasn't a misunderstanding, he wasn't frustrated, he was CRUEL and he was emotionally abusive.

I have long said that I would watch various spin-offs with some of the wives if they ever leave this monumental jackass.  That said, I could not care less what happens with Meri and Janelle.  What I do want to see, and would watch, is Christine moving with her girls to Utah to be with her family and friends.  I would watch her get a job in a boutique to supplement the money that TLC gives her and ONLY her (and her daughters).  I would watch her sit down with her mother and aunt, both who've left polygamy, and listen to their stories as they help Christine extricate herself from her toxic family.  I would love to watch Gwen, Ysabel and Truely thrive.  I wouldn't even care if I had to see FT on my screen every week, as long as he's supportive of his wife's family as they make their way on their own in Utah.

Thank you for reading my dissertation.  Good heavens, I still have 30 minutes of this show to watch.....I'm gonna need some more wine.

EDIT: I would also watch Paedon - all 6 feet, 6 inches of him - make sure that his mom and sisters make their way out of Flagstaff without any interference from Kody.  And of course, Sister Wives would need to be canceled in favor of "Christine: Leaving Polygamy," on TLC, Sundays at 8pm.

Edited April 20, 2021 by laurakaye

[Elizzikra]

Quote

And if they all quarantined stringently wouldn't it then be okay for them all to be together with zero exposure?  

In theory, yes, but the only family quarantining "strictly" appears to be Robyn's. Meri had Mariah and Audrey come through and she traveled to visit Lizzie's. Two of Janelle's son's are working and socializing outside the home. Christine travelled; I'm not sure how strictly her kids quarantined. 

Quote

Put off major surgery for six months knowing your daughter is in agonizing pain because YOU might catch a virus that has a 99.9% chance of not killing you?

As much as I hate to say anything that could be taken as a defense of Kody, I think that his concern about COVID was 1) that he could catch it. If it didn't kill him, it would take him out of commission for what he sees as his critical role to the family; 2) he could pass it along to the other wives and kids, potentially making a bunch of others sick (yes, he could quarantine when he got back, but still... and 3) he could have been at least a little concerned about Christine and/or Ysabel getting sick themselves and/or passing it along.

Quote

Christine has been making easy TLC money for about 10 years and has a $400,000 house she can sell if she chooses to leave Kody and Flagstaff to make a fresh start.

I doubt she has much equity in the house. She just moved there, what? Two years ago? I can't imagine she put a lot down and the first years you aren't really paying toward principal. Unless the house has shot up in value in those two years, after closing costs and the expenses of moving, I doubt she'd even break even. That doesn't mean she shouldn't go though - I think she should load up as much as she can and hightail it to Utah with her minor children and any pets they might have.

[Alapaki]

Well, I binged this whole season over the weekend.  And now I have to purge.

Can you really have a "meeting to set rules for meetings" without having a "meeting to set rules for the meeting to set rules for meetings"?  Which, I supposed, would require a "meeting to set rules for the meeting to set rules for the . . . ." 

Kody was clearly a dick to Ysabel.  But Christine has been just as much of a dick by going along with delaying the surgery FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS while they subject the poor girl to some medieval quackery that the surgeon told them was a waste of time five years ago.  I too would like to know what the immediate urgency is (along with: why NJ, etc.).  I bet both of those pigs decided to stage that scene solely to have more footage.  I think Ysabel broke down because it drove home to her how she's nothing more than potential content for these grifters.

I personally though Kody was MUCH worse in the "anniversary picnic" with Meri.  There should be a link to that scene in the dictionary definition of "gaslighting".  

And, maybe it's the alcohol poisoning I suffered from picking "kutch-err" as my drinking word for this season; but it's really disorienting to find myself siding with Kody so much (over COVID).  

[Adiba]

54 minutes ago, OdinO. said:

 

Maybe he is dyslexic.

As much as I feel Robyn babies (all) of her kids, you may be right. Or he could have one of many learning challenges that result in him being a little "behind" the average. As long as they're getting him the assistance he needs to catch up--which is questionable.

[NoWhammies]

34 minutes ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Also I died at “Robyn had pneumonia once” 😂 😂 

Fuck you, Robyn!!! (gee - why don't I say how I rilly fill?) My husband has coronary artery disease and high blood pressure and has had three heart surgeries including one about a week before the world locked down. THAT is high risk - not having had pneumonia "once". FFS, you manipulative, uneducated shrew. And you know what - even with those things, if one of our kids was in severe pain and required surgery, we would have moved heaven and earth to get it for them and made sure to find a way to safely be there for them. Not even once would our first words have been, "Can't you wait?"

Which leads me to... fuck you Kootie. You have revealed yourself to be the world's biggest douche and an absolute skidmark of a human being. Listen Shart Shitstain, your daughter is in severe physical pain, and you would rather have her ride it out because your favorite wife "had pneumonia once" and your favored son "had RSV as a baby."

Kody's talking head "regret" at what he expressed to Ysabel and his attempt to blame his reprehensible reactions on Christine was merely damage control. He had no regret. Fuck off, Kody and Robyn.

[monagatuna]

1 hour ago, OdinO. said:

 

Maybe he is dyslexic.

I had a similar thought--it's a very dangerous game to comment on a young child's particular journey through scholastic achievement, especially in an age where we are learning how everyone learns differently and a list of age-appropriate achievements don't work for everyone. We couldn't know if he has a learning disability, for example.

But then, that really doesn't jive with the Browns' way of doing things, does it? Like, if King Sol had a learning disability and they cared enough to have it diagnosed and come up with a plan for it, don't you think they'd have jumped at the chance to put that on TV? I know Kody doesn't care about his other kids (see: Ysabel), but he does at least pay lip service to caring about Robyn's kids. And you KNOW Robyn would've made it an episode or two, she's desperate to stay relevant despite having less than nothing to offer the show. If the kid has a learning disability, there's no way the show wouldn't have heard about it. They've already exploited Ysabel's disability and Meri's ghost babies or whatever they're called.

More likely is that the parents are lazy, stupid, and just flat out don't care. They don't think academic success matters. Remember when Hunter graduated Air Force Academy? They put it on the same level as an adult's birthday. If you have any idea how hard it is to get into the AFA, never mind graduate from it, it's no easy task! It should have been celebrated much more than it was. School for these kids is just going through the motions from the adults' perspectives. These kids are nothing more than fodder for the show and a means to an end for Kody's celestial planet. The young ones are cute and cuddly TV material, the older ones are de facto parents and maids. They don't actually care about them, even the favored ones, to do the work to help a kid who may not be learning to read at the same rate as other kids.

I'm sure I could be wrong about this, and whatever the case, I hope the kid is able to catch up to his peers, but I really doubt it's as complicated as a learning disability. Much more likely is these parents are too lazy to care about their kids' educations.

[Tabbygirl521]

1 hour ago, MargeGunderson said:

My vote is for “just doesn’t care.” As long as Robyn get a what Robyn wants, the rest of the wives can go kick rocks. 

Robyn looks just as miserable as Christine does. I can’t blame her for advocating on behalf of her kids. It’s really not her fault if Kody disrespects the other wives and kids. If he were a truly devout/dedicated plyg husband and family head, as they all seem to feel he is or should be, Robyn would not be shown any favoritism.

I don’t love any of these people but I can’t see Robyn as some femme fatale or Svengali. She advocates for her kids and herself. She sets boundaries. Maybe her relative non-wishy-washiness is part of why Kody (whom I do not like) favors her. If the other wives choose to “endure” Kody’s nonsense and neglect for fear of him piling it on even thicker (which he would), that’s not Robyn’s doing. It’s all on Kody. Robyn is his convenient excuse.

That said, I do think Kody and Robyn were genuinely concerned and fearful of Covid (rightly so, IMO) but it was frustrating to see him still doing it wrong by going from house to house without proper precautions. As many of us have said, they had the resources to isolate the boys and keep everyone else in a safe bubble. If only they were a real family, they could have made it work.

And yeah, Kody, it’s a challenge foR monogamists, too. Yes, we actually have extended and complicated families. Newsflash. 

[NoWhammies]

12 minutes ago, monagatuna said:

I had a similar thought--it's a very dangerous game to comment on a young child's particular journey through scholastic achievement, especially in an age where we are learning how everyone learns differently and a list of age-appropriate achievements don't work for everyone. We couldn't know if he has a learning disability, for example.

But then, that really doesn't jive with the Browns' way of doing things, does it? Like, if King Sol had a learning disability and they cared enough to have it diagnosed and come up with a plan for it, don't you think they'd have jumped at the chance to put that on TV? I know Kody doesn't care about his other kids (see: Ysabel), but he does at least pay lip service to caring about Robyn's kids. And you KNOW Robyn would've made it an episode or two, she's desperate to stay relevant despite having less than nothing to offer the show. If the kid has a learning disability, there's no way the show wouldn't have heard about it. They've already exploited Ysabel's disability and Meri's ghost babies or whatever they're called.

More likely is that the parents are lazy, stupid, and just flat out don't care. They don't think academic success matters. Remember when Hunter graduated Air Force Academy? They put it on the same level as an adult's birthday. If you have any idea how hard it is to get into the AFA, never mind graduate from it, it's no easy task! It should have been celebrated much more than it was. School for these kids is just going through the motions from the adults' perspectives. These kids are nothing more than fodder for the show and a means to an end for Kody's celestial planet. The young ones are cute and cuddly TV material, the older ones are de facto parents and maids. They don't actually care about them, even the favored ones, to do the work to help a kid who may not be learning to read at the same rate as other kids.

I'm sure I could be wrong about this, and whatever the case, I hope the kid is able to catch up to his peers, but I really doubt it's as complicated as a learning disability. Much more likely is these parents are too lazy to care about their kids' educations.

So what I hear you saying is perhaps the Browns aren't achievement-oriented except as it comes to collecting wives and squeezing out babies? Yeah - that tracks. 

I can't criticize the young kids. They're kids. But I sure as fuck can criticize their immature parents as much as I want. While they are a product of their culture and belief system, they have still chosen everything not only for themselves, but for their kids as well. And it is absolutely tragic that 18? 19? kids were raised by these nincompoops. That is 18 (19?) kids that have been given an unfair start in the world.  Or perhaps I should say 18 (19?) more kids since many children come to parents who shouldn't be bringing kids into the world in the first place. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by NoWhammies

[Tabbygirl521]

Every time Kody starts to say something that makes sense, he seems to ruin it. When he was trying to impress upon Hunter that contracting Covid could change a person forever, his example of a potential tragedy was, “Can you imagine me if I couldn’t exercise and work out?” NO, NOT THAT, KODY!! Aieeeeee!

[ReadMeLattice]

Re: Solomon, while I have no doubt that Robyn’s laziness could contribute to any delays he might have (outside of any learning disabilities he could have, which of course is a totally different issue), I did have the thought that Kody might not even actually know what his kids are doing or learning. Even with Robyn’s kids, he talks about them like they’re his nephews or grandkids that he’s spent a bit of time with here and there. Reminds me of when he said Savanah was playing the guitar daily and Janelle was like “lol, no.” 

If you asked my brother-in-law what my kid likes, he might guess Paw Patrol. She hasn’t liked that for over a year, but that’s when he last saw her. Kody talks about his own children almost the same way — like, “hmm, I remember I was over there one time to meet my Personal Goals, like being in the basement doing pull-ups and taking breaks to give myself a perm, and I feel like I saw Solomon sounding out words as I was running downstairs. I guess he’s learning to read.” 😂 

Or he could be in a reading class and because Kody isn’t likely involved at all in helping with homework, he could interpret that as “learning to read.” I don’t get the sense that Kody has any idea of what normal developmental stages are, even after 18 kids. 

Edited April 20, 2021 by ReadMeLattice

[TMI]

 I know that Kody likes to give the impression that he is welcoming towards his children who have "come out" but find it interesting that he is especially mean, demeaning, cruel to the mothers of those girls. I feel that he harbors great resentment toward them and is punishing them for raising their daughters to be their own people.

I also feel that Robyn is whispering sweet nothings into Kody's brainless head...that is ...all your other wives are mean to me....so they must be punished for being mean to me....

I recall that in one episode Robyn's daughter had a major emotional meltdown and if I remember correctly...he picked he up and carried her to her bedroom!...meanwhile he tells Christine's daughter to take herself off to have surgery without any family support....isn't it interesting that he is just hearing this news now...most parents would be following their child's life a bit more closely...

Kody ...dog's have more fatherly instincts than you....Robyn enjoy his attention...we know how short live it can be!

[65mickey]

I didn't know that christine's mother and aunt had left polygamy. Hopefully they will encourage and support her if she decides to leave the Browns. At least not tell her that she doesn't get to quit so suck it up and hang around for another 30 years like meri said to her.

[Art Of Noiz]

1 hour ago, ErikaAlyson said:

I've always liked Hunter the most out of the boys haha. To me he looks the most like Janelle. I think he was sitting by his mom to let everyone know who he sides with and a F you to Kody lol. I wonder if Robyn and Kody talked prior before they all met up at the picnic tables. It seemed like he was just talking to the 3 wives directly. Like he was saying what Robyn and him both agree on. I've never seen Robyn that quiet and then it looked like she sat where her and Kody could be in an authoritative way lol.

Yes. She prompted him. He kept looking in her direction before he spoke. He's her bit*h.

[ReadMeLattice]

21 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

 

I am really curious about what exactly that means.  What are his end goals and how does his family present an obstacle.

 

This! We have never heard him talk about what he actually wants, besides polygamy for the first several seasons and now for his wives to shut up and do what he wants. I have no earthly idea what Kody actually wants, as much as he flaps his gums about everything he hates about the life HE created. I’d be curious to hear what his goals are. They’re probably dumb, but I’d be curious. 

He seems interested in his workouts and that’s about it. He doesn’t seem interested in his kids, friends, or family of origin. He doesn’t seem interested in learning or reading anything or pursuing hobbies like exploring the outdoors or improving his homes or properties. He doesn’t seem interested in sex or romance of any kind, frankly even with Robyn - while I think he favors her, I think I disagree with some in that he doesn’t seem smitten or taken with her by any means to me. He’s too self-absorbed even for that. He certainly doesn’t seem interested in working, getting a job or investing. So like... what are these goals?

Edited April 20, 2021 by ReadMeLattice

[Dobian]

I think this last episode is the final nail in the coffin for this show.  It only continued when the Browns agreed to an 80% pay cut, and they are going to lose a lot more viewers now that Kody has gone from comical antagonist to social pariah.

[Scarlett45]

Mod Announcement: Please keep the discussion in the episode threads limited to the events of the episode (or previous episodes as they relate to the events portrayed in the current episode).

 

Many of you follow the cast on social media and are aware of the activities that may or may not be portrayed next season, as such, discussion of social media information may be a spoiler. You are always free to say "taking this response to xyz thread" to discuss items in more detail. 

[WhatAmIWatching]

1 hour ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Yeah, honestly when we watch Kody and his kids together they practically seem like strangers. It’s like they’re going out for the day with that one uncle that they don’t know that well. So I’m never sure how much of the kids’ real personalities we get out of those interactions. They all seem fairly guarded around him. 

THIS this so much this! 
I thought my loathing for K-dawg was coloring my perception, but I got that same feeling. So if he's at Robo's all the time, what is he doing? Is he 'working' (read: scouring the Internet for positive comments about himself; reading all the curly girl method blogs; researching the next mlm to invest in? ) 

It can't be the camera and any possible crew around, because they've had that and those same people around them their entire lives (the youngest ones at least).

I'm starting to feel that Robyn is looking so rough, (besides possible thyroid issues, as that can take a lot out of a person), because she's having to do everything on her own, unless she nags the heck out of Kody to participate. I bet dealing with Kody all the time is like having a petulant child to raise. He exhausts me, and I only see snipets of him a few times per year!

If this ends up being the last season for them, I do feel bad how it ended. If this was my life being shown, I wouldn't want this last episode to be my legacy.

I wish I could emoji some of your posts more than once! 
 

Oh! (As if my post wasn't long enough) To touch on his absolute rage toward everyone and everything: what is that about? It seems that he's had a bunch o wives, a passel of children, and many moves full of mayhem to keep chaos at its peak, but why? What inside himself is he running from and won't hold still long enough to examine?

[laurakaye]

14 hours ago, ReadMeLattice said:

If Christine leaves, it makes them all look bad for staying - especially Meri, who’s treated just as poorly as Christine is. So I’m guessing it’s some sort of psychological thing where she has to “prove” the rightness of her own decision by encouraging other victims to make the same one? 

Ahh....I was going to ask this very question, but this makes a lot of sense.  I was wondering why the heck Meri (who bailed emotionally) and Janelle (who bailed when she moved) would have any concern if Christine left.  After all, wouldn't that by default elevate them in Kody's eyes - as in, see Kody?  I didn't leave!  As much as this relationship sucks, at least I didn't leave like Christine did!  Now don't you love me more?  But the above explanation is likely the truth - which means these women don't care who is getting the worst of Kody's emotional abuse, as long as it's not focused on them.

 

12 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

Robo seems to want her kids to be infantile as long as possible.  I can't think why; most of us are happy that our kids are becoming their own people, and encourage growing up in a timely manner.  All I can come up with is it keeps Kootie around, because he seems to be less and less interested in fathering his kids the older and more independent they get.

I think it's exactly why she does this - because then she can dry-cry and tell Kody that she needs him to stay because Ariallellboa won't stop swinging from the chandelier at 3am, and Sol needs someone to help him with his virtual schoolwork because he can't read, and Aurora just fainted, etc.  With all those high-need kids of hers, she surely can't handle them alone, especially if she's asleep.

I actually found Kody's interaction with Sol a bit awkward, which was interesting - like he wasn't used to spending one-on-one time with him.

 

10 hours ago, itsadryheat said:

Kody's drug of choice is chaos.

+1,000.  And sadly, this pandemic plays right into his hands.

 

1 hour ago, Alapaki said:

Can you really have a "meeting to set rules for meetings" without having a "meeting to set rules for the meeting to set rules for meetings"?  Which, I supposed, would require a "meeting to set rules for the meeting to set rules for the . . . ." 

This is right up Janelle's wheelhouse - she's pretending to want to communicate but they can't just all sit down and talk like normal human beings - rules must be established, an easel and some multi-colored Sharpies must accompany her because what's a rule unless it's written down, walls must be put up and taken down, everyone must feel safe, whoever is holding the conch shell gets to talk, etc.  I think Janelle LOVES doing this - acting as if she's trying to get everyone on the same page but then making it impossible because no one can speak unless everything is perfectly in place.  Janelle can shove it, she's as fake as Meri's eyebrows and Robyn's tears and her own health coach certificate.

Edited April 20, 2021 by laurakaye

[Raynedon]

12 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Are Robyn’s kids homeschooled?  I know that kids are not where they should be because of the pandemic, but if they are homeschooled I’d think they should be on track.

No.  They are enrolled in public schools.  When she was house hunting in Flagstaff I remember her pretend/try to rationalize making the kids attend specific public schools somewhere because of their location relative to whatever house she was wrangling for.  I don't remember the specifics, but do remember having a general impression that confirmed she was absolutely impractical/nuts and didn't care about anyone but herself and getting what she wanted.

[Twopper]

13 hours ago, bobalina said:

I was 5 in 1st grade but I could already read and had been learning for 3 years. Sol has 2 parents and a bunch if older brothers and sisters. There is no excuse for his not being age proficient except parental laziness.

 

11 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

Even if he’s the youngest in his class, at 8 years old he should be fully reading, he should not be “learning to read.”  

I could read at 5, too, as could our daughter, but her brother had dyslexia and had a terrible time with it. 

I didn't think Sol was the youngest, I thought he probably started first grade at age 7 years and 10 months,  and he would be one of the oldest in his first grade class which should make him "reading ready" unless he had other problems.   I know a lot of kids are now taught in K5, but enrollment in K5 is an option his parents may not have chosen.  I am not sure how he compares in size with children his age as parents  sometimes hold back boys of small stature.  I am sure people have other experiences than I did. 

10 hours ago, itsadryheat said:

My vote is politics.

Well, he puffed up and made bold pronouncement in an earlier season about moving back to Utah and running for office to change the laws on polygamy, but he is all hat and no cattle so he sat back and let the Dargers and others do the hard work.  He cannot run for office now without all sorts of ads against him pulled from 15 seasons of this train wreck.

If health care comes up as an issue, all they would have to do is run this scene about postponing surgery for a painful and debilitating condition. 

[Roslyn]

Kody's treatment of Ysabel made me sick to my stomach. When he says "I don't give a shit anymore" I think he is being the most honest he has ever been. 

As for Janelle...I think we might be seeing the side of her personality that made her and Meri butt heads for all these years.  It has always been portrayed that Meri was the Big Bad Bully.  But I think Janelle is truly clueless how to communicate with anyone about anything. She had to get along back in the day when Kody was (at minimum) trying to keep Meri satisfied with the balance of the family.  But when Meri fell out and Kody just kicked her to the side, Janelle "rose in power" and has had a stronger voice.  Now with Kody kicking Christine to the side, Janelle is more secure.  However... he has done it to two wives and has been pissy in his talking heads about Janelle.  He can kick her as well.  It all reminds me of that old movie "Heathers".  Once one was removed from power, another version of the same just steps into her place.

And Janelle's storyline about "we need to communicate" is one big desperate to keep the show going contrived basket of nonsense. She instantly lost all desire to work on "peaceful communication" when she stomped on Christine during their Utah discussion.

As for the filming...it is blaringly obvious that the professional camera crew returned to film at some time in the summer last year.  Without rewatching and writing down the Timeline that is Janelle's Lip Growth, those outdoor conversations are quality shots and quality audio.  When they film themselves it isn't quality audio and you can see everyone's phones in each clip. 

 

[Fosca]

Why would Meri and Janelle want Christine to stay?  Simple: money.  

Janelle left before the show, when she was arguably making the most money of anyone in the family, so no problem leaving.

Meri thought she was going to be taken care of by a millionaire, so no problem leaving.

However, now both figure (perhaps with some validity) that if Christine leaves, the show will be gone (or not include them) and there goes their salary, such as it is.  Thus, even though both left/were leaving once, they now must convince Christine to stay.

[Tabbygirl521]

Well, if they were worried about being cancelled, this cliffhanger of Will Christine Escape? may be enough to buy them another season. But will it be another season of moaning and groaning about how the pandemic is killing this family? (Kody wasn’t wrong when he reminded us that no one had any interest in getting together BEFORE the pandemic, so that particular complaint is wearing very thin.) Will they start off with a bang, planning a five-adult getaway to a desert island to duke it out “Survivor”-style? Or will the first scene open on massed police cars and emergency vehicles, lights and sirens going full bore, as we hear a 911 call revealing that someone finally snapped?

[lamadeleine]

56 minutes ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

 To touch on his absolute rage toward everyone and everything: what is that about?

Mid-life crisis with a side order of roid rage? I'm kidding, but only kind of....

[MargeGunderson]

29 minutes ago, Fosca said:

Why would Meri and Janelle want Christine to stay?  Simple: money.  

Janelle left before the show, when she was arguably making the most money of anyone in the family, so no problem leaving.

Meri thought she was going to be taken care of by a millionaire, so no problem leaving.

However, now both figure (perhaps with some validity) that if Christine leaves, the show will be gone (or not include them) and there goes their salary, such as it is.  Thus, even though both left/were leaving once, they now must convince Christine to stay.

Agreed,  it I also wonder if Meri is trying to get Christine to stay so that she (Meri) can get the credit from Kody. Part of her grand plan to win him back.

 

[Alapaki]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

This is right up Janelle's wheelhouse - she's pretending to want to communicate but they can't just all sit down and talk like normal human beings - rules must be established, an easel and some multi-colored Sharpies must accompany her because what's a rule unless it's written down, walls must be put up and taken down, everyone must feel safe, whoever is holding the conch shell gets to talk, etc.

I find the pop-psych-babble this crews spews pretty insufferable.

If only they knew someone who might be trained in, oh I don't know, counseling or something, who might be able to facilitate communication for them.  Or maybe Nancy's decided that she's scribbled enough in that notepad for her tell-all and peaced-out.

6 minutes ago, lamadeleine said:

 To touch on his absolute rage toward everyone and everything: what is that about?

I wonder how much of this is carry-over frustration about not getting his way with the "One Big House" idea?  Christine especially led the charge against that idea; and now she's the one whining the most about how they can't be together.  

It could also be a product of the conflict between Robyn's (God save me!) reasonable COVID concerns and the other wives' casual indifference, which is making it tough for Kody.  If he had to chose one wife, it would certainly be Robyn.  But he's not supposed to acknowledge that out loud.  COVID was forcing him to.

[SongbirdHollow]

17 hours ago, Twopper said:

 

22 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

I have an 8 year old and I absolutely agree Sol seems WAYYYY behind him, in maturity and education.  At 8 years old he should not be "learning to read."

Sol was born in the fall, and I don't know what the cut-off date is for first grade in Arizona. If it is earlier than his birthday, then he would be eligible to enroll in first grade the year he turns 7 which would be 2018. He would still be six years old for the  first two months, and a lot of parents of boys now wait until the child has turned 7 before enrolling them in first grade

 

What kid doesn’t learn to read from Sesame Street anyway? I think Robyn just babies him. 

[Dobian]

13 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

It could also be a product of the conflict between Robyn's (God save me!) reasonable COVID concerns and the other wives' casual indifference, which is making it tough for Kody.  If he had to chose one wife, it would certainly be Robyn.  But he's not supposed to acknowledge that out loud.  COVID was forcing him to.

He has chosen one wife.  Robyn has been his legal wife for several years now and he treats the others like his exes and his kids by the others as the kids he has visitation rights to.  Polygamy...not.

[NoWhammies]

1 hour ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

Robyn looks just as miserable as Christine does. 

Robyn - I would imagine trying to exert the level of control Robyn does over Kody would be exhausting. Plus, my guess is whatever is happening with her thyroid is exhausting her. Thyroid issues sap your energy, among other things. Not an excuse. I find her repulsive, manipulative, and just not a likeable or nice person. But I can recognize where her exhaustion and lack of energy comes from.

Janelle - I believe Janelle's whole schtick of being the "easy" wife who doesn't need anything, doesn't openly battle for attention, etc., is just as much a method of control and influence as anything any of the other wives do. I've never bought that Janelle is as disinterested as she appears; it's the role she has found she can fulfill that keeps her in Kootie's favor. She's the "cool chick." She's the "easy wife." And in that, she is just as manipulative as any of the other wives, she just goes about it differently.

Christine - The scales are falling from her eyes about this giant, narcissistic, man-child she has married. I suspect she's going to need to get some industrial-strength solvent to unseal herself from this gigantic asshole, but Christine is all mom energy, and you don't fuck with a mama bear's cubs or you'll experience her wrath. I suspect this latest with Ysabel is the last in a long line of slights to her children that she's noticed, but this one is absolutely undeniable as anything other than what it truly is. In the past, Kody has had, to some extent, plausible deniability for his actions. This time it is 100% clear he just simply doesn't give a shit about Christine's kids.

Meri - I recognize she is the product of her religious conditioning, gaslighting, and the belief that she somehow has displeased God who only saw fit to give her one child when she wanted eight, but it's hard to fathom why she chooses to remain in abject misery in an abusive situation. But then, it's always hard to understand why someone being abused stays, but many, many, many people do stay and continue to protect their abusers. I suppose it's a case of the Devil you know...

In the past year, Covid has revealed the reality of their lives to many people. When the noise of your life is stripped away as Covid has done, all that is left is you, and many people have chosen to re-evaluate what is meaningful and important to them.

Covid and quarantine has revealed our nonsense to us. And we're seeing that on this show: it is revealing the Brown's utter nonsense not only to their viewing audience, but to them, as well.

When a foundation is not strong, and the earth shakes, the foundation and the structure it superficially supported crumbles. The Browns were always built on a weak, cracked foundation. The earth shook, and the structure is crumbling. There never was any THERE there, but the Browns were always able to cover that up with the busyness of life. In the silence, they are facing their own reflections in the mirror, but it's easier to point at each other than to recognize their own contribution to the situation.

And that, my friends, is what is causing the shit show we are all seeing now. It has been happening to people everywhere in the past year, but the Browns put themselves on a TV screen and didn't know when to call it quits because they liked the money and the fame. And so, we get to witness their destruction up close and personal. It is ugly to watch. 

[nosedive]

26 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

And Janelle's storyline about "we need to communicate" is one big desperate to keep the show going contrived basket of nonsense. 

 

 

I, too, suspect this is Janelle's motivation.  However, I think there is more to it.  Of all four wives, I believe Janelle is the most emotionally inaccessible of the lot.  She makes Meri's walls look like papier mâché.  I have long suspected this was her motivation (probably unconscious) for entering plural marriage.  The more distraction (the more wives) for the one husband, the more a wife can evade emotional intimacy.  Building a framework for communication can be a handy substitute for communication, itself.  She can convince herself that adherence to the "rules" of communication is actually communicating, rather than allowing herself to be emotionally vulnerable to her own feelings and to others.  I think her passiveness is a part of this.  For whatever reason, she considers it unsafe to express her feelings of vulnerability or her "negative" feelings (anger, disappointment, hurt, etc.) to others, and equally unsafe to allow herself to experience those feelings.   So she blocks.  And as we all know, unresolved emotional distress doesn't disappear.  On some level, it nags and irritates and stresses us, provoking a response that is usually something unhealthy and self-destructive... like overeating.

[lamadeleine]

1 hour ago, ReadMeLattice said:

Or he could be in a reading class and because Kody isn’t likely involved at all in helping with homework, he could interpret that as “learning to read.” I don’t get the sense that Kody has any idea of what normal developmental stages are, even after 18 kids. 

I agree with this. I didn't necessarily interpret the comment to mean that Sol is learning to read for the first time ever...I guess I heard it as Sol is working on his reading. I don't think that Kody knows, understands, or cares about where his kids are in their educational development at any given time..just my opinion.

[Normades]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

these women don't care who is getting the worst of Kody's emotional abuse, as long as it's not focused on them.

I definitely think that's why they would encourage Christine to stay.  If she leaves, one of them will be Kody's emotional punching bag. 

I also thought a long time ago that they must not have health insurance.  I think that's why they delayed taking Truly to the hospital when she was seriously ill and it's why they made Ysabel go through those stupid treatments.  They always try to do things on the cheap, unless it directly affects Kody.

[ReadMeLattice]

1 minute ago, lamadeleine said:

I agree with this. I didn't necessarily interpret the comment to mean that Sol is learning to read for the first time ever...I guess I heard it as Sol is working on his reading. I don't think that Kody knows, understands, or cares about where his kids are in their educational development at any given time..just my opinion.

Yeah. I think he’s one of those dads who has seen his kid reading or overheard him once talking about reading class with his mom and thinks “reading, yeah, that’s what that one is up to these days.” I think he’s checked out. So even if Sol *does* have learning issues, I don’t think we’d really learn about them from Kody, lol. 

[monagatuna]

3 minutes ago, NoWhammies said:

Robyn - I would imagine trying to exert the level of control Robyn does over Kody would be exhausting. Plus, my guess is whatever is happening with her thyroid is exhausting her. Thyroid issues sap your energy, among other things. Not an excuse. I find her repulsive, manipulative, and just not a likeable or nice person. But I can recognize where her exhaustion and lack of energy comes from.

Kody is probably more exhausting than whatever thyroid issue she may have. And while some thyroid issues can make you tired, many of them are so easily treatable. I take one small pill each morning and wait 30 minutes to eat or have coffee, and a blood test once a year, easy-peasy, and watch my diet (less easy but still not that hard). I do get tired more easily but that could also be attributed to age, work life, and other things. Now, if she has thyroid cancer, it's harder to treat, obviously, but my guess is that she hasn't even had a diagnosis. These guys are not exactly well known for their trust of doctors, health insurance, or overall health consciousness. My guess is she's had hypothyroidism for years and never bothered to diagnose or treat it because 1) doctors cost money she could be spending on pajamas and a massive rennal, and 2) she's still milking the "hot young wife" thing. I'll let you decide for yourself if she's successful in that last one.

[NoWhammies]

Oh yeah - no argument here. Thyroid stuff is treatable if you get diagnosed. She obviously hasn't.

Edited April 20, 2021 by NoWhammies

[itsadryheat]

11 hours ago, itsadryheat said:

My vote is politics.

I should have included the non existent vomit emoji after this. I don't have the slightest idea what this guy's future holds to make money. With all the noise and nonsense of late, politics was all I could come up with. He sure gets all roostered up telling people what to do, thinks his ideas are the best for the "people", and cannot manage anything even basic car maintenance.

I can't even come up with someone, past or present, on the small screen that has made a similar or worse portrayal of themselves or a fictional character. Heck, Tony Soprano had his sympathetic moments. This guy . . . none. Even if this Kody is not "real", as is the case in Reality TV, could he possibly think anyone would want to partner with him in any business endeavor or embark on an emotional relationship with him? I get the spiritual wives, even the dark wife. But Kody Brown, new level arrogance/ego/stupidity. 

Even tho he was the President of the Las Vegas cul de sac HOA, realistically, he could never run for politics, not that this would stop him. His reality is at a different level than most and has drastically changed from when he first approached the AUB about his documentary show.

I imagine him dancing into some guys office to sell him ad space on a billboard after 10 years of negative publicity. Guess he's stuck with MLM's.