S16.E08: Two Cliques

[SemiCharmedLife]

I was really irate listening to Robyn and Meri say that they were the only ones trying to hold this family together.  Is it Opposite Day?  They are the most selfish and self-centered of the wives (Kody takes that title above all) and only care about their wants and desires.  I don't like Meri because she can be a tyrant, but now that she has lost her power, I can tolerate her.  I like that she is staying with Kody out of spite and for the TLC paycheck and fame.

Robyn is completely void of decency.  She is manipulative and lies to make herself look good.  She gave herself away this season when she told Kody she did not want to move back to Utah, but when he talks to Christine, don't say it was her saying it. Just like, don't say those are her uber strict Covid rules.  She thinks she is the Brown family scapegoat, but she is just the goat (apologies to goats everywhere.)

[lilysmom]

2 hours ago, Shieldmaiden said:

I was agape at the wall of “art”…where do you even find things like this? Do they glow in the dark? Are they velvet? So many questions…

It sorta looks like someone took a Bob Ross Joy of Painting seminar! No wonder she needs a nanny!

[Kellyee]

The rice krispies treat turkey was the saddest display of desperation I have ever seen.. Meri follows all Kody's rules and makes his favorite rice krispies treat, and he barely looks at her. If Robyn was any kind of friend, she would encourage Meri to move on. There is no door that's going to open. 

Christine needs to get her story straight. Do you never see Kody, or does he come by 3 times a week? And if Ysabel is in so much pain, why make her sit in a car to drive all the way to Utah?

[RedLA]

Just now watching this train wreck.  So what’s up with the kid with the pacifier?  How old is this child?  

[Madding crowd]

Slightly blurry but here she is with the pacifier. During Robyn’s announcement about Thanksgiving.

[lamadeleine]

Honestly...Robyn sits there and exclaims how happy she is that she and Meri "can finally hang out", and how she wanted to hang out months before but she was sooooo afraid the other wives would be mad about it (cuz she's the victim and scapegoat of the fambly, dontcha know) and how Kody wouldn't step in and fix it so, oh well, it just didn't happen....UGH. I mean, Meri's got her issues but that was rough. Robyn- it's called a phone, and you pick it up and you call Meri- who is supposedly your BFF and someone you're dying to hang out with- and you at least explain the situation to her. Oh right...what am I thinking? You didn't do that because you actually didn't care about seeing Meri until NannyGate and the Super Secret Squirrel Covid Rules were brought to light. You could tell that Meri still didn't quite buy what Robyn was selling, but she clearly loves those kids and swallowing her pride is the price of admission to get to see them.

Other musings:

• Robyn's Busting of Moves: well, there is no planet where that is called "break-dancing" but I was jolted to see such a happy, goofy, active Robyn...that Robyn actually seemed like maybe a fun person to hang out with. She's come a long way...down.
• Ariella looked like she maybe got a hold of some scissors and gave herself a do..she wouldn't be the first child to do that, that's for sure.
• It's obvious that Sol and Ariella love Meri- which is great. I really didn't need the AuroraBriella tears and histrionics...although I say that and at the same time I kind of feel bad for them. They've been raised to believe that the only way to be heard, validated, and noticed is to fall into complete hysterics. Particularly Aurora, who's reactions to things feel disproportionate and therefore disingenuous- even if she's truly feeling that verklempt over everything anyone does anywhere.

[Cetacean]

19 minutes ago, RedLA said:

So what’s up with the kid with the pacifier?  How old is this child?  

She was born in January 2016.  Even subracting the Covid year, that means she was nearly 5 when this was taken.  FIVE.

[RedLA]

5 minutes ago, lamadeleine said:

•  
• Ariella looked like she maybe got a hold of some scissors and gave herself a do..she wouldn't be the first child to do that, that's for sure.

No, no, no.  Clearly there are no scissors in that house.  Scraggly hair down to your waist is proof.  They all need haircuts/trims.  No scissors.  

[notnowimbusy]

When hotels/motels go out of business or remodel, a lot of times they have a warehouse sale for all the furnishings.  That's exactly what Robyn's house looks like.  Old, dated, used and oversized.   That dining table looks like it came right out of a 90's winery designed buffet.    But, it's seems perfect for them - outdated and shabby.

[goofygirl]

7 hours ago, Kid said:

Meri :  “Kody is easy to love.”   🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣*gasp*🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes, Meri.... If you're batshit craycray!

[Joan of Argh]

1 hour ago, Desert Rat said:

Everything is sooo dated. The chairs and tablecloth look like they came from my grandmother's attic. And she would be 125 years old if still alive. 

Those chairs belong in Dracula’s castle 

what is it with Robyn and ugly chairs?

remember her 2 throne chairs… 😂

[sheshark]

3 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

nothing says classy like a table sitting on old wine barrels 

Is AROARa going into a faint?

 

 

 

[Peacock]

Are they morphing into the caveman?

[Joan of Argh]

2 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

Slightly blurry but here she is with the pacifier. During Robyn’s announcement about Thanksgiving.

I remember a family get together a couple seasons ago… AreolaBlahblah wouldn’t leave baby Axels binky alone, she was obsessed and kept popping it out of his mouth and sticking it in her own mouth 🤨

[JenMcSnark]

7 hours ago, Kid said:

I still would like to know what the hell the nanny is for. She has three grown children in that house.

More importantly, she is a grown-ass woman who doesn't work outside the home and has a husband present most of the time.  She should be more than capable of raising those 2 kids herself and doing housework, etc. 

And Kody should be doing 50% of both since they insist he neglects his other children and wives to stay with Robyn. 

Many, MANY women do way more and have more on their plate than this fake She-Ra. 

[nightmeri]

11 hours ago, NoWhammies said:

If there was a video of young me doing that whacky wavy waving arm flailing inflatable tube man "dance" that Robyn was doing, I'm relatively certain it would never have seen the light of day if I knew it existed. But I'm glad Robyn's self-absorption and lack of self-awareness made it possible for us to view it. What an absolute twit she is. She and Kody really are perfect for each other. I bet somewhere he has a video of himself doing virtually the same thing. 

I think Robyn wanted to remind us that she was once thin and goiter-free. 

[Desert Rat]

4 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

nothing says classy like a table sitting on old wine barrels 

Poor Day'un.  He's been completely emasculated.  Between Kodouche around all day everyday, the hysterical triplets, the babies, and the uber strict covid rules that prevent him from having a social life or a job, it's no wonder he looks so defeated and hopeless. 

[nightmeri]

8 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

I agree and I didn't think there was anything wrong with Kody and Robyn's Thanksgiving that warranted such a level of hand wringing and tears. Plus easy for Kody to wax poetic about the gigantic family Thanksgivings of days past - he didn't cook or clean or contribute in any meaningful way. 

He liked the big family dinners so he could hold court. I am agreeing with other posters when I say this reminds me of Jim Bob Duggar. They love to hold their families captive as an audience while they pontificate about nothing. Without the entire family being forced to listen to him (or watch some crappy presentation he threw together) Kody doesn’t get his narcissistic fix 

[Chris Knight]

Gosh, I hate Robyn.

I don't care enough to look into this but how did the Dargers do during Covid ? They live together but must have young adults who have jobs and bf/gf.

[Jeanne222]

3 hours ago, Cetacean said:

She was born in January 2016.  Even subracting the Covid year, that means she was nearly 5 when this was taken.  FIVE.

I’m thinking she’s the one the Nanny is in charge of!  Wow

[Misslindsey]

3 hours ago, lamadeleine said:

Ariella looked like she maybe got a hold of some scissors and gave herself a do..she wouldn't be the first child to do that, that's for sure.

Could she do Kody's hair next? Please? Preferably when a camera crew is present. If she decides to get her hands on a razor to shave Robyn's eyebrows off, she would become my favorite.

[Desert Rat]

11 hours ago, Kellyee said:

 

 

11 hours ago, Kellyee said:

 

Is there a production set on the Prairie Land that they just keep reusing? I can't think of any other reason for continuing to drive out there to talk.

Look at the mountain !  LOOK AT THE FREAKIMG MOUNTAIN!!!  ( I guess that's the reason. )

[waterytart]

9 hours ago, Kid said:

I still would like to know what the hell the nanny is for. She has three grown children in that house.

I'm super curious about that as well, but I'm even more interested in what the other wives REALLY think about the fact that Robyn has one.

 

[deirdra]

4 hours ago, notnowimbusy said:

When hotels/motels go out of business or remodel, a lot of times they have a warehouse sale for all the furnishings.  That's exactly what Robyn's house looks like. 

Especially the "artwork" on the walls!

[deirdra]

47 minutes ago, Misslindsey said:

Could she do Kody's hair next? Please? Preferably when a camera crew is present. If she decides to get her hands on a razor to shave Robyn's eyebrows off, she would become my favorite.

I've been hoping that one of the kids would chop off some of his ringlets while he was napping for several years now!

[suev3333]

11 hours ago, MsMalin said:

would love to see Robins reaction if he was able to talk some younger attractive woman into marriage and treated her the way he treats the other wives. Now that would be a show!

Probably be the nanny

[MsTree]

19 hours ago, Xena said:

Like your post eskimo - but I have to toss in that there is no good way to practice polygamy.  It's a silly religious practice that only serves to keep men in charge of women.  There is no good way IMHO.  

There might not be any good way, but Kody's is the worst!

[MsTree]

13 hours ago, Desert Rat said:

Based on my admittedly limited understanding of Mormon theology,  the husband has to call a wife by her secret name to bring her into the celestial kingdom. If he chooses not to call her, she's SOL.  They are "sealed" but the husband still has the option of calling her. That's why Meri is sucking up. She wants to be called to the celestial kingdom in the afterlife. Otherwise, all the BS she has endured with Kody is for naught. The "unsealing" comes to play if someone wants to marry someone else. 

She's going to be sooooo disappointed....😵

[Elodia]

21 hours ago, Kellyee said:

"That's a door"

That's a door, and it's locked forever. 

Edited January 11, 2022 by Elodia

[Tdoc72]

9 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

nothing says classy like a table sitting on old wine barrels 

What is that weird thing in front of the curio cabinet?  

[Granny58]

8 hours ago, Pegasaurus said:

Oh my.  That is weird.

weird and completely non-biblical.  

4 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

What is that weird thing in front of the curio cabinet?  

Breanna?

[laurakaye]

15 hours ago, Shieldmaiden said:

I was agape at the wall of “art”…where do you even find things like this? Do they glow in the dark? Are they velvet? So many questions…

I know, right?!  I had to rewind the scenes at Robyn's house because I was stunned at the sheer volume of "art" and tchotchkes on literally every available surface and wall of that mansion.  At one point I saw a set of shelves loaded with figurines that rivaled a clearance sale at my local second-hand shop.  The lack of parity between the wives' homes is beyond unbelievable. 

 

12 hours ago, Kellyee said:

The rice krispies treat turkey was the saddest display of desperation I have ever seen.. Meri follows all Kody's rules and makes his favorite rice krispies treat, and he barely looks at her. If Robyn was any kind of friend, she would encourage Meri to move on. There is no door that's going to open. 

Ah, but Robyn is NOT Meri's friend.  Robyn needs Meri to continue to pine for Kody so Robyn can be the superior HBIC in this family.  If all three wives bail on Kody, then Robyn no longer wins the prize and there's no fun in that - she needs to be envied.  

 

4 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

What is that weird thing in front of the curio cabinet?  

A shower curtain?

Seriously, just looking at that small portion of Robyn's house makes me twitchy - a packed cabinet, some weird random curtain/board thing leaning up against it, a fussy lamp and some Hobby Lobby fake autumn leaves on top, not to mention the chairs that look like something out of a 19th century Victorian castle. And If you look closely, you can see the top of Ariableelobla's dollhouse as an accent piece.  

[TurtlePower]

15 hours ago, Mother of Odin said:

Meri stays out of spite

I think it’s more than that. She becomes giddy whenever Kody wants to speak to her about ANYTHING. If Meri was being purely spiteful, it would show. She can’t hide it when she’s spiteful or angry. 

[TipseyGirl]

14 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

nothing says classy like a table sitting on old wine barrels 

Or toasting with goblets of red Kool-Aid.

[Kellyee]

Quote

Ah, but Robyn is NOT Meri's friend.  Robyn needs Meri to continue to pine for Kody so Robyn can be the superior HBIC in this family.  If all three wives bail on Kody, then Robyn no longer wins the prize and there's no fun in that - she needs to be envied.  

In the timing of this episode, I actually think Robyn may have been more afraid of being left alone with only Christine and Janelle as sister wives. Christine and Janelle have an obvious bond and alliance, and their kids would choose them over Robyn any day. If Meri leaves, Robyn is totally outnumbered if the family ever comes back together and moves out to the Prairie Land. 

Also, Robyn is hurt that the other kids want to do whatever Christine is doing. That had to burn. But it's understandable since Christine raised them, and Robyn should be acknowledging that. But also, Janelle didn't really need to say that (about her kids choosing Christine over Robyn and Kody) in front of Robyn and Kody. Janelle is passive-aggressive as hell. Robyn/Kody are awful, but Christine and Janelle are using the kids to stick it to them too. 

In the preview for next week, is Gabe about to cry while talking to Kody? If Gabe cries, it's going to make me really sad. 

 

 

 

[notnowimbusy]

5 hours ago, Tdoc72 said:

What is that weird thing in front of the curio cabinet?  

A foldable screen/room divider

[Elodia]

12 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

Those chairs belong in Dracula’s castle 

what is it with Robyn and ugly chairs?

remember her 2 throne chairs… 😂

Those must have been Paedon's. Until he outgrew them  ;-)

[kicotan]

19 hours ago, Adiba said:

My limited understanding is that a man can be sealed to more than one woman for “time and eternity” but a woman can only be sealed to one man for eternity. If she wants to marry again just for this life, she can. If she wants to marry someone else for eternity, she’ll have to get unsealed from her previous “sealed” husband.

Edited to add: Meri could marry someone in a civil ceremony without becoming unsealed to Kody. It wouldn’t excommunicate her from her religion, as far as I can tell.

 

21 hours ago, Desert Rat said:

Based on my admittedly limited understanding of Mormon theology,  the husband has to call a wife by her secret name to bring her into the celestial kingdom. If he chooses not to call her, she's SOL.  They are "sealed" but the husband still has the option of calling her. That's why Meri is sucking up. She wants to be called to the celestial kingdom in the afterlife. Otherwise, all the BS she has endured with Kody is for naught. The "unsealing" comes to play if someone wants to marry someone else. 

I would just like to add that any of the particulars of the Brown family’s form of Mormonism including but not limited to the requirements to get to their heaven are not universal across the different Mormon sects or denominations. The Biggest one, boasting 15 million members, even objects to being referred to as  “Mormon”, largely in an effort to distance itself from the denominations that still practice polygamy.

Initially, The Browns were members of the sect “Apostolic United Brethren” which claims around 10,000 members.  It is my understanding that they are no longer considered members by the AUB, but I’d be willing to bet that the adults still believe in the dogma.

Fun fact from Wiki:

“…The AUB's claims to authority are based around the accounts of John Wickersham Woolley, Lorin Calvin Woolley and others, of a meeting in September 1886 between LDS Church president John Taylor, the Woolleys, and others. Prior to the meeting, Taylor is said to have met with Jesus Christ and the deceased church founder, Joseph Smith, and to have received a revelation commanding that plural marriage should not cease, but be kept alive by a group separate from the LDS Church. The following day, the Woolleys, as well as Taylor's counselor, George Q. Cannon, and others, were said to have been set apart to keep "the principle" alive, including sufficient priesthood authority to perform marriage sealings and pass on that authority…”

Edited January 11, 2022 by kicotan
Fun Fact

[MargeGunderson]

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the Browns being particularly religious, aside from the polygamy. Maybe they were in the earlier days (remember the modesty dressing?) but we don’t see any real sign of religion on the show or in their social media.

[mytmo]

Robin's dance of the 7 veils reminded me of this

[WhatAmIWatching]

2 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I know, right?!  I had to rewind the scenes at Robyn's house because I was stunned at the sheer volume of "art" and tchotchkes on literally every available surface and wall of that mansion.  At one point I saw a set of shelves loaded with figurines that rivaled a clearance sale at my local second-hand shop.  The lack of parity between the wives' homes is beyond unbelievable. 

 

Ah, but Robyn is NOT Meri's friend.  Robyn needs Meri to continue to pine for Kody so Robyn can be the superior HBIC in this family.  If all three wives bail on Kody, then Robyn no longer wins the prize and there's no fun in that - she needs to be envied.  

 

A shower curtain?

Seriously, just looking at that small portion of Robyn's house makes me twitchy - a packed cabinet, some weird random curtain/board thing leaning up against it, a fussy lamp and some Hobby Lobby fake autumn leaves on top, not to mention the chairs that look like something out of a 19th century Victorian castle. And If you look closely, you can see the top of Ariableelobla's dollhouse as an accent piece.  

Is the folding screen to put in front of those giant windows to keep the paparazzi and any "fans" from snapping pics? It looks like there aren't any window coverings.

When they bought the house, didn't it come furnished? I wonder how much of all that stuff is from the old homeowners.

That tchotchke and art coated house reminds me of my Omi and Opi's house. When I was little, I didn't like visiting because there was far too much to look at all over everywhere. She even had a doll room, which freaked me out. All those staring eyes! (I inherited a lot of the art, and it's nicely stored in my attic lol.)

[mytmo]

11 minutes ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

Is the folding screen to put in front of those giant windows to keep the paparazzi and any "fans" from snapping pics? It looks like there aren't any window coverings.

The folding screen is to cover "The Ark of Kody"

[laurakaye]

2 hours ago, Kellyee said:

In the preview for next week, is Gabe about to cry while talking to Kody? If Gabe cries, it's going to make me really sad. 

I noticed that and I will be sad too, especially since we know that no matter what Gabe says to his dad, Kody will probably talk over him and tell him that it's all his fault that the entire family is falling apart.

[islandgal140]

 

19 hours ago, WahooLAH99 said:

Mary is horrible! She made the right choice by abandoning her mother and daughter to stay with Cody, who does not want anything to do with her.  But the other wives are horrible for wanting to be with their children? But really Mary is in a lose lose situation. Her daughter does not want to be with her either. So she was just choosing between two people who both want nothing to do with her!

And in retrospect, what an awful decision that turned out to be. I am wondering if she regretted not spending this last Christmas with her mom given what happens?

 

15 hours ago, Kellyee said:

 

Christine needs to get her story straight. Do you never see Kody, or does he come by 3 times a week? And if Ysabel is in so much pain, why make her sit in a car to drive all the way to Utah?

Christine and her side of the family really come across as such cockeyed optimists. I get the sense that they really didn't account for the post-surgery pain and recovery time and expected a miracle - Ysabel completely pain free after the surgery.  

[Jeanne222]

Robyn fancies herself a decorator hence the mess she calls home. I suspect she’s trying to make the McMansion she acquired later in life a place of love and family acquired junk!  It’s not working. Nobody loves anybody.

Robyn was so fake in her TH trying to make us believe she’s the misunderstood person. Why even her mother said she’s the Brown’s scapegoat!  Oh how she delighted in telling that one!

Did her mother not see the McMansion and she and Kody hand and hand at Victoria’s Secret!

Robyn doesn’t want any of them in her home. You could see her unhappiness with Meri even in her kitchen where she’s queen!

Meri and her joke Turkey was annoying to Robyn. 

She only wants to keep the show going, money pouring in and her lifestyle in tact!

[SongbirdHollow]

2 hours ago, MargeGunderson said:

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t see the Browns being particularly religious, aside from the polygamy. Maybe they were in the earlier days (remember the modesty dressing?) but we don’t see any real sign of religion on the show or in their social media.

Don’t forget Robyn trusting in God to find them a rennal!

[Roslyn]

1 hour ago, WhatAmIWatching said:

Is the folding screen to put in front of those giant windows to keep the paparazzi and any "fans" from snapping pics? It looks like there aren't any window coverings.

When they bought the house, didn't it come furnished? I wonder how much of all that stuff is from the old homeowners.

That tchotchke and art coated house reminds me of my Omi and Opi's house. When I was little, I didn't like visiting because there was far too much to look at all over everywhere. She even had a doll room, which freaked me out. All those staring eyes! (I inherited a lot of the art, and it's nicely stored in my attic lol.)

Yes, that house was an AirBB short term rental filled to the brim with furniture and decorations. I am just guessing, but I have a suspicion that since Robyn didn't "want" the house and was "forced" by Kody to buy the house that she isn't getting rid of anything that came with the house.  That's why we see two dining sets and all her things crammed in and I have a feeling the entire downstairs is chocker full of all of Robyn's second tier of stuff in storage because she wants her Coyote pass house and she isn't going to settle in that one.

[readheaded]

I think Kody's really pissed at Gabe because Gabe has the hair Kody wishes he had. 😁

[UsernameFatigue]

So Robyn was sad that Janelle's kids said they would do whatever Christine wanted, which she took to mean that they didn't really care about seeing Robyn and her spawn. Despise knowing that Janelle's kids were raised by Christine. Janelle's kids would never have been raised by Robyn had she been around then, they would have been raised by Robyn's nanny. So cry me a river, Sobyn.

Kody never wants his wives to share a kitchen? Not a problem since he only has one wife., Merri by his own choice is a friend, Christine has no use for him and Janelle has made it known her kids are more important than Kody (as they should be). Problem solved, KoDouche. 

I continue to shake my head though over Janelle's mind boggling misunderstanding of  monogamous marriages. She likes polygamy because she and her wives understand each other because they are complaining about the same man? I can complain to any of my girlfriends about my hubby and they understand completely. I would imagine it works the same way with men complaining to their friends about their wives. Marriage is marriage. The only difference is that Kody managed to get four women to set their standards low enough to marry him. 

Janelle also talked about how she thought marriage was based on mutual respect. Has Kody ever shown any of his wives mutual respect? Is Janelle finally waking up to how Kody has always been? But yes, there can be marriage based on mutual respect, just not sure if that is possible in polygamy. It is certainly the basis of my monogamous marriage. Maybe you should try it, Janelle. 

 

 

[Absolom]

Rather surprisingly, SW was the second cable show of the day Sunday. 

They had 1811K viewers.