S04.E01 The Universe had Different Plans

[Ms.Lulu]

Life for the Plaths is more different now than ever before. Kim shares a shocking revelation while Moriah hides a massive secret. Ethan and Olivia continue to mend their marriage in Tampa as Micah takes in all that Los Angeles has to offer.

Original Air Date 05.17.22

[SunnyBeBe]

I don’t really follow this show, but caught some portions. Man….it’s a big mess.  It looks like Kim will leave.  Why would anyone mind?  

[Ms.Lulu]

Well, this was a bit disappointing.  I am glad it wasn't as painful to watch as last year.  But it was just lacking.

It was good to see Olivia with Ethan, but they still seem broken.  There is still something lacking in their marriage, mutual attraction.

Moriah seems like a high schooler who has broken up with her first boyfriend. She's lacking maturity to have an adult romantic relationship.

The Kim story line seems manufactured, to keep on the TLC payroll.  This one lacks authenticity.

It will be interesting to see if the show lacks viewers.

43 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I don’t really follow this show, but caught some portions. Man….it’s a big mess.  It looks like Kim will leave.  Why would anyone mind?  

I believe there would be celebrations from Cairo to Tallahassee.

[SunnyBeBe]

Who do you think wrote the comments in Kim’s journal? Whoever wrote it sounds miserable and totally not into their marriage. 

[magemaud]

I’m sorry, not sorry, but I can’t muster up an ounce of sympathy for Kim and her unhappiness 

[gingerella]

47 minutes ago, magemaud said:

I’m sorry, not sorry, but I can’t muster up an ounce of sympathy for Kim and her unhappiness 

Seriously TLC, NObody has any fucks to give about Kim's unhappiness. Not one single iota of a fraction of a millimeter of a fuck. Nada. Nothing. Null. The Empty Set.

[Back Atcha]

3 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

The Kim story line seems manufactured, to keep on the TLC payroll.  This one lacks authenticity.

But the makings for a good sitcom.

[Gharlane]

8 hours ago, Ms.Lulu said:

The Universe had Different Plans.

Life for the Plaths is more different now than ever before. Kim shares a shocking revelation while Moriah hides a massive secret. Ethan and Olivia continue to mend their marriage in Tampa as Micah takes in all that Los Angeles has to offer.

Kim's dissatisfaction with her life doesn't interest me and seems inconsistent with what I've seen of her and her asshole husband, Barry, in the past. Something about Barry rubs me the wrong way but I'm not sure what. Moriah's reaction to Max dumping her seemed a bit overwrought, but as I understand it, her parents didn't let her date, so it's understandable. Ethan and Olivia seemed to be in a better place since last season. Is their roomate from another one of TLC's shows? I thought his initial reaction to seeing Micah was interesting.  🤔 Speaking of which, I'm glad to see Micah is doing well in LA  but wonder what else he has experimented with.

[SunnyBeBe]

Oh, I’m not feeling sympathy for Kim. Just making observations.  I am no fan at all of her or her husband.  I guess I was thinking they might change for the better if they weren’t together.  

[geej]

How come Kim's journal only had one page of writing? But she had to turn that page a few times. Any scene with kim is so woerd. those poor whip-lashed children.

[Spazamanaz]

2 hours ago, Gharlane said:

Kim's dissatisfaction with her life doesn't interest me and seems inconsistent with what I've seen of her and her asshole husband, Barry, in the past. Something about Barry rubs me the wrong way but I'm not sure what. Moriah's reaction to Max dumping her seemed a bit overwrought, but as I understand it, her parents didn't let her date, so it's understandable. Ethan and Olivia seemed to be in a better place since last season. Is their roomate from another one of TLC's shows? I thought his initial reaction to seeing Micah was interesting.  🤔 Speaking of which, I'm glad to see Micah is doing well in LA  but wonder what else he has experimented with.

Their room mate is Olivia's brother.

[bichonblitz]

So did Max cheat? Is that the big secret? Girl, you moved away. He wasn't totally on board with that. The fact that she doesn't help clean the house pisses me off. Who does she think she is? 

Ethan and Olivia have the strangest relationship. I don't see an ounce of chemistry between them. 

Micah has a weird living arrangement. Looks like a real flop house dump he's living in. He can do better.  He's still my favorite, though.

Kim with the dance studio. In Cairo. She hasn't danced in at least 25 years. Let's see how that works out.  

  

 

[magemaud]

42 minutes ago, bichonblitz said:

 

So did Max cheat? Is that the big secret? Girl, you moved away. He wasn't totally on board with that. The fact that she doesn't help clean the house pisses me off. Who does she think she is? 

 

Maybe Max saw her for the self-centered brat that she is. 

Maybe they asked Micah the question about if he would “date a girl who turned out to actually be a boy” is laying the groundwork for a backstory with Olivia’s brother? 

[magemaud]

I took a few years of ballet lessons when I was younger and have done Jazzercise for many years. Why didn’t I think to open a dance studio? 

But all snarking aside, Kim is much more limber than I would expect her to be! There’s no way I could put my leg up and stretch on the barre like that. 

Edited May 18, 2022 by magemaud

[TipseyGirl]

3 hours ago, geej said:

How come Kim's journal only had one page of writing? But she had to turn that page a few times. Any scene with kim is so woerd. those poor whip-lashed children.

That was so dumb. *Thumbing through pages, back and fourth. Back to the first page. "Ah! here it is".*

Also, Kim, your dancing sucks.

[Chicken Fingers]

2 hours ago, geej said:

How come Kim's journal only had one page of writing? But she had to turn that page a few times. Any scene with kim is so woerd. those poor whip-lashed children.

Maybe it was her journal from middle school. It sounded like it. You know how you'd get one as a gift and VOW to write in it every day and then have like, three days of entries total.

I'm kind of fascinated by these repulsive parents. Let's have more clues to their weirdness. The kids are sweet, and I sympathize with them, but I couldn't even finish watching last season because it was all basic teen stuff. 

Belly-dancing Kim, I'm here for it.

[scorp01]

9 minutes ago, TipseyGirl said:

Also, Kim, your dancing sucks.

I was surprised it took awhile for anyone else to post this.  The opening "dance" with Kim and the younger girls was cringeworthy.  I kept looking away from the tv hoping it would end but it seemed to go on and on.  My face was like this 😬 the entire time.

Also...are we to believe that Kim is going to be the instructor at this dance studio?  Because she used to dance 25 years ago?  Yikes.

[magemaud]

8 minutes ago, Chicken Fingers said:

Belly-dancing Kim, I'm here for it.

I could imagine her belly-dancing way more than ballet. 

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

37 minutes ago, scorp01 said:

I was surprised it took awhile for anyone else to post this.  The opening "dance" with Kim and the younger girls was cringeworthy.  I kept looking away from the tv hoping it would end but it seemed to go on and on.  My face was like this 😬 the entire time.

 

To me that came in 2nd to whats-her-face singing in her room and then gliding over to the window. Is this the broke version of high school musical? Why was Moriah all decked out in her leatherware just to go sit at a beach and sing?  I am eagerly waiting for what happened with Max, maybe he cheated on Moriah and got some girl pregnant (speculation) 

[gingerella]

Kim is not a talented dancer. Her 'moves' - and I use that word in its broadest sense - are hilariously bad. Those poor girls, thinking that dance routine is cool in any way. Everything about Kim and Barry is so over scripted and over planned. There is no way she's not troling the internet reading comments. Then again, she actually thinks we give a shit about her or Barry so... Both are so narcissist and so far up their own asses that she probably doesn't give a ahit about what the audience thinks so long as she's still milking that TLC teat. I loathe them both.

And I cannot stomach that obsequious Lydia either. Girl. GIRL! Ain't nobody wants to hear you caterwaul about how much you love Jesus. Even Jesus wouldn't want to hear that tripe. And off key no less! If Jesus was with you, he'd have given you at least basic pitch so you didn't sound like a chicken being killed. Oy. 

My guess is Max got someone pregnant or he was with a guy one night. And not for nothing but a country girl who dresses like a cheap hooked ought not to go to beaches or parks at night. Alone. Wearing skin tight pleather. At least the TLC camera crew was there.

ETA: And Kim, bitch please, nobody for a minute believes that you have been writing in your diary...That was like the sort of diary with a pleather pink cover and a little shitty lock that you'd give a girl of 13 to write down her feelings when she got her first period FFS. 'Oh! I have an idea, can I read you one of my entries?!" Sure Jan.

Edited May 18, 2022 by gingerella

[magemaud]

4 minutes ago, gingerella said:

Girl. GIRL! Ain't nobody wants to hear you caterwaul about how much you love Jesus. Even Jesus wouldn't want to hear that tripe. And off key no less! If Jesus was with you, he'd have given you at least basic pitch so you didn't sound like a chicken being killed. Oy. 

Jesus wept

[magemaud]

18 minutes ago, gingerella said:

There is no way she's not troling the internet reading comments.

If you're reading this, hi Kim! BTW, you suck as a mother and human being

[Chicken Fingers]

Yeah, I can't handle Lydia. At all.

I'm thinking Kim scoured the entire internet to see what was written about them all, and she came up with this new narrative, to make herself and Barry more sympathetic (gag), and to become some version of a Cool Mom to the remaining kids so no one can blame her for sending them out into the world as prepared as the pinkie rats she already raised. This requires miniskirts with a hip hop and a hippity hop. Barry will pretend to brood about Kim's wild mid-life crisis until whatever their religion is puts them back on the blissful path. 

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Maybe my dreams will come true and we see Kim pop open a nice cold Schlitz and roll a joint

[gingerella]

11 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Maybe my dreams will come true and we see Kim pop open a nice cold Schlitz and roll a joint

Whilst wearing her hooker sandals, hoochie mama mini skirt, and her cow cud.

[nosedive]

Though I confess to a morbid curiosity about these people, am I alone in finding them the dullest group that has ever graced reality television?  

 

 

[TipseyGirl]

1 hour ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Maybe my dreams will come true and we see Kim pop open a nice cold Schlitz and roll a joint

No way. This will never happen. She is a PBR girl all the way.

Edited May 18, 2022 by TipseyGirl

[lightninggirl]

Kim definitely looks a lot better with a little weight off and a renewed interest in dressing in something other than frumpy clothing. I don't give a shit about her horrible, unhappy, unfulfilled life - she's made her bed and now she's lying in it. Way to go spending 3 seasons being one of the most unlikeable people on reality television and then expecting us to have one iota of sympathy.

I'm not even going to speculate about Max. He wasn't even remotely ready to get on Moriah's "get out of dodge" train at all. He's dead weight and I'm glad he's not on the show. 

Bless his little pea pickin' heart, but Olivia's brother is so boring I forgot he was even a roommate for the majority of the show.

I'm jazzed for the rest of the season as Tampa is my old stomping grounds. My old roommate danced at Mons and I'm very familiar with the area they're living.

Edited May 21, 2022 by lightninggirl

[Kiss my mutt]

Kim is a ballet dancer as much as she is actually a health food cook (or eater). Her obvious ploy to become more likeable is a major fail and if she’s unhappy-well, good-So was everybody else because of her. Barry is all kinds of creepy awkwardness but would love to see who he is without Kim and pretty much everyone else for that matter. 

[Chicken Fingers]

17 minutes ago, lightninggirl said:

Bless his little pea pickin' heart, but Olivia's brother is so boring I forgot he was even a roommate for the majority of the show.

Someone on Reddit said he stood around like a Sim. lol

[IgnoranceisBLISS]

Did Kim write her journal entries in invisible ink? 😜

[b2H]

My guess is, and always has been, that Kim has never really fully dealt with the horrible accident in which she ran over her toddler son.  I suspect raising the brood of kids that followed was a distraction from dealing with it, but now the older kids are not only leaving the house, they’re leaving the family and not being quiet about exactly why.  And it is mostly Kim that has driven four of her kids away and more may follow.

Kim is at a loss, not having the brood under her wings and some are all but abandoning her. It is all self-inflicted, but Kim will never accept her role in the disintegration of this carefully built family she believed she built.

Kim is in crisis and trying to find a new role for herself.  That could be a lot harder without any support, whether the support has evaporated or she has pushed it away.

Edited May 19, 2022 by b2H

[Gharlane]

17 hours ago, scorp01 said:

I was surprised it took awhile for anyone else to post this.  The opening "dance" with Kim and the younger girls was cringe-worthy.  I kept looking away from the tv hoping it would end but it seemed to go on and on.  My face was like this 😬 the entire time.

Thanks for reminding me: I found it hard to believe that Kim would listen to or dance to either rap or hip hop music, not to mention taking/teaching belly-dancing classes. 

 

16 hours ago, gingerella said:

And I cannot stomach that obsequious Lydia either. Girl. GIRL! Ain't nobody wants to hear you caterwaul about how much you love Jesus. Even Jesus wouldn't want to hear that tripe. And off key no less! If Jesus was with you, he'd have given you at least basic pitch so you didn't sound like a chicken being killed. Oy. 

Is she the one who has a prayer closet?

 

14 hours ago, lightninggirl said:

Bless his little pea pickin' heart, but Olivia's brother is so boring I forgot he was even a roommate for the majority of the show.

OK, I'm going to say it. I think he's family but closeted. 

[magemaud]

19 hours ago, nosedive said:

 

Though I confess to a morbid curiosity about these people, am I alone in finding them the dullest group that has ever graced reality television?  

 

 

And yet they keep getting new seasons to showcase and confirm their dullness 

[magemaud]

4 hours ago, Gharlane said:

Thanks for reminding me: I found it hard to believe that Kim would listen to or dance to either rap or hip hop music, not to mention taking/teaching belly-dancing classes. 

Yes! Weren’t the kids forbidden to listen and/or perform to anything but “Christian” music? 

[lightninggirl]

6 hours ago, Gharlane said:

OK, I'm going to say it. I think he's family but closeted. 

He could be, but I really feel like Max is gay and Micah is at least bisexual (I feel like he's probably gay). I think that if Micah had moved to Tampa and not out to LA, then Max would have been inside the moving van with Micah's belongings so he wouldn't miss a moment with him. It's a shame that if that is accurate, their families have probably forced them into the closet. 💔

[magemaud]

8 hours ago, Gharlane said:

OK, I'm going to say it. I think he's family but closeted.

and not the prayer kind of closet, either! 
Here's my theory about Max's "secret." He came out to Moriah as gay, but probably stopped short of telling her he was attracted to Micah. Micah also has some history with exploring his sexuality with Olivia's brother. To me, it was really telling when production asked Micah how he'd feel about dating a guy and he didn't dismiss the idea like I would expect a totally straight guy would. 

I think that sexual orientation will play a big part in the storylines this season. 

Edited May 19, 2022 by magemaud

[RedDelicious]

I’m 7 minutes in and Lydia’s literal warbling is in the top ten most cringeworthy scenes I have ever witnessed on television. 

But wait! Kim has been on the f*cking XBox playing Dance Dance Revolution.

And has recycled the same move into high heel dance class for the Cloister children in the living room.

And opening a dance studio in Cay-ro.

While Barry sits at his desk huffing his discontent and scowling heavily at his computer wallpaper.

I haven’t even gotten to the older kids yet. 

What in the actual f*ck are we watching and did Kim complete her look with a Chrysler LeBaron convertible and a six-pack of Zima?

[RedDelicious]

On 5/18/2022 at 12:49 AM, Ms.Lulu said:

Moriah seems like a high schooler who has broken up with her first boyfriend. She's lacking maturity to have an adult romantic relationship.

That’s because she actually is all of those things. For me it’s just hard to reconcile because she looks like she’s 39 instead of 19.

I have no patience for someone who doesn’t clean up after themselves, especially in a shared house situation, but I do feel bad for her because going through your first heartbreak is rough. Still. Rinse your coffee cups and at least let them soak with a squirt of dish soap. 

Olivia and Ethan definitely seemed…off. Very uncomfortable. I don’t think living with their younger and very emotionally stunted siblings is doing them any favors and may be why they’re behaving so awkwardly. I wonder if they know what happened with Max and it’s hanging over them like a dark cloud. I guess we’ll find out next week.

Olivia’s brother seems like a sweet kid, just a little goofy. I don’t get a weird vibe from him yet, not in a negative way. He just needs to mature a little. I hope.

[gingerella]

54 minutes ago, RedDelicious said:

I have no patience for someone who doesn’t clean up after themselves, especially in a shared house situation, but I do feel bad for her because going through your first heartbreak is rough. Still. Rinse your coffee cups and at least let them soak with a squirt of dish soap. 

So. Mach. This. Seriously, They need to have a house meeting and tell Moroniah that she needs to do 1/4 of the housework and chores otherwise she has to move out. Period end of story. Where will she go? Back to Mommy Dearest's house and live in Lydia's prayer closet? I think not. Moriah is a pariah. She is a lazy ass leech who does shit to care for herself. Can you even imagine the disgustingness that must be their bathrooms? Gah.

[salvame]

Wow - I had to keep slapping myself to be sure I didn't fall down a rabbit hole or something. Felt like I was in Bazaaro land or an alternate universe. Really strange start to the season. 

[Meowwww]

When they showed Kim and the girls, I totally thought they were making a TikTok.  
Olivia and Ethan have always been a mismatch for me.  She’s so much more sophisticated and worldly than he is.  He seems like he’s 17 years old, knows nothing about the world.  They puzzle me. 
Moriah.  Girl.  Most of us went through our first big breakup as a teen.  The difference is, we were still high school age.  I had a terrible, “life shattering” breakup at 15.   She Aldo puzzles me.  Looks older but acts way younger than her years. 
I think Lydia will be fine in “the real world” in her corner of the world.

[Jeanne222]

I’m surprised Moriah is still alive. Sitting in the beach in the dark with her purse sitting on the table.   Hair, makeup and dress looking like a hooker!

Thank goodness there was a cameraman there!

[geej]

On 5/19/2022 at 10:19 AM, lightninggirl said:

He could be, but I really feel like Max is gay and Micah is at least bisexual (I feel like he's probably gay). I think that if Micah had moved to Tampa and not out to LA, then Max would have been inside the moving van with Micah's belongings so he wouldn't miss a moment with him. It's a shame that if that is accurate, their families have probably forced them into the closet. 💔

Finally! Thanks for saying this. But I can't see Max ready to come out. The BigReveal will be disapponting.

[charmed1]

You guys pretty much covered it all. The singing, the dancing, more singing. All terrible.

One thing I’ve noticed about Ethan is that he is extremely uncomfortable with displays of emotion. When Moriah started crying, Micah sat next to her then put his arm around her. Ethan turned into an actual statue. I don’t think he even blinked. He was completely frozen. When Moriah reached out to hug him, he turned beet red and his left arm went limp so as not to touch Micah. I get that some people aren’t affectionate. I’m one of them. But Ethan’s reaction was off-the-charts weird. Even weirder than Jessa Duggar’s reaction to her sister’s tears. I’m sure this is the result of their weird upbringing, Micah and Moriah seem like they’re able to untangle some of that and provide comfort to one another.

Edited May 23, 2022 by charmed1

[Gharlane]

4 minutes ago, charmed1 said:

I’m sure this is the result of their weird upbringing, Micah and Moriah seem like they’re able to untangle some of that and provide comfort to one another.

I got the impression that being twins, Micah and Moriah have a closer relationship than the other siblings.

[Ms.Lulu]

2 minutes ago, Gharlane said:

I got the impression that being twins, Micah and Moriah have a closer relationship than the other siblings.

Although they seem like twins, Micah Plath is 21 and Moriah is 19.  

I think that once Ethan married Olivia and they started to see the outside world, Micah and Moriah helped each other escape Kim.  Well, escape physically, I think Moriah is still in Kim's web of control.

[Madding crowd]

13 hours ago, Meowwww said:

When they showed Kim and the girls, I totally thought they were making a TikTok.  
Olivia and Ethan have always been a mismatch for me.  She’s so much more sophisticated and worldly than he is.  He seems like he’s 17 years old, knows nothing about the world.  They puzzle me. 
Moriah.  Girl.  Most of us went through our first big breakup as a teen.  The difference is, we were still high school age.  I had a terrible, “life shattering” breakup at 15.   She Aldo puzzles me.  Looks older but acts way younger than her years. 
I think Lydia will be fine in “the real world” in her corner of the world.

Olivia seems more worldly but she had the exact same upbringing as Ethan and her constant talk of wanting the world seems more like she is learning stuff off of social media than any real knowledge. To me Ethan seems more mature because he understands people have to make a living and he is open to new experiences but not quite so thirsty. I follow them on Instagram and they are traveling all over which makes me wonder where they got so much money cause the show can’t pay that much. Since I read that Kim and Barry are followers of the Pearls who advocate beating babies from birth so they get used to it, I have zero interest in anything they have to say. I’m sure they have wised up a bit since being on TV but still.

[Boston]

I don't know if i'm on the right topic.  I figured Max got some chick pregnant.  But.. nooooo.. he KISSED A GIRL.  Are we living in the '50s???? OMG.. for shame.  These people are so stunted.  They make me sick. (and they're 19 years old.. give ma a f'n break. Wait til real life comes for ya)

Edited May 25, 2022 by Boston
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