S17.E11: The Worst Goodbye

[Granny58]

3 hours ago, Adeejay said:

It’s easy to be supportive when it’s not your kid.  

and especially your ONLY kid. 

[Soup333]

When Robyn and Kody came over for the big goodbye, I wonder where Garrison and Gwen had gotten off to. I didn’t notice them outside. 
 

I didn’t notice if Truley was mouthing help when Kody was hugging her but she was acting as if she didn’t want to hug him. Maybe she did it out of obligation the same way Kody showed affection to Christine. 

Edited November 22, 2022 by Soup333

[ZMac]

21 hours ago, whydoievencare said:

Kody talks about how "brokenhearted" he is but he has so much rage too.  And actually, it's only the rage that I see.  I think he's just pissed off that the decision to split was Christine's only.  He had effectively distanced himself from her and her kids in reality.  Like constructive dismissal.  He keeps questioning why Christine couldn't just stay and then maybe the girls would have stayed, but of course can't understand why that wouldn't have been good for Christine.  The two older girls would have left for school anyway and she would have been there with Truly and a "husband" who didn't want to provide for her emotionally.  He accused Christine of not having relationships with her Sister Wives but that wasn't true.  She was close to Janelle, had as much of a relationship that anyone could have with "walls up" Meri and seemed to have a cordial relationship with Robyn. They have all been distanced from each other. I doubt Janelle is any closer to Robyn than Christine is.  Kody seems to think that he was just a stellar husband and has no awareness how much he has let Christine AND Janelle and their kids down.  At the final farewell, I thought Robyn's older girls were just such sullen little fucks - all down to their mother's attitude no doubt.  And trust Robyn to twist Christine's words to her - Christine said she just needed some time away - she did not say she never wanted to see her and her children again.   

I have long thought this about the divorce topic. He is anything but “broken-hearted”. His ego is the only thing broken and he can’t get over the fact that SHE would leave HIM. He is a petulant child because things didn’t go his way so he’s going to trash talk her to anyone that will listen, but blame it on her because, well, she left. Now he’s trying to “repair his relationship” with Janelle, whom he pretty much has zero to do with because she didn’t follow his asinine COVID rules like Sheep Robyn does, but he also doesn’t like that Janelle sees Christine’s side of this, too. And Meri is just plain jealous and pissed at Christine because she wasn’t willing to be the doormat for Kody that Meri has been for Lord knows how many years now. How she has any self-respect left is an absolute mystery. Robyn is shitting pickles because she may well end up Kody’s only wife and be stuck with him every day, all day for eternity. Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for - you just might get it.

[SunnyBeBe]

 Someone else mentioned this, but it really made me lol.  It’s when Mykelti and Tony were sitting at the outdoor table with Kody and Robyn…..Kody makes some bizarre comment and Tony and Mykelti just look dumbfounded…..like in disbelief of Kody’s ignorance…..too funny.  They seemed rather surprised.  I think Robyn noticed it too.  Eventually, Robyn is going to tire of being with a man that others consider an imbecile.   And, while I know many think that Robyn is the favored one, Kody is likely to treat her the same way he has the other wives, once she’s the last one left standing.  

Edited November 22, 2022 by SunnyBeBe

[Cancun]

I’m rewatching tonight and I just have to give props to the editing. As Christine is telling Janelle she doesn’t think Truely would last a weekend staying at Kody’s house, they cut to archive footage of Truely shoveling snow at the Mansion. 

And I was there for  the tight camera shots on Robyn and her sulking daughters at the good riddance gathering.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Cancun

[SemiCharmedLife]

13 hours ago, toodywoody said:

Sooooo let me get this straight. Meri can say that she wants nothing to do with Christine because she isn't a sister wife anymore and Kidney can say he never wants to see Christine again, but Christine saying she needs some space from these mfs, has her being the bad guy.

Right? Just unbelievable!  And, of course, Robyn probably went home and trashed Christine to the kids, saying she doesn't want a relationship with them anymore.  Christine was referring to Robyn and Meri, and she said "at this time," since she was going through so much.  

[Tabbygirl521]

23 hours ago, Tuxcat said:

This episode really demonstrated the exploitation of Truely. Early in the episode, Christine calls Truely to the kitchen to tell her "surprise, we're moving in a week." This was a moment done for the cameras... nothing more... and I shuddered when Christine kept trying to elicit a response. I thought that was bad. Then I watched what Kody did and that was far worse. Either way, the parents are not making great decisions here at all.

Christine also needed to just tell Mykelti no. I'm sure this was a plot device pushed by TLC but come on, enough awkward staged standoffs already. 

Lastly I find it so very ironic that Kody spent decades blaming his wives for not working on their relationships. And now, after 25 years, when two of them finally become actual friends - they are kicking HIM out. Truly poetic. 

It has always seemed to me that any time any of the wives appear to be getting close or having fun, he pouts. 

[Opine]

You guys have made so many great points!  I won't recap those, but I do have a couple of thoughts.

1.  How does Sobyn get the greenlight to go on and on about Christine destroying a family?  Didn't Sobyn do the exact same thing?  

2.  I don't read the current/social media posts, but I would LOVE if on the next show we would see Janelle saying that Christine has it right and packing up that RV and following her!

[MamaGee]

Once again, so many thoughts. First off, Mykelti thinks she is so wise. Her idea for a goodbye from the family completely backfired. She pushed her own desires on the family and it didn't work. She's Kody's child, for sure. And I suspect the reason she and Tony are still involved in the show is that it is quick money that they probably need. She rubs me the wrong way. 

Why the need to socially distance the family outside for the final goodbye??? Kody, your kids are going to school!!!!! They are exposed to far more than they would be at Christine's house. I do not understand. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

22 minutes ago, MamaGee said:

Why the need to socially distance the family outside for the final goodbye??? Kody, your kids are going to school!!!!! They are exposed to far more than they would be at Christine's house. I do not understand. 

That was just a big fuck you to Christine. 

It's so weird watching these people reinvent the wheel like this. It's like they have no idea that other people, monogamous people, divorce and co parent and don't abandon the rest of their family members in the process every damn day. Half siblings are still half siblings. Women who are friends remain friends. People who don't like each other still don't like each other. These people act like they have no idea what to do with each other or the kids because one person decided to divorce her husband. That doesn't make the kids no longer in the family. It doesn't make Christine no longer the person who raised Janelle's kids. They just have so much trouble with this it's ridiculous. She's leaving Kody and moving to Utah. It's not Mars.

[Kellyee]

I found it really interesting that Tony said that Robyn was the only person to initially support his and Mykelti's relationship. From what I saw on earlier seasons of the show, Mykelti and Christine were not close before, and Mykelti seemed to be the black sheep of the family for a while. This was back when everyone else was riding the Maddie and Caleb Love Train. If Robyn was the only one supportive of Tony, that explains why Mykelti won't abandon Robyn now. I wonder if Mykelti also felt second place to Aspyn, who took on the role of second parent in Christine's house and who stayed in college when Mykelti dropped out. 

This family has more alliances and issues than a game of Survivor. 

[Granny58]

13 hours ago, ZMac said:

Robyn is shitting pickles because she may well end up Kody’s only wife and be stuck with him every day

You know what they say...play stupid games, win stupid prizes.  

Someone else mentioned that they didn't think Robyn's girls were sulking but sad and I agree.  I think they really looked sad to see the family divided.  Perhaps I'm naïve.  

[laurakaye]

I'm just sittin' here trying to figure out what went on in Chez Robyn to make Ari tell Christine that she should start dating.

This had to have been planted in her brain somehow by her parents, but given that Kody has stated that he doesn't want Christine to date, lest this mystery man swoop in and steal Kody's piggy bank or whatever, it doesn't make sense for that idea to have been put there by him.  However, Robyn might actually want Christine to start dating if only to keep Kody's anger towards Christine at a consistent Level 10 - Robyn seems to thrive when Kody is pissed off at another wife.  Perhaps also, if Christine starts dating it might mean that Truely wouldn't be visiting as much, due to Kody's tendency to take out his anger with his wives on their children.

On the other hand Ari could've picked it up just by hearing Kody constantly kvetch about the possibility of Christine starting to date again, but in that case - when Ari started going on about dating, why on earth didn't Robyn and Kody shut her down, telling her to shush, with an awkward shrug as if to say, "who knows where she got that from!  Kids, amirite?  But look how adorable she is, the little scamp!"

I don't know why this fascinates me, but it does.  We get so few glimpses inside Robyn and Kody's actual machinations, but I feel like small secrets are being revealed by that precious little chatterbox, Ariabellobla.  I don't think at age 5 my children even knew what a "date" was.  Of course, Ari has older sisters, but I can't figure out in any iteration what would make this child chant "Date!  Date!" to her pseudo-stepmother, who is leaving her father and taking her friend/sister Truely with her.

It's quite the pickle for Kody and Robyn...they want so badly to display their sweet little maniac on teevee for all to see how darn cute she is, but she might be the one to lay bare her parents' evil plots for the audience.  And I am here for it!

Edited November 22, 2022 by laurakaye

[Granny58]

54 minutes ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

they have no idea that other people, monogamous people

it's always been this way.  They have "no idea" how monogamous women get through chores and childbirth and fun with other women without sharing a husband.  That's what they were always touting to us, "see, we have this great support that monogamists don't."  Um, it's called friends and family.  You don't have to share the peen.  

[GeeGolly]

9 minutes ago, Granny58 said:

You know what they say...play stupid games, win stupid prizes.  

Someone else mentioned that they didn't think Robyn's girls were sulking but sad and I agree.  I think they really looked sad to see the family divided.  Perhaps I'm naïve.  

That should be the name of Robyn's thread.

[kassa]

The "reunion" (likely a repeat of filming everybody individually) will not be complete unless they show Kody clips of him talking about how sudden and out of the blue Christine's unhappiness is with the dozens of times she was tearful over the state of their marriage and begging him to help her correct it.  

I don't actually think Kody cares that Christine left - he literally admitted to being relieved, and his interactions with her one on one do not have one iota of the venom of his talking heads or his knife to the kidney performance.  I think he's been fed a steady diet of "how does this make you/us look that you're okay with this?! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY! FIGHT FOR ME! THEY ALL BLAME ME AND YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW IT'S HER!!"  (Not excusing him, just pointing out the very real difference in his behavior with Christine in the various post decision meetings vs the later filmed stuff)

Watching her daughters, all I could think was that she and Kody told them that Robyn outright asked Christine to continue the relationship with the kids and she said she only wanted to stay in touch with Janelle's.  For whatever reason, that part of the family runs on high octane drama, and somebody's stoking it. 

[Granny58]

Just now, kassa said:

The "reunion" (likely a repeat of filming everybody individually) will not be complete unless they show Kody clips of him talking about how sudden and out of the blue Christine's unhappiness is with the dozens of times she was tearful over the state of their marriage and begging him to help her correct it.  

Oh please, please, please!!!

[SemiCharmedLife]

27 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

I'm just sittin' here trying to figure out what went on in Chez Robyn to make Ari tell Christine that she should start dating.

This had to have been planted in her brain somehow by her parents, but given that Kody has stated that he doesn't want Christine to date, lest this mystery man swoop in and steal Kody's piggy bank or whatever, it doesn't make sense for that idea to have been put there by him.  However, Robyn might actually want Christine to start dating if only to keep Kody's anger towards Christine at a consistent Level 10 - Robyn seems to thrive when Kody is pissed off at another wife.  Perhaps also, if Christine starts dating it might mean that Truely wouldn't be visiting as much, due to Kody's tendency to take out his anger with his wives on their children.

My take on Ari's "date!" advice was that it was in response to Christine saying that her and Kody weren't in love anymore.  I think Robyn and Kidney go on a lot of dates together and when Ari throws a fit that they are leaving, they have to explain how important it is for mommy and daddy to date each other.  But, I agree, this kid has heard A LOT of stuff about the other households.  Last week's episode was epic when Ari was pontificating about someone being cut off and leaving.  OMG!

10 minutes ago, kassa said:

I don't actually think Kody cares that Christine left - he literally admitted to being relieved, and his interactions with her one on one do not have one iota of the venom of his talking heads or his knife to the kidney performance.  I think he's been fed a steady diet of "how does this make you/us look that you're okay with this?! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY! FIGHT FOR ME! THEY ALL BLAME ME AND YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW IT'S HER!!"  (Not excusing him, just pointing out the very real difference in his behavior with Christine in the various post decision meetings vs the later filmed stuff)

Watching her daughters, all I could think was that she and Kody told them that Robyn outright asked Christine to continue the relationship with the kids and she said she only wanted to stay in touch with Janelle's.  For whatever reason, that part of the family runs on high octane drama, and somebody's stoking it. 

I believe this is exactly the case.  Robyn is diabolical.  Kidney is such a patsy and putty in her hands...

[MamaGee]

Did anyone else notice Kodouche saying Christine bad mouthed Janelle for 4 years about the big house idea? I seriously doubt that is true. Christine and Janelle definitely had different views about the one house. What do you want to bet Christine questioned to Kodouche why Janelle would want one house after their history while in one and Kodouche can't distinguish between that and bad mouthing someone??

[laurakaye]

13 minutes ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

My take on Ari's "date!" advice was that it was in response to Christine saying that her and Kody weren't in love anymore.  I think Robyn and Kidney go on a lot of dates together and when Ari throws a fit that they are leaving, they have to explain how important it is for mommy and daddy to date each other.  But, I agree, this kid has heard A LOT of stuff about the other households.  Last week's episode was epic when Ari was pontificating about someone being cut off and leaving.  OMG!

This!  Either Ari is wise beyond her years and can take what she's overhearing and apply it to current situations, or Robyn is using Ari as a lil' mini therapist and spilling all the tea to her.  Either way, all five of those kids are going to need therapy for being stuck in that house with a narcissistic nutjob dad and a mom who fake cries all the time.

[GeeGolly]

I believe Christine was talking smack about Janelle, because I think they all threw sideways darts at the other wives, for the last 30 years.

Edited November 22, 2022 by GeeGolly

[Pickleinthemiddle]

14 minutes ago, MamaGee said:

Did anyone else notice Kodouche saying Christine bad mouthed Janelle for 4 years about the big house idea? I seriously doubt that is true. Christine and Janelle definitely had different views about the one house. What do you want to bet Christine questioned to Kodouche why Janelle would want one house after their history while in one and Kodouche can't distinguish between that and bad mouthing someone??

Agree.  Just from what I saw, no one but Janelle seemed even remotely for the one house idea.  Even Kody didn't seem like it was something he really wanted.  Plus add in that the area wasn't zoned for the type of house they were planning on building.

[xwordfanatik]

10 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

It has always seemed to me that any time any of the wives appear to be getting close or having fun, he pouts. 

Absolutely.  Remember that episode that featured Kootie's wife-beater friend Kyle?  The wives were making snow angels, and Kootie made some kind of remark that he found it annoying, or something like that.  

Edited November 22, 2022 by xwordfanatik
clarity

[Tuxcat]

43 minutes ago, MamaGee said:

Did anyone else notice Kodouche saying Christine bad mouthed Janelle for 4 years about the big house idea? I seriously doubt that is true. Christine and Janelle definitely had different views about the one house. What do you want to bet Christine questioned to Kodouche why Janelle would want one house after their history while in one and Kodouche can't distinguish between that and bad mouthing someone??

Or all of the above. Even Janelle admitted finally on this episode..."look you and I have done plenty of complaining about each other." (Christine emphatically says "right") "we've all said very harsh things to Kody, we've said harsh things about each other..."

These wives have been in daily, constant competition for decades. They were not friends. Recall when Christine said no to "one house" it was Janelle who started pressing about "the principle." And when Christine wanted to move to Utah, it was Janelle who said "there's nothing for me in Utah." Of course Christine would complain about that. Who wouldn't?

[Elizzikra]

Quote

Ari tell Christine that she should start dating.

I thought Ari was suggesting that Christine date Kidney so they could fall back in love.

Quote

I don't actually think Kody cares that Christine left - he literally admitted to being relieved, and his interactions with her one on one do not have one iota of the venom of his talking heads or his knife to the kidney performance.  I think he's been fed a steady diet of "how does this make you/us look that you're okay with this?! FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY! FIGHT FOR ME! THEY ALL BLAME ME AND YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THEY KNOW IT'S HER!!"  (Not excusing him, just pointing out the very real difference in his behavior with Christine in the various post decision meetings vs the later filmed stuff)

I don't think he cares in that he is going to miss her but I do think he cares that she did this publicly and as "formally" as she could given that they were never legally married. I think it's a huge blow to his ego and a commentary on his shitty relationship skills. 

Even though he won't say it or admit it, Kidney also knows that Christine's leaving a person rejection of him. She is not divorcing "the family." She fully intends to keep the relationships she has that are healthy, with Janelle and the kids she actually knows. She is rejecting primarily Kidney plus his beloved Robyn and their spawn, and Meri (though I think Kidney doesn't even factor Meri into any of his dubious calculations). I think he would handle it much better if she was leaving the entire family but she isn't and that stings.

[KateHearts]

I know there's a lot of Christine love and "rah rah; you stood up to the beast!" but I got a little irked at her conversation with Truely about the move. She had on her Christine emotional face and was using her soft, reflective voice a little bit too much (I did notice how much Mykelti sounds like her mother when she is talking about fillings and serious topics). The whole "what do you think? How do you feel? Are you ok?" was heavy-handed and it's the kind of mom-talk that makes pre-adolescents and older massively uncomfortable and tends to clam them up.  Not to mention there was a cameraman (or -men) standing three feet from Truely's face. She seems like a wise and introspective 11-year old and I'm sure it didn't get past her that her being the pawn in the "marriage" dissolution makes for some great television.

I gathered that Ari's little outburst regarding "Dating" was due to the fact that her parents go on "dates," as others have mentioned; not that Christine should "date" other men. She obviously has her ears tuned in when Robyn and Kody are having their discussions about the other wives (which, Robyn has told us, don't occur because they all stay out of each others' marriages. Sure, Jan). 

Meri and her smug, snarky face is getting old to me.  Either she realizes that her hypocrisy is showing or she really thinks that Christine is a bad person for finally leaving. We all know what Meri was thinking a few seasons back. She is probably pissed that Christine had the guts to do what she can't and won't (and I'm sure most of the reason Meri "stays" is for TLC $$), and thinks it makes her look righteous and holy for sticking it out (although "it" is a non-relationship with Kody) rather than admitting that she was in Christine's shoes years ago and made another choice.

[salvame]

22 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I'm partial to Christelle, but what does that make the other side of the family - KoRoMe?  RoMeKo?  Mr. & Mrs. Brown and the Barnacle?

I prefer the Troika.

(https://www.google.com/search?client=tablet-android-samsung-nf-rev1&sxsrf=ALiCzsYC5jjDIQ9T8NM6drRKdu_TMTWL4g:1669143172496&q=Troika+definition&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiFsoDvusL7AhXyGVkFHX6NBVMQ1QJ6BAhSEAE&biw=686&bih=1098&dpr=1.75)

[GeeGolly]

50 minutes ago, KateHearts said:

I know there's a lot of Christine love and "rah rah; you stood up to the beast!" but I got a little irked at her conversation with Truely about the move. She had on her Christine emotional face and was using her soft, reflective voice a little bit too much (I did notice how much Mykelti sounds like her mother when she is talking about fillings and serious topics). The whole "what do you think? How do you feel? Are you ok?" was heavy-handed and it's the kind of mom-talk that makes pre-adolescents and older massively uncomfortable and tends to clam them up.  Not to mention there was a cameraman (or -men) standing three feet from Truely's face. She seems like a wise and introspective 11-year old and I'm sure it didn't get past her that her being the pawn in the "marriage" dissolution makes for some great television.

I gathered that Ari's little outburst regarding "Dating" was due to the fact that her parents go on "dates," as others have mentioned; not that Christine should "date" other men. She obviously has her ears tuned in when Robyn and Kody are having their discussions about the other wives (which, Robyn has told us, don't occur because they all stay out of each others' marriages. Sure, Jan). 

And Christine saying to the cameras, "why wait, when we can move now?", then in the next breath, "its all about Truely". If it was all about Truely then they would have moved at the end of the month, which is what Truely thought they were doing.

And Yes, Ari was telling Christine to date her daddy, so then they wouldn't break up and she wouldn't leave.

[magemaud]

22 hours ago, the-grey-lady said:

Me: You. You're the reason. Now fuck off.

Yes, when a man has strained relationships with four different women, what's the Common Denominator? 

21 hours ago, Just Wondering said:

And didn’t Kody just say they couldn’t afford to buy a house?  How can they suddenly buy Christine’s?

I bet Kody has some lame brained scheme about "buying" Christine's house but never giving her a cent. 

[GeeGolly]

26 minutes ago, magemaud said:

Yes, when a man has strained relationships with four different women, what's the Common Denominator? 

I bet Kody has some lame brained scheme about "buying" Christine's house but never giving her a cent. 

Or Kody wanted Janelle to buy the house to keep the money in the family. It seems he may have planned on the profit of that house to pay off CP all along.

(so when Janelle would sell it - that profit)

Edited November 22, 2022 by GeeGolly

[Kellyee]

Quote

Or Kody wanted Janelle to buy the house to keep the money in the family. It seems he may have planned on the profit of that house to pay off CP all along.

(so when Janelle would sell it - that profit)

All Kody's stupidity aside, Janelle should have bought either Christine's house or the rental house when it went up for sale. The RV was just a bad idea. Janelle didn't do enough research on how to work with an RV, and she didn't have reliable assistance in Kody. And it sounds like there was no way that property was going to be paid off soon enough to begin building in less than a year. 

[Tuxcat]

17 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

All Kody's stupidity aside, Janelle should have bought either Christine's house or the rental house when it went up for sale. The RV was just a bad idea. Janelle didn't do enough research on how to work with an RV, and she didn't have reliable assistance in Kody. And it sounds like there was no way that property was going to be paid off soon enough to begin building in less than a year. 

I have to agree. The RV thing was not a wise decision if they had not even obtained proper surveying yet and permits to configure the lots.  What was Janelle thinking? When Kody looked at her and said "Janelle, why are we in here" (pointing the RV) and she said "because I got a lot done," I said out loud. WHAT? WHAT did you get done?

A few seasons ago, Kody was giddy about the money they could make if they subdivided... It seems clear to me that the only one who actually wants to live there is Janelle. And Kody's stalling because he doesn't want her to build a house right in the middle of his future development "we'll be rich!" plans.

Edited November 22, 2022 by Tuxcat

[mythoughtis]

10 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

All Kody's stupidity aside, Janelle should have bought either Christine's house or the rental house when it went up for sale. The RV was just a bad idea. Janelle didn't do enough research on how to work with an RV, and she didn't have reliable assistance in Kody. And it sounds like there was no way that property was going to be paid off soon enough to begin building in less than a year. 

There’s a clip in the spoiler thread where  Janelle explains why she can’t buy  Christine’s house or anyone else’s, have a mortgage  and get a second loan to build on Coyote pass - whenever that would be.  her explanation would  also  be true for Kody and Robyn. 

[gingerella]

11 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

All Kody's stupidity aside, Janelle should have bought either Christine's house or the rental house when it went up for sale. The RV was just a bad idea. Janelle didn't do enough research on how to work with an RV, and she didn't have reliable assistance in Kody. And it sounds like there was no way that property was going to be paid off soon enough to begin building in less than a year. 

I would guess that Janelle has been getting one story from Kotex about CP, while he and Sobyn are cooking up something entirely different. There is no way Sobyn and her needy spawn would ever live out there, never. Poor Janelle doesn't know that. It's just like when Kotex had that convo with Christine about moving back and he was on board, then he went 'home' and probably mentioned it to Sobyn who put the kibosh on it.

[Adeejay]

4 hours ago, Kellyee said:

Mykelti and Christine were not close before, and Mykelti seemed to be the black sheep of the family for a while. 

It seems as though Mykelti and Christine got closer after she got married and became a mother.  When she was a teen, Mykelti appeared to be rebellious.   She seemed to have gotten lost in Aspyn and Maddy's shadows and she wasn't happy about it and made it known.  If the other teens said the sky was blue, she would say it was green.  I am guessing this was the reason she wasn't allowed to do the couch interviews with the older kids.  She threw a hissy fit when she was told that she couldn't have her wedding two months after Maddy's.  The family had to sit her down and explain to her that it was going to take a while to recover, financially.  She seems to be in a good place now.  I believe she had good intentions with the goodbye.  Problem was, she didn't read the room.  

[GeeGolly]

If they really want to build on CP all they would have to do is sell Robyn's house and tough it out in a rental for a year or two. So, yea, no, that's not going to happen.

And I think Janelle is just now figuring this out.

[SemiCharmedLife]

I have to say that Mykelti looked great in her talking head interview, the ones with the more natural hair color.  She looks a lot like Aspen and is very pretty.  

I think she meant well by inviting everyone over to say goodbye to her mom and Truely, even though it turned into a disaster.  She's probably one of the few older kids who are close to Robyn and drinks her Kool Aid.  She probably thought Robyn would want to say goodbye to them, but Robyn has to appear to be the wronged victim again.

[Libby]

Mykelti thinks she knows what's going on in her family. She doesn't. I think it's going to take some more maturity for her to really understand the dynamics of her family.

At her age, I thought I knew it all. Looking back, I knew nothing.

She knows enough to manage her own life, but she's nowhere near understanding how devious and screwed up people can be. She has two really bad people in her family in Kody and Robyn. She's too young to realize how bad they are. Her father's approval is very important to her now. That will change.

[suev3333]

On 11/21/2022 at 2:55 PM, KateHearts said:

body language 101: Robyn and her brood stand with icy stares and crossed arms while others are trying to say goodbye to Christine. Also, the minute they arrive, Kody threatens to leave because it's about to rain. At the end he says "we're outta here." His lame gestures to poor Truely were not lost on the audience. He barely hugged her and gave her a limp promise to "video

Absolutely this....^^       he's such an cold, mean asshole

[mythoughtis]

11 hours ago, Libby said:

Mykelti thinks she knows what's going on in her family. She doesn't. I think it's going to take some more maturity for her to really understand the dynamics of her family.

At her age, I thought I knew it all. Looking back, I knew nothing.

She knows enough to manage her own life, but she's nowhere near understanding how devious and screwed up people can be. She has two really bad people in her family in Kody and Robyn. She's too young to realize how bad they are. Her father's approval is very important to her now. That will change.

Her opinion will change as her children grow up.  She’s already  learning the difference between her parents and herself in terms of the marriage  experience, but she’s just starting out as a parent.  As these three children grow and they get into school, she’s going to start realizing what she didn’t get from Kody as a father, how Christine being a single mother on food stamps affected her.  She’s going to want her children to have better.   

I hope that Robyn fades from her life over time as MyKelti  comes to realize what polygamy ( in general) and adding Robin cost her family. 

[GeeGolly]

I don't know... my parents weren't perfect and my husband and I were not perfect parents. Its my experience adult kids don't spend a lot of time condemning their parents for less than stellar parenting.

Most parents do the best they know how to do. Kody was basically an absent, but present, parent because that is what polygamy does. It not only pits the wives against each other but it also pits the wives/moms against the kids in the form of time. But this is what it was. I don't think any of the Brown kids felt/feel unloved by Kody - not even Truely.

With that said, many of the adult kids might think their dad is a total douchebag, but it doesn't mean they want to write him off. Their view of Kody starts with love. Our view (most of us) of Kody started with dislike and turned to disgust. That leap is pretty easy. I'm guessing most of the kids are fine with Kody.

[bichonblitz]

I never thought they would manage to squeeze a full season out of the breakup but they sure have. This departure could have been put in to one (maybe two) episode at most. The goodbye was so forced, fake and boring to watch. TLC planned that for sure. 

I'm looking forward to Janelle and Kooty going at it next episode, though. "I want my OWN house"!! Tell him, girl! Also looking forward to seeing Christines new digs. Let's move it up and move it out already! 

[TurtlePower]

8 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I don't know... my parents weren't perfect and my husband and I were not perfect parents. Its my experience adult kids don't spend a lot of time condemning their parents for less than stellar parenting.

Most parents do the best they know how to do. Kody was basically an absent, but present, parent because that is what polygamy does. It not only pits the wives against each other but it also pits the wives/moms against the kids in the form of time. But this is what it was. I don't think any of the Brown kids felt/feel unloved by Kody - not even Truely.

With that said, many of the adult kids might think their dad is a total douchebag, but it doesn't mean they want to write him off. Their view of Kody starts with love. Our view (most of us) of Kody started with dislike and turned to disgust. That leap is pretty easy. I'm guessing most of the kids are fine with Kody.

I can’t speak for any of the Brown kids but can speak for myself — my own dad was kind of a d-bag. I grew up living in fear of making a mistake or not doing something correctly and he was very bossy and critical of my mom. It took me a while to figure out and accept that he was just not a nice person. I didn’t completely “write him off” but I was very guarded during visits home when he was sick and couldn’t even stay in the house at night — I’d stay during the day and help my mom out but go at the end of the day to preserve my sanity. He hated me for that I think, because he gossiped about it to other family members. They didn’t get the whole story until I shared my side of it. When he finally died I felt relief for my mom. She’d suffered years of emotional abuse.

I suspect that if any of the Brown kids watch the show and talking heads, they’d start feeling a different way about Kody. Some of them have already spoken up against him. Kody may show affection to the young children, but it sure changes when they get older (and aren’t Robyn’s). Gwen has already said he’s nicer on the show — I can’t imagine what they dealt with when the film crew wasn’t on site. I also think some of the kids may be too scared to speak up. 

[Scarlett45]

38 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Her opinion will change as her children grow up.  She’s already  learning the difference between her parents and herself in terms of the marriage  experience, but she’s just starting out as a parent.  As these three children grow and they get into school, she’s going to start realizing what she didn’t get from Kody as a father, how Christine being a single mother on food stamps affected her.  She’s going to want her children to have better.   

I hope that Robyn fades from her life over time as MyKelti  comes to realize what polygamy ( in general) and adding Robin cost her family. 

I think its possible to realize where your parents made mistakes (as parents as people), and want to different choices for your own life but still look on your upbringing with love and admire/want to emulate some things. 

16 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

I don't know... my parents weren't perfect and my husband and I were not perfect parents. Its my experience adult kids don't spend a lot of time condemning their parents for less than stellar parenting.

Most parents do the best they know how to do. Kody was basically an absent, but present, parent because that is what polygamy does. It not only pits the wives against each other but it also pits the wives/moms against the kids in the form of time. But this is what it was. I don't think any of the Brown kids felt/feel unloved by Kody - not even Truely.

With that said, many of the adult kids might think their dad is a total douchebag, but it doesn't mean they want to write him off. Their view of Kody starts with love. Our view (most of us) of Kody started with dislike and turned to disgust. That leap is pretty easy. I'm guessing most of the kids are fine with Kody.

Yeah, my parents/caregivers weren't perfect either, and as my Mother says "parents are just people having sex" (yes of course I know not all people become parents through sex). I think Mykelti likes Robin as a person, and wants everyone to get along, even though Christine is leaving Kody. Of course thats not always possible, but I dont blame Mykelti for wanting that (if only because it selfishly it makes her life easier, and she has ever right to like Robyn as a person).

I can believe Mykelti, and even Truely love Kody has their father, and have affection for him, but dont expect much, or as much as they would from Christine or Janelle as far as emotional support or care. Its rare to be completely estranged from a parent that participated in your upbringing (of course that happens for a variety of reasons) but there is a lot of social, economical and emotional pressure to keep up some relationship with your biological parent who participated in raising you, even if you dont like them much as a person. 

[Granny58]

25 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Its my experience adult kids don't spend a lot of time condemning their parents for less than stellar parenting.

I think it depends on what way one has been affected. 

[Libby]

I think that Kody did much worse than not be perfect or make mistakes. All parents are not perfect and make mistakes, but most try everyday to be good parents.

Kody, on the other hand slowly abandoned his non Robyn children over the years. He stopped even trying to parent them.

I think that Mykelti realizes that the only way to have a relationship with Kody is to kiss up to Robyn. At this stage of her life, a relationship with him is still important to her so she'll do what she has to do.

I think that as she matures, the desire for a relationship with Kody will diminish somewhat and she won’t jump through hoops to please him. She's still very young. I think she'll eventually see Robyn and Kody for who they are.

[GeeGolly]

Just now, Granny58 said:

I think it depends on what way one has been affected. 

For sure. And I by no means am speaking of abuse, although many abused kids still love their parents even as adults.

From my view looking in, I see polygamy as the biggest problem with Kody coming in a close second. The kids grew up in polygamy, much of what they experienced was, IMO, was the emotional abuse of polygamy. Polygamy is a common denominator along with Kody.

I think Kody sucked and stills sucks as a parent, but I don't think he had much to do with the day to day of raising his kids. I'm going to guess his older kids don't spend a lot of time thinking about Kody. And for the ones who watch Sister Wives, I think they'll mostly think he was a shitty husband.

Even seeing his horrible treatment of Truely is this episode. They'll probably see it as awful, something to be mad about, and then move on.

I could be completely wrong, and maybe Kody was a monster of a dad, but like I said in an early post, I think he was more of a dad who came around for a few days and then was gone for a few days. 

[Absolom]

When you look at how little interaction most of the older kids have with Kody, that tells a big story about how he's viewed and how well or not he parented.  Logan seems to give Kody about as much care and attention as he received from Kody - virtually none.  Mykelti seems an outlier.  

[dariafan]

So ariellllllllllllle can pester some poor little girl she doesn’t even know and hold her hand and stuff , but wasn’t allowed to hug her own sister ?    Please I hope this addressed on a tell all or something 

[laurakaye]

23 hours ago, Tuxcat said:

I have to agree. The RV thing was not a wise decision if they had not even obtained proper surveying yet and permits to configure the lots.  What was Janelle thinking? When Kody looked at her and said "Janelle, why are we in here" (pointing the RV) and she said "because I got a lot done," I said out loud. WHAT? WHAT did you get done?

I too was wondering what she meant when she said she got a lot done.  Did she mean saving money for CP?  Clearing the tumbleweeds from the property and chasing away the prairie dogs?  Mining the plague pond for gold?  I was of the mind that she bought that RV and parked it square on CP (hopefully directly in Robyn's line of vision from the turret in her mansion) to call Kody's bluff about building, and/or to have a means of escape if it turned out Coyote Pass was just a pipe dream.  But she seemed genuinely frustrated when she told Kody that she'd gotten a lot done.  I hope we get more of the scoop in the next episode.

Edited November 23, 2022 by laurakaye