S18.E07: Throwing in the Towel

[SemiCharmedLife]

Kody just admitted why he was stringing along Christine and Janelle!  He has drunk Robyn's Koolaid and believes her when she says she wants the plural family.  He said he doesn't want Robyn to disapprove of him if he "abandons" his other wives.  Kody must be the most naive one of the bunch (and there are several who are quite naive) if he has fallen for Robyn's bs.  

[OldWiseOne]

5 hours ago, SongbirdHollow said:

Christine was a leeetle too gleeful about Janelle’s separation. 

Not gleeful enough if you ask me.

[NoWhammies]

1 hour ago, ButterQueen said:

I personally think Robyn is happy Meri is leaving.  

I don't. If she doesn't have Meri around to be "better than" and to manipulate, all she is is a frumpy monogamous wife of an angry misogynist. Meri hanging around gave her legitimacy as queen bee, and it also gave her somebody to validate her totally romanticized view of polygamy. 

[eskimo]

3 hours ago, ezzy4 said:

I assume she's talking about separating the family income streams/ monies in general, right?  Like when she told Sobyn she was "moving her business" she meant "out of Sobyn's reach"... but hasn't actual said that out loud and it appears Sobyn just doesn't even slightly see what is obviously coming.

Oh yeah, I didn't think about that. If that's the case there really doesn't need to be any conversation at all then. Just don't deposit anymore money in the 'family' pot. No convo needed and don't answer their calls. 😄  Regarding show money, there isn't shit that Kody and Robyn can do if the other wives insist on negotiating their own contracts with TLC.  That's between them and the network.  The money that has already been unequally distributed is probably a lost cause. 

  Although now that I think of it, at this time they were all still in the Coyote Pass private loan debacle together, minus Christine.  So that sucks for them, but they all saw what was going on and still fell for it, so 🤷‍♀️. 😉😁  Meri would be fine, but Janelle really stepped in it financially.  

Edited October 2, 2023 by eskimo
To add

[MsMalin]

Hadn't seen it in a while and was totally flabbergasted when they showed the aerial shot of Meri's home. She lives there alone while Janelle is crammed into a small apartment.

Edited October 4, 2023 by MsMalin

[Kbo]

4 minutes ago, NoWhammies said:

I don't. If she doesn't have Meri around to be "better than" and to manipulate, all she is is a frumpy monogamous wife of an angry misogynist. Meri hanging around gave her legitimacy as queen bee, and it also gave her somebody to validate her totally romanticized view of polygamy. 

When Robyn said she was torn between begging Meri to stay or telling her to go be free and happy, I took that to mean she’s dying to tell Meri to go away but can’t because of the show 😏. I do think she enjoys lording her relationship with Kody over Meri, but not enough to want her around. Robyn is not Meri’s friend. 

Also, this season is so boring. Nothing is happening, just lots of staged conversations in that Mexican restaurant.  Much as I enjoy snarking on these fools, it’s time to pull the plug on the show and enter the next phase of their disintegration - life without the show money. Now that will be interesting to watch!

[Elizzikra]

2 minutes ago, Kbo said:

When Robyn said she was torn between begging Meri to stay or telling her to go be free and happy, I took that to mean she’s dying to tell Meri to go away but can’t because of the show 😏. I do think she enjoys lording her relationship with Kody over Meri, but not enough to want her around. Robyn is not Meri’s friend. 

I took it to mean that Robyn wants her to “stay” (in that same, largely absent way that she is there now) but recognized that any decent, well-intentioned person could see how miserable Meri is and would tell her to do what makes her happy (leave). Robyn probably isn’t that person but wants to appear to be that person.

13 minutes ago, eskimo said:

Oh yeah, I didn't think about that. If that's the case there really doesn't need to be any conversation at all then. Just don't deposit anymore money in the 'family' pot. No convo needed and don't answer their calls. 😄  Regarding show money, there isn't shit that Kody and Robyn can do if the other wives insist on negotiating their own contracts with TLC.  That's between them and the network.  The money that has already been unequally distributed is probably a lost cause. 

 

I wonder if, when they set up the Brown Family LLC or whatever entity the family used to contract with and be paid by TLC, they included some sort of non-compete to prevent the core family members from contracting and being paid as individuals? I’m sure they also included a non-disclosure to prevent them from discussing the terms of their contract.

[SemiCharmedLife]

6 hours ago, Art Of Noiz said:

I will be on  wait list for that book! I have wished for Janelle to have already  started it. 

Now if Kody or Robyn write a book, I would never read it.  I don't even want to support them by watching this show, and wish they were off it, except for twice a year updates on Robyn's new job at the fast food joint and Kody's swiftly dwindling hair follicles.

[altopower]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

I wonder if, when they set up the Brown Family LLC or whatever entity the family used to contract with and be paid by TLC, they included some sort of non-compete to prevent the core family members from contracting and being paid as individuals? I’m sure they also included a non-disclosure to prevent them from discussing the terms of their contract.

Non-disclosure, probably. But I don't think any of them were smart enough to set up something about core family members from individual contracts. Kody had them all wrapped up at the beginning and they did what he said. I know he renegotiated terms for a smaller payout but even then they were still one family. He didn't have a clue that Christine was thinking of leaving, much less Janelle or Meri, much as he didn't want to have anything to do with her.

He really is a worthless person.

[eskimo]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

I wonder if, when they set up the Brown Family LLC or whatever entity the family used to contract with and be paid by TLC, they included some sort of non-compete to prevent the core family members from contracting and being paid as individuals? I’m sure they also included a non-disclosure to prevent them from discussing the terms of their contract.

Ooohh, that is something I hadn't thought of at all.  I could see it both ways because Kody would love to bind the wives to this, but to do so he'd have to bind himself as well. I wonder which part of him would win out!  The only reason I don't think they have a non-compete at this time is because we know Kody and Robyn established their own entertainment LLC. And if I remember correctly Janelle established her own LLC as well, although I don't know if it's an entertainment LLC.  If there is an NDA I hope it has an expiration date because I need one of the OG's to spill it! 😁

[endure]

OMG I'm just watching this episode.  Robyn is such a wicked bitch, and she just constantly says stuff then acts like she has no idea.  I go from bursting out laughing at her to wanting to hit her over the head with a cast iron skillet.  It's no wonder no one likes her.  And has she ever laughed or even smiled?  I think her crap is backing up into her throat!

[endure]

12 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

For those who haven’t seen it and don’t want to waste an hour of your life, a recap of the most boring episode of the series.

Mari meets with Sobbyn at her house.  Sobbyn can’t take any more heavy stuff.  Meri coyly skirts around the fact that she’s going to skedaddle to the B&B but will still be part time in Flagstaff hoping Kootie will see the light and take her back.  Sobbyn sits staring blankly.  This goes on forever.

Janelle and Christine meet at apparently the only restaurant in Flagstaff that will allow them inside.  Janelle says she and Kootie are separated and it’s a weight off her shoulders.  Kootie still hasn’t made contact weeks after their meeting nor has he gone to counseling (surprise, surprise).  Christine offers support.

There is a brief scene of the only children worthy of notice racing around on their dirt bikes and a short, pointless interview with the tenders.

Sobbyn denies being involved in any of the problems.  She is not to blame!

Kootie comes on and blathers hateful nonsense, contradictions, and lies.

That’s it, folks.

So horribly boring, I had to come back 4 or5 times because I kept dozing off then rewinding and every scene looked the same so it would take me forever to find the place where I stopped.  There is no show here, this is so ridiculous.

At one point Robyn says.... I'm mourning the loss of my family - then immediately cuts to Meri, and she says.... Robyn hasn't reached out a lot.

[xwordfanatik]

So according to Sobbyn, Christine "just destroyed his (Kootie's) past."

Well Sobbyn, YOU chose to erase Kootie's "past" with Christine by replacing her's and Kootie's children with YOUR three kids with Mr. Jessop.  

Does Sobbyn ever listen to herself and her lies/bullshit/projection?  

1 hour ago, endure said:

OMG I'm just watching this episode.  Robyn is such a wicked bitch, and she just constantly says stuff then acts like she has no idea.  I go from bursting out laughing at her to wanting to hit her over the head with a cast iron skillet.  It's no wonder no one likes her.  And has she ever laughed or even smiled?  I think her crap is backing up into her throat!

You'll need to pass that skillet around to those of us who can see right through Sobbyn!  😡

[BnJJ]

Why does Robyn - divorced Robyn - have such an incredibly impossible time understanding how other people can get divorced?   She's constantly saying that the others just 'need to work their stuff out' that things 'can't be so bad that they can't be resolved', etc.  Then why isn't she still married to David (is that his name?)?

I have no idea if she's claimed physical abuse by David but, regardless, not everything can be worked out as she well knows firsthand.  She needs to shut it.

And Meri going on about how only she and Robyn are willing to have the hard conversations that are needed to repair this family?  Oh my lanta, I've never encountered a group of less self-aware people in my life.

Also, this seasons is so incredibly boring.

Edited October 3, 2023 by BnJJ

[UsernameFatigue]

This episode would have been much more entertaining had Christine and Janelle, and Meri and Robyn had their meetings at the restaurant, at the same time, at different tables. 

So Robyn says she is depressed that her plural lifestyle has become monogamous. Kody (according to the previews) thinks he has the perfect relationship with Robyn. And that the only reason that he hasn't left his other three wives is that Robyn would lose respect for him. Interesting that religion plays no part in the reason he hasn't left any of them. But not surprising. 

Meanwhile, Janelle wants a sign from God to know that leaving Kody is the right thing to do, and that He would be alright with it.  God has been giving you signs for a long time Janelle, in the form of Kody. You just have been ignoring them.

I can't imagine this show being renewed for another year, unless they drop Kody and Robyn and follow the lives of the three Kody - free wives. 

 

[endure]

4 hours ago, SemiCharmedLife said:

Now if Kody or Robyn write a book, I would never read it.  I don't even want to support them by watching this show, and wish they were off it, except for twice a year updates on Robyn's new job at the fast food joint and Kody's swiftly dwindling hair follicles.

I doubt Robyn has ever had a job and never will.  

[endure]

13 minutes ago, UsernameFatigue said:

This episode would have been much more entertaining had Christine and Janelle, and Meri and Robyn had their meetings at the restaurant, at the same time, at different tables. 

So Robyn says she is depressed that her plural lifestyle has become monogamous. Kody (according to the previews) thinks he has the perfect relationship with Robyn. And that the only reason that he hasn't left his other three wives is that Robyn would lose respect for him. Interesting that religion plays no part in the reason he hasn't left any of them. But not surprising. 

Meanwhile, Janelle wants a sign from God to know that leaving Kody is the right thing to do, and that He would be alright with it.  God has been giving you signs for a long time Janelle, in the form of Kody. You just have been ignoring them.

I can't imagine this show being renewed for another year, unless they drop Kody and Robyn and follow the lives of the three Kody - free wives. 

 

Yeah, Robyn said that she never wanted a monogamous lifestyle so I sure hope Kody brings home some young pretty wives to join in.  

Janelle is no longer in any marital relationship with Kody from what I read online, so she must have seen the light. She is still living in Flagstaff I believe.

I too can't imagine this show continuing but it's TLC and they never know when to quit

 

[Elodia]

16 hours ago, ezzy4 said:

Meri: i'm gonna move away from Flagstaff.  It doesn't make sense for me to live here anymore.

Sobyn: i completely understand, but you will still live in Flagstaff, right?

Meri: Yep

______

Kody: i don't want to be married to Meri anymore.  I wish she'd just leave.

Meri: Since Kody is adamant he doesn't doesn't want to be married to me, i guess i'll just leave.

Sobyn:  i completely understand, but you two will remain married living in Flagstaff, right?

Kody & Meri (in unison): Yep

____

Wth r we watching?

 

 

 

 

 

Where's the facepalm-button when I need it?

[HoneyBeach]

18 hours ago, Roslyn said:

I think this is a really poignant theory. I think this is also why Robyn did a few odd things in the beginning of the show. She mentions in the book talking to the producer (Tim?) that she already knew everyone would hate her and she needed a "soft edit". Also, after they all joined Twitter and would tweet while live watching the show, Robyn was actually active on Twitter. There was a time when she announced she would answer questions...and she truly truly thought that she could explain to everyone her point of view and settle the debate that she was actually a loving and sweet person.  It was an absolute disaster. And one more being when she opened a like page on Facebook with the lovely Kendra as admin. Anyone still around from CJ's blog days may remember the catastrophe that was the Facebook/Twitter days that was also ended up tied in with the catfish eventually.

 

As for my point of view...again I am at an unusual loss for words. My one take away is wondering if the local governing bodies in Flagstaff would approve of a drainage catch pond being used in the off season as a quad runner race track. I live in the country and had a "neighbor" over the mountain a good mile away run dirt bikes and quads through trails on his property. It makes a hell of a noise...even far away with lots of trees... and it makes a mess of the property. I really don't think they should be destroying the banking/grading of the pond.

And if that was Brianna on the mini bike...it looked like her first time.

OH! A thought...Lots of people have noticed on Christine's social media that she seems to be posting snarky jabs at Kody... After her giggly teen girl style lunch with Janelle it is pretty obvious she is really ready to pick and jab at him in general. It just reinforces that Christine is not love and light but can be mean girl right back.

I say "GOOD", from what we've been shown on the show, she's earned it. If she has the opportunity to jab, do it. It's entertaining to her followers and us snarkers as well and maybe it's helping her heal.

[laurakaye]

On 10/2/2023 at 4:00 AM, Yeah No said:

I also think she realizes that it was HIM that sold her the bill of goods about the "happy family" to get her to want to marry him, but she hasn't admitted that publicly.  When she says she feels "tricked", who is tricking her?  She is quick to blame the other wives for that, but it's really HIM that tricked her.  Either she is in denial about that or unwilling to admit it and shifting the blame to the other wives.

Loved your entire post but this is a very interesting take.  I have zero tolerance for Robyn and her constant sob-stories about how she's the real victim in all of this family drama, but if your thought is true, this puts her in a bizarre situation.  If she's of the mind that Kody tricked her, and he was her ticket out of single motherhood, then she might feel like she absolutely cannot blame him for it - she HAS to blame the other wives.  If she confronted him about it, she potentially ends up just like the OG3, with a very part-time husband and a father who takes out his anger on the kids of whatever wife he's currently the most pissed-off with - she's watched it happen over and over again.

She might just be well and truly f****** being married to Kody Brown, but wow, are they two peas in a pod.  She's certainly not helping in any way to heal this family, and now she gets Mr. Ragey-Eyes all to herself.

 

21 hours ago, SongbirdHollow said:

Christine was a leeetle too gleeful about Janelle’s separation. 

I love her glee.  I always thought she was the least likely OG wife to leave.  The fact that she clearly got some therapy to deal with her husband's raging narcissism and left him first is quite the surprise.  Watching the show where it is (early '22, maybe?), she's extricated herself from most of the tangled Brown family web and feeling fine.  Now, she gets to watch as the other wives take a look at their own lives and find out for themselves if they'd be better off with Kody.  It's like Christine did the really hard thing first and came out spectacularly on the other side - now she can watch Janelle do the same.

 

9 hours ago, UsernameFatigue said:

Meanwhile, Janelle wants a sign from God to know that leaving Kody is the right thing to do, and that He would be alright with it.  God has been giving you signs for a long time Janelle, in the form of Kody. You just have been ignoring them.

THIS!!

 

I would also prefer keeping Sol and Ari off my screen.  Sol seems very well-spoken and smart for his age, but I can't help feeling like he isn't comfortable being interviewed - maybe I just feel bad for him.  I had to rewind Ari's portion three times and I still don't know what she was saying, but I gave up.  Leave the Tenders out of it, I'm sure they have plenty to deal with just living in that house with all that drama and dysfunction.  They don't need to sit there recounting past events and trying to make sense out of it.

[dariafan]

13 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

So according to Sobbyn, Christine "just destroyed his (Kootie's) past."

Well Sobbyn, YOU chose to erase Kootie's "past" with Christine by replacing her's and Kootie's children with YOUR three kids with Mr. Jessop.  

Does Sobbyn ever listen to herself and her lies/bullshit/projection?  

You'll need to pass that skillet around to those of us who can see right through Sobbyn!  😡

I have a set !  So 5 people at a time can have a go !  And she looked weird in her scene with meri.  Like she was trying to sit up and not bring attention to her neck 

[Adeejay]

Is it polygamy if a man has a secret second family in another state that only he knows about? Asking for a friend.  

[surfgirl]

A lot of folks are complaining about Meri not calling Robbyn out for her bullshit, BUT, you KNOW Robbyn watches the show, and now she gets to see Meri calling her out on the side. Like when Meri talks positively about Christine, I wish we could see Robbyn's face when she watches that clip, and others. Her frown probably hit the ground!

 

[laurakaye]

2 hours ago, dariafan said:

And she looked weird in her scene with meri.  Like she was trying to sit up and not bring attention to her neck 

So many times when there's a conversation between two of the wives, it looks incredibly stilted and awkward.  I'm sure a lot of these meetings are probably semi-scripted in that they are told to get together and discuss a certain thing for the cameras, so it's weird anyway.  But especially with Robyn and Meri, they look like they're both made of thick cardboard and are having trouble adjusting their limbs.  You're right about Robyn, she was just sittin' there on Meri's couch looking like she was balancing on one butt cheek while Meri kept trying to pull her size XS navy LuLaNo jacket over her shirt, as one does when one is inside one's house.  And if it's not that, it's them meeting up on someone's snow-covered driveway while one of them is dressed for summer and wondering why it's so cold.

It was a hilarious dichotomy between Janelle and Christine talking semi-naturally while enjoying nachos, and Robyn and Meri who looked like two cantaloupes trying to have a conversation.

Edited October 3, 2023 by laurakaye

[zamp33]

Quote

And Meri going on about how only she and Robyn are willing to have the hard conversations that are needed to repair this family?  Oh my lanta, I've never encountered a group of less self-aware people in my life.

Also, this seasons is so incredibly boring.

That was infuriating that Meri said that - because when Meri asked Kody and Robyn about inviting Janelle's boys over for Christmas eve Robyn said "that would be scary.." that does not sound like someone who can have a hard conversation when Robyn cannot put aside differences to extend an invitation for Christmas Eve. 

This last episode was very painful to watch - it was so slow - it could have been 5 minutes and we would have learned exactly the same thing.

 

 

[WhatsUpDummy]

On 10/2/2023 at 2:52 PM, Roslyn said:

OH! A thought...Lots of people have noticed on Christine's social media that she seems to be posting snarky jabs at Kody... After her giggly teen girl style lunch with Janelle it is pretty obvious she is really ready to pick and jab at him in general. It just reinforces that Christine is not love and light but can be mean girl right back.

Christine spent 25 years with an emotionally abusive narcissist who repeatedly denigrated her and insulted her.  A few snarky (and completely true) comments from her hardly makes her a mean girl.  

Edited October 3, 2023 by WhatsUpDummy

[SDVegas]

On 10/2/2023 at 12:52 PM, Roslyn said:

.Lots of people have noticed on Christine's social media that she seems to be posting snarky jabs at Kody... After her giggly teen girl style lunch with Janelle it is pretty obvious she is really ready to pick and jab at him in general. It just reinforces that Christine is not love and light but can be mean girl right back.

And she has every right to be

[endure]

9 hours ago, HoneyBeach said:

I say "GOOD", from what we've been shown on the show, she's earned it. If she has the opportunity to jab, do it. It's entertaining to her followers and us snarkers as well and maybe it's helping her heal.

Why not, it seemed like Robyn was delighting in taking jabs at her (Christine) in this episode.  

[Meow Mix]

One of the few bright spots in this episode was when Meri finally told Robyn to her face that Kody was done with her (Meri).  Then Meri had to try to keep a straight face while Robyn told that weak sauce lie that Kody was always talking about living on the property with Meri.  

I think they all watch the show and have heard what is said in the TH interviews.  I know Kody complained about what Janelle said, so she pointed out that he had called her names and been generally rude.

When Sobbyn said she was not a victim, my eyes rolled so far I saw my own brain.  Between complaining about her ex stealing her cookie and her kids not being loved enough and the other wives being mean to her, she has been nothing but a victim.  I love that the editors hate her.  She claimed she never said anything against the other wives, then they immediately cut to her badmouthing Christine to Meri.  Apparently Christine is a time traveler since she stole Kody's past or something.  But the cherry on top was when she complained that others had made decisions for her.  No one made a decision for her, they made decisions for themselves.  She is not the center of everyone's universe like she thinks she is.

And what is Kody supposed to do?  The list is too long to recite here, but how about calling his daughter who he blew off at Christmas because he was pissed at her mom and apologizing?

[Kellyee]

I like when Meri briefly acts as the unlikely voice of reason in her talking heads and doesn't back up the things that Robyn and Kody accuse Christine of. But I wish she would call Robyn and Kody out on their crap to their faces. I also wish Meri would stop pathetically saying there might still be a chance with Kody. 

That being said, I'm not sure if it is really Kody or Janelle who doesn't want to be married to each other anymore. Kody seems to want Janelle back and Janelle seems totally over it. Maybe she should just acknowledge that and stop with the "My religion won't allow it" talk. In all of Janelle's cluttered living spaces, I've never spotted a single bible. 

I suspect that Christine gossips way too much with her own kids and Janelle's kids. For someone who wanted out of the family, Christine can't seem to get enough of the dirt. She shouldn't be talking to Janelle's kids about Janelle's marriage/separation when Janelle isn't there. 

[Texasmom1970]

On 10/2/2023 at 4:59 PM, OldWiseOne said:

Not gleeful enough if you ask me.

I agree 100%! They all need to throw a party for finally being free of that sad excuse of a man.

I am watching now just to see the ship of crap and lies Robyn and Kody have been pushing sinks! 

[Elizzikra]

30 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

 

That being said, I'm not sure if it is really Kody or Janelle who doesn't want to be married to each other anymore. Kody seems to want Janelle back and Janelle seems totally over it. Maybe she should just acknowledge that and stop with the "My religion won't allow it" talk. In all of Janelle's cluttered living spaces, I've never spotted a single bible. 

 

Maybe her religion isn’t Biblically based? Or the cameras just haven’t zoomed in on one?

[RazzleberryPie]

5 hours ago, Adeejay said:

Is it polygamy if a man has a secret second family in another state that only he knows about? Asking for a friend.  

That’s a side chick with a babydaddy and we know it.

[IvySpice]

46 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

Maybe her religion isn’t Biblically based?

Their scriptures include both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, as well as some shorter texts. But I can't draw any conclusions from not seeing the books lying around Janelle's apartment.

It's just amazing that Kody can't hear himself. When he's talking about Meri, "That relationship isn't a fit any more" is all the explanation he thinks he needs to give. But Janelle's thoughtful, diplomatic explanations for why SHE wants to stay separated are wholly inadequate for him.

[Meowwww]

I’m starting to like Meri and I don’t know what to do with that lol. 
Evil Queen Robyn and her dead-sounding monotone, lord.  So fake and overdone.  

[Yeah No]

On 10/2/2023 at 5:03 PM, SemiCharmedLife said:

Kody just admitted why he was stringing along Christine and Janelle!  He has drunk Robyn's Koolaid and believes her when she says she wants the plural family.  He said he doesn't want Robyn to disapprove of him if he "abandons" his other wives.  Kody must be the most naive one of the bunch (and there are several who are quite naive) if he has fallen for Robyn's bs.  

I agree with you.  I don't think Robyn was honest with Kody any more than he was honest with her.  She told him what she thought he wanted to hear about wanting a plural lifestyle and family, and he bought it and did everything he could to "sell" her on how wonderful it is.  He was doing that with the whole world through the show, too.  He was pushing how wonderful everything was to us on the show, when in fact it was really full of problems!  As we came to find out over the course of more than a decade now, NOTHING was ever that wonderful between this asshole and his wives.  Of course he deflects responsibility all the time and says the problems were because his wives couldn't get along with each other and didn't make the effort to, but completely neglects HIS responsibility in nurturing his individual and collective relationships with them, and creating a toxic situation where they would only conflict with each other.   

And of course Robyn likely figured out early on that she was really the "replacement" for the other 3 who he was basically either done with or had compartmentalized into a smaller and smaller part of his life in favor of her, so all she had to do was nod her head in agreement with him as he complained about the others and she would end up in his good graces (AKA not on the reject pile with the rest of them).  And she didn't care what happened to them!  Screw the rest of them!  Don't tell me she didn't figure THAT out and has been doing that ever since, despite trying to portray herself and him as victims of the other wives' "nastiness" and lack of acceptance of her.  This is why I say she is playing victim, she isn't really one nor does she really and genuinely see herself as one.  It's just what she uses to manipulate him and as someone else very aptly said, passive aggressively pits him and her against the others so he will choose her all the more and reject the rest of them as not being loyal to him.

13 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Loved your entire post but this is a very interesting take.  I have zero tolerance for Robyn and her constant sob-stories about how she's the real victim in all of this family drama, but if your thought is true, this puts her in a bizarre situation.  If she's of the mind that Kody tricked her, and he was her ticket out of single motherhood, then she might feel like she absolutely cannot blame him for it - she HAS to blame the other wives.  If she confronted him about it, she potentially ends up just like the OG3, with a very part-time husband and a father who takes out his anger on the kids of whatever wife he's currently the most pissed-off with - she's watched it happen over and over again.

She might just be well and truly f****** being married to Kody Brown, but wow, are they two peas in a pod.  She's certainly not helping in any way to heal this family, and now she gets Mr. Ragey-Eyes all to herself.

Robyn telling the camera that she felt tricked is probably not a genuine remark.  It's what she is still trying to sell Kody so he thinks that she is the one that wanted to be nice and inclusive with the other wives while they didn't want the same with her.  The implication is that she is the only wife that really wanted the plural family thing and the others just wanted separate half-monogamy with him.  Meanwhile that isn't true, they did want a plural family and actually HAD one for a while, although certainly a dysfunctional one, before she came along.  The only reason the other wives ended up in an increasingly separate arrangement with Kody is because he was forcing that upon them by giving less of himself to them in spirit and in terms of time and more to Robyn and her kids.  

And if anybody "tricked" anyone it was Kodouche because he probably lied to Robyn about all how wonderful the family was to make her feel good about joining it.  Meanwhile none of the other wives were in a great place with him, even Janelle, and I don't completely buy that she was so happy with him either.  I hate to say it but I don't think Janelle was ever really in love with him nor he with her.  I think what he said in this episode about Janelle was a window into that relationship that we have never seen from that perspective before.  We all thought here on the board that he and Janelle were basically platonic buddies and really no more.  Well, I've revised that to say that he and Janelle were basically "friends with benefits" and no more.  It was really more of a cold transactional relationship where he scratched her back and she his.  That's why he was whining to the effect that she was just using him for sex or whatever, LOL.  Well, perhaps that was part of it, but I also think the friendship was part of it too, although I personally would not call that a very real or healthy marriage.  I think he accepted it because he's a guy and it's likely easier for him to compartmentalize like that, plus he had other women around to get other needs met from, but I don't think it was what he really wanted from a wife in and of itself.  I actually think Janelle had more of what she wanted out of her relationship with him for a long time than he did with her, and the only time it went south was when she felt he was making her choose between him or her kids.  That was a bridge too far for her.  I also think she expected more support, both financial and otherwise from him and not left out in the cold while he took care of another wife at her expense.  Which is certainly understandable.  

I think for a long time Kody was so "high" on having his own personal "harem" to have his kids and reign over like some big king of his kingdom (vomit), that he acted like a kid in a candy store and neglected to consider that he really needed to have real feelings for these very real women.  He saw them as means to an end, but they weren't his true soul mates, not even close.  But even so, he was able to get his needs met to a better degree than they could with him because it was spread out for him among a few women, not gotten from only one.  It's that compartmentalization thing again.  It only started to bother him as it was obvious that he was not living up to his end of those relationships and the women were not happy with it.  He played favorites and some of the wives felt less special to him.  When Robyn came along he actually probably fell for her because he got what he wanted all along in one person, a subservient dimwit that just nods her head to him (even though it may not be genuine).  So when he finally got what he wanted, screw the other wives, of course he should be able to neglect them and blame them for his neglect.  How DARE they not kiss his ass and bow down to his superiority?  Just GAG me.  Meanwhile Robyn is the master of passive aggressive manipulation because she would have to be to have any power in that relationship at all.   And she has him wrapped around her finger and does all this subtle passive sabotage of his other relationships through him.  And he doesn't even know it!  

Oh, and I do think the other wives were also tricked by him when the show started.  I think he probably schmoozed them that it was going to make them all rich, etc.  So I think all of them to some degree have stuck around this long partly because of what they're getting out of the situation financially.  Obviously Meri doesn't really need the show and the money anymore because she has her own, so she is now more free to do what she wants.  But Janelle was actually sticking it out on Coyote Pass in ever more ridiculous situations because she had allowed herself to buy his garbage but then paid the price when she realized that she had in fact been screwed both financially and otherwise.   Christine just woke up and felt empowered to reject the BS she had been handed, and fortunately for her she was financially able to handle leaving.  I don't know how much her staying around so long had to do with the show money, though.  She seems to have really wanted more of a relationship with him at one point.  Trying to get love from someone that wasn't that into her.  So sad, but so glad she finally got away!

[LilyD]

21 hours ago, endure said:

So horribly boring, I had to come back 4 or5 times because I kept dozing off then rewinding and every scene looked the same so it would take me forever to find the place where I stopped.  There is no show here, this is so ridiculous.

That show is starting to feel like a movie gag reel…

[TexasTiffany]

Robyn is always saying how she wanted sister wives and everyone be one big happy family. Christine told us that Robyn "drew a line in the sand" when she got a nanny for her kids instead of letting the family of sister wives watch the tenders. Robyn professes one thing but does another. 

The conversations between Meri and Robyn are so uncomfortable. The two of them are supposed to be close, yet Robyn won't look Meri in the face when she's talking. Robyn is always staring off into oblivion and seems so unemotional about it all. Like she's trying to think up her next twisted logic to whatever Meri tells her. 

I don't think I'd ever seen Meri's Flagstaff house before. That place is humongous, and she lives there by herself. 

[Joan of Argh]

On 10/2/2023 at 7:38 AM, ezzy4 said:

It was ALL SO WEIRD.

First, he gifted 3 minibikes to 5 of his children, right?  But 2 aren't even allowed to use them? So we watched 1 using a minibike then the scene changed to that one riding a much nicer, much more expensive 3 wheeler (or was it a 4 wheeler?).

Absolutely nothing about this show makes any sense at all.

Brianna and aROARa were riding the minibikes and it might have been Da’yun riding the 4 wheel ATV in the background.

Princess Mullet and King Sol sound like 4 yr olds.

Sobbyn really knows how to infantilize her kids and keep them in a bubble, aROARa is heading straight for old spinster land , she better look for an exit or she’ll be living with Mommy Dearest forever!

[Joan of Argh]

I’m getting so sick of Janelles turmoil about leaving Kody and how she wants a sign from god…. Good grief the man shit on your kids, he made Gabe cry and he didn’t even contact Savannah for Xmas but all the while openly flaunted his close relationships with Robyn’s spawn, ear piercings, minibikes… ugh!

Janelle needs to SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!  🤬

[laurakaye]

1 hour ago, Joan of Argh said:

Princess Mullet and King Sol sound like 4 yr olds.

I do not understand what it is exactly about my profound discomfort watching those two particular kids doing couch interviews.  Maybe it's because they are the products of two raging narcissists and I feel bad for them for many reasons - having to live in what appears to be a hoarder house, having had cameras in their faces since exiting Robyn's womb, being asked to comment on things they don't understand, etc.  I also think the dynamic between them is odd - Sol seems like a deeply thoughtful boy and Ari is always right up in his face and talks over him.  And while they are sometimes hard to understand, I think they both speak in ways that make them seem older than they are.  Some of the things Ari says make me wonder - how is this child running around with a pacifier, yet can explain in detail the reasons why she should be allowed to ride one of those stupid minibikes or what goes into making a crepe?  Part of it is that I don't expect her to be able to form complete sentences, yet she sits there and spars with Sol like a pro.

Does anyone else feel this way?  As much as I snark on these people, I don't blame Sol and Ari for how they act - Sol was born to be the family's savior (an impossible burden), and Ari is clearly being infantilized by Robyn, maybe in an effort to shut down her baby factory.  Their half-siblings are expected to rearrange their entire lives for their benefit - also not their fault.  They are being used as the excuses for their dumbass dad to ignore the rest of his kids, so there's probably resentment there that they have no concept of.

Long way of saying, I feel bad for the Tenders.™

Also, why Robyn cannot style Ari's hair into something not resembling Billy Ray Cyrus circa 1992 is beyond me.

  

[TurtlePower]

On 10/2/2023 at 8:57 AM, Shelbie said:

Robyn endlessly saying she doesn’t understand why the family imploded is getting really boring. She completely understands and is completely pissed off that being the favourite wife means nothing to the originals.

She was desperate to be the queen and have most of the resources of the family. Money must be getting tight without the dollars from Meri, Christine and Janelle. I wonder if she worries that one of them will write a tell-all and expose the truth and keep all the money from it.

This.

Robyn wanted the other wives to stay and remain below her while she sat on top, using their resources. This was Robyn’s intent from the very beginning. 

 

[ezzy4]

Can we talk about this family's use of the word "safe"? 

It's used in almost every episode. It's bizarre to me.  I think it's mostly used by Sobyn, right? It started being used in Vegas at the same time they were in "family therapy".  It just seems like such an obviously manipulative word.

I suspect everytime Sobyn told the T she was being "victimized" by family members (ie: "Christine is being so unfair to me by requesting Kody's time.  She is stealing his time from me") the T would push back to encourage her to take ownership of her own emotions because you can't control another person's actions.

So "christine is attacking me by taking Kody' time" becomes "i feel attacked by Christine"... or " Kody is ignoring me" becomes "i feel vunerable when Kody isn't paying 100% of his attention to me".  

Unsafe = vulnerable/ victimized / manipulated

And it's just so so soo easy to simply say "this situation makes me feel unsafe" or "that conversation makes me feel unsafe".

But it doesn't address the underlying problem of Sobyn imagining attacks that just aren't there.  Just because she FEELS victimized doesn't mean anyone is actually victimizing her.

No one can actual have a real conversation with her when she pulls out the "safe" word because people are allowed to state how they FEEL.  But once she says "i feel unsafe" there is no reason to talk further.  She is talking about a made up world at that point.

 

[MamaMax]

15 hours ago, Elizzikra said:

Maybe her religion isn’t Biblically based? Or the cameras just haven’t zoomed in on one?

The "marriage lasting past death" stuff is only in the book of Mormon.  Jesus actually said there is no marriage in the afterlife, which is why the vows in Catholic wedding are "until death  do us part"

[bichonblitz]

No shade here, just truth. Robyn looks ill. So pale, unkempt, hair greasy, not a stitch of makeup for the camera and that pained look on her face. She has aged 10 years since having to deal with Kody. Good times ahead, Robyn!! Keep defending your man. The man you say you barely recognize and then blame the other wives for his change. 

[Rabbit Hutch]

Poducers, please retire Sol and Ari.  Sweet little Sol is uncomfortable, and Ari is unwatchable.

Someone stated earlier this season that they felt Robyn was beginning to make her case for being misled, fooled or lied to by Kootie and Company when she first decided to join the family.  I think this indeed is her game plan.  

Unfortunately, I've watched this show from the beginning, and even though that point may have some merit, Robyn took EVERY opportunity presented to her and ran with them.  She cut the rest of the family off and out, and she needs to take responsibility for her part of this family's demise.

You're not fooling anyone, Robyn.  Get your mother and her sorry-azzed advice out of your ears, and do some adulting for a change.

[Natalie68]

On 10/2/2023 at 1:00 AM, Yeah No said:

Robyn thinks the other wives need to stop making it about her.  Well Kody is making it all about HER, that's why they're making it about HER.  How she refuses to see that is unbelievable at this point!  Maybe because she would have to stop playing herself as the victim, oh but of course, she doesn't play victim, does she? 😏  But I also think she is careful not to put any blame on him too because she knows how that would only jeopardize her relationship with him.  She knows better than that.

Robyn is upset because the others are leaving her alone with this angry asshole who is not the man she thought she married.  I think the only reason she's upset that Meri might not be around so much is that she knows she's stuck with him now and has no buffer or family support from anyone to keep her from feeling trapped with him.  I wish I could say I feel sorry for her, but I don't because she is part of the reason why this situation exists.  And she's full of shit that she doesn't play victim.  It's all she DOES.  It's the way she gets around taking any responsibility at all for this situation.  She says she tries to tell him to work it out with the others, but does she really sacrifice anything or stick her neck out toward that end?  NO.  So she's full of it!

I also think she realizes that it was HIM that sold her the bill of goods about the "happy family" to get her to want to marry him, but she hasn't admitted that publicly.  When she says she feels "tricked", who is tricking her?  She is quick to blame the other wives for that, but it's really HIM that tricked her.  Either she is in denial about that or unwilling to admit it and shifting the blame to the other wives.  Just like Kody does.

It's also obvious to me that he sold her that bill of goods as part of the same BS he was selling the world through the show about this big happy polygamous family, but it was a sham from the very beginning.  As long as the wives accepted whatever crap he gave them, he could continue to push that sham, but now that he's gotten more selfish they're not taking it anymore.  And now he's angry because they've made it impossible for him to continue to push the fiction of this big happy family.  Of course in his mind that fiction made him look great, and them leaving him makes him look bad, but he didn't deserve to look great, so TOO BAD.

How this bastard can expect a woman to stay in a nowhere relationship with him and not give her the right to leave even though he doesn't want a relationship with her is misogynistic abuse to the first degree.  It's all about how bad she makes HIM look if she leaves him.  Well, if the shoe fits, wear it!  Don't expect the wives to continue to push the fiction that you're this great husband when you're anything BUT! 

And it's upsetting to see the hold this douchebag has had over these women is so strong that they've taken this abuse for so long and are only now able to leave despite being told they're risking their place in heaven or whatever warped religious garbage they are fed them to keep them under the thumb of an abusive asshole that doesn't even care about them!

If Robyn wanted to keep Meri around she would have kept in regular touch with her.  Meri said she barely heard from her during the pandemic.  I believe everything out of Robyn's mouth is bullshit.  However, I do believe Cooter is being a dick to Robyn also.  I think he wants some strange.

[xwordfanatik]

3 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

If Robyn wanted to keep Meri around she would have kept in regular touch with her.  Meri said she barely heard from her during the pandemic.  I believe everything out of Robyn's mouth is bullshit.  However, I do believe Cooter is being a dick to Robyn also.  I think he wants some strange.

Cooter, I love it!  He's such a head case, and so is Sobbyn.  

[IvySpice]

20 hours ago, MamaMax said:

The "marriage lasting past death" stuff is only in the book of Mormon. 

It's not in the Book of Mormon. It's in a different, later document called the Doctrine & Covenants. The Browns' church and the big Mormon/LDS church both view those two documents as foundational scriptures.

/amateur scholar of American religious history

[Granny58]

21 hours ago, Rabbit Hutch said:

Poducers, please retire Sol and Ari.  Sweet little Sol is uncomfortable, and Ari is unwatchable.

🙏👍