S19.E01: A House Divided Cannot Stand

[kassa]

50 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

They were both in 2020. I believe Evie’s was in August, and Ysabel’s was in September.

Let's be fair to Kody - he couldn't go gallivanting around the country when at any moment one of Robyn's kids might have needed earrings.

 

[Natalie68]

12 hours ago, Denize said:

Robyn seems to dress like some 80 year old women dressed in the 1980s (my grandmother's vintage, but my gma did not go for hoards of florals and preferred a few timeless & well-made clothes that fit in her 3'x3' closet.  I actually wear and love her midnight blue suit jacket with 3/4 sleeves from the 1940s.

I JUST came here to say this.  When I say 80 year old, I am thinking back to my grandmother 30 years ago.  Robyn dresses in the rubber looking with questionable colors/prints clothing typical of that time.  If she breaks out mauve...

Ladies today look so much younger than they used to.  Clothing isn't horrid (maternity clothes of the 80's anyone??) for anyone not 20 and thin. 

That vintage blazer sounds awesome!  

Edited Tuesday at 03:22 PM by Natalie68

[Elizzikra]

1 hour ago, Natalie68 said:

I JUST came here to say this.  When I say 80 year old, I am thinking back to my grandmother 30 years ago.  Robyn dresses in the rubber looking with questionable colors/prints clothing typical of that time.  If she breaks out mauve...

Ladies today look so much younger than they used to.  Clothing isn't horrid (maternity clothes of the 80's anyone??) for anyone not 20 and thin. 

That vintage blazer sounds awesome!  

Full disclosure - I’m not watching. But my mom is 85 years old and does most of her shopping at Talbots. She wears everything well but sticks mostly to pastels that set off her silvery hair. No brown florals anywhere.

[Absolom]

I've never known any 80ish year olds who dress as Robyn does.  They've all had more sense.

[Natalie68]

51 minutes ago, Elizzikra said:

Full disclosure - I’m not watching. But my mom is 85 years old and does most of her shopping at Talbots. She wears everything well but sticks mostly to pastels that set off her silvery hair. No brown florals anywhere.

The clothing is MILES better now.  I look back at photos from past generations and WOW, people looked OLD!  It was like you hit 60 and it was a law you had to wear ugly polyester.

12 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I've never known any 80ish year olds who dress as Robyn does.  They've all had more sense.

You are lucky!

[lookeyloo]

1 hour ago, Elizzikra said:

Full disclosure - I’m not watching. But my mom is 85 years old and does most of her shopping at Talbots. She wears everything well but sticks mostly to pastels that set off her silvery hair. No brown florals anywhere.

You may have described me, but I am going on 81, and a "winter" with silver hair, so wear bold colors.  I love talbots and there is also good stuff to be had at Target on occasion, TJMAXX, etc.  I can still walk "upright" and don't want to look like the old Grandma I am, in the clothing department.  

[laurakaye]

Robyn's questionable wardrobe just adds to the fact that she seems to be aging several years with every passing season, while the OG 3 appear to be aging in reverse.  Huh, I wonder why?

I keep expecting Kody to burst into flames whenever he rhapsodizes on his beautiful family, wondering how it all could've gone so very wrong, and how he's being purposefully excluded, and why don't my kids call me, etc.  He cannot possibly be that delusional, but he's also not that good of an actor.

[WhatAmIWatching]

I had a good chuckle during the sprinkle party scenes when I saw Robyn standing outside, peeking around the door frame, while everyone else was in the kitchen or living room happily chatting.

There she stood, wearing her patented sour expression, monitoring Kody as usual. Was she waiting for a special invitation to join the festivities? She's so tiresome.

Kody saying that he was exiled from the family is such a crock. He and Robyn gleefully exiled themselves. They are both such dramatic cows. 
 

laurakaye, I noticed Robyn's cold sore immediately and thought "wow, we haven't seen that in a while. Kody, Ari, and her own choices, must really be stressing her out. Good!"

 

I enjoyed Meri's snark and openness this episode. She seemed more animated and less mulish like she used to, when she'd act as if the producers questions were dumb or an imposition, or answer in an annoyingly vague way. They should all have to answer (appropriate) questions that go with the filmed material. That's what they get paid for. (Looking at you, Kody)

[dariafan]

I have a theory that Maddie had told kootie head off.  And she didn’t let him Blame any other wife.  Not even Robyn.  And he didn’t want to talk about because it hurt.  Not because she was wrong.  Not because he learned anything from it.  Cause she called him out.   And she would 

[IvySpice]

Re Evie's surgery, far be it from me to defend Kody, but I never had any grandparent present during any medical procedure, even when we all lived in the same city. Cross-country flights during Covid for a grandchild's operation...no.

[kassa]

13 minutes ago, IvySpice said:

Re Evie's surgery, far be it from me to defend Kody, but I never had any grandparent present during any medical procedure, even when we all lived in the same city. Cross-country flights during Covid for a grandchild's operation...no.

It may have been a combination of never calling her, calling her only to complain about her siblings and looking for sympathy for himself/Robyn, bragging about being a loving grandfather on tv while not taking any interest when the cameras aren't around, etc.  Sometimes you just grow up and realize who a parent really is, vs who you hoped they were deep down.

[Teafortwo]

I would imagine the children would feel slighted if they got to know Kody and then never heard from him again (or only infrequently).  Maddie has saved them from this hurt by cutting Kody out of their lives. By contrast, Janelle is a reliable, loving presence in their lives. Inconsistency can make children - or anyone - feel "less than." Madison seems to be a great mom.

On the clothing subject, I used to have a floral blouse from Loft that I really liked. It was low-cut without being what I consider immodest. A very funny guy I worked with at that time, once described it as "your sofa-colored shirt" LOL. I still wore it but always with that in mind. He made a lot of digs at everybody, that was sort of his thing, and it was so funny (and apt) that I didn't resent him for it. 

However it was not polyester. I try to avoid that stuff. I even have an all-cotton fleece hoodie now, which is so much more comfortable than synthetic "fleece." Better for the environment too! 

[precious pupp]

10 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Whichever TLC intern put that intro together deserves a raise.  Here's Meri looking practically reborn in cream and white (with nary a LLR pattern to be seen), Janelle in pure white looking like a boss, Christine in her red lipstick era.....and here comes Robyn in some dark blue patterned blouse that came from the Secretaries 'R Us Catalog circa 1977, and Kody - arms crossed, smirky punchable faced - proudly wearing black.  Take a bow, intern.

 

I can't get over her wardrobe.  It was truly one of her uglier outfit combos.  Has she never heard of Old Navy?  TJ Maxx?  Surely it's much harder to purchase those drab blouses and mismatching cardigans than it would be to put a denim shirt over a tank top or something.  But I do enjoy watching her wardrobe circle the drain just like her hopes and dreams.

Anyway, welcome back, everyone, to season 5 14 29 64? 19 of Sister Wives!  And a special Welcome Back to Robyn's cold sore!  It's been awhile!  So glad to see it's still part of the cast!

I have many questions about this episode but I guess Number One would be, if Kody and Christine haven't seen each other in a year, does that mean they aren't sharing custody of Truely?  Or does Christine just drop her off a block away from where Kody picks her up and makes her walk?  One would think that Kody might want to keep up a relationship with Truely if only to keep tabs on the FOMO events that he has been "excluded" from (excuse me while I choke on my coffee).  It's also great to see that Kody's delusion is intact and better than ever.

Looking forward to the snark. :)

 

I pointed out her cold sore to my husband.  Now Kody gets to be the recipient of all of them, and the OG 3 are safe, at last!  

[OlderThanDirt]

Google Maps says it's more than 8 hours to drive from Flagstaff to SLC; Christine said it took them 3 days when they were moving Ysabel. So you know Kody is not driving to share custody of Truly. I think it's clear that production flew R&K to SLC to film at the shower. It would have been more entertaining if they had invited Meri.

I think it's very clear that Kody is driven  by the biological imperative that underlies the survival of the species.  Men's instinct is to lose interest in women beyond childbearing ages. Most people also apply societal norms and financial common sense to limit their family size. Obviously someone who has 15 or 18 children breaks this mold.

His interest in Meri died when she couldn't have more than one child. Janelle and Christine were both done at 6. In his perfect world he'd go on adding new wives, except when the children grew up he lost his autocracy and his world disintegrated. A house built on sand...

[precious pupp]

Because it was Mykelti's "sprinkle," I can understand not inviting Meri, whom Mykelti has said was in some way abusive to her, in the past.  Kody's hair clearly shows all his bald spots.  Who does he think he's fooling??  

[Roslyn]

6 hours ago, kassa said:

It may have been a combination of never calling her, calling her only to complain about her siblings and looking for sympathy for himself/Robyn, bragging about being a loving grandfather on tv while not taking any interest when the cameras aren't around, etc.  Sometimes you just grow up and realize who a parent really is, vs who you hoped they were deep down.

Also, after you become a parent and fill that role with your significant other you can more clearly understand how your parents were lacking when you were the kid and what you missed out on because your parents are who they are.  

2 hours ago, OlderThanDirt said:

Google Maps says it's more than 8 hours to drive from Flagstaff to SLC; Christine said it took them 3 days when they were moving Ysabel. So you know Kody is not driving to share custody of Truly.

The three day trip with Ysabel was driving her from Maddie's house in North Carolina to Utah.

[laurakaye]

16 hours ago, kassa said:

Sometimes you just grow up and realize who a parent really is, vs who you hoped they were deep down.

I also assume that Maddie was aware of how Kody was treating her younger brothers.  If, as I suspect, Kody wanted a relationship with Maddie only because he feels some type of weird kinship with Caleb, then Maddie was right to cut him out of her life - especially if Kody can't even call Gabe on his birthday except to ask him about his Covid symptoms so Kody could make sure his were worse.

[Stuckathome]

how did it take this long to put together this season? I mean it said this was filmed then end of 2022. So, almost 2 years????? 

I have watched off and on over the years.....I am LOVING the Kody meltdowns. He is such a narcissistic dickhead and in so many ways his reactions to Christine leaving and then Janelle mirror exactly how my ex husband reacted when I told him we were done. Robyn is non stop crying because now she is stuck with him full time and has probably come to realize over the years what a man baby he really is to deal with. 

I feel the most sorry for Meri (ok, apart from the kids because you can't pick your parents and they have a complete douchebag of a dad and the world knows it now thanks to this show). I think she needs a lot of therapy and time to heal after 30 plus years of his mind fuckery. She seems to accept that it is done one minute and then almost seem hopeful the next. When she was talking with her friend and the term mid life crisis started getting thrown around and how it isn't the Cody that anyone would say they know. I took that as a sign that if he were to apologize and tell her he made a mistake, he loves her, etc, she WOULD go running back. Anything to not admit she spent all those years with a cold hearted snake. 

[Dibs]

On 9/15/2024 at 11:14 PM, albarino said:

I think Christine should have greeted Kody and Robin...

I agree.  Christine is really very childish - that's nothing new - and spiteful and, if she's happy with her new man, she shouldn't waste time trying to rub Kody's face in it (both on the show and in her SM).

She looked like a junior high kid giving her boyfriend the silent treatment in that sprinkle scene.  Grow up; you're freakin' fifty years old!

Disclaimer: not a member of the Christine fan club.

Edited Thursday at 12:47 AM by Dibs

[Absolom]

I finally survived it (watched it).  Since I hadn't seen any promos, it was 2/3 to 3/4 of episode material they hadn't shown in a previous season.  It was still boring.  The sprinkle with the emphasis on Christine and Kody was deathly dull and unnecessary anguish.  Moving we've seen done to death also.  Meri and her friend was more Meri waffling.  

[Dobian]

Nothing will ever change unless Kody finally admits he's the common denominator in every bad relationship in the family, apologizes to his exes and all of his kids, and begs for forgiveness.  But narcissistic sociopaths have a really hard time with that.

And nothing will ever change Sobbin's angry eyebrows.

Edited Thursday at 06:01 AM by Dobian

[waterytart]

9 hours ago, Dobian said:

And nothing will ever change Sobbin's angry eyebrows.

Those eyebrows have been on quite the journey.

[Natalie68]

Christine has arrested development. It is who she is and maybe she will catch up to her age one day. 

I know I have said it, but I am really fine with her not approaching K and R (not bringing their problems up at a party was respectful to M and T). She didn't start a fight, wasn't snarky, just gave herself some space. Part of why I feel this way is women have always had expectations on how they react to situations, always need to be the bigger person, make others feel better while putting their own feelings aside while it isn't the same for men. KODY could have come up to her. ROBYN could have come to her. Any interaction they had would have taken attention away from the parties intent. I think that is partly why Gwen is so pissed at TLC. The Grody/David interaction was the focus of her engagement party. I think it is high time we stop expecting women to be the bigger person in all situations. He didn't get a frying pan to the head. That is a win!

[VioletWitch]

Just one thing I don't understand... why is Kody all of a sudden acting like he never wanted to marry Meri? That was never the vibe I got it from the early seasons at all, nor do I remember him ever saying that in the past? I knew he never was attracted to Christine and married her just because, but it always seemed to me like he was attracted to Meri and Janelle and wanted to marry them. 

 

I think he currently regrets his marriage to Meri and is very disillusioned with polygamy, but to act like never loved her at all is just cruel. 

[Kellyee]

Casino is an odd theme for a baby shower. Christine should have said Hello to Kody and Robyn, but Kody and all the wives tend to be childish and feed the drama. I noticed that none of Robyn's kids attended the baby shower even though Mykelti was still involved in that family.  

I'm happy Meri got out. She seems to be getting the best edit this season so far. Janelle is too. 

Christine's unnecessary worrying over Janelle is insulting to Janelle's intelligence and maturity. Christine looks good compared to Kody/Robyn, but I doubt I would want to be Christine's friend. I think some of Kody's comments on Christine's past behavior are true. 

[ginger90]

14 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

I noticed that none of Robyn's kids attended the baby shower even though Mykelti was still involved in that family.

My theory is, if they attended they may have had the realization that their mother lied to them about how others in the family feel about them. I don’t think Robyn would have given them a choice to attend, it wouldn’t be safe, if they were invited, that is.

Edited Thursday at 07:31 PM by ginger90

[Denize]

14 hours ago, Dobian said:

And nothing will ever change Sobbin's angry eyebrows.

They showed us several good closeups where you can see the simple arch of hairs and where the over-stenciling covers bare skin. It looks like the boxy sperm-heads are tilted up toward the middle of her brow so she looks worried, to attract more sympathy.  Sorry dearie, but it ain't working on me!

Edited Thursday at 08:10 PM by Denize

[kassa]

1 hour ago, Kellyee said:

Casino is an odd theme for a baby shower. 

I don't recall for certain, but didn't they say the theme was "Las Vegas"?  Maybe not. But to me it seemed like a shout out to a better time in their lives. 

[LilyD]

2 hours ago, Kellyee said:

Christine should have said Hello to Kody and Robyn, but Kody and all the wives tend to be childish and feed the drama. I noticed that none of Robyn's kids attended the baby shower even though Mykelti was still involved in that family.

Even before the triple separation it was pretty obvious that Robyn "shielded" her kids from the rest of the family. By now, those five kids are probably so far alienated from the rest that they see no reason to join in any of the "family" celebrations at all. 

As for Christine not saying "hi": My parents have a long and painful history and divorced. They now "respectfully ignore" each other the odd occasion they meet at a family celebration.  I prefer it over any awkward, tense and nervous mini chit-chat any time. So, I give Christine a pass on this one. I know how she feels.

[jschoolgirl]

3 hours ago, Denize said:

boxy sperm-heads

Band name!

[Dobian]

Television's hottest new couple

[Dibs]

Didn't M&T meet while living in Las Vegas?  Maybe they enjoyed the casinos together, so it's sentimental to them.  Still odd, but then it's M&T.

Speaking of Mykelti, she's lost a ship-ton of weight in real time and is now actually skinny, according to SM.  They're attributing it to their family MLM scheme, Plexus or the green drink or whatever they shill, but I'm sure it's yet another case of using GLP-1s and not admitting to it, which seems rampant both among celebrities and regular people.

(Not that it's anyone's business, but why lie?)

Edited 19 hours ago by Dibs

[ginger90]

The theme of the sprinkle was Vegas style, I believe.

[laurakaye]

16 hours ago, kassa said:

I don't recall for certain, but didn't they say the theme was "Las Vegas"?  Maybe not. But to me it seemed like a shout out to a better time in their lives. 

It was so Christine could work the phrase "double-down" into the theme of the party because Mykelti was having twins.  As Christine told us: 'soooooooooo cute!!!"

[kassa]

18 hours ago, VioletWitch said:

Just one thing I don't understand... why is Kody all of a sudden acting like he never wanted to marry Meri? That was never the vibe I got it from the early seasons at all, nor do I remember him ever saying that in the past?

He's just lying to fit the concept that he never knew love until he met Robyn and therefore everybody before her was forced upon him/out of his hands/not meant to be.  Along the same lines as Robyn's portrait of Kody with her very young children.  As I recall, he and Meri used to jet off on vacations without the others, didn't they?  Seemed like she was the favored wife for quite a while. I can't help but think if he'd never caught the polygamy virus if they might have made a nice monogamous marriage. She probably felt that way.

17 hours ago, Kellyee said:

Christine's unnecessary worrying over Janelle is insulting to Janelle's intelligence and maturity. 

I chalk a lot of it up to the fact that they're on tv and she's being directly asked questions about it, therefore having to supply her opinion. Not clear to me that Janelle's irritation at it isn't as much from watching the show and seeing these answers as whatever Christine has actually said in person. 

15 minutes ago, Dibs said:

Speaking of Mykelti, she's lost a ship-ton of weight in real time and is now actually skinny, according to SM.  They're attributing it to their family MLM scheme, Plexus or the green drink or whatever they shill, but I'm sure it's yet another case of using GLP-1s and not admitting to it, which seems rampant both among celebrities and regular people.

I noted this a while back. On social media at one point when they were losing the weight initially they were doing keto or carnivore and would post pictures of their meals. It clearly was working for them. Which isn't to say they didn't add the medication at some point along the way also. 

[HoneyBeach]

On 9/16/2024 at 2:51 PM, Emmeline said:

It really bothered me when Kody and Robyn were at Coyote Pass and he said “maybe I should sell it”.  That isn’t just his decision to make.  The other thing was him saying they should just walk away from the property, loosing all the money Kody and the wives have put into it.                        

I can’t blame Christine for ignoring Kody and Robyn at the shower.  Had she done that, it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference anyway.  Them being there made everyone more uncomfortable.  Maybe Mykelti could have had a small gathering for Kody and Robyn or heaven forbid go to Kody and Robyn’s house.

I haven't watched, don't have it in me yet. But, I've read lots of people thinking Christine should have said "hello" to them. I have to say, if I were Christine, I wouldn't. I think being quietly around each other, not interacting, is the "safest" and most respectful way to act. This way, nothing gets misconstrued and she doesn't give him anymore ammunition to use against her. After all the awful things he's said about Christine on tv, I wouldn't speak to them either. It might be taken as acting immature but I see it as covering myself. And K&R could've spoken to Christine as well. If she would have ignored them, THEN I would say she was immature. But of course, K&R humbling themselves will never happen.

[laurakaye]

4 hours ago, kassa said:

He's just lying to fit the concept that he never knew love until he met Robyn and therefore everybody before her was forced upon him/out of his hands/not meant to be.  Along the same lines as Robyn's portrait of Kody with her very young children.  As I recall, he and Meri used to jet off on vacations without the others, didn't they?  Seemed like she was the favored wife for quite a while. 

I am so sad that I remember this from Janelle's section of the runaway best-seller "Becoming Sister Wives," but she mentioned that there were times that the three of them would be in the same room watching tv, and Janelle knew that Kody and Meri were holding hands under a blanket so Janelle wouldn't see.  And I also recall her mentioning the jet-set weekend getaways that Meri and Kody took together, while Janelle could not because she had a full-time job.  

The dysfunction was there from the very beginning.  I would totally watch a 4-part tell-all just between Meri, Janelle and Christine, discussing how things really went down.  Meri already told us this episode that Kody has been performing for the cameras since S1 E1, giving us viewers a false narrative.  I mean, many of us knew it from S1 E1 as well.  If the OG 3 are willing to really talk, I will scamper out to buy myself some cheap merlot and get to popping some popcorn with glee.  All three of them aren't holding much back so far this season, with more to come.  And I love it.

[AZChristian]

10 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

The dysfunction was there from the very beginning.  I would totally watch a 4-part tell-all just between Meri, Janelle and Christine, discussing how things really went down.  Meri already told us this episode that Kody has been performing for the cameras since S1 E1, giving us viewers a false narrative.  I mean, many of us knew it from S1 E1 as well.  If the OG 3 are willing to really talk, I will scamper out to buy myself some cheap merlot and get to popping some popcorn with glee.  All three of them aren't holding much back so far this season, with more to come.  And I love it.

Order me a bottle of moscato and I'll join you.

[ginger90]

5 hours ago, laurakaye said:

It was so Christine could work the phrase "double-down" into the theme of the party because Mykelti was having twins.  As Christine told us: 'soooooooooo cute!!!"

It was on the cake.

[Roslyn]

3 hours ago, laurakaye said:

The dysfunction was there from the very beginning.  I would totally watch a 4-part tell-all just between Meri, Janelle and Christine, discussing how things really went down.  Meri already told us this episode that Kody has been performing for the cameras since S1 E1, giving us viewers a false narrative.  I mean, many of us knew it from S1 E1 as well.  If the OG 3 are willing to really talk, I will scamper out to buy myself some cheap merlot and get to popping some popcorn with glee.  All three of them aren't holding much back so far this season, with more to come.  And I love it.

I make wicked good Elderberry Sangria !! 😉

[Dibs]

I personally believe Kody never "fell in love" until he met Robyn.  Of course you think you're in love until you experience the real thing, which hits you like a ton of bricks.  The first words out of Robyn's mouth ever on the show were "he's my soulmate," and I believe he feels the same way.  It doesn't mean he set out to become a monogamist; he just did.

Edited 10 hours ago by Dibs

[Elizzikra]

Quote

(Not that it's anyone's business, but why lie?)

I am on Ozempic. If asked directly, I don't lie, but I also don't proactively tell people. There is a lot of judgement around it. I was (and still am) overweight and one of my big motivations to start and stay with Ozempic was the potential to lose weight. But I am also diabetic. I tire of people talking about how GLP-1s are the "easy way out" (they aren't) or how overweight people could lose weight if they would just diet and exercise (I did both, repeatedly and I did not lose significant weight). I hate hearing about how overweight people are "taking the drug away" from diabetics "who really need it" as though one health condition is more noble and worthy of treatment than the other. So I just avoid the discussions. 

As for Mykelti, I think that anyone who makes money endorsing any product quickly learns not to endorse anything for free. Even if she is on a med, she isn't going to name it unless they pay her to do so. And I think there are many other, bigger celebrities that drug companies will woo before they come to Mykelti.

Quote

I think he currently regrets his marriage to Meri and is very disillusioned with polygamy, but to act like never loved her at all is just cruel. 

I don't think it's entirely all of a sudden. I didn't watch earlier seasons; he and Robyn were already married when I started watching. It was shortly after that he "never loved Meri." I do think that he started spinning that to make his love with Robyn seem more special and "true love-y" than it might have otherwise. I do believe that once he met Robyn, any romantic feelings he had toward the OG3 were extinguished quickly. I also think he was intentionally dishonest about that and still is.

Edited 6 hours ago by Elizzikra

[jschoolgirl]

I always had the impression that he really loved Meri, Christine was kind of a a fun pal, and Janelle was a serious substantive friend.  

[EmeraldGirl]

Oh please, kody called Meri “lover” all the time.Had some kind of sexual chemistry, that they both admit to. Meri got all turned on before he went on a date with Robin. They did have that second honeymoon or whatever it was, and they seemed very, very chummy. For this douche bag to claim he was never in love with her, and it was her fault! – It’s absolutely insane. He’s rewriting history of his life. Meri was brainwashed by polygamy, and that she thought that she needed to do what she did. Be head wive,  and the other underlings be there as well to give him children.  It sounds insane to most people, but that is how she grew up and didn’t know any better.