S01.E09: Michaella and Brandon

[maraleia]

 

Brandon comes for an extended stay. Could his visit mean bigger things for he and Michaella?

 

[Sew Sumi]

Title: "Michaella and Brandon."

 

I wish Michael would pick one name and stick to it! 

[BostonBlonde]

Title should be : "Annoying sisters never STFU." :)

 

OMG I wanted to throttle them along with the jeweler. 

Edited February 27, 2015 by BostonBlonde

[BitterApple]

I think Glenn Close was less stalkerish in Fatal Attraction than Michael was with Brandon in this episode. Holy cray-cray. What did she think sixteen year old Tori was going to do, run off with her boyfriend or something? If Michael is already that jealous I can't see her making it as a pastor's wife.

[andromeda331]

OMG I wanted to throttle them along with the jeweler.

 

 

Seriously, I couldn't believe they were picking their own preferences instead of what their sister would have liked. Brandon would have been better off going alone.

 

 

I think Glenn Close was less stalkerish in Fatal Attraction than Michael was with Brandon in this episode. Holy cray-cray. What did she think sixteen year old Tori was going to do, run off with her boyfriend or something? If Michael is already that jealous I can't see her making it as a pastor's wife.

 

 

That was really weird. I mean if your that worried about your boyfriend around your own sister then you really shouldn't be in a relationship let alone getting married.

[anstar]

I don't know that it was jealousy exactly.  She said in her TH that if she can't touch him, her sisters aren't going to either, but I think really it more about rescuing poor Brandon who was clearly uncomfortable with a grabby Tori and didn't know how to extricate himself gracefully. I could see him getting more and more stressed, the more she pressured him and by the time she physically grabbed him, Michael(a) had had enough and stepped in. Tori, Carlin and Josie are very outgoing and can be overwhelming. Michael(a) is quiet and introverted.  I think Brandon probably is too.  She's also a big sister and she won't hesitate to flex the 'muscle' if necessary on annoying siblings.

 

It was nice to see courtship adherent parents fall back and allow the couple the ability to at least have a private conversation.  You just know in Duggarland (where every text and phone call is monitored) that would never happen.

 

The trash can walking - ninja fighting thing - gave me visions of head injuries, busted lips, broken teeth...ER visits or dental emergencies.  :(  Fun times. 

Edited February 27, 2015 by anstar

[Dr.Scully]

I agree with Anstar. I think Tori was really getting out of line and I was glad that Michael stepped in between them. She was being really aggressive and rude to Brandon. He was clearly uncomfortable and he already let her bully him into going down the slide. She had no business trying to force him to "have fun" with her in the little house. Newsflash Tori: Not everyone has the same definition of fun, and putting your hands on another person to physically drag them to do what you want them to do is never appropriate, fundy or not.

 

I couldn't help but love Michael in this episode. She's been in love with Brandon and praying for him for 5 years? Awwww. I hope they are happy together, and I personally hope that they move up north and away from her overbearing family, if not for the simple reason that they all declared that the couple has to live in the south. The southern ego was on full display there tonight (clearly a Yankee here ;-). I think they will have some really cute kids with all those dimples between them.

 

I did a hard eye-roll at Kelli and Gill with their stupid "marriage worksheets." Lame. However, I did love how everyone agreed how special and what a catch Michael was. I can't imagine the pressure on a first-born fundy daughter to be the perfect sister/god-warrior/mini-mommy. Michael does seem like a very genuine and lovely young woman.

Edited February 27, 2015 by Dr.Scully

[CarolMK]

Brandon seems like a decent guy, but I could see that he was more than a bit overwhelmed with the Bates siblings in every situation that he was in, especially the one where he was ring shopping. He wants to marry Michaela but doesn't seem to be in a rush, I guess he's the kind of guy who wants to move at his own pace. I suspect, too, that even though he say's he's number 8 in a family of 10 kids, he doesn't want that same amount for his own family. They probably won't be living near her family after they marry if he's going to be a minister.

[BitterApple]

CarolMK, I agree. I think the Bates kids mean well but they come on way too strong. I noticed that neither Brandon nor Alyssa's husband John seemed particuarly thrilled to have kids hanging all over them when they came to the house. Not everyone is raised to be touchy-feely with people they barely know (myself inlcuded) so I can understand their discomfort. I still think Michael overreacted at the fun center, but I do agree that Tori and Carlin were being obnoxious at the ring shop. They're the type of girls I could only take in small doses.

[farmgal4]

I watched two episodes last night, so I'm not sure I'm in the right thread but:

If Erin has such a horrible time enduring the pain of having an injection, how the hell is she going to handle the agony of labor and delivery? She'd better plan on having an epidural when the first labor pain hits, otherwise she's in for a rude awakening! I like Erin but I think that she's a full-on diva that's spoiled rotten. I will say that she sure hit the jackpot when she married Chad. He obviously worships the ground she walks on.

[KarmaG]

I watched two episodes last night, so I'm not sure I'm in the right thread but:

If Erin has such a horrible time enduring the pain of having an injection, how the hell is she going to handle the agony of labor and delivery? She'd better plan on having an epidural when the first labor pain hits, otherwise she's in for a rude awakening! I like Erin but I think that she's a full-on diva that's spoiled rotten. I will say that she sure hit the jackpot when she married Chad. He obviously worships the ground she walks on.

 

Yeah, that was last week's episode. I don't think she's a diva at all. I've had 3 kids (one 100% natural, no meds or epi) and also heparin shots. While the pain isn't comparable, it's still pain none the less. I had to get shots multiple times a day for 2 days each time, I can't begin to imagine how sore and tender I'd be if I had to get them EVERY day for 9 months.

[alt0233]

If Erin has such a horrible time enduring the pain of having an injection, how the hell is she going to handle the agony of labor and delivery? She'd better plan on having an epidural when the first labor pain hits, otherwise she's in for a rude awakening! I like Erin but I think that she's a full-on diva that's spoiled rotten. I will say that she sure hit the jackpot when she married Chad. He obviously worships the ground she walks on.

I needed progesterone shots the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy and while it wasn't that bad the first week, by the third there wasn't a place to give them that wasn't already incredibly sore, and by week 9 I was almost in tears because of a mix of pregnancy hormones and being so tender. So I'm good giving her a pass - any medical procedure gets exhausting when it's repeated ad nauseum, and first trimester pregnancy hormones on top of that don't help.

[farmgal4]

I needed progesterone shots the first 12 weeks of my pregnancy and while it wasn't that bad the first week, by the third there wasn't a place to give them that wasn't already incredibly sore, and by week 9 I was almost in tears because of a mix of pregnancy hormones and being so tender. So I'm good giving her a pass - any medical procedure gets exhausting when it's repeated ad nauseum, and first trimester pregnancy hormones on top of that don't help.

Imagine what it must be like to be diabetic and having to take injections everyday for the rest of your life. Sorry but she is being injected with an insulin syringe with a very small needle; I just think she overreacted. There are children who have to endure much worse their entire lives. I don't have a whole lot of sympathy for adults after working as a nurse on a pediatric unit and seeing what some kids have to go through.

[trimthatfat]

All I've heard Erin say is that the shots are painful. I don't recall her behaving dramatically about having to take the shots.

Edited March 3, 2015 by trimthatfat

[Absolom]

She should try some ice beforehand and make sure the alcohol is dried.

[JessDVD]

I know we all have different thresholds of pain, and are, well, different- but I would take labor over weeks of shots in a heartbeat. Different pain, different amount of time, different immediate results. And I had long labors for my first two also, but I'd still take that over weeks of shots when given a choice. I would suck it up (and cry a little bit, yeah) for the sake of my baby as I'm sure ultimately Erin is.

 

Anyone know Erin's due date off the top of their head? Alyssa is soon, right?

[Sew Sumi]

Late June, I think. I don't know if she's ever given a firm due date.

[Absolom]

OK, who is due in March?  I thought there was a Bates due in March.  I may have been dreaming.  

[Sew Sumi]

Alyssa is due 4/10. Jilly Muffin is the one due this month (24th). 

[Absolom]

April works.  I thought Alyssa was just days behind Jill.

[Betweenyouandme]

I like to think I'm brave with needles but then having to actually get them...I start shaking. I thought Erin handled them well. She's doing them but also being honest that it's not fun. Clearly it's all very worth it to her. I will flinch at a paper cut, but I am not deluded in thinking people don't go through far worse pain every day.

Which sister got scolded for touching Brandon? Did she do it again at Thanksgiving?

Edited March 6, 2015 by Betweenyouandme

[trimthatfat]

I think Glenn Close was less stalkerish in Fatal Attraction than Michael was with Brandon in this episode. Holy cray-cray. What did she think sixteen year old Tori was going to do, run off with her boyfriend or something? If Michael is already that jealous I can't see her making it as a pastor's wife.

I found Tori annoyingly pushy. I get that it was intended to be harmless and she was just playing around, but she doesn't have a relationship with Brandon to joke around like that. Some people wouldn't take too kindly to being grabbed even if it was intended to be a playful act. Tori needed to chill...she was too hyper.

 

Michael is adorable and I hope she can marry Brandon soon. She seems genuinely in love. I found it really cute that Brandon mentioned that he's finishing up school so he will need to save up money for Michael's ring. It was refreshing to me for some reason.

[lookeyloo]

Michaella is so over the moon re: Brandon.  I hope it doesn't run him off.  He seems kind of laid back and I think she is restraining herself from jumping him.  Five years with no concrete end in sight seems like a struggle for her.  It's five years they know each other?  But I can't remember when they entered the courtship.

[KarmaG]

Michael is adorable and I hope she can marry Brandon soon. She seems genuinely in love. I found it really cute that Brandon mentioned that he's finishing up school so he will need to save up money for Michael's ring. It was refreshing to me for some reason.

 

I think it's refreshing because it's truly realistic. He isn't living in fantasy land that he can afford the biggest ring RIGHT NOW. Or isn't going to put himself in debt just for a piece of metal and a gem. I love that she loved him long before anything romantic began, that she just knew. It's sweet.

[Sew Sumi]

Michaella is so over the moon re: Brandon.  I hope it doesn't run him off.  He seems kind of laid back and I think she is restraining herself from jumping him.  Five years with no concrete end in sight seems like a struggle for her.  It's five years they know each other?  But I can't remember when they entered the courtship.

They began courting on 12/31/13. 

[lookeyloo]

Oh, well, it isn't 5 years!!!  Thanks, Sew Sumi.

[TheDoctorsCompanio]

Are they engaged? When's the wedding if they are?

[Micks Picks]

I think they were touching each other and sat extremely close together.  Oh the scandal.

[KarmaG]

Are they engaged? When's the wedding if they are?

 

Not yet. During filming at least, he was in his last year of school. I would expect a wedding in the next year though.

[BitterApple]

Brandon didn't seem like he was in a huge rush to get married but I'm sure he's aware he can't drag the courtship out forever. The Bateses are pushing pretty hard for an engagement and are making no attempts to hide it. Brandon comes off as intelligent but very introverted. I'm wondering if he has reservations about marrying into a family that is so overbearing.

[lookeyloo]

Brandon didn't seem like he was in a huge rush to get married but I'm sure he's aware he can't drag the courtship out forever. The Bateses are pushing pretty hard for an engagement and are making no attempts to hide it. Brandon comes off as intelligent but very introverted. I'm wondering if he has reservations about marrying into a family that is so overbearing.

I have always gotten the impression that she is way more into him than he is to her.  But, maybe it is just his reserved nature.

[Fabricationary]

Oh, well, it isn't 5 years!!!  Thanks, Sew Sumi.

 

Still, I would wager that 14 months or so of courtship in fundy families is like 5-7 years of courtship among non-fundies (given that many fundy courtships last only months before the wedding!).

[IndianPaintbrush]

Have you seen some of the gifts Brandon has given to Michaella?  When they began courting he wrote her a special fairytale story about how they met and fell in love.  He's just as into her, he is just much more reserved.

 

I think the wedding delay is because Brandon was finishing school and needed to save up some money.  Poor Michaella though, she is so ready to be a wife and mother that I predict she'll be pregnant before the ceremony is even over.  :)

[CarolMK]

I think when these two get married, they'll move far away from her family. Isn't he from Michigan? I predict that's where they'll end up if he is. I'm sure he has no interest in having the Bates family around in his business constantly.

[cereality]

I think Brandon and Michaela will be similar to John and Alyssa -- in that they will WANT to be away from the Bates family day to day. Both couples seem a bit introverted (maybe not Alyssa - she just seems annoyed by the big family) and likely want their own space without the entire crew -- esp the loud Carlin, Tori, and Josie trio -- in their faces daily. Both guys seem uncomfortable around the huge family and look like they're counting the minutes until they get to go home. I think Brandon and Michela will end up near his family or alternatively -- I think he went to the same school as Chad's bro to be a minister/pastor -- so I can see them setting down wherever he gets his first job.

[Tielsmomma]

I'm beginning to wonder if they will ever be engaged. I just don't think he's all that into her.

[anstar]

I think he's taking his responsibility as a young (Gothard) man seriously.  He is expected to be able to provide for a wife before he proposes.  He needs to have a job and a place for them to live all lined up and ready to go.  Unlike Ben, who is relying on his father-in-law to handle everything, Brandon is a serious minded, focused young man who wants to do things the right way.  Somehow I can't see Brandon being okay with Michael paying for the marriage license, or living in a house handed to him by Gil.  (At least I hope so anyway.)

[cereality]

I agree Brandon comes across pretty serious. And as someone who has studied ministry (or something similar) -- I think he truly lives/believes it. So I don't see him proposing until he has a job, a house/apartment that he can buy or rent that Michaela can move into, some furniture, and some money for a modest honeymoon, a ring, marriage license, and rehearsal dinner. I don't see him being ok with taking a house (not that Gill has the TLC fortune to give him one) or even securing a job through the Bates' connections in Tenn.

[lookeyloo]

I'm beginning to wonder if they will ever be engaged. I just don't think he's all that into her.

That's what I posted a while back.  I see her longing to be with him and I see him not at the same place, unless his serious responsible side keeps him so restrained.  She says things like "He is so good with the children and I'm so attracted to that" and he sort of smiles and nods.

[Absolom]

I'm hoping that it's just he's uncomfortable around the cameras or a lot of people.  Surely if he didn't want to marry Michaela he'd have found a way to end the relationship sometime over the course of five years.  

[Jenniferbug]

I can see both sides of this. She did have a crush on him for years before they began courting and was good friends with many of his sisters. Even if he was oblivious to her fondness for him, I would bet the sisters picked up on it. It's not hard to imagine that when he reached an age where courtship becomes more expected that they may have strongly encouraged him towards Michaella, and he was influenced by that encouragement.

Which isn't to say that he doesn't have strong feelings for her or that they aren't a good match. I think he does love her- they seem very comfortable and affectionate with each other. But I can also see why some are speculating that he may not be as into the relationship as she is (even if that's not necessarily my opinion).

[cereality]

I don't think that it's about him not being into her at all. He's a serious enough guy that he knows how courtships are -- by the time you get past the "getting to know you" stage and into courtship, you are promising the girl and her family that an engagement ring is coming. If he wasn't sure, I don't think he would have asked her to court. But sometimes it seems like she sees him as a romantic love and wants to get with him, whereas he sees her as an "adequate life partner." It's like he's thinking -- she has a personality I can handle (not like Tori; Carlin etc); she's nice looking; she will live a fundie life -- i.e. as many babies as we can have; she'll be a good mom; I'll come home to home cooked meals -- might as well go for it . . . .

[trimthatfat]

I haven't seen enough of Brandon to develop an opinion of him either way. IMO, he is being realistic in delaying a proposal until he can provide for his wife. Since they likely won't use birth control, the possibility of having a child early on in their marriage is real. I think it's better Brandon wait until he can support Michaela than jump into marriage because she wants him to. I also think that he isn't comfortable with the cameras which may come off as disinterest in Michaela.

[IndianPaintbrush]

Take a look at some of the gifts and romantic gestures Brandon made for Michaella.  Trust me, he's just as into her.  He's just uncomfortable on camera.

[BitterApple]

I think the Brandon/Michaela courtship is similar to Jessa/Bin where Brandon was maybe indifferent at first and Michaela just sort of grew on him. From the sound of it, she was the one who noticed and pursued him, not the other way around.

[CarolMK]

I just read on a fan site that Michaela and Brandon are engaged. Congratulations to them, I figure there will be a summer wedding.

[IndianPaintbrush]

Michaela must be doing back flips.  Congratulations to them.

 

I wonder who will be next.  Lawson and Nathan don't seem that eager to court.  My guess is Tori.  

[Sew Sumi]

A couple of quick pics: 

 

https://instagram.com/p/1hGmADsbjE/?taken-by=thebatesfam

 

eta: Found the UP photo gallery: 

 

http://www.uptv.com/bates/gallery/michaela-gets-engaged

Edited April 16, 2015 by Sew Sumi

[barbedwire]

Let's hope she has a long engagement, at least by fundie standards.  She can wait until January to get married since they have already waited this long. 

[anstar]

What is it with one member of a family announcing a courtship/engagement at the same time a sibling delivers her first child?  (Josiah/Jill and Michaella/Alyssa)