Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S01.E07: A Willis Debut


Recommended Posts

 

The family prepares for their big album release party after wrapping up their cross-country tour; it will be difficult to pull everything together between juggling party prep and a family of 14.

 

Link to comment

It was interesting to hear Brenda talk about not having more children -- I had wondered because after Jada there were more years without a new baby than there ever had been before. I assumed they had decided to stop.

 

Sad news about Mary and Jair. I feel for him because his happiness was so palpable during the proposal episode. But dang, they're so young. Maybe there's hope for the future.

  • Love 3
Link to comment
(edited)

I enjoyed this episode. Jennifer was smart to remain a brunette . She is strikingly beautiful.  Jackson is CRAZY and I bet Jaeger will be the same way.  Hope Jer will be ok. 

 

Loved them revealing the junk under the sofa. haha. 

 

Oh, and that People photographer was pretty cute.

Edited by Thadeeeyus
  • Love 2
Link to comment

Is it wrong that I'm 51 and I think Jer is hot?  I mean really hot.  Lol

He's an adult and fair game! :) Something about him doesn't do it for me, though. And something was off about the whole Mary storyline. I don't think he should have said anything to the camera like he did, "Nothing she was saying was making any sense." What??? That is private. I think she regretted ever being filmed for reality TV. And they made such a big deal about his severe mood swings that it made wonder if he's undiagnosed bipolar and needs help. 

 

I expected to love the show, but I'm turned off by their very conservative fundy beliefs. The whole deal about "dancing teaches young people how life works, that the man leads and the woman follows" troubles me, as did their "home church" that consisted of one family. I don't want to turn this into a religious debate, but as a former Christian, I can say that church is not supposed to be a private club; it's supposed to help the community. The whole home church movement, in my opinion, stripped away the one good thing churches have going for them. Thankfully, it only seems to be the fringe people who do it.

  • Love 2
Link to comment
Loved them revealing the junk under the sofa. haha.

 

Same here! Jennifer even said it was like Christmas, and that's exactly what I say when I get around to cleaning out/under the sofa. The kids always get so excited to find things they haven't seen in forever. 

 

The whole deal about "dancing teaches young people how life works, that the man leads and the woman follows" troubles me,

 

Did anyone actually say that? Not being snarky, I just don't recall. I thought the way Toby was putting it, it was more about teaching the boys to be able to be confident with women, because he has expressed several times how painfully shy he was in HIS youth. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I enjoyed this show.   I liked how Toby got down on his knees to help his son (Jack?)put on shoes.  I can't imagine ahem another dad doing this.  Also liked how the older sister cuddled the youngest boy and gave him a kiss on the head. 

This family shows their affection and caring for each other by a hug, a hand hold, a kiss.  The mom shows the children that they are loved and that she has expectations for them all.  

  • Love 1
Link to comment
(edited)

Did anyone actually say that? Not being snarky, I just don't recall. I thought the way Toby was putting it, it was more about teaching the boys to be able to be confident with women, because he has expressed several times how painfully shy he was in HIS youth. 

Yes, Brenda directly said it. I wish I had any idea how to track down the quote now, but something to the effect of "Dancing really teaches my kids how man/woman relationships are supposed to go, that the man leads and the woman follows." No surprise at all, coming from people who home church and live by the bible. They would likely call themselves "complementarians" if asked. They wouldn't take the male headship doctrine/language quite as far as Gothard and the Duggars but they would certainly agree that the bible says wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. I'm not saying they take it to any kind of extreme, but I grew up in that world and hearing it just bugs me.

Edited by becca3891
Link to comment

I also love the family dynamic.

 

It's strange to me how Brenda would say that they decided no more kids after Jaeger and she "didn't think [she] could get pregnant" but then had Jada. So I guess they weren't using BC? I guess she thought Jaeger's birth traumatized her body? How could she not know she couldn't get pregnant? I am glad, though, that they put her health before more babies. Smart move.

 

I felt so sad for Jair. You had to really feel for him. It sounds like Mary wanted him to drop everything and expected him to join her and follow her around? That's what I was getting from that, anyway. If that's true, he's better off not being with her anymore, even if it hurts. Relationships, and especially marriage, should be about compromise. I'm also thinking it hurts worse because this was (probably but I have no idea if so) his first relationship. Those break ups are the worst as is, but add that to having it on a tv show, that's even worse. Poor guy.

 

Jackson! Why in the world would you think trying to jump over a spiked fence would be a good idea?!?! I probably would've barfed if I had seen it.

 

I liked that Jet or maybe Jennifer (?) talked about the younger kids wanting to ursurp the older ones. I don't understand why they can't have multiple instrument players? I get that the younger ones are still learning to play, but the older ones are on their third album and obviously started somewhere. I don't think that's fair.

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I noticed Jazz playing with the band there at the end, so it looks like as they get older and gain proficiency, they are folded into the band, not necessarily that they have to wait for someone to "age out" (or get married, or however a vacancy might occur.)

  • Love 1
Link to comment
It's strange to me how Brenda would say that they decided no more kids after Jaeger and she "didn't think [she] could get pregnant" but then had Jada. So I guess they weren't using BC? I guess she thought Jaeger's birth traumatized her body? How could she not know she couldn't get pregnant? I am glad, though, that they put her health before more babies. Smart move.

 

It sounded to me like she got pregnant with Jada super soon after having Jaeger. So maybe that's why they thought that? I didn't get my IUD in until 6 weeks PP, and I think it is pretty unusual to get pregnant that soon, a lot of women haven't even started having regular cycles again. But still....after that traumatic of a birth, I wouldn't even let my husband near me! But yes, I am glad that after that little "accident" she did the right thing and put an end to the baby express. 

  • Love 1
Link to comment

I remember reading somewhere, can't remember now, but apparently after Brenda had her 11th child, she suffered a ruptured uterus during delivery. She did in fact get pregnant for the last time about 3 months later and had a successful 12th pregnancy, but got her tubes tied afterward. 

Link to comment

He's an adult and fair game! :) Something about him doesn't do it for me, though. And something was off about the whole Mary storyline. I don't think he should have said anything to the camera like he did, "Nothing she was saying was making any sense." What??? That is private. I think she regretted ever being filmed for reality TV. And they made such a big deal about his severe mood swings that it made wonder if he's undiagnosed bipolar and needs help. 

 

He is a very scary age for undiagnosed mental illnesses; his severe mood swings were a weird storyline to use and concerning. 

Link to comment

He is a very scary age for undiagnosed mental illnesses; his severe mood swings were a weird storyline to use and concerning. 

You're so right. And something like a broken engagement could spiral him into an even worse mental place. I really do hope they aren't the type of fundies who deny the existence of mental illness. I got the feeling they were into "natural" health by a few things they said, and that's great to a point, but I'd hate to see someone not get the help they need.

  • Love 1
Link to comment
(edited)

Kind of late to the table with this but:

 

 

I guess she thought Jaeger's birth traumatized her body? How could she not know she couldn't get pregnant?

I thought she was saying that after her uterus ruptured with Jaeger, she thought she couldn't get pregnant again, that the damage to her uterus was such that it simply couldn't happen. She did say something about it essentially being "shredded".  She was shocked to learn she was pregnant with Jada, and after her birth, had her tubes tied to make sure it didn't happen again. 

Edited by anstar
Link to comment
×
×
  • Create New...