S03.E08: Breaking Down Barriers

[Tara Ariano]

The couples work on communication with Dr. Joseph Cilona. Also: Neil struggles with Samantha's living arrangements; Vanessa has trouble with a fear of; and Ashley reveals her true feelings to David.

[jamblastx]

Yay...more fun with Dr. Creepy!  David will need a hydrogen bomb to get through the skin of the T-1000...'Hello Kim Jung Il?  Would you happen to have any leftovers from the test a few weeks ago?'

[ketose]

By true feelings do they mean Ashley tells David that she thought the show was actually "Love at First Sight" and she isn't?

[HumblePi]

Seriously Samantha?  You really brought Neil into your apartment who you share with a roommate, then don't offer him even a part of a closet for his clothes to hang up and only give him a 'couple of drawers' then you refuse to give him a key to the apartment?  You order him to leave after he came back at your snotty self with a retort of his own? 

 

This girl is very immature, selfish, demanding, spoiled and unbending. Personally I get a lesbian vibe from Samantha.

[mythoughtis]

I'm sorry, Ashley is not just physically not interested, she just can't stand being in the same room as David.  She is just counting the days until 6 weeks is over.  Based on the previews from the wedding episode, David moves on before the six weeks is over.  Even though I don't agree with cheating, I can't get all that upset if that is what he does. 

[AussieBabe]

Sam is...obnoxious.

[Sunshine375]

Are they sure they screened Samantha well enough? That girl has some major issues!! She is a loose canon. I truly feel sorry for Neil for being paired with her. She needs help, badly! Grow the hell up already!

[PityFree]

Hey, Ashley - Your mustache is thicker than David's! 

[HumblePi]

I'm sorry, Ashley is not just physically not interested, she just can't stand being in the same room as David.  She is just counting the days until 6 weeks is over.  Based on the previews from the wedding episode, David moves on before the six weeks is over.  Even though I don't agree with cheating, I can't get all that upset if that is what he does. 

If Ashley thinks that David isn't physically attractive enough, she should check her bathroom mirror more closely and realize that she has no lips, a mustache and a dent in her forehead between her eyes. "ya ain't all that girl".

[AussieBabe]

Are they sure they screened Samantha well enough? That girl has some major issues!! She is a loose canon. I truly feel sorry for Neil for being paired with her. She needs help, badly! Grow the hell up already!

No way in hell. She's the Ryan D. of the season in female form. Something is off with her. There's no way in hell she was ready for marriage. She won't even give him a key. I don't care what the experts say. "Moving is soo hard after working." Really? She can dish it out but can't take it out. Neil got screwed.

[Neurochick]

If Ashley thinks that David isn't physically attractive enough, she should check her bathroom mirror more closely and realize that she has no lips, a mustache and a dent in her forehead between her eyes. "ya ain't all that girl".

I take issue with comments like this one. The insinuation is that only someone who is a ten has the right to want to be physically attracted to their partner, if you're not a ten you have to take what you can get.

I think Ashley is ugly on the inside.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Neurochick

[SnarkKitty]

These dudes are frustrating me. You teach people how to treat you, and it's no wonder they don't prioritize their "husband's" needs or barely take them into consideration - these men don't prioritize their needs for themselves. Nut up, dudes!

 

Dave: Belle isn't the cockblock, it's Ashley keeping her between you. She can't jump that high. That watch inscription wasn't telling you to keep waiting for her, now you're digging on desperation.

 

Neal: You're still way too pliable for my tastes but I'm glad you spoke up right away once you saw how things were. Stop giving in to Sam because you're scared she won't want to stay married. If that's all it takes, you shouldn't be married to her anyway.

 

Tres: You're winning this episode.

 

And you women are rising on that annoyance scale too.

 

Vanessa: You're going to create a self-fulfilling prophecy. You keep looking for reasons that Tres isn't committed to being with you, then behave in ways that keep him locked out.

 

Ashley: Dave can get a maid to do his laundry. It's been 3+ weeks, you don't have to sleep with the man but you can express some affection. Hug him and hold his hand if you want to get over the hump. But c'mon, hon - 3 weeks or 2 months, you don't want that man, in any way, shape or form. Just tell the truth.  

 

Sam: Maybe 'cause when he said yes to staying there, he didn't know you wouldn't give him a key, any closet space, you don't want him to touch you in your too-small bed, and two seconds after he made a crack you didn't like you kicked him out of your house. You're crazy and you suck. Just marry your roommate already.

 

Ashley & Sam's mantra: "I'm pleased with this marriage because he's giving me what I want/learning what I want/moving at the speed I want"
Dave & Neal's mantra: " I'm happy because .... *crickets* "

Edited January 20, 2016 by SnarkKitty

[HumblePi]

I take issue with comments like this one. The insinuation is that only someone who is a ten has the right to want to be physically attracted to their partner, if you're not a ten you have to take what you can get.

The point is as she said herself, she was usually physically attracted to people she dated. David doesn't look like a movie star but he's not bad either. She makes it seem like he actually repulses her and I find that extremely shallow and even a bit narcissistic. Ashley is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. She's definitely not a '10' by most standards and shouldn't be as critical and repulsed by David as much as she obviously is.

 

Ashley has sabotaged just about everything the 'experts' asked them to do, including sharing feelings. If she didn't like David's looks and he didn't appeal to her, she should have told him exactly that, just get it out there. She even refused to attempt to answer the questions given to them and chosen randomly out of the fishbowl. She doesn't even try a little bit, that's the problem. Even being nearly three hours later than expected the night David went out of his way to cook a nice dinner and set a nice table for her. She blew it off so casually like 'yeah well my exams took longer than I thought'.  She could have called, she could have apologized a little more and she could have helped him clean up. I think he was the one that washed the dirty dishes afterwards.

Edited January 20, 2016 by HumblePi

[Neurochick]

But people are attracted to whomever, no rhyme or reason about it. I don't think Ashley is ugly on the outside, she's ugly on the inside. I know how it feels not to be physically attracted to someone, you just can't fake it. But Ashley is going beyond that, she can't even be nice to David.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Neurochick

[ralph]

Sam: "I don't have a spare key to give you, so we're gonna have to work out when you come home, versus when I come come, versus when Sammie comes home"...or you could go to Wal Mart or a hardware store and get a spare key made for 3 dollars.

Edited January 20, 2016 by ralph

[sleekandchic]

Neil is starting to look like crap. Is he crying himself to sleep? The bags under his eyes and slight weight loss are telling.

Sam demands that they leave the marital home and move back to her place and her roommate. After one night, she tells him he can't have a key and can't share the closet. She'll give him drawers.

Next morning, In the kitchen, she tells him to "Betty Crocker it up," while she and her gf go upstairs for bonding time.

THEN, in the Cilona session, Sam blames Neil for not wanting to live at her place and for moving out! She says she just doesn't understand Neil's problem!!!! Why doesn't he communicate?! Oh my god!!! Sam has subpar social skills. Her arrested development glows from within, in everything I observe of her.

Neil plans her special birthday party, and she and he sit next to each other, eating, two strangers who just met. If she loved the party so much, could she kiss his cheek? Grab his hand? Make eye contact? Say thanks? Or maybe Neil just played along with Production cuz they need to fill the Neil/Sam time SOMEHOW. The couple is DO A.

I've resisted considering the ongoing speculation that Sam and Sammie are a couple, but tonight I saw body language and exchanged glances that told me it could be so. If it is, Sam's participation in this show reveals a calculated personality who didn't care who she might hurt. To Sam, the rest of humanity is collateral damage in her wake.

Vanessa is immature. She's sweet but she's lethargic. Why get embarrassed and defensive when Mother wants to share baby pix? Tres is also lumbering and mega laidback. Just marking time. Where's the passion? They're borderline brain dead.

Why didn't we get to see the one-on-one with Cilona and David? It's ALL about Ashley ALL of the time. I despise Ashley. I have zero compassion for her tears and reticence. She's a phony in my estimation. She had to have had ulterior motives for trying out for this show.

Neil and David, very sad. These two guys wanted love for real. They got stuck with two super duper nuclear phonies from the Other Side of the human race. Neil and David never had a chance.

Edited January 20, 2016 by sleekandchic

[Adeejay]

I find it hard to believe that Sam is a Bank Manager.  She seems to be happiest when Neil is bending to her will.  I can't believe it took David three weeks to realize that Ashley isn't attracted to him.  If Vanessa keeps this up, Tres is going to leave. 

[ralph]

I take issue with comments like this one. The insinuation is that only someone who is a ten has the right to want to be physically attracted to their partner, if you're not a ten you have to take what you can get.

I think Ashley is ugly on the inside.

I agree. I personally think Ashley is beautiful and I don't fault her one bit for being introverted or not being attracted to David because he simply doesn't have the features she finds attractive...I fault her for not trying to step an inch out of her comfort zone and putting effort into making their marriage work.

[HumblePi]

Sam: "I don't have a spare key to give you, so we're gonna have to work out when you come home, versus when I come come, versus when Sammie comes home"...or you could go to Wal Mart or a hardware store and get a spare kid made for 3 dollars.

"And while you're at it Neil, pay no attention to that woman standing in our kitchen who's still wearing the shorts and shirt she slept in. You know the one I mean, the one hogging up the coffee pot. Just pretend she's not there."

If this was Survivor Island, I'd vote off all of the professional matchmakers from this show and replace them with people who actually vet the applicants and match them up according to appearance, personality and lack of baggage from childhood. The only one that I have any respect for is Dr. Pepper.

[Empress1]

Seriously Samantha?  You really brought Neil into your apartment who you share with a roommate, then don't offer him even a part of a closet for his clothes to hang up and only give him a 'couple of drawers' then you refuse to give him a key to the apartment?  You order him to leave after he came back at your snotty self with a retort of his own? 

 

This girl is very immature, selfish, demanding, spoiled and unbending. Personally I get a lesbian vibe from Samantha.

I was like, girl, what? He’s your husband. Go to the hardware store and spend the $2 to have a key made, damn. What the hell is that? She wasn’t even TRYING to make Neil comfortable – it was so clearly her (and the roommate’s) house, not their house. She can’t shove some shit over in the closet so he can hang up his shirts? She leaves him alone in the kitchen while she and her roommate go gossip and braid each other's hair? Neil is so much nicer to her than she deserves. And she can dish it out but she sho’ can’t take it – as Neil says, she makes joking jabs all the time, yet when he does it ONCE she kicks him out of the house? Girl, bye.

 

I felt bad for David again, some more, during that conversation with Dr. Botox (I'm sorry, I forget his name, but his face has a very waxy appearance). I'm sure he knows Ashley isn't attracted to him but that doesn't mean it didn't sting to hear. And Ashley appeared almost human when she was crying over not being attracted to him, although the cynic in me wonders if she's crying over how bad this will/does look on TV.

 

David's friend, the olive-skinned one (maybe he's Hispanic or Indian?), is CUTE! Call me, friend!

[sleekandchic]

Neil and Sam are definitely not a couple, and they will never be a couple. Observe the entire birthday scene carefully. Sammie and other guests arrive, Neil and Sam do not stand near each other as they greet the guests. Time to leave and get on the party bus, Sam and friends forge ahead, Neil in background. They enter Agatha's, Neil and Sam apart, they barely look in each other's direction. Eating dinner, side by side, neither one looks at the other. Maybe Neil throws a glance? Sam NEVER does.

Oh, their THs said all the right things. Sam was so grateful for Neil's thoughtfulness! Neil was so pleased to make Sam happy! They're finally connecting for real!

Please!

Edited January 20, 2016 by sleekandchic

[SnarkKitty]

Sam: "I don't have a spare key to give you, so we're gonna have to work out when you come home, versus when I come come, versus when Sammie comes home"...or you could go to Wal Mart or a hardware store and get a spare kid made for 3 dollars.

 

Now, which WalMart would this be? I could use a spare. Typo, I know - but too funny to let pass. :)

 

At first I thought it was until she made a key ... then Neal cleared that up with "she doesn't want to give me a key." Whelp. There you go.

David's friend, the olive-skinned one (maybe he's Hispanic or Indian?), is CUTE! Call me, friend!

 

Ha ha, you sound like the Diane character on Black-ish. She always calls her twin "Friend." And yeah, he's a cutie. I actually though Ashley was attracted to him, with the flirty and the giggly. Because we know girlie can be cold as shit when she's not feeling you, she's not gonna pretend. She was probably sitting there lamenting that HE wasn't the one. I doubt Belle would be on the bed if he was on the other side.

 

Dave is just seriously needy on all levels, and the desperation is sad. His friends can't even be friends, they have to be his family and he tells them so. Talk about pressure. Then they set him up with someone with extra-strength boundaries. 

[stuckin60s]

Sam's behavior is horrid,  i felt so bad when Neil actually apologized.  He should feel okay to say that after one night he determined it wouldnt work living in Sams and Sammys house.  I dont think his jab was bad at all, as ususal Sam can dish it but not take it.

 

i also agree with the previous poster, Ashley had the opportunity to say what she felt about David and her lack of attraction with Dr C sitting there and didnt spit it out.  She did however give David "the look" when he tried to console her by patting her back.  Even Dr C noticed that

[bluestocking]

After last week I was wondering whether there would be any progress--or even just some change--in David/Ashley.  Nope.  Just the same old stuff: Ashley cold and indifferent, David still sorta trying. How many more weeks of nothing happening do we still have?

[grumpypanda]

Up until this episode I had no reason to believe that Sam and her roommate were really a couple but something about the way Sam spoke about going to Sami's room convinced me that something is going on between them that is more than friendship. I'm guessing that Neil felt it too and that's why he changed his mind about living with both of them. He's definitely the third wheel in that house.

It's obvious that Sam doesn't want the marriage to work and is trying to push Neil out but he is to damn stupid or stubborn to walk away. I don't know if it's because she's in love with her roommate but she definitely doesn't like Neil.

I also noticed how terrible both Sam and Neil looked during their visit with Dr. C. They need to end this charade and stay at their own places. They will never have a real and happy marriage.

Anyway, I'm convinced that Ashley has never had an orgasm in her entire life. She is wound up so damn tight that she is about to explode. David, consider yourself lucky to divorce her after six weeks. If she does eventually have sex with you it's only because she wants babies and once she has those babies her shop will close up for good.

I'm kind of annoyed that Dr. C told Ashley and David to take sex and all forms of affection and intimacy off of the table for now to please Ashley. Well what about David's needs? What if he needs a hug sometimes to feel validated?

On a lighter note, I hated Ashley's outfit at the little get together. I get that Atlanta is hot but those tiny little shorts are not flattering on most women. That purple tank top wasn't doing her arms any favors either. And the mustache is back. I'm not saying she's ugly but she could look a lot better. I like her hair naturally curly. The wild curls make her features look less severe.

Edited January 20, 2016 by grumpypanda

[ketose]

This is how MAFS ends.

 

First, we have Vanessa and Tres, who are the only ones left doing what we used to call Married at First Sight. They're enough of a couple that they can go and visit Vanessa's mom. Even if they're not working out, they're both doing the work.

 

Sam and Neil. Now, I am about as short on life experience as anyone you will ever meet, and I've even been to dinner theater. I wonder how forcefully Sam told Neil she wanted the gold package from that place for her birthday and Neil could have the joy of paying for it. Even though I floated the "Ashley may be gay" theory already, the principles could apply to Sam. She seems to have a conservative family. Maybe she thought a failed TV marriage could get her a few more years of not settling down so she can sty on the down-low.

 

Dave and Assley. If next week is any indication, David is done. It also seems pretty obvious that Ashley was trying to keep the upper hand by claiming she needed more time. Now that she had to admit she doesn't want any of what David has to offer, he can now stop pinning his hopes on her. I think with his decent enough looks and winning personality, David can chase a lot of tail over the next three weeks. He might as well. The experts experimented on him by purposely getting him and ice queen who also wasn't attracted to him.

[Snarklepuss]

I agree. I personally think Ashley is beautiful and I don't fault her one bit for being introverted or not being attracted to David because he simply doesn't have the features she finds attractive...I fault her for not trying to step an inch out of her comfort zone and putting effort into making their marriage work.

 

I would normally agree with you but I think the reason Ashley is "not attracted" to David is because a) She is shallow and has never been in a relationship that was about more than physical attraction and b) She is immature and has no clue how to look beneath the surface to appreciate the deeper aspects of a relationship.  She's not even open to letting herself become friends with the guy.  She's hung up on some kind of juvenile expectation of how relationships evolve.  When Cilona talked about how it sometimes takes more than 3 weeks to bond enough with someone to grow to find them attractive she had a blank stare like she had no fucking clue what he was talking about. 

[ketose]

I would normally agree with you but I think the reason Ashley is "not attracted" to David is because a) She is shallow and has never been in a relationship that was about more than physical attraction and b) She is immature and has no clue how to look beneath the surface to appreciate the deeper aspects of a relationship.  She's not even open to letting herself become friends with the guy.  She's hung up on some kind of juvenile expectation of how relationships evolve.  When Cilona talked about how it sometimes takes more than 3 weeks to bond enough with someone to grow to find them attractive she had a blank stare like she had no fucking clue what he was talking about. 

If Dr. C. intentionally made Ashley tell David about her non-attraction to cut him loose, I have to give him some credit. In reality, it was probably the only truth he could drag out of her.

[shouldbedancing]

When Ashley hugged David's friend, all I could think of was that friend got more action that David ever will. He forced her into a hug, slammed her on the bed then freaked out when belle started freaking out. It was so disturbing. Throw that watch out of the window!

Why is marriage such an appealing fantasy did these people?

Yeah Neil is looking really rough nowadays.

Edited January 20, 2016 by shouldbedancing

[Snarklepuss]

Seriously Samantha?  You really brought Neil into your apartment who you share with a roommate, then don't offer him even a part of a closet for his clothes to hang up and only give him a 'couple of drawers' then you refuse to give him a key to the apartment?  You order him to leave after he came back at your snotty self with a retort of his own? 

 

This girl is very immature, selfish, demanding, spoiled and unbending. Personally I get a lesbian vibe from Samantha.

 

I can't believe how Neil just acts like a pussy when she pulls this stuff.  I am still trying to figure out if he's really a pussy or just biding his time and determined not to poke the bear.  She acts like he's a house guest that invited himself against her will but she's putting up with him anyway.  It's all I can do to force myself to watch the way she treats him.  She tells him he's being fake, and when he turns it back around on her she gets upset at HIM for calling her fake - Ummm.....Wait a second, she called HIM fake FIRST but that's somehow OK?  What a freaking psycho bitch!  Cilona is not right chalking this up to "the stress of the situation".  This is caused by the stress of Sam's psychotic mind, period, the end.  Seriously, what these "experts" say is laughable and bears no resemblance to what we just saw.  How Cilona can BS with the platitudes while Neil just let Sam cut his balls off is seriously fucked up.

[Gigi43]

So Sam wants to be "put in her place", but a sarcastic remark from Neil when shes being ridiculous he gets thrown out... Okay. Neil really though should have spoken more to Sam and Cilona about issues like Sam not giving him a key. It seems like it's not so much Neil just changing his mind so much as he wasn't aware of how much of a guest he'd be until he got there, and couldn't deal with that. Did Sam call her friends room her sanctuary or did I misunderstand? That was seriously weird. I'm surprised the roommate issue wasn't made to be a bigger deal by the "experts". I think the couples should be required to always go to a new place as to avoid exactly what Sam did with using " her place " to throw him out. Also, last episode they said they both really hated that House, this week that didn't come up at all it was all about Sam being in traffic.

I think Tres and Vanessa have it in them to be a good couple for a bit, but not married. If this was a dating show they'd be considered a successful match but I don't think they're really ready for marriage. But they both seem nice, and nice to each other it's the only relationship in the last two seasons in which I see they are equally trying, Tres drunken night and all.

David, you can do better. How can Ashley have a dog with such an expressive face?? The dog (Belle?) looked so happy sitting on David's friends lap I wanted to hug her. Though Ashley may have laughed once this episode. Still, I'm done with her and David should be too. Does Ashley have to find David attractive? No. But David has every right to not kiss her ass in hopes that changes her mind. That has to hurt to hear no matter how she and Cilona tried to package that information to him.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Gigi43

[PityFree]

It really bothered me when Ashley implied in front of Dr. C that she doubted that David would not stop trying to touch her or kiss her. She seems to have a very high opinion of herself that is completely undeserved. Before that conversation, David was trying to get a tiny bit of affection from a "wife" but now he knows not to even bother trying.

[sleekandchic]

So, am I understanding Ashley's position correctly? Did she say the physical attraction isn't there with David, and it will NEVER be there, so, therefore, she was implying that there's no hope? She said she didn't want to be blunt with D but that was the truth. So, can we infer that she was effectively telling Cilona that there was no hope and the marriage was dead in the water?

I think her proclamation is really what spurred Cilona to urge the couple to take intimacy completely off the table. Otherwise he could see them (or, at least, David) walking after three weeks, which wouldn't look good for the experts.

When Dave returned from his trip, his hair was noticeably darker. I wondered if he and A had discussed the dark hair/eyes thing and he was trying to surprise her. Poor, deluded guy.

Oh! And Ashley confirmed this episode that she was HOPING NOT TO BE ATTRACTED to her groom at first sight because she's always relied on the physical in the past, with no success. What a joke she is.

Re Neil and Sam: she didn't get angry when Neil said he thought it best to look for a new marital home. He said he'd do all the legwork, and she agreed. But then he got hyperbolic and said, he would search all day, 24 hrs a day, if necessary. That's when she flipped out and implied he was a phony, putting on an act. And he replied, "I learned from the best." That's when she asked him to leave, but then left herself.

Obviously, he was telling us and her that she's a huge phony on camera, saying b.s. that sounds good, but never being real.

Dr. Cilona's voice sounded like GOB's from Arrested Development in some of the scenes. Was Sam's friend who was crying on her wedding day her roommate?

Yes, the roommate cried at the wedding. Edited January 20, 2016 by sleekandchic

[Snarklepuss]

I'm kind of annoyed that Dr. C told Ashley and David to take sex and all forms of affection and intimacy off of the table for now to please Ashley. Well what about David's needs? What if he needs a hug sometimes to feel validated?

I actually agreed with Cilona on that.  In couples therapy it's usually the person that needs more time to get comfortable that's allowed that time with no pressure to cooperate or force themselves into whatever it is they're having trouble with.  And truthfully, either Ashley's going to come to find David attractive on her own with no pressure or it's just not ever going to happen.  My vote is that the latter is more likely and she will never find him attractive.  I personally think Ashley is too shallow and immature for a relationship that's based on more than just physical attraction/fantasy world stuff and doesn't know how to relate to someone on a deeper level.  So without the physical features she insists on there will never be anything there for her.  David is far better off without her, in my opinion.

[Snarklepuss]

But people are attracted to whomever, no rhyme or reason about it. I don't think Ashley is ugly on the outside, she's ugly on the inside. I know how it feels not to be physically attracted to someone, you just can't fake it. But Ashley is going beyond that, she can't even be nice to David.

 

Ashley's non-attraction to David goes beyond him just not being her type.  It has to do with her being unable to relate to a guy on a level that's more than skin deep.  If she were able to friend zone David that would even be an improvement because at least she'd be able to have some kind of intimacy with him.  But as you say, she can't even be nice to him - That's because she is deathly afraid of getting to know a guy and sharing her inner self with a guy.  It's all surface with her.  If she were able to relate on a deeper level I'd bet that suddenly David would look more attractive to her even if he wasn't her "usual type". 

[ketose]

Ashley sounds like she'll end up having to settle for a less attractive guy because her looks will be gone and it will be too late to keep the kind of guy she really wanted.

[girlplease]

It really bothered me when Ashley implied in front of Dr. C that she doubted that David would not stop trying to touch her or kiss her. She seems to have a very high opinion of herself that is completely undeserved. Before that conversation, David was trying to get a tiny bit of affection from a "wife" but now he knows not to even bother trying.

 

But affection is something that should be given, not taken. I feel for him that she's not responding the way he would like, but he's being pushy about the physical stuff IMO - that tackle, for instance, was not cool. Just because they've been together x number of days/weeks doesn't mean he's "earned" a kiss, hug, etc. 

 

They are so uncomfortable to watch. It's like a terrible first date that just will. not. end.

[Snarklepuss]

Vanessa is immature. She's sweet but she's lethargic. Why get embarrassed and defensive when Mother wants to share baby pix? Tres is also lumbering and mega laidback. Just marking time. Where's the passion? They're borderline brain dead.

 

I agree, I've thought the same thing about them.  They make me want to fall asleep.  I think they have a puppy love attraction but whether it can go the distance I find doubtful at their present level of maturity.  I don't think they have gotten that deep with each other other than a high school level going steady type of relationship.  Both of them are good at saying all the right things but my gut isn't convinced.  Tres said he likes being married like it's a shirt someone gave him but next thing you know it'll go to the back of the closet.  I don't see the relationship lasting past a year or two. 

[ralph]

Now, which WalMart would this be? I could use a spare. Typo, I know - but too funny to let pass. :)

 

At first I thought it was until she made a key ... then Neal cleared that up with "she doesn't want to give me a key." Whelp. There you go.

oops. so embarrassing. thanks for bringing it to my attention.

[Jack Sampson]

If I was David, I'd kick Ashley out and already be hitting on strippers with Tres. Seriously, she'd show up after school to find all of her crap packed in boxes on the driveway - including the dog. Maybe put weights in some of the boxes to make them harder for her idiot step-father to move.

If I was Neil, I'd realize my wife is a lesbian and leave...possibly shoot for a threesome first.

You're on TV, bros! Go out in a blaze of glory! Or at least a blaze of something worth watching!

[ralph]

No one can convince me that Sam and her roommate Sammie (those names wtf) haven't had romantic feelings for each other or at least had sex once. You  just can't.

I'm kind of annoyed that Dr. C told Ashley and David to take sex and all forms of affection and intimacy off of the table for now to please Ashley. Well what about David's needs? What if he needs a hug sometimes to feel validated?

 

It annoyed me because aside from the occasional hug and arm around the shoulder, he's been doing just that for the last 3 weeks.

Edited January 20, 2016 by ralph

[sleekandchic]

During their session with Cilona, Sam started nodding so hard at everything he was saying, she looked like a demonic bobblehead. She was trying SO hard to convince Cilona and us that she was completely on board, completely understood his points and was still game to make the marriage work. Liar.

When Ashley started to cry and David attempted to comfort her by lightly touching her back, she literally flinched and gave him a look that said, don't touch me! Dave felt it, and I hope Cilona saw it, too. She recoils with distaste; her reactions are way beyond a lack of chemistry. Terrible.

I want Ashley to tell us a famous person -- actor, politician, newscaster, etc, -- who looks similar to her type. Other than coloring, I bet they're not so different looking from David. Ashley is being dishonest about the true reason she's freezing him out.

[anarchyangel84]

•• Ashley has the personality of a brick wall- but I kinda felt bad for her. I mean, it would suck to go through that process & not be attracted to the guy you marry. But then I found out that this is a pattern in Ashley's life. Not only is she ugly on the outside- she's shallow & ugly on the inside too.

When David was talking to his friends & they were asking him if they used nicknames for each other, I was thinking that I can think of a few nicknames for Ashley. MustAsh or MustAshley. Bitch works too.

IF this is going to work, she needs to stop putting the pressure on herself. (Being someone completely different than herself would work best.) David needs to stop pushing her too. They both need to RELAX.

•• I thought I remember Neil saying something to Sam about wanting to look for another place of their own after they moved into her place. Maybe I'm wrong.

It's obvious to me that she wanted to move back into her place so she could have ALL the control. Who wants to be in a relationship where they have to CONSTANTLY fight for control? It would be exhausting! I've also been trying to like Sam- to see where she's coming from. But this episode did it for me did it for me. She's just plain dumb. She has a GREAT guy in Neil & she continues to sabotage her relationship with him every chance she gets. She obviously wasn't even close to being ready to get married to anyone! You mean to tell me that these "experts" didn't see that?! It's really unfortunate for Neil- because he deserves so much better.

•• What can I say about Vanessa & Tres? Does anyone else ever want Vanessa to shut the hell up? I think I do because their problems are nothing compared to the other couples. If they were on a show by themselves, I think I'd see their problems as real problems- if that makes sense. Now it just seems like she's a drama queen.

[Kareem]

Ashley hugged David's friend and I nearly fell off the couch.

Sam should be taken out back and shot. Living for Decision Day, when she says she's afraid he'll divorce her and she deserves it. What a vile waste of skin she is. If only he had a back bone.

Vanessa can't get out of her own way. Unfortunate.

[cherry slushie]

I noticed that when Sam kicked Neil out, she kicked him out with the dogs.  This got me to thinking; she treats him like a dog!  No key, not moving some of her stuff so he can have closet space; like most normal people would do, and the relief on her face when he said they should live in their own places until they found a house, says it all. She doesn't want him and will never want him. even if he were the last man on earth.  

 

That said, I don't think she's a lesbian; I just think she looks for any excuse to get away from him.  There is nothing he can do or say at this point.  However, she doesn't have to be so fucking mean and condescending to him!  She takes the word "bitch" to a whole new level.  I feel awful for Neil.

 

As for David and Ashley, again, it's never going to happen. 

 

Trey and Vanessa kind of bore me.  I always find myself doing other things when they're on screen. They're definitely going to stay married, while the other two couples, well, the women, are going to run away as fast as they can once it's over.

Edited January 20, 2016 by cherry slushie

[Snarklepuss]

IF this is going to work, she needs to stop putting the pressure on herself. (Being someone completely different than herself would work best.) David needs to stop pushing her too. They both need to RELAX.

 

That's true, I think they're both putting too much pressure on each other and themselves given the 6 week "deadline".  I think both of them think they have to consummate the relationship before that or else the whole thing is a wash.  Then Cilona says it might take longer than that for Ashley to feel comfortable with being physically intimate with David (Ashley says it could take her 2-3 months?).  So either they're going to have to make the decision to stay married at 6 weeks without knowing if that will ever happen or just decide to bag it.  My vote is for the latter.  I don't see this ever working out, just based on what I have seen of Ashley so far.  She's too shallow for that to happen even at 76 weeks.

 

 

•• I thought I remember Neil saying something to Sam about wanting to look for another place of their own after they moved into her place. Maybe I'm wrong.

It's obvious to me that she wanted to move back into her place so she could have ALL the control. Who wants to be in a relationship where they have to CONSTANTLY fight for control? It would be exhausting! I've also been trying to like Sam- to see where she's coming from. But this episode did it for me did it for me. She's just plain dumb. She has a GREAT guy in Neil & she continues to sabotage her relationship with him every chance she gets. She obviously wasn't even close to being ready to get married to anyone! You mean to tell me that these "experts" didn't see that?! It's really unfortunate for Neil- because he deserves so much better.

 

You're right, she did say they would look for a place of their own, then later once they moved into her place she seemed to renege on that and acted difficult about it.  Sam is one of those crazy psychos that with the right guy turns into a gag-me puppy dog, but that guy has to check his manhood at the door in return.  To Neil's credit, he is not that dysfunctional a man as much as he tries to placate her.  He would be in a constant struggle with her for every little thing.  It's even nightmarish to watch - I can only feel sorry for Neil having to live with it for 6 weeks!  It's no wonder he's starting to look like crap.  How the experts didn't see how f-ed up Sam is is beyond me.

[LennieBriscoe]

Oy. Mixed feelings here!

 

Ashley (Props to "MustAshley"!)----Was animated with and hugged David's friend because....DARK HAIR AND EYES, people! I don't think it's "shallow" for a person not married for 25 years, who has seen his or her spouse gain/lose weight. lose hair, gain wrinkles, etc., to seek a person to their physical liking, and not a partner to become eventually attracted to after initial revulsion (not simply indifference).  That's as much a movie fiction as Ashley's dreamboat!

 

Sam------Same problem here! Googly-Eyes Neil was an instant turn-off, and he ain't never gonna become a turn-on for Sam! Plus, his uber-sly sarcasm has hit her last nerve (mine, as well). I don't care for either of these people. I'm not so sure Sam wants a Conan the Barbarian, but she doesn't want a Sheldon Cooper, either, who will make her feel uncomfortable in her tomboyish brashness. ( Did I mention I hate the name/nickname "Sam" for a woman? I do. Call me shallow! :-) )

 

Vanessa----Made Mistakes Nos. 1, 2, and 10:: Wearing no make-up this early in the game! Not (IMO!) an attractive look on her, including the weird part in the hair. Also unattractive is Vanessa's sullen silence. Does she not realize that the "love" part is still very much a work in progress that can be de-railed in a trice?

 

David----Meh. I was all on Team David from the altar until the bed-tackle. Besides its being a TACKLE, FGS, it showed David's Pillsbury Dough-Boyness in all its non-glory. And Davey, old boy, maybe you shouldn't have had Ashley meet your friends yet; Just sayin'. ;-)

 

Neil----Run, Forrest, run! You will always look like a nail to Sam the Hammer! Unless you want to live in the middle of a Sam and Sammi sammie! :-P

 

Tres----Smooth operator. Smooooth operAtor. I find him cute more so than handsome.  Vanessa will be greasing the skids for Tres if she doesn't quickly realize that he isn't about chasing after a woman. (Does he have Vocal Fry? Or is it that he sounds tired?) That was a  nice interlude with Vanessa's mother, so maybe Tres is serious about making his marriage succeed.

Edited January 20, 2016 by LennieBriscoe

[Neurochick]

Here are my thoughts after a good night's sleep.

 

Sometimes I wonder if any of these people really want to be married.

 

Ashley and David:  I believe in one of the first TH's David did, he said that he knew he wanted to be married, but that dating was a problem.  To me that was a HUGE red flag regarding him.  That's like saying, "I want to have sex but I don't want the foreplay."  Dating gets you data on the person.  You date someone because you need data to decide if you're going to move forward into deeper intimacy.  I think Ashley is very immature; the expert was correct when he said sometimes an attraction can come from friendship.  That happened to me a long time ago, though we did not get married, I was friends with this guy for a year before we realized there was more there than just friendship.  I think the reason Ashley has issues is because she sees a guy she's attracted to and jumps in with both feet, before finding out if the man is even worth her time.  She's blinded by looks.  I have a friend who's been with her husband for 20 years; it started off as a sexual attraction but slowly grew to more.  However, had he been an asshole, the "more" would not have happened.  

 

My problem with this show is they are using marriage as therapy and I think that's wrong, in fact most therapists think that's wrong too.  You have to take care of your own issues, you can't expect another person to solve them for you.

 

Sam and Neil:  I don't know if Sam is gay, I don't think she is.  I think she and Sami are just close.  Today, people see that marriages, relationships don't last.  People grow up seeing their parents, their friend's parents get divorced; people grow up and have friends who are single parents.  The message is clear, marriage doesn't last but your relationships with your "bro's" and "sister friends" do.  That's what I see with Sam and Sami, two sister friends.  Women and men can have close relationships with people of their own sex and not be gay.  Most of my friends aren't married, most of them believe that men aren't reliable but their girlfriends are, sometimes I feel that way too, sometimes I don't because there are reliable men out here.  

 

Tres and Vanessa:  I get why Vanessa is concerned; she grew up in a home where she saw a man leave, also, I wonder what about her female friends, do they have relationships with their fathers?  To Vanessa, men are unreliable.  If a woman doesn't think that a man has her back, she's not going to "exhale."  I saw a very interesting video on this subject, I won't link it here because it's not about the show, but it does say a lot about why sometimes women put walls up.  "I need to know that you'll be there, that if I fall you'll catch me and I won't fall off the cliff."  That's what Vanessa is feeling IMO.  

[Sunnyside]

But people are attracted to whomever, no rhyme or reason about it. I don't think Ashley is ugly on the outside, she's ugly on the inside. I know how it feels not to be physically attracted to someone, you just can't fake it. But Ashley is going beyond that, she can't even be nice to David.

I Agree. I couldn't fake or force any attraction toward anyone I'm just not attracted to either, but I would at least make it clear as tactfully as possible and treat it like an opportunity to gain a good friend. Easier said than done, but still, girlfriend Ash needs to lighten up and stop wishing she was married to David's dark-haired friend.

David --Dude, you are FREE to move about the cabin. Unbuckle yourself and meet new people.

Edited January 21, 2016 by Sunnyside

[Vinyasa]

After last week I was wondering whether there would be any progress--or even just some change--in David/Ashley.  Nope.  Just the same old stuff: Ashley cold and indifferent, David still sorta trying. How many more weeks of nothing happening do we still have?

 

Not sure if last week or this week was more boring! Why is this show 1 hour and 15 min when it all could be shown in 15 min?

 

Nothing changes!!  Not even Vanessa's outfit that she wore when she and Tres went to lunch last week.  She wears it again on the road trip to visit her mother. Must have been filming day without time to change clothes!

 

Note to Sam-You can have key copied. I'm sure there is Home Depot close by that could do that.

 

Even the producers can't spice up this season!!