S07.E01: Catfishing Fallout

[kassa]

Yeah, hospitals want to get paid and may be harder to get out of paying in bankruptcy -- didn't Truely's birth bust the bank for them?   

I feel sorry for anybody who's humiliated.  Meri may not be my cup of tea, but in the grand scale of People In This World Who Should Have Bad Things Happen to Them, she's pretty small potatoes to suffer on this scale.

I too laughed at Maddie's spaghetti strap/bra combination and tried to remember if she was the one who was sent back to her room on camera by Meri for wearing a tank top years ago.  I can see Kody and Janelle letting it slide so as not to alienate her (I do give them credit for giving their children space to live their lives), but in a world where this catfish thing hadn't happened and they weren't on television, I can see Meri scolding her even at her age.    

Truely might be spoiled (would be natural in being Christine's last born as well as having been so ill), but I didn't see it in her behavior.  I saw a very verbal little kid who gets amped up by the commotion of production and by suddenly having large gatherings of her family on a daily basis that don't happen when the cameras aren't there.  Solomon also seems like a perfectly nice little boy.  Whatever the Brown family dysfunction, I think they've raised a lot of very likable, seemingly well adjusted children.  As traumatic as the move to LV was, I wonder if it saved them by exposing them to life outside their church's confines (when we met the family, weren't the kids just transitioning to public school from church school?)

[Granny58]

10 minutes ago, purpleflowers said:

Meri was really being left out by everyone or if she was isolating herself on purpose

People who are depressed will isolate themselves.   

[RedheadZombie]

52 minutes ago, LucyEth said:

Good Lord, poor Caleb and Maddie, Kody acts like an idiot around them.  He has several sons and he acts like he has no guys to hang out with, he is ridiculous.

He really was over the top.  But isn't Caleb Kody's dead brother's BIL?  Maybe Caleb was close to Kody's brother, and it makes Kody feel closer to his dear departed brother.  Caleb said he didn't mind it, and bless his heart, I believed him.  What a sweet guy.  Maddie is absolutely smitten.  And Caleb seems smart enough to keep his distance from the Brown family, and not become part of the dog and pony show, a la the Duggar son-in-laws.

[SometimesBites]

3 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

I agree.  It's simply difference in regional pronunciation.  I have relatives in Arkansas who pronounce Jenny as Jinny, and a friend from San Diego who pronounces gas as guess.  And although I don't specifically speak this way, I'm from the Midwest where many pronounce th as a d.

Yes. Vive la différence. I don't care about regional/cultural pronunciation idiosyncrasies when there are such deep veins of true idiocy to mine. ;)

[Granny58]

when Kody confronted Meri with the "you didn't want out of the family, you wanted to get away from me) or something along those lines, I think she was really fighting to not say the very obvious truth - that she doesn't want to get away from him, she wants him ALL TO HERSELF!!!  Because that's normal.  

[RedheadZombie]

7 minutes ago, kassa said:

I too laughed at Maddie's spaghetti strap/bra combination and tried to remember if she was the one who was sent back to her room on camera by Meri for wearing a tank top years ago.  I can see Kody and Janelle letting it slide so as not to alienate her (I do give them credit for giving their children space to live their lives), but in a world where this catfish thing hadn't happened and they weren't on television, I can see Meri scolding her even at her age.    

I remember Meri scolding Mykelti once, but they were in someone's house.  I remember someone else being scolded near a car, but don't recall the details.

[SometimesBites]

1 hour ago, ChicksDigScars said:

 And writing an a so-called e-book? SERIOUSLY? WOW. 

There we go. Having skimmed through it while it was posted on Imgur, trust me: it was a "book" like my Scion is a "Rolls Royce."

52 minutes ago, Galloway Cave said:

 No way in hell a guy like that has anything to do with Jackie in real life.

Or Meri.

[RedheadZombie]

3 minutes ago, Granny58 said:

when Kody confronted Meri with the "you didn't want out of the family, you wanted to get away from me) or something along those lines, I think she was really fighting to not say the very obvious truth - that she doesn't want to get away from him, she wants him ALL TO HERSELF!!!  Because that's normal.  

I sort of felt like she was struggling to not acknowledge what he said was true.  But your impression could be right, too.  I think it's one thing to imagine what your husband does with his other wives, and another to witness him saying stupid things to Robyn, like "you're too pretty to cook".  Of course they bring this on themselves by being on a reality show, but I think all the wives would be better off skipping the scenes of Kody alone with another wife.  This family, in particular, handles all of this in a dysfunctional (for polygamy) way.  I thought the Williams wives were more open on this topic.

I do like that Christine refused to comment on Meri and Kody's relationship.  What she probably doesn't realize, is Robyn doesn't do the same.  She's the voice whispering in Kody's ear.

[RazzleberryPie]

Oh they're going to wink and turn their heads to any 'alone time' Maddie and her fiancé have. They don't want him to escape. Finding a husband while you're very young is their primary goal, and they're not going to ruin that.

btw I give it 6 months before she's pregnant and five years before wife #2. How long until Robyn's daughters are legal?

[islandgal140]

1 hour ago, LucyEth said:

Good Lord, poor Caleb and Maddie, Kody acts like an idiot around them.  He has several sons and he acts like he has no guys to hang out with, he is ridiculous. 

Especially ridiculous since for about 2 seasons now we have gotten the rhetoric that Kody spends so much time doing manly man stuff with the boys and the girls feel neglected because he can't connect with them which led to the trip to the beach last season with some of the younger ones for a birthday. 

In a way I get it. It isn't the same being with your sons as opposed to guys your own age shooting the shit. However, being married to 4 woman with lawd knows how many children, guy's night will and should be few and far between.

[ghoulina]

38 minutes ago, purpleflowers said:

Robyn can be annoying, but I did like the point she made about being lonely for female companionship even though her house is more full than Meri's.

It seemed like Robyn was saying that since Meri's child is out of the house, Meri is more free to go out and have fun, while Robyn is stuck at home a lot, because of the kids. I kind of get that. I get jealous of my single mother who lives alone and has more time for going out, even though I love and adore my kids. But doesn't Robyn have an adult family member living with her, to help watch the kids? Plus, aren't they all supposed to help each other? I'm not buying it, coming from her. 

 

39 minutes ago, purpleflowers said:

It's hard to say if Meri was really being left out by everyone or if she was isolating herself on purpose. I thought they were all okay with having their own homes side by side, but Meri seems very lost with it. I don't know if the problem is really polygamy for her or her relationship with Kody. 

I think Meri wanted the separate house, because she wanted her own space, but she thought with that wet bar it would be the focal point for the family. But I bet they gather mostly at Christine's or Robyn's. I feel for Meri at times, but she's also quite an entitled brat with unrealistic expectations. 

Also, I really just don't think she is cut out for polygamy. I think she fell for Kody and went along with it for his sake. 

26 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

btw I give it 6 months before she's pregnant and five years before wife #2.

I wouldn't be insanely shocked if Maddie got pregnant sooner than she said, it happens. But I doubt they'll ever enter plural marriage. She has been adamant about that from day one. The only ones I can really see going that route are Mariah and Robyn's girls. I used to think Aspyn might, but now I think homegirl is just tired. 

 

10 minutes ago, islandgal140 said:

In a way I get it. It isn't the same being with your sons as opposed to guys your own age shooting the shit.

Except Kody is 20 years older than Caleb. Logan is 22, and Caleb is 28. So I don't think hanging around Logan would be all that different than hanging around Caleb, especially given how mature Logan is. 

[RazzleberryPie]

Caleb is half Kody's age.

[Adeejay]

Caleb probably reminds Kody of his late brother.  Based on what I've seen, I don't believe he has a close relationship with any of Janelle's and Christine's boys.  One of the biggest complaints against him is that he shows more affection to Dayton than he does to his own sons.  I would like to know how they really feel about him, because Logan seems to distance himself from the family and we've seen him clash with Hunter, Paydon and Garrison on camera. 

Edited May 10, 2016 by Adeejay

[Quickbeam]

Logan is hot. Truly is way wound too tight. Maddie looks sloppy in a tank top. 

Edited May 9, 2016 by Quickbeam

[riverblue22]

Well, maybe Logan isn't around all that much to hang out with.  He does have his own life and a girlfriend.  And Kody probably misses Hunter who is off in Colorado--Kody can no longer relive his successful wrestling days.

As much as these Sister Wives people drive me crazy, I must say their children seem so much happier and healthier than those Duggar kids.  And Robyn's success with home births, attended by a real professional, is much different than those hazardous Duggar births. 

Edited May 9, 2016 by riverblue22

[Granny58]

4 hours ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Oh they're going to wink and turn their heads to any 'alone time' Maddie and her fiancé have. They don't want him to escape. Finding a husband while you're very young is their primary goal, and they're not going to ruin that.

btw I give it 6 months before she's pregnant and five years before wife #2. How long until Robyn's daughters are legal?

probably an early pregnancy (and nothing wrong with that), but no wife #2 as I think Caleb is Catholic.   

4 hours ago, ghoulina said:

Also, I really just don't think she is cut out for polygamy. I think she fell for Kody and went along with it for his sake. 

1000% agree

[Marigny]

23 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

Truely seems to be pretty spoiled, I can see Christine giving all her attention to her because Christine is lonely because Kody ignores her. But I don't think it's doing the kid any favors. And yes I know we aren't supposed to smack on the youngsters so I will leave it at that.

Christine spoils the heck out of Truely because of that reason but also because her entire identity was caught up in being the "third" wife (read: last) and baby machine. Baby machine = attention from Kody. Now that Robyn has taken over that role, Truely has taken on the role of precious love child, much like Josie on 19 KAC.

[CofCinci]

You can tell that Kody is hopeful that Caleb will adopt the polygamist lifestyle, especially since the guy has been polyg-adjacent since childhood. 

[RazzleberryPie]

45 minutes ago, Granny58 said:

probably an early pregnancy (and nothing wrong with that), but no wife #2 as I think Caleb is Catholic.   

1000% agree

I didn't know what his faith was, but I'm glad he's not FLDS or LDS. I say not LDS, because Kody and Janelle grew up normal LDS, and derailed into this mess they're in now. I think men who have the option to do something sanctioned during the traditional 'seven year itch' period of marriage, and the women who are too busy with kids to care, pave a road to polygamy. Seriously, the chance to be a god in eternity AND have women competing for you now - that's hard to turn down if it's encouraged.

*Edited to add and make clear that I don't think mainstream LDS are nuts and know they aren't polygamists. However, The Brown Family are insane. I think they'd clearly try to convince a mainstream LDS son or daughter in law that polygamy is sunshine and rainbows, and they need to follow the 'true' roots and be as happy as they all are, because they're all just soooo happy. Well maybe not Janelle, but Kody is an idiot, and Christine and Robyn would backhandedly want everyone one to be as miserably blissful as they are. Meri only cares about Meri.

Edited May 10, 2016 by RazzleberryPie

[RazzleberryPie]

1 hour ago, Granny58 said:

Also, I really just don't think she is cut out for polygamy. I think she fell for Kody and went along with it for his sake. 

Absolutely! She went along for his sake and because any doubts she had about polygamy, she had her whole community - family, friends, church, etc., telling her any doubt meant she was disobeying God's command and putting her eternal soul at risk.

[Morgalisa]

I have read that polygamy rapidly ages women and the Brown women certainly prove this to be true.

[BlackWidow]

8 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

So, the Twitter account for this Sam Cooper (@notbatmanyet) is still active? Going on like nothing is amiss? This is actually the troll, correct? 

Just read the link above, providing background. Just amazing that this JO person can continue the charade, and has received no legal punishment for victimizing people. And writing an e-book? SERIOUSLY? WOW. 

  Ok admittedly for the first time I didn't watch this episode, I'm worried I'm becoming like the earlie poster in this thread who is finding the forum more interesting- though I might still add some more to the role-play thread. Anyway someone sends me this link the other day , there's like 5 or so of these https://vimeo.com/165701324

I mean, it's super dumb any way you slice it, I kind of found this sort of funny as it appears either catfish can sound like a dude or has paid some dude (and baby sound effects etc) It's got to be satire of some kind. Guy sounds like  total hick. Not that being a 'hick' is a bad thing per se, but he surely does not sound like the high roller he fished himself (farmed? whatever) himself/herself out to be. The whole thing is getting rather ridiculous.

               Meanwhile, if they are going to force us to watch commercials even on the replays, they need to give us something more than the same old. Don't want to with another birth scene, blah.. don't care re their renovations and nursery, I can watch HGTV for that.  Janelle blank stare expert....ok very zen but that's why we have clouds.... Kody sucking up to Caleb, eh might be worth it just to rip on Kody being all desperate and Caleb being like 'meh'... I don't know, I might have to just go over to the dark side and indulge in some RHONY or RHOBH , hey it's sad when their made-up BS seems more real than SW tv BS, meaning, ok no one buys they're all happy anymore, or even 'happy enough', so when they act 'happy' we know they're faking- and when things suck all the time or the show seems orchestrated to hide the effed-up dynamics by focussing on external things like parties and sofas , it's either depressing and/or boring. "Hey look, my couch sucks"..."I'm still mad at you"  "you bad catfishee, you!" "you never pay attention to meeee"  "I'm jus' tryin' ta help.."   or fake or overwrought enthusiasm "OMG the baby is GORGEOUS! (everyone cries on cue)"   

* quotes are not direct but examples of sentiments that prove the point of repetition or played-outness

I mean something different, talk about life pre-kody and not just about how you met HIM , but your upbringing, your family, what you thought you wanted in life when you were young, hell I think I'd rather hear what THEY watch on TV than more of the aforementioned stuff.

[Snarklepuss]

Oh my GAAAAAWD, 2 hours of mind numbing crap that put me to sleep!  I am barely awake enough to write this.  Talk about wringing every last drop out of the Catfish scandal....All without giving us anything juicy, just a rehash of last season, really.  Yawn.

Plus all that wasted time on the kids - don't get me wrong, they're cute and all but if that's all they have to put on TV anymore, this show is starting to circle the drain.  Not that it hasn't been circling already, mind you.

Maddie is cute and her fiance seems solid but I hope she doesn't put her aspirations on hold for him and goes back to school.

Meri has traded her orange face for a Coach bag tan.  When she cries she looks grotesque.

She never let Kodouche abuse her the way she let "Sam" treat her?  Just being involved with the Kodouche in a polygamous relationship is abusive enough all by itself.

And give me a break with his self-serving crap about how he should have moved in on Meri when he felt her pulling away.  Who is he kidding?  He didn't just let her pull away, he practically held the door open for her on her way out!

OK, back to sleep.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Snarklepuss

[CofCinci]

2 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

aspirations

She didn't attend college during the 2015-2016 academic year. Aspirations are gone. 

[Snarklepuss]

4 hours ago, CofCinci said:

She didn't attend college during the 2015-2016 academic year. Aspirations are gone. 

I think she was concentrating on what was technically a long distance relationship.  I don't mind if she gives herself some time before enrolling again.  I did that myself.  I got married right after college and put grad. school on hold for a while but then went back after a few years.  I could see her doing that - I hope so.

[kimaken]

On ‎5‎/‎9‎/‎2016 at 10:47 PM, LotusFlower said:

So now we know why Meri so readily agreed to divorce Kody.  It wasn't "for the children" at all.  It was so she could free herself to run away with her new lover, Sam.  Only it backfired.  Her dreamy beau was a sham, and she's back on the compound and is no longer wife #1.  Man.  At least there's the wet bar.

No, the divorce actually happened before we saw the episodes where Meri "offered" to divorce Kody so the kids could be adopted IIRC,. the divorce was done in Sep 2014). The catfish scandal started and ended before we saw those episodes last season (started in March/ended in July, 2015).

[Snarklepuss]

I am starting to think that the divorce happening before the catfish affair meant that Meri was taking the divorce seriously, like it was an end to their relationship as husband/wife - despite the reasons they gave on TV.  They were both done with each other anyway, and that's why she started chatting up guys online.  I think the only reason she stayed put after the divorce is so as not to leave the rest of the family.  I don't even think she had any "spiritual marriage" with him at that point.  She really didn't owe him any loyalty by then, IMHO.  She just made the mistake of chatting up the wrong person.  We all know if Sam were a real guy she'd have left by now.

I have to say that today catfishing online especially on dating sites is out of control.  My good friend got sucked in by one for a while a month or so ago, but thankfully she's not as naive/desperate as Meri is and cut it off as soon as she realized it, which was only a couple of weeks into an online chat.  I did have to ask her why she was chatting up a guy in California when she lives in NY.  I have to wonder why some people join dating sites - I think a lot of them aren't really serious about finding a relationship and will waste time chatting with people long distance as a result because it's "safe" (i.e., she'll never have to actually meet the person)  - My friend included.  She's telling me now that most of the guys who chat her up on the dating sites are scammers.  I'm sure it's more prevalent in her age bracket (she's 62) but still.....

[stillhere1900]

All this talk about Meri and catfishing. I'd like to know what's going on with Janelle ? She is HUGE!!!!!! Emotional eating, maybe ? She has to weigh around 350-400 lbs

[OtterReality]

I found it amusing that she made a point to correct Christine about the catfisher being a woman not a man, then proceeded to continue referring to it as "he".

[Morgalisa]

They make plural marriage look badddd!  If they did the show for the money, ok fine.  They made money (even though poor Robin still had to put her sofa on lay-a-way).  But if the purpose was to show how wonderful polygamy is and encourage others to do it.  Big fail.

[Zahdii]

Yeah, as far as I can recall, Kody and Meri divorced earlier and Meri didn't meet the catfish until after that.

Long post.  Sorry, got carried away.

Anyway, In my humble opinion...

I suspect that Meri was pushed into the divorce and hoped that by complying Kody would realize how much she loved him, and either come back to her or at least stay more in her life.  But it soon became obvious that Kody only spent as little time as possible with the other wives while he went through an obnoxious honeymoon phase with Robyn.  

Really, I think that Kody only wants the other women around for selfish reasons:

  So he can congratulate himself on having all these women wanting him.

  So he can keep the show.

  So he can show off and brag to strangers about how many wives he has.

  So he has other women he can go to if Robyn steps out of line.

  And possibly to get his own stupid planet in the afterlife, although I'm not convinced he really believes that stuff.

Meri lorded her first wife status over the other women all their married life.  She has said that she only agreed to polygamy because Kody wouldn't marry her otherwise.  Then Meri was only able to have one child, when having lots of kids is a status symbol in their world.  Janelle is the second wife but manages to have the first child.  Christine joins a few years later, and both Janelle and Christine were popping out kids like Pez dispensers, until both of them had six kids to Meri's one.  

Finally Janelle was done with having kids, Christine was on her last pregnancy, and Meri brought Robyn into the mix hoping to have an ally who would stand with her in the Sisterwives battle.  Meri pushed for Robyn even though Kody said he found her unattractive and didn't like that she already had three children with her first husband.  This turned out to be a bad move on Meri's part because Kody got over his initial reluctance and really got into Robyn.  Maybe her extensive Victoria's Secret collection helped.  Maybe he enjoyed her encouraging her children to treat Kody like the bestest dad in the whole world helped.  Maybe he just enjoyed knowing that when he went to visit Robyn, his other wives and children weren't in the same house, so he could relax and devote himself to the simplicity of only having one woman and her children to deal with.

After 'marrying' Kody, Robyn never had to live with the other wives, further cementing the difference between her and the other wives.  Then Kody initiated a stupidly overdramatic and false reason to flee in the night to Las Vegas.  Once there, the wives all ended up living separately with their kids and Kody had to run to one house after another to visit his wives and spawn.  Poor baby.  Eventually, they all moved into the infamous cul de sac in new homes customized to their individual specifications. Then came Meri's last hurrah as Wife Number One.  She insisted on picking the best location for her house.  She wanted extra bedrooms in honor of the kids she wanted to have but never could.  She wanted a wet bar.

Kody gave into all these ridiculous demands, but with Robyn carrying his latest child, I think he was over Meri and her dramatics.  

Soon all the wives, except Robyn, were complaining that Kody never spent much time with them or their children.  Janelle pulled back on the complaints and made peace with the situation.  Christine kept trying to get Kody's attention and was reduced to bargaining garage space in her garage for his stupid wrestling mats if he'd just show up once in a while.  Meri realized that Robyn wasn't her ally and concentrated on getting her daughter into a private college, and the daughter (Mariah) needed a car, and making a man cave in her home for Kody to retreat to when the burdens of being Kody became too much.

Then Kody and Robyn came to Meri and asked her to consent to a divorce so they could marry and have Kody adopt Robyn's kids.  Despite Robyn's ex having visitation with his kids all this time, suddenly he was a near-rapist for getting Robyn pregnant outside of marriage and ... I don't know what other crimes he supposedly committed, but it was suddenly imperative that Kody marry Robyn for the sake of her children.  Meri agreed, but I think she did it because Kody wanted it, and she was afraid she'd lose him forever if she didn't let him play White Knight to Robyn and her kids.

When Meri lost First Wife status due to the divorce, she realized she had a large house with a wet bar and many empty bedrooms, and Kody was over at Robyn's making the babies Meri couldn't have.

In her mind, Meri had lost Kody and was alienated from Janelle and Christine, so she spent her time in her empty house until the day that Robyn's good friend whatshername brought the catfish to one of the MLM meetings and that was that.  The catfish, introduced to Meri as a woman, befriended her and hooked Meri up with the fake Sam persona and went to town.  

The legendary emotional affair was carried out on Twitter at first, then private emails, exchanged photos, and whispered phone calls.  Every time Meri was to meet 'Sam' in person, 'he' had to cancel or sent the catfish in his stead.  This catfish didn't try to get money from Meri; catfish realized that Meri spent every dime on her home and her daughter.  Instead, the catfish delighted in getting Meri to commit herself emotionally and built up a humiliating store of pictures, emails, and voice messages.  

Perhaps the end goal was to blackmail TLC or the Brown family as a whole, but somewhere along the line the catfish seems to have changed course.  Meri's friendship with a man on Twitter was drawing attention.  People were looking up this mystery man and suggesting that Sam didn't exist.  Meri and 'Sam' both issued statements on Twitter saying that they had a mere friendship, nothing else.  

If blackmail was planned, that course was no longer viable.  Instead, the catfish doubled down and had Meri on the cusp of leaving Kody.  At some point Meri started confiding in Robyn, probably because it was Robyn's 'friend' that introduced Meri to 'Sam'.  Robyn probably doesn't want it known just what she knew and when she knew it, because I don't think it would look good for her.  It didn't help that Robyn's 'friend' publicly stated that she knew that 'Sam' was real, because she had met him.  Later, that 'friend' said that she hadn't met 'Sam', but she'd talked to him on the phone.  Robyn prudently ended her friendship with this woman.

But somewhere in there, Meri still believed that Sam was real.  He was a handsome, wealthy man who only had eyes for her.  He wanted her and would treat her like a queen.  He wasn't Morman, which leads me to believe that Meri isn't really a True Believer in their version of the Morman religion.  She followed Kody's religion because she loved him and wanted him.  When she became disillusioned with Kody, she wasn't strong enough to go out on her own, instead she found an acceptable replacement.  This guy was tailor made for Meri.  He had everything she wanted and wanted nothing more than to share it with her.  When suspicion crept into her mind that this whole thing was too good to be true, Meri quashed it.  She WANTED it to be true.  

Call it magical thinking if you will, but Meri's whole life was built up on magical thinking.  She grew up in polygamy, but I think she hoped to step out of the polygamous life with Kody, only to find he wanted it.  In order to have him, she agreed to let him collect other wives.  She made their lives a living hell at times (OK, a lot), because there was a part of Meri that didn't really believe in polygamy, but having everyone around her telling her doubts were the Devil trying to worm his way into her heart (and really wanting Kody) enabled her to live in the lifestyle, as long as she was the first wife = the legal wife.

What happened next:  Meri's alone after the divorce, Kody is now treating her like he's treating Janelle and Christine - like pathetic relatives you put up with to be polite.  'Sam' steps in and offers her everything she ever wanted plus the opportunity to give Kody, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn the finger as she sets off to live a fantastic life with a man who wants only her.

The problem:  'Sam' isn't real.  Meri has been publicly humiliated and has been gathering the shreds of her dignity around her to cope.  She's not able to admit, at least not on camera, her desire to be loved by a man who wasn't sleeping with multiple other women.

End result:  Meri appears to think that her only option is to minimize the damage and claim victim status.  At this point I'm not going to harp on her because I think she's getting punished daily from the rest of the adult Browns, and possibly from some of the children, too.  I say this as a person who thought she was the most unlikeable wife until Robyn really came into her own.  Janelle bore the brunt of Meri's bitchiness for years, so I can see why she's not jumping up to help Meri.  Christine might have been more helpful, except that until Meri tried to jump ship Christine was the wife Kody crapped on the most.  Any kindness or help from Robyn is probably to keep Meri from fully disclosing how much Robyn had to do with the whole fiasco.  

As for Kody, if he dropped dead I'd only feel sorry for the many people in his life who actually care for him and would miss him.  I care so little for him that I can't work up an active hate for him, I just don't care what happens to him or how he feels.  I can only drum up an interest in the people that his presence effects.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Zahdii
spelling errors - probably missed more, but I tried.

[Absolom]

I find it amusing to think back when Robyn joined the family and there was a divide of people defending her and others calling her a manipulative b/witch.  I think she has shown us what she is in all her glory.

Ratings for the nonsense: 1.564 M viewers and a .77 rating. 

[RazzleberryPie]

4 hours ago, Snarklepuss said:

I think she was concentrating on what was technically a long distance relationship. 

That's beyond flaky to me - to totally quit school just to date. I hope she at least had a job. She's an adult. I doubt very much if she goes to school anytime soon. 

26 minutes ago, OtterReality said:

I found it amusing that she made a point to correct Christine about the catfisher being a woman not a man, then proceeded to continue referring to it as "he".

Oh that was deliberate. It was almost like a war with Robyn saying 'she' and Meri responding with 'he.' Robyn was totally trying to make Meri look like an immoral idiot who had a big lesbian affair. Adultry + homosexualty = Meri is a huge sinner.

[okerry]

On 5/9/2016 at 9:09 PM, islandgal140 said:

So tired of Kody and Robyn's polygamy tales. Polygamist mostly do home births because they are afraid of going to hospitals and being found out. How is it that the one place they feel free to go to without free of reprisals is the welfare office?

And national TV shows.

[RazzleberryPie]

When you go on national tv and introduce yourself to strangers as 'hi, I'm kody and I have FOUR WIVES' - cat's out of the bag.

[RealityCowgirl]

1 hour ago, RazzleberryPie said:

That's beyond flaky to me - to totally quit school just to date. I hope she at least had a job. She's an adult. I doubt very much if she goes to school anytime soon. 

Oh that was deliberate. It was almost like a war with Robyn saying 'she' and Meri responding with 'he.' Robyn was totally trying to make Meri look like an immoral idiot who had a big lesbian affair. Adultry + homosexualty = Meri is a huge sinner.

 

My doctorate is in adult education, so I never say never - with this exception: it will never be easier than it is now (no kids, no mortgage, no aging parents needing attention, etc.). It's a lesson she'll undoubtedly learn the hard way, IF she has the drive to return to school some day. More power to her if she does, but the inherent challenges will bigger than they are now.

Edited May 10, 2016 by RealityCowgirl

[okerry]

2 hours ago, Morgalisa said:

They make plural marriage look badddd!  If they did the show for the money, ok fine.  They made money (even though poor Robin still had to put her sofa on lay-a-way).  But if the purpose was to show how wonderful polygamy is and encourage others to do it.  Big fail.

TLC is still The Learning Channel, just not in ways they expected. What have I Learned from Sister Wives? That trying to openly keep and impregnate four women, all the while trying to brainwash them into the idea that God wants them to do this, is so far beyond selfish and cruel that it's hard to even describe.

I already knew that women are not pets, toys, or collectibles, but this show demonstrates why. Women are entire human beings who need an entire relationship with their man - not a half or a third or a quarter or a fifth of a relationship with their man. 

I Learned that polygamy only creates miserable, humiliated, emotionally starving women and hugely selfish men. And that neither one can understand why this cruel and selfish arrangement does NOT work no matter how much they try to force themselves to accept it and say they're happy when they're obviously not.

Even Kody ignores the three wives to focus on the one who he feels genuinely close to. Even he learned that it's far better to have one wife who's fully cared for and happy than to have any number who are starving, angry, and miserable.

If polygamy was such a wonderful arrangement, women would be clamoring for it. But they don't. They go along either because they feel they must out of religious reasons (like Christine) and/or because the man they love has decided this is the life for him so it's either go along with it or lose him forever (like Meri.) 

Either way, that's a hideous thing to do to another human being - but plyg men (and a lot of other men) don't see women as being human beings anyway, so they're off and running. If nothing else, this show has done a good thing by shining a light on what polygamy is really like.

[Kohola3]

What I have learned, in addition to all of the horrible lessons listed by okerry, is that TLC might have started out as a network with good intentions but has sunk to the lowest point possible.  Gone are the days when their line up included intelligent programs about medicine, current events, finance, etc.  With a single exception (The Little Couple IMHO) their shows are universally made up of sensationalized circus freaks without a single "learning" minute in any episode.  I refuse to turn it on any longer.

Quote

Janelle blank stare expert....ok very zen but that's why we have clouds..

BlackWidow, greatest line every.  Choked on my tea with that one.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Kohola3

[Granny58]

3 hours ago, okerry said:

TLC is still The Learning Channel, just not in ways they expected. What have I Learned from Sister Wives? That trying to openly keep and impregnate four women, all the while trying to brainwash them into the idea that God wants them to do this, is so far beyond selfish and cruel that it's hard to even describe.

I already knew that women are not pets, toys, or collectibles, but this show demonstrates why. Women are entire human beings who need an entire relationship with their man - not a half or a third or a quarter or a fifth of a relationship with their man. 

I Learned that polygamy only creates miserable, humiliated, emotionally starving women and hugely selfish men. And that neither one can understand why this cruel and selfish arrangement does NOT work no matter how much they try to force themselves to accept it and say they're happy when they're obviously not.

Even Kody ignores the three wives to focus on the one who he feels genuinely close to. Even he learned that it's far better to have one wife who's fully cared for and happy than to have any number who are starving, angry, and miserable.

If polygamy was such a wonderful arrangement, women would be clamoring for it. But they don't. They go along either because they feel they must out of religious reasons (like Christine) and/or because the man they love has decided this is the life for him so it's either go along with it or lose him forever (like Meri.) 

Either way, that's a hideous thing to do to another human being - but plyg men (and a lot of other men) don't see women as being human beings anyway, so they're off and running. If nothing else, this show has done a good thing by shining a light on what polygamy is really like.

Wonderful post.  Preach.

[Armchair Critic]

I have a relative who quit college one semester from graduating because she met somebody and wanted to get married ASAP. She got pregnant right after they got married and now has 5 children before she is even 30. She is very religious and is a stay at home Mom and homeschooler, I worry about if something happens to her husband because she has never had to support herself. Anyway, my point is that I am very skeptical that Maddie will finish college. I know college is not for everybody, but I was hoping she would be independent for awhile instead of centering her life around a guy so young and I am still leery that he is a relative (though thankfully he seems to not be a Polyg).

[leighroda]

Am I missing something? I though Sam was an Internet catfish, not a mob boss illuminati drug lord.  For all the talk of all of this danger and "damage", I must say that was not the direction I saw this going. I expected Meri would be the innocent victim but they took it to a whole new level.  I just don't understand if she was SO scared, if she felt SO unsafe she thought her house was bugged for Petes sake but she still let Sam control her like that.  I am sure she was depressed, I've been there, I know it's debilitating. I know she felt isolated, whether Meri put up walls, or the others shut her out, (most likely a combo of both)... But as much as she going off with this story the more I am losing any sympathy I had.  I just don't buy the high stakes espionage spin they are giving it.

[RazzleberryPie]

5 minutes ago, Armchair Critic said:

I have a relative who quit college one semester from graduating because she met somebody and wanted to get married ASAP. She got pregnant right after they got married and now has 5 children before she is even 30. She is very religious and is a stay at home Mom and homeschooler, I worry about if something happens to her husband because she has never had to support herself. Anyway, my point is that I am very skeptical that Maddie will finish college. I know college is not for everybody, but I was hoping she would be independent for awhile instead of centering her life around a guy so young and I am still leery that he is a relative (though thankfully he seems to not be a Polyg).

Thousands of women drop out of school to get married, and many eventually end up going back. I don't want to sound like I'm committing Maddie to law school, because as a teenager she said that's what she wanted to be. Teens often have lofty dreams. However, Maddie is from a family that does not value commitment to anything, education or hard work. They'd rather grift and speculate. They don't finish anything. Kaleb seems like a nice enough guy, will be good to her, has a job, they're in love, but a big part of his appeal is that he's rescuing her from this emotionally depraved family. She'll be pregnant really soon. 

[Armchair Critic]

I agree with you RazzleberryPie. Maddie always talked a good game so I was hoping she would be the one to have a career and make something of herself before settling down with a guy right away. Not that there's anything wrong with being married, but after seeing how the sisterwives are tied financially to Kody I thought it might make her want to do things differently, though I will say again I am thankful she does not want to go into Polygamy like they did.

[Marigny]

On 5/9/2016 at 8:35 PM, Christi said:

Please just play the voicemails and show the pics Meri texted.  One pic had her scratching Sam's name into her arm or leg...yeah, thats normal.

It was Robyn's "good" friend that started all this.  She introduced them at some sales convention for the pyramid scheme of vitamins they were shilling.

Cant believe I know all this, but it was SO juicy at the time!! Meri was NEVER a victim, from what I read.

Oh, and the catfisher wrote an E Book..."Almost Meri'd"

Lolololol

So Robyn encouraged this ish?

 

Of all the kids, I thought Maddie would be the one to get her education and establish her own career, especially considering she's Janell's kid and has probably witnessed more of the financial aspect of this mess than anyone else. I hope Caleb encourages her to get her education and hold off on starting a family for a while. 

[RazzleberryPie]

Honestly, Maddie comes from a family that makes bad decisions AND they're all encouraging her to 'just' be married. In their culture, being married and having tons of kids is praised far more than having a reliable income, an education, etc. I'm actually more surprised Meriah, Logan and Mykelti (I think? Christine's daughter who is in a sorority?) are still in school.

[Snarklepuss]

7 hours ago, Zahdii said:

Meri lorded her first wife status over the other women all their married life.  She has said that she only agreed to polygamy because Kody wouldn't marry her otherwise.  Then Meri was only able to have one child, when having lots of kids is a status symbol in their world.  When Meri lost First Wife status due to the divorce, she realized she had a large house with a wet bar and many empty bedrooms, and Kody was over at Robyn's making the babies Meri couldn't have.

In her mind, Meri had lost Kody and was alienated from Janelle and Christine, so she spent her time in her empty house until the day that Robyn's good friend whatshername brought the catfish to one of the MLM meetings and that was that.  The catfish, introduced to Meri as a woman, befriended her and hooked Meri up with the fake Sam persona and went to town. 

I think the upshot is that the one thing Meri had going for her that made her feel "special" to Kody was her status as first wife.  Plus before Robyn he was really only close with Meri, so she had that over the others too.  I don't think Meri banked on Robyn and Kody clicking as well as they did.  They clicked so well it made her feel pushed out.  We're still not sure which came first - the divorce or Meri's dissatisfaction, but I think her unhappiness was brewing for a while since Robyn came on the scene and the divorce was just the icing on the cake no matter what or who precipitated it.  So she lost both things that made her feel special to Kody, his attention and her position in his life.

7 hours ago, Zahdii said:

Really, I think that Kody only wants the other women around for selfish reasons:

  So he can congratulate himself on having all these women wanting him.

  So he can keep the show.

  So he can show off and brag to strangers about how many wives he has.

  So he has other women he can go to if Robyn steps out of line.

  And possibly to get his own stupid planet in the afterlife, although I'm not convinced he really believes that stuff.

I think he also stays with them out of obligation, after all, they are the mothers of his kids and in his mind he would do wrong by his kids to leave them.  I also think he stays for appearances sake and to prove to the world that polygamy works even when it's painfully obvious that it doesn't.

[LucyEth]

Every time I hear these women say they are still struggling with their relationships with each other and Kody, I think most of your life together has been strained and for the most part not very happy.  Sharing your husband doesn't work, not sure why they force themselves to accept that lifestyle. Meri felt shoved aside for Robyn and she contributed to it by divorcing Kody.  If this Sam had been real Meri would be gone.  If she could be pulled into this sham, she could not have been very much in love with Kody.  Sorry, this is just my opinion of course.  

[laurakaye]

On 5/9/2016 at 10:19 PM, Adeejay said:

I think it is hilarious that Meri is trying to spin this as, "I was a victim, but I've taken back my power". I don't buy that she was keeping quiet to protect the family.  Based on her smug demeanor at the restaurant in Alaska, she thought Sam was real and she was ready to bounce. 

Oh hell yes, she was ready to run.  At the dinner in Alaska, she said, "Don't be surprised if one day I just up and leave."  She was 100% planning on leaving the family for her boyfriend.

On 5/9/2016 at 10:19 PM, Spiderella2 said:

And Kody Siamesing himself to Caleb...wow that was beyond obsessed. And him fixing the couch, after probably months if not years of it being broken...that was not bizarre. That was showing off to Caleb, caveman style, like a dog peeing on a tree. Kody always has to be the center of attention. Even at dinner, he was trying to monopolize the entire conversation.  A couple of looks Maddie gave him, she was irritated. 

 

This sentence is perfection.  Kody's mancrush was painfully obvious and super inappropriate, if for no other reason than that it was happening in front of Kody's own sons.  RUN CALEB RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK, MAN.

On 5/9/2016 at 11:36 PM, truelovekiss said:

I think that wife 5 isn't on the horizon, as long as Kody's daughters start having weddings, and in rapid succession. I think he learned from the Duggars that wedding specials can fetch a pretty penny from TLC and after 45 minutes of concentration, he realized that he has some daughters close to marrying age.

I think Wife #5 is totally on the horizon, if only because all those weddings will take attention away from Kody, and Kody can't have that nonsense going on.

On 5/9/2016 at 0:51 PM, RedheadZombie said:

Absolutely no loyalty - there's nothing my mother could do that would inspire me to go on camera and shit all over her.  Perfect strangers watch this show and see how Meri is teetering on the edge.  Mariah is either blind, or she simply doesn't care.  I'm an only child (sort of like Mariah), and there's a closeness between a mother and her only child.  And especially knowing Mariah is all Meri has - I'm just not in a generous mood toward Mariah.  Meri has always stuck up for the little creep when her own father and siblings mocked her.

Mariah has always, from Day One, come across as an entitled, spoiled little brat who wore her Future Sister Wifey halo proudly, and used to lord her Only Beloved Daughter of the Only Legal Wife over her siblings.  I have yet to see one episode that she is in where she's actually tolerable, and not pouting or crying or both.  I'm not a bit surprised that she seems to have turned on Meri.

When Kody was hugging Meri at the end, all I could think of was, wow - there's going to be a lot of orange and black goo all over his shirt when she finally stops crying on his shoulder.

Edited May 10, 2016 by laurakaye

[CofCinci]

@22:14:

KODY: Hey Gwendolyn.  How's it going sweetheart?
GWENDOLYN begins to talk but KODY continues to walk forward without paying attention to his daughter.

[RazzleberryPie]

2 minutes ago, CofCinci said:

@22:14:

KODY: Hey Gwendolyn.  How's it going sweetheart?
GWENDOLYN begins to talk but KODY continues to walk forward without paying attention to his daughter.

Oh and hate to pick on the under age kids - but that group of I think Christine's - sitting on the couch - all loud, dorky, and obnoxious, just like Kody. Especially that one boy and I think Gwyndlynneqrz@~( or how every they spell it. I might have left out a Y.