S07.E02: Confessions and Polygamy Perks

[VedaPierce]

I find Janelle dishonest, her silence frustrating. I want to scream "speak! Say something!" When she's just sitting there on that ugly couch! Surely she must have some opinions! There is so much to say about living this life. She won't share them though. She holds them back. (Like that time when Kody Robyn and Meri told her and Christine about the divorce, she said NOTHING!) That's a type of control. Weird. They are all so so weird and dysfunctional in different ways. Everybody rags on Kody all the time, but they are all equally awful, damaged people, with so much suppression, and resentments towards each other

They all 5 deserve each other

[VedaPierce]

3 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

I really feel for Kody when it comes to his father.  I don't know that Kody has outright stated his father preferred his siblings, but he's told stories that I found disturbing.  The thing is, Kody justifies and rationalizes his father's treatment.  How many bitter Wyoming (?) winters did Kody work the range without proper protection before his father bought it for him?  And he just happened to purchase it and present it in a box that usually holds a letterman jacket?  And he just happened to know that Kody wanted that letterman jacket more than anything.  It's borderline abusive, IMO, and certainly an attempt to crush his spirit.  He also never went to any wrestling match - ever - that Kody was in.  And Kody was supposedly pretty good.  Kody justifies that away.

In my opinion, I think his father was deeply uncomfortable with Kody's personality (all his classmates suspected he was gay), thought he wasn't man enough, and that was that.   I think this contributed to Kody's conversion to polygamy.  It's an attempt to prove how manly he is.  I don't think his heart is in it.  He's not killing himself trying to do it well, like Brady Williams.  The number of kids clearly overwhelm him.  And he seems monogamous at heart.  And I think that this unloving relationship with his father is why Kody has such an awkward relationship with his own sons - even when they share his passion, like wrestling.

I'm a little uncomfortable saying negative things about a dead man, but I was saying it when he was alive, too.  And this doesn't excuse anything Kody does, but it helps me to understand why he is the way he is. 

Kody is an asshat, but I softened a bit towards him during this episode. I don't know why. And dare I say it, but that segment with one of their boys (forgot which) enlisting brought some tears to my eyes, I found that touching...kid still has baby fat in his face. Made me actually feel something for the doofus -Kody being the doofus. :)

[VedaPierce]

I think the producers on this show are terrible. Are they actively trying to protect them? To sanitize them? I would love a little "real housewives" treatment, like pick a wife and let us spend the day with her. Like they show a slice of life with Kyle or Yolanda, I would love the cameras to follow Meri around one day. What the hell does she do all day anyway? Christine? Aren't all the kids in school? What is she busy doing besides not selling houses? They alluded to all of them being on the same work schedule, um, excuse me but WTF?? How did they just slip that in there and not follow up with a where, when, how?? They have always seemed so reluctant to share, like pulling teeth.

[VedaPierce]

On May 16, 2016 at 8:45 AM, Armchair Critic said:

I also snickered when Christine said they needed the babysitters because they all work the same hours? WORK?!?

I wonder if Kody and Robyn may secretly not be so thrilled that Aspyn is moving in with Robyn because it may interrupt them playing footsies and really reveal who he favors (although the kids probably already know).

I'm pretty sure Robyn would have NO problem saying no to Aspyn if she really didn't want her there, Robyn probably never does anything she doesn't want to! I bet this has to sting Christine...first she loses Kody while hugely pregnant to Robyn, now Robyn kinda takes her daughter. Yes, Aspyn is grown and makes her own decisions, but this HAS to chap Christine's ass! Something's so off about this set-up....every episode has a wtf moment which leaves more questions than answers. THEY'RE SO WEIRD!

On May 16, 2016 at 9:19 AM, Jordan Baker said:

Maybe it was a typo. Polygamy jerks sounds more appropriate.

LMAO! Awesome!

[VedaPierce]

On May 16, 2016 at 11:27 AM, MostlyContent said:

Not that I'm too sure of the timeline since Meri admitted that she'd been 'catfished' (AKA had at very least an emotional affair and was willing to run off with him*oops*her), but perhaps Christine, and the rest of the family, did not think it appropriate that Aspyn live with Meri. 

You can tell that Janelle thinks the whole 'catfish' thing is bullshit.   She gets it.  Orange-turtle face was cheating on Kodi.  Period.  Done.  Luckily for Meri, Janelle is trying to make poor Meri feel a part of it all again.  Unluckily for Janelle, when Meri isn't being aggressive/aggressive....she's being passive/aggressive.  And orange.   

I think the whole 'Aspyn is living with Robyn' thing is a temporary stop-gap until Aspyn moves shortly back to school or whatever because *nobody* trusts Meri.  I certainly wouldn't let my daughter stay a while with a woman who is loudly proclaiming that her house might be bugged!  Might run off and not be with the family soon!  On the phone texting constantly!  Having such a hard time and it's all everybody else's fault!

I am enjoying Ms Robyn's fall from grace.  :)   The mister seems to be having a lot more to do with Janelle and Christine lately, and very much enjoying it.   

Your post is perfection. I cannot watch the show without then reading here. THIS is the reason why I watch crap tv. It's like soy sauce and sushi. Can't have one without the other.

[VedaPierce]

On May 16, 2016 at 1:14 PM, Jenilane6 said:

I hated that Janelle, who is budget-conscious, didn't rush into buying the wreath, while Meri, whose pile o'money is less divided urged her to get it.  And even more hated the FU Internet Kody hugging Christine, when last year he couldn't even look at her.  UGH UGH UGH

I was thinking how nice it would have been for Meri to not really encourage Janelle to get the wreath, almost dissuade her from it, then for Meri to come back alone and buy that wreath for Janelle and surprise her with it. I almost thought that that was were they were heading with the story, it seemed so obvious to me. That would have been a nice thing to do to start off the relationship healing, that's what my friends and I would do for each other. I wonder if any of them have ever gone out of their way to surprise each other with some kindness or thoughtful gesture, well, besides getting rolled into a divorce that made one of them so dizzy, she had to clutch the walls on the way there. What a hustle. And I found Robyn's lecture about how monos will never know the awesomeness of a sister wife giving up her marriage certificate gross.

[Snarklepuss]

On 5/16/2016 at 1:14 PM, Jenilane6 said:

I hated that Janelle, who is budget-conscious, didn't rush into buying the wreath, while Meri, whose pile o'money is less divided urged her to get it. 

I took Meri's reaction to Janelle not to be a function of her spendthrift nature but her frustration over Janelle's indecision.  I think she wanted her to make up her mind one way or the other, not necessarily to buy the wreath.  I'm a shopper by nature, I have a basic idea of what I want and what is worth buying in the big picture of my budget, etc.  When I go shopping with my girlfriend who is not a shopper and who isn't up on all that stuff she can spend what feels to me like hours vacillating over whether to buy a freaking pair of pants.  And her budget is a lot bigger than mine is, so it has nothing to do with that.

[CofCinci]

19 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

I really feel for Kody when it comes to his father.  I don't know that Kody has outright stated his father preferred his siblings, but he's told stories that I found disturbing.  The thing is, Kody justifies and rationalizes his father's treatment.  How many bitter Wyoming (?) winters did Kody work the range without proper protection before his father bought it for him?  And he just happened to purchase it and present it in a box that usually holds a letterman jacket?  And he just happened to know that Kody wanted that letterman jacket more than anything.  It's borderline abusive, IMO, and certainly an attempt to crush his spirit.  He also never went to any wrestling match - ever - that Kody was in.  And Kody was supposedly pretty good.  Kody justifies that away.

In my opinion, I think his father was deeply uncomfortable with Kody's personality (all his classmates suspected he was gay), thought he wasn't man enough, and that was that.   I think this contributed to Kody's conversion to polygamy.  It's an attempt to prove how manly he is.  I don't think his heart is in it.  He's not killing himself trying to do it well, like Brady Williams.  The number of kids clearly overwhelm him.  And he seems monogamous at heart.  And I think that this unloving relationship with his father is why Kody has such an awkward relationship with his own sons - even when they share his passion, like wrestling.

I'm a little uncomfortable saying negative things about a dead man, but I was saying it when he was alive, too.  And this doesn't excuse anything Kody does, but it helps me to understand why he is the way he is. 

Kody's father was a real creep.  I have no problems saying any negative in regards to what we've learned about him over the years.  He made Jenelle sleep in a tent on his property because they view women as chattel.  She was used and held no value in their circles.  I'm not going to play along and romanticize the past and claim that she enjoyed living in the 'tee-pee.'  It's a tent.  She was homeless and lived in a tent.  Jenelle was used property that Kody's father --- and her own mother --- wouldn't allow in the main house.  The same cold Kody cried about not having a jacket to protect him was the same cold that only a thin layer of tent fabric housed Jenelle.  The way Kody's father and her own mother treated her post-divorce from her first marriage carried over to the way that Kody and Meri treated her.  She was traded to Kody like an old sofa and regarded as such.  By providence, Meri was unable to conceive and Jenelle supplied the first child - the first son and the other son that Kody likes the best, which moved Jenelle slightly up in social value.  Jenelle doesn't want to explore the past --- but she needs to do this with Meri and take therapy seriously; otherwise, she's going to keep eating her feelings.

Edited May 21, 2016 by CofCinci

[Roslyn]

27 minutes ago, CofCinci said:

Kody's father was a real creep.  I have no problems saying any negative in regards to what we've learned about him over the years.  He made Jenelle sleep in a tent on his property because they view women as chattel.  She was used and held no value in their circles.  I'm not going to play along and romanticize the past and claim that she enjoyed living in the 'tee-pee.'  It's a tent.  She was homeless and lived in a tent.  Jenelle was used property that Kody's father --- and her own mother --- wouldn't allow in the main house.  The same cold Kody cried about not having a jacket to protect him was the same cold that only a thin layer of tent fabric housed Jenelle.  The way Kody's father and her own mother treated her post-divorce from her first marriage carried over to the way that Kody and Meri treated her.  She was traded to Kody like an old sofa and regarded as such.  By providence, Meri was unable to conceive and Jenelle supplied the first child - the first son and the other son that Kody likes the best, which moved Jenelle slightly up in social value.  Jenelle doesn't want to explore the past --- but she needs to do this with Meri and take therapy seriously; otherwise, she's going to keep eating her feelings.

If I remember correctly Kody's father also didn't want Janelle to marry Kody, but he wanted her to marry one of his brothers.  I don't think it was ever mentioned which brother (how many did he have?).  I can't remember if it was mentioned on the show or in that disjointed thing they called a book. 

But I do agree with what others mentioned above that Kody was most likely attracted to polygamy due to his need to be the center of attention.  His bullshit soundbite about "Love should be multiplied" is such an inside joke.  Love FOR him is multiplied with lots of women and children....Love FROM him is divided into nothingness.  What we see as obnoxious over the top behavior could easily be seen as charismatic and charming, especially in the eyes of wallflower type personalities like Meri and Janelle.

[MamaMax]

https://www.unlv.edu/president/student-ambassadors/brown

 

Did you all see this? Pretty  impressive!

 

So, two of Christine's boys are doing exceptional work in college, Logan here and Hunter at the Air Force Academy.

 

Also, noting that AF Academy is free, and Logan seems to have gotten scholarship $$, and Mariah's got plenty of $$ since she's Meri's only...so perhaps the others are dropping out because of lack of funds.

Edited May 21, 2016 by MamaMax

[AZChristian]

Hunter is NOT at the USAF Academy.  He is the USAF Academy PREP SCHOOL.  

"The United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School, better known as the “Prep School,” is designed to academically, physically and militarily prepare qualified young men and women to enter the Academy. If you are not accepted into the Academy, you may receive an appointment to the Prep School. Successful completion of the Prep School improves chances for appointment as an Air Force Academy cadet, but does not guarantee one."

The Prep School is for those who do well athletically, but are not up to snuff academically, and so they were not eligible to go right into the Academy.  Hunter wrestles for the prep school.  Time will tell whether he ever makes it into the actual Academy.

[LilWharveyGal]

37 minutes ago, MamaMax said:

So, two of Christine's boys are doing exceptional work in college, Logan here and Hunter at the Air Force Academy.

Logan and Hunter are Janelle's boys.  Unless you mean in the sense that Christine raised them all, in which case pardon me. :)

[Adeejay]

22 hours ago, ghoulina said:

Kody is not appealing to me, at all. But I can see how, in THEIR circles, he would be appealing. When he was younger, he could have been considered a pretty handsome guy. And while he is an irresponsible doofus who doesn't take the best care of his wives's feelings, a lot of the men involved in these communities are a lot worse - straight up nasty abusers. Some women get married off to OLD dudes. So yea, I can see these women thinking Kody was a hot commodity. 

Absolutely!  Kody was a rock star in the polyg community, because he was "young and handsome."   In their book, Christine said that she'd heard about him long before they met, and that when she finally met him, "he was all they said he was and more."  She immediately told her father that is the man she wanted to marry.  And that is how Kody got "stuck" with a woman he neither wanted nor desires.   If you ask me, he got the better of the deal, because Christine appears to be a nice, warm, kind and caring person. 

[CofCinci]

1 hour ago, Roslyn said:

If I remember correctly Kody's father also didn't want Janelle to marry Kody, but he wanted her to marry one of his brothers.  I don't think it was ever mentioned which brother (how many did he have?).  I can't remember if it was mentioned on the show or in that disjointed thing they called a book. 

Oh, yes.  Totally forgot.  Kody's father nearly starved/froze Jenelle into the marriage he wanted for her.  Chattel.  Nothing more.

[toodles]

18 hours ago, VedaPierce said:

I'm pretty sure Robyn would have NO problem saying no to Aspyn if she really didn't want her there, Robyn probably never does anything she doesn't want to! I bet this has to sting Christine...first she loses Kody while hugely pregnant to Robyn, now Robyn kinda takes her daughter. Yes, Aspyn is grown and makes her own decisions, but this HAS to chap Christine's ass! Something's so off about this set-up....every episode has a wtf moment which leaves more questions than answers. THEY'RE SO WEIRD!

LMAO! Awesome!

One of the Christine's daughters lived with Meri for awhile.  I forget which one.  They made a big deal out of the fact that the daughter preferred Meri over Christine and she was born to the wrong mother.  Or something like that.  They also made a big deal out of decorating the room and then the storyline went away.  

To me, it kinda sounds like Christine is no party to live with.  I don't blame Aspyn one bit for not wanting to live with her mother.  Christine was full of crocodile tears when Aspyn left for college because Aspyn ran the house.  Why she is living with Robyn is a little bewildering to me, but I guess she has her reasons.

I watched the Texas rock episode the other day.  My DVR finds these things for me and I think it has some sort of hidden device that send brain waves to make me watch these things again.  Anyway, it was whole different Christine whenever that was filmed.  Granted, Kody was a complete asshat to her, but I think she has found better living through chemicals since then.  She seems MUCH happier now.

[SometimesBites]

1 hour ago, CofCinci said:

Oh, yes.  Totally forgot.  Kody's father nearly starved/froze Jenelle into the marriage he wanted for her.  Chattel.  Nothing more.

C, you keep framing this aspect of their story this way, but it seems like a heavily editorialized version of the story they tell. This is a quote from their book (from a Janelle section):

"I wanted to do some self-exploration. I was only twenty-two, but already I’d been through a divorce. I wanted to get in touch with my own spirituality and my own ideals before making any major decisions. I wanted to travel, to get away from familiar surroundings. Part of me wanted to buy a Jeep, get a dog, and drive off to Colorado and live in the mountains. Another part wanted to explore my interest in the Native American way of life, something that has fascinated me since I was a little girl.

"I have always been involved with Native American culture on some level—whether through reading and studying, or through collecting art and artifacts. Many of my friends were involved in the mountain men movement. They participated in reenactments of historical mountain men rendezvous, including spending time living in primitive housing, including teepees. They also practiced many of the crafts, such as furniture making and handiwork, typical of the early 1800s. I decided it would be a good idea to spend some time living closer to nature, as Native Americans once had. I bought a teepee and quit my job, intending to camp in my teepee for as long as I could bear it.

"Kody’s father had lots of open space on his ranch, and offered to let me camp on his land. By this time, he had married my mother. I knew that if I got too cold in the teepee, I could retreat to a warm house where my mother would be waiting.

"I got to Wyoming in November. Cold weather had settled in a while back. And the temperatures in Wyoming are biting and unbearable. Despite this, I was determined. It was below freezing when I got my camp set up. I didn’t last a single night. It was so cold that after only a few hours I was back in the house.

"I had quit my job in Utah, so I was free to travel up to Wyoming as much as I wanted. Kody’s father is a patriarchal man, in the sense that he feels it is his duty and responsibility to look after the people in his family orbit. I was one of these people. He took me under his wing and made it clear that it was his intention to find me a guy. Winn’s plan was to convince me to settle Kody’s brother. But I had other ideas."

Now, there is stuff in here that I could snark on for weeks (Janelle as "involved with Native American culture"? Okaaay...) Based on this story, though--and I don't remember hearing any other version of it--the teepee experiment was Janelle's idea, a romanticized moment of idiocy not uncommon to very young adults. She wasn't forced by Kody's dad to sleep outside in the bitter Wyoming weather until she acquiesced to marrying Kody's brother; in fact, she indicates that she knew from the start that she would be welcome into the warm house with her mother the minute she realized she was about to freeze her ass off. Yes, Winn apparently had his own ideas about who should 'get' Janelle, and yes, Winn Brown would definitely see Janelle and all other women as chattel. But on the face of it, I don't at all read this as Janelle being banished to the outdoors to force her to marry against her will. It just sounds like Janelle had a weird fixation with all things Native American and thought quitting her job and sleeping in a teepee would be awesome. In November. In Wyoming.

Edited May 21, 2016 by SometimesBites

[Featherhat]

Wow, Janelle was showing her future suitability for the Brown Clown Train there.  know she was very young and emotionally vulnerable after her divorce and desperately wanted to change her life, but .... camping in a tepee in Wyoming in November. WTF! I read it at first as "I quit my job to spend what ended up being half an hour in a freezing tee pee, which would have been double insanity, but I don't think it actually says that.

I can see young Cody being something of a catch. He was handsome and whilst he's a dufus and very insensitive, doesn't come across as a controlling dufus (quite the opposite in some clown ways) and not physically abusive as far as we know. Meri was clearly enough in love with him to agree to the idea of Sister Wives and it's easy to see what appealed him to Christine and Robyn. It's marrying your ex's sister's husband that I can't wrap my head around.

I always find it interesting that Christine really wanted to be a 3rd wife. I guess it makes sense. Three is the big number to get your own planet and by then most plyg husbands can't afford more, so there's no jealousy about being replaced. And wasn't there something about no. 3 adding balance to the sterotypical two way cat-fight between 1 and 2 (gosh it's almost as if they know polygamy is shitty for women from the start). It did work out like that for her for a number of years until Sobyn. I wonder if it's true that Christine and Kody are getting along better or if its just editing or for the cameras?

[MamaMax]

On 5/16/2016 at 10:58 PM, absolutelyido said:

 

4 hours ago, LilWharveyGal said:

Logan and Hunter are Janelle's boys.  Unless you mean in the sense that Christine raised them all, in which case pardon me. :)

Ooops, that's what I meant. Getting my wives names confused, wonder if Kody ever does that???

[MamaMax]

4 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Hunter is NOT at the USAF Academy.  He is the USAF Academy PREP SCHOOL.  

"The United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School, better known as the “Prep School,” is designed to academically, physically and militarily prepare qualified young men and women to enter the Academy. If you are not accepted into the Academy, you may receive an appointment to the Prep School. Successful completion of the Prep School improves chances for appointment as an Air Force Academy cadet, but does not guarantee one."

The Prep School is for those who do well athletically, but are not up to snuff academically, and so they were not eligible to go right into the Academy.  Hunter wrestles for the prep school.  Time will tell whether he ever makes it into the actual Academy.

Oh, I wasn't aware. Still more ambitious than I would expect. 

[lookeyloo]

Quite impressive write up on Logan.  He always seemed to have his head on straight, from the early years.  He is going for Physican Assistant.  I wonder if he will "mentor" the lovely Meriah.

[riverblue22]

I know that Hunter went off to the Air Force prep school, but I thought I heard that he later did get admitted to the Air Force Academy.

ETA:  Thanks SometimesBites, that's how I remembered it--Janelle's teepee adventure was her own idea.

Edited May 22, 2016 by riverblue22

[AZChristian]

He just started at the Prep School in Autumn of 2015, and it's a 10-month course.  Not sure if it's even been decided by the AF if they'll accept him at the Academy.  I didn't find anything about that online, and you KNOW the Browns would toot that horn if it had actually happened.

[CofCinci]

On May 20, 2016 at 7:18 AM, andromeda331 said:

 

5 hours ago, AZChristian said:

He just started at the Prep School in Autumn of 2015, and it's a 10-month course.  Not sure if it's even been decided by the AF if they'll accept him at the Academy.  I didn't find anything about that online, and you KNOW the Browns would toot that horn if it had actually happened.

On his Twitter bio line he recently added "Air Force Academy Commit."

Sounds like he made it through the Prep program, got his scores up and will enter the Air Force Academy. 

Edited May 22, 2016 by CofCinci
Bug in mobile viewer.

[Featherhat]

If he's got in to the AFA that's awesome for him. Or even getting to the Prep Academy doesn't seem a cakewalk. I'm really glad he and Logan seem to be doing really well.

I hope Mariah stays in college and comes out with a view on life that does not involve polygamy and that ends up being something she said when she was 14 and a family Princess and her Mom was the not yet de throned 1st wife.

[Kohola3]

Quote

I didn't find anything about that online, and you KNOW the Browns would toot that horn if it had actually happened.

And if he didn't they would scream persecution.

[MamaMax]

Also, there's no shame that he wasn't accepted to the academy at first... Their acceptance rate is like 15%. Very very hard to get in.

[VedaPierce]

16 hours ago, SometimesBites said:

C, you keep framing this aspect of their story this way, but it seems like a heavily editorialized version of the story they tell. This is a quote from their book (from a Janelle section):

"I wanted to do some self-exploration. I was only twenty-two, but already I’d been through a divorce. I wanted to get in touch with my own spirituality and my own ideals before making any major decisions. I wanted to travel, to get away from familiar surroundings. Part of me wanted to buy a Jeep, get a dog, and drive off to Colorado and live in the mountains. Another part wanted to explore my interest in the Native American way of life, something that has fascinated me since I was a little girl.

"I have always been involved with Native American culture on some level—whether through reading and studying, or through collecting art and artifacts. Many of my friends were involved in the mountain men movement. They participated in reenactments of historical mountain men rendezvous, including spending time living in primitive housing, including teepees. They also practiced many of the crafts, such as furniture making and handiwork, typical of the early 1800s. I decided it would be a good idea to spend some time living closer to nature, as Native Americans once had. I bought a teepee and quit my job, intending to camp in my teepee for as long as I could bear it.

"Kody’s father had lots of open space on his ranch, and offered to let me camp on his land. By this time, he had married my mother. I knew that if I got too cold in the teepee, I could retreat to a warm house where my mother would be waiting.

"I got to Wyoming in November. Cold weather had settled in a while back. And the temperatures in Wyoming are biting and unbearable. Despite this, I was determined. It was below freezing when I got my camp set up. I didn’t last a single night. It was so cold that after only a few hours I was back in the house.

"I had quit my job in Utah, so I was free to travel up to Wyoming as much as I wanted. Kody’s father is a patriarchal man, in the sense that he feels it is his duty and responsibility to look after the people in his family orbit. I was one of these people. He took me under his wing and made it clear that it was his intention to find me a guy. Winn’s plan was to convince me to settle Kody’s brother. But I had other ideas."

Now, there is stuff in here that I could snark on for weeks (Janelle as "involved with Native American culture"? Okaaay...) Based on this story, though--and I don't remember hearing any other version of it--the teepee experiment was Janelle's idea, a romanticized moment of idiocy not uncommon to very young adults. She wasn't forced by Kody's dad to sleep outside in the bitter Wyoming weather until she acquiesced to marrying Kody's brother; in fact, she indicates that she knew from the start that she would be welcome into the warm house with her mother the minute she realized she was about to freeze her ass off. Yes, Winn apparently had his own ideas about who should 'get' Janelle, and yes, Winn Brown would definitely see Janelle and all other women as chattel. But on the face of it, I don't at all read this as Janelle being banished to the outdoors to force her to marry against her will. It just sounds like Janelle had a weird fixation with all things Native American and thought quitting her job and sleeping in a teepee would be awesome. In November. In Wyoming.

Thank you for this post! Sheds light on so much!

[Jel]

On 5/20/2016 at 1:44 PM, RedheadZombie said:

I really feel for Kody when it comes to his father.  I don't know that Kody has outright stated his father preferred his siblings, but he's told stories that I found disturbing.  The thing is, Kody justifies and rationalizes his father's treatment.  How many bitter Wyoming (?) winters did Kody work the range without proper protection before his father bought it for him?  And he just happened to purchase it and present it in a box that usually holds a letterman jacket?  And he just happened to know that Kody wanted that letterman jacket more than anything.  It's borderline abusive, IMO, and certainly an attempt to crush his spirit.  He also never went to any wrestling match - ever - that Kody was in.  And Kody was supposedly pretty good.  Kody justifies that away.

In my opinion, I think his father was deeply uncomfortable with Kody's personality (all his classmates suspected he was gay), thought he wasn't man enough, and that was that.   I think this contributed to Kody's conversion to polygamy.  It's an attempt to prove how manly he is.  I don't think his heart is in it.  He's not killing himself trying to do it well, like Brady Williams.  The number of kids clearly overwhelm him.  And he seems monogamous at heart.  And I think that this unloving relationship with his father is why Kody has such an awkward relationship with his own sons - even when they share his passion, like wrestling.

I'm a little uncomfortable saying negative things about a dead man, but I was saying it when he was alive, too.  And this doesn't excuse anything Kody does, but it helps me to understand why he is the way he is. 

This story of the coat in the letterman jacket box reminds me of when we got our kid an X box for his birthday. He wanted it so, so much, for years and we thought he was too young and then finally relented on his 11th birthday. When he unwrapped the gift, all he could say was "is this for real?" I asked him why he asked that, since it was clearly and Xbox box, and he said he'd seen a you tube video of a kid who opened his present and saw an x box, then when he opened that box, there were clothes inside. The kid was beyond disappointed, crying, and the parents were laughing in the back ground. The cruelty of that just haunted me. If Kody's father was the type of person who'd do that kind of thing, then I wonder what else he was capable of doing.

[VedaPierce]

On May 16, 2016 at 6:36 PM, gardendiva said:

This is sort of apropos of nothing, but the thought occurred to me that Christine seems to really find enjoyment in planning the celebrations and parties that their family has, and seems to do a great job at it. She could probably get work as some sort of party planner, especially if she capitalizes on her visibility from the show to get clients. It would suit her so much more than real estate.

Yes but party planners need to be able to consult with clients on weekends. Or at the end of a normal workday. That's when my husband an I were available to look at venues/venders for our events. That's something Christine was NOT into, as evidenced by her whining about it to Mona. "You mean I have to work WEEKENDS??? I can't work WEEKENDS!" This is not what she signed up for.

[VedaPierce]

On May 17, 2016 at 7:03 AM, RealityCowgirl said:

I agree. But, if I recall, she rejected her budding real estate career because she would actually have to work and, specifically, work on weekends. 

I may be misremembering that. Whatever it was, it was lame and in character for a lazy Brown.

Yup. That.

[AZChristian]

5 minutes ago, VedaPierce said:

Yes but party planners need to be able to consult with clients on weekends. Or at the end of a normal workday. That's when my husband an I were available to look at venues/venders for our events. That's something Christine was NOT into, as evidenced by her whining about it to Mona. "You mean I have to work WEEKENDS??? I can't work WEEKENDS!" This is not what she signed up for.

Not just consult, but most parties and big events are HELD on weekends, aren't they?  Is the event planner supposed to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly?  

To be honest, I wouldn't trust Christine to plan an "event' that was more complicated than calling for a pizza delivery.

[Kohola3]

Let's face it, Christine would find some reason why every job on earth wouldn't suit her.  For Pete's sake, she couldn't be bothered to help out in the Closet and that had to be the eastiest gig available since they had no business.

[VedaPierce]

On May 18, 2016 at 11:28 PM, Lived In Inch said:

Ever since they got the houses,  I've always asked myself how did an empty nester (or soon to be, at the time) ended up getting a five  bedroom with a wet bar. The "go buy the wreath" rant explained some of it. And it showed that Meri is an inconsiderate selfish spender.  

Didn't she also go on about how she just has expensive taste? Like she can't help it if she likes nice things! Lol! I remember her almost in tears at the thought of being forced to get sliders instead of French doors (yet ANOTHER upgrade). So entitled and thoughtless. I recently rewatched that battle between her and Janelle over resources for the houses. She said, "I'm sorry I'm taking something you think is yours, Janelle", or words to that effect....said with such venom and hatred. I don't believe for a second that the 2 of them are coming some some sort of realization about each other's differences, all of a sudden. There's decades of rage there towards each other. Something Janelle doesn't want to go back and address. Janelle's not ready to really go deep and fix their issues. She may never be really ready. That's why this therapy won't work. They're going to paint over the mold, but the mold will still be there.

[riverblue22]

1 hour ago, auntl said:

Meri really is a horrible person. I am very happy that she finally got her payback. First the divorce and then the catfish.

True, but maybe she wouldn't be if she was in a monogamist marriage.

[ghoulina]

5 hours ago, AZChristian said:

To be honest, I wouldn't trust Christine to plan an "event' that was more complicated than calling for a pizza delivery.

I'd want to hire Christine for a toaster themed party just to see what happened.

[RealityCowgirl]

4 hours ago, ghoulina said:

I'd want to hire Christine for a toaster themed party just to see what happened.

Um. You'd end up on your own because, well, toasters. Oh, and lazy Brown. ;)

But you already knew that. :)))

Edited May 22, 2016 by RealityCowgirl

[MonicaM]

8 hours ago, auntl said:

Meri really is a horrible person. I am very happy that she finally got her payback. First the divorce and then the catfish.

I don't necessarily disagree, but it isn't fair for Meri to get her payback while Kody gets everything he wants.  Kody pretty much dumped all of his previous "wives" when Robyn came along and he still clearly doesn't care about anyone except himself and his new toy.  When does he get his payback for making three women so miserable?  

[CofCinci]

Just now, MonicaM said:

When does he get his payback for making three women so miserable?  

Have you seen his hair lately?

[MarysWetBar]

On 18/05/2016 at 9:58 PM, absolutelyido said:

Every time I see that wet bar I still think it is the stupidest thing ever given that it is literally about 8 feet from the large kitchen island.

Easy now.

?

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, CofCinci said:

Have you seen his hair lately?

That's a process that doesn't take as long as it used to . . . I'm wondering if they're going to try to suck in "Hair Club for Men" as a sponsor and show Grody going in for treatments.

[SometimesBites]

15 hours ago, CofCinci said:

Have you seen his hair lately?

OMG, you completely win the entire internet for the whole week!

[laurakaye]

On 5/21/2016 at 5:50 PM, Featherhat said:

I can see young Cody being something of a catch. He was handsome and whilst he's a dufus and very insensitive, doesn't come across as a controlling dufus (quite the opposite in some clown ways) and not physically abusive as far as we know. Meri was clearly enough in love with him to agree to the idea of Sister Wives and it's easy to see what appealed him to Christine and Robyn. It's marrying your ex's sister's husband that I can't wrap my head around.

THIS.  So much this!

She was "offered" one of Kody's brothers (nice of Winn to do that, I guess).  She decided she wanted Kody.  Now, attraction is what it is, but to take your ex-sister-in-law, and turn around and make her your sister-wife, just seems like a bizarre choice on Janelle's part.  It's kind of a weird test of loyalty on Meri's part, because it seems her loyalty would be to her brother, and now she's sharing her brother's ex with her own husband.  If you think about it, it's really kind of...icky.

[SometimesBites]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

THIS.  So much this!

She was "offered" one of Kody's brothers (nice of Winn to do that, I guess).  She decided she wanted Kody.  Now, attraction is what it is, but to take your ex-sister-in-law, and turn around and make her your sister-wife, just seems like a bizarre choice on Janelle's part.  It's kind of a weird test of loyalty on Meri's part, because it seems her loyalty would be to her brother, and now she's sharing her brother's ex with her own husband.  If you think about it, it's really kind of...icky.

I always suspected that Meri acquiesced to taking on Janelle because she knew Kody was dead set on polygamy and she perceived Janelle as being less of a threat in the hierarchy. "Let's see: I'm thinner, I'm high energy, I'm first with my loverboy--she'll never hold a candle to me in Kody's heart. There's the guest room, Janelle. Kody and I are going to be snuggling under a blanket on the sofa. Bring us some popcorn?"

And then the babies started popping.

Edited May 23, 2016 by SometimesBites

[Kiss my mutt]

I wonder if every wife for every bad got such extravagant baby showers. I think it's a bit tacky to have one for your fifth kid but I guess she doesn't have anything for girls anymore since briana and aurora are older. 

I think Solomon should have his own place to sleep without the baby's interruptions but who am I kidding. They'll both end up in the bed with Robyn. 

[MarysWetBar]

On 23/05/2016 at 7:04 PM, Kiss my mutt said:

I wonder if every wife for every bad got such extravagant baby showers. I think it's a bit tacky to have one for your fifth kid but I guess she doesn't have anything for girls anymore since briana and aurora are older. 

I think Solomon should have his own place to sleep without the baby's interruptions but who am I kidding. They'll both end up in the bed with Robyn. 

If she's smart. Likely keeps Kody away.  Fuck,  I'd squeeze Aspyn and the chunky niece in too, if  it kept him at Christine's!

Edited June 15, 2016 by MarysWetBar

[StayingAfterSunday]

On 5/20/2016 at 8:44 PM, VedaPierce said:

I think the producers on this show are terrible. Are they actively trying to protect them? To sanitize them? I would love a little "real housewives" treatment, like pick a wife and let us spend the day with her. Like they show a slice of life with Kyle or Yolanda, I would love the cameras to follow Meri around one day. What the hell does she do all day anyway? Christine? Aren't all the kids in school? What is she busy doing besides not selling houses? They alluded to all of them being on the same work schedule, um, excuse me but WTF?? How did they just slip that in there and not follow up with a where, when, how?? They have always seemed so reluctant to share, like pulling teeth.

It's unfortunate that the ones who talk the most are actually saying the least (are you listening, Christine and Meri??).

Janelle's silence often comes off as "stonewalling."  Here's what Psychology Today says about women who stonewall others, particularly their partners: "Stonewalling, according to the research of Gottman and others, as well as the experience of most couples' counselors, is far more likely to be a male thing. When women stonewall, it’s typically a function of temperament – they’re shy, inhibited, or introverted. More commonly, it’s a learned behavior – engaging in conflict or emotion-laden conversation has exposed them to put-downs or abuse in the past."  PsychToday Dec. 2012.https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/anger-in-the-age-entitlement/201212/how-ruin-perfectly-good-relationship-0

I'd love to hear more from Robyn: Not just bits and pieces of scripted insights that miss the mark of credibility more often than not; I'd like to hear real feelings and observations from her. I'm tired of stuff like, "I knew what I was getting into before I became a sister wife," blah and blah some more.  It would be more enlightening to hear how she feels now that she is one of them.  Her general affect and expression seem rather flat in these recent episodes but that, of course, may be due to her very advanced state of pregnancy.  It will be interesting to see if that mood lightens up - and if her manner of expression deepens - now that she's back to "normal" again after birthing the 18th Wonder of the World. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

It will be interesting to see if that mood lightens up - and if her manner of expression deepens - now that she's back to "normal" again after birthing the 18th Wonder of the World. 

I expect that ditching the kid and taking an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii will serve to lighten her up a bit.  With the added bonus of the family being present so she can spend minimal time with Surfer Boy.