S07.E09: Tell All that tells nothing

[3girlsforus]

I've got a question about Robyn. I completely agree with those who say Robyn got what she wanted so now she doesn't suck up to Kody anymore. But what I don't understand is exactly why Robyn wanted it. She clearly wanted to be the legal wife. But what exactly has that gained her. If it was about Kody's attention and sack time, I would think she would be happy when he shows her attention but she seems to wish he'd fall off a cliff whenever he opens his mouth.  Being the legal wife didn't make her more popular with the other wives. I'm just not sure what it gained her. Anyone think there is any chance this has been calculated from the beginning and her plan is to divorce him and soak him for money in a way she couldn't if she was just another baby mama? As much as I hate Robyn, that would be entertaining to watch. 

[taragel]

Even when the Tell Alls tell nothing, I find it fascinating to watch the prevarication dance that the Browns do to NOT answer questions and spin things towards the positive. That was even more evident than ever with Erica Hill manning the ship and asking kindly but repeatedly for clarification on things. (What an upgrade from Tamron Hall!) 

Man, what level of magical thinking these people operate on! Kody's "if we refuse to believe it, then it never happened" is the baseline of their every interaction. Meri and Kody admit repeatedly that their marriage has been terrible/nonexistent for years--yet refuse to admit that Meri had an emotional affair and was ready to jump ship. Meri "refuses" to listen to the voicemails/texts (sure, Jan). Kody refuses to believe he should (and he really should, even the kadouche that he is) feel angry and betrayed that she cheated emotionally. And they're still in a terrible place/have no real relationship, yet are determined to plunder forward believing things will magically get better as they refuse to change and keep going with things EXACTLY AS IS. No talk of working on their relationship with the beloved Nancy. I too hope Meri finds a real guy and gets the hell out, but now she never will. She got busted and almost lost the cash cow. No way she'd make any overtures toward any other guys online (and how else would she meet men since she has no job/is always with the family.) 

Kody could not have been more blunt or obvious about how little he cares about the relationships between his sister wives or even how little he desires to put any work into his own relationships with each wife to strengthen them. I couldn't believe how transparent he was about that actually. 

Heh, and Robyn is so over all of this. She sounded super tired and like she couldn't believe she had to participate in any of this crap. No more nicey-nice sucking up or interjecting and trying to smooth anything over. Meri and Robyn are both so done and Janelle is fine with the shitty status quo, so Christine's the only one seeming slightly happier these days. But how long will that last?

[AZChristian]

Couple of questions that popped into my mind while watching the "tell nothing" show last night.

• When the adults were talking about the possibility of more children, there was a 100% inference that any new babies would come from Robyn (of the current four).  Does that mean that Kody isn't planting seeds in any other gardens these days?
• They (Kody?) referred to how busy their lives are.  My question is:  DOING WHAT?  None of them seem to have jobs.  I'd rather watch a show about parents who go to work, juggle jobs with kids' needs, and put the money into a pot and see how it gets dished out.  

[ReadMeLattice]

8 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

So Mariah is still pissed off at Meri,  And the reason she is so mad, according to Mariah?  Because Mariah TOLD Meri that dude was a catfish and not to fall for his act. But Meri didn't listen. 

It seems like Mariah is leaving out just a little bit of the story ... Like, it's not just that Meri fell for the slick talking Catfish's lies - it's what she was planning to do about it.  Because if it is only about Meri failing to heed her warning, I can see Mariah thinking her mother is dumb.  I can see her losing some respect for her.  I can see her being embarrassed by her mother being so foolish.  But you just don't stay this mad at your mother for this long because she is dumb and won't listen.  You get that mad because she is wrecking the family, because she is cheating on daddy, and because she is a big phony.

If anything, Mariah's disproportionate anger actually undermines Meri's version of events.  They'd do better to drop it as a story line and move on.

She has probably been told very explicitly just what will happen to her if she talks about any of the ACTUAL affair. 

Those voicemails were not doctored. They were Meri, and there were hundreds, and they were highly romantic and sexual. Even if "spliced together," which they weren't, the fact that there were explicit things *to* splice together says it all. 

[DakotaJustice]

Shit. So THATS how it came about?? 

Christine essentially gave her daughter the boot and she rebounded into a relationship with this dead end kid? Because that's what he appears to be to me, only 22 years old and already a sloth. 

[autumnh]

Oh Mariah....get over yourself...you mother needs support....your dad pretty much sucks.  Sorry but...

[ghoulina]

12 hours ago, Misslindsey said:

I actually feel like Mariah is the only one showing actual real emotions about the whole Catfish debacle. The adults are glossing over it all saying everything is getting better, but I like that Mariah is not totally playing that game. I got the impression that there were things Mariah could not or possibly would not say to answer some of the questions asked. I guess for me, it looked like she wanted to say more but would not. I do not think I am making any sense.

No, I get what you're saying. She definitely appeared reticent, to me. I think, even though she's pissed at her, she is protecting Meri to a degree. But I agree. She is the ONLY one who is truly admitting that Meri did something wrong here, and wasn't just an innocent victim. She may not go into all of the embarrassing details, but I find her pain and anger over it the most genuine reaction we've seen thus far. 

 

2 hours ago, riverblue22 said:

 

Haven't seen this part yet, but I am shocked that Christine wouldn't let Mykelti come home.  If she doesn't want to stay in college, there is a better solution.  She could welcome her home, on the condition that she get a job and pay room and board.  That would be a way to teach responsibility while not sending the girl off on her own.  It's on Christine that Mykelti rushed into a loving relationship with Tony--I don't think that would have happened if she was still living with her family and had the support of her sibs.

 

I generally like Christine, but I was really put off by her saying that. It's so absolutist. She was all, "If you come back, you have gone back on your progress"....or whatever she was saying. Doesn't she realize that adult life, especially in the beginning, is a series of ups and downs? Not every kid hits 18 and knows exactly what they want to do, and is 100% successful in achieving their dreams. I understand trepidation about a grown child moving back home and taking advantage; so set ground rules. But don't close that door to them entirely. I had to move back home for a year at 21. Trust me, I didn't want to be living with my mom and my grade school sisters any more than they enjoyed my surly ass being there. But I needed help. We all need help sometimes. I lost a bit of respect for Christine over that stance. 

[preciousperfect]

14 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

I saw quite a bit of side-eye from Meri tonite.  This family is far from over the cat fishing debacle.  I don't think anyone will forgive her.  She and kody will definitely never be more than civil to one another.  That was pretty clear tonight.

I think they have no choice for the shows sake to garner sympathy to show her as a victim but in reality everybody knows the deal and Kody is completely done with her. Stop painting and get a life Meri!

[MarysWetBar]

Just thought of something else that pissed me off. The part where they are discussing the older set of kids leaving home and how hard that is on a parent. Then King Douche says with glee " man, I have a 4 month old! I can't relate really. .yeah they get older then it is time for them to go.  Job over." I paraphrased a bit,  but that was basically the gist of it. Him bragging that he isn't an old hen snivelling about chicks leaving the nest. 

Despicable.

[DakotaJustice]

21 minutes ago, MarysWetBar said:

Just thought of something else that pissed me off. The part where they are discussing the older set of kids leaving home and how hard that is on a parent. Then King Douche says with glee " man, I have a 4 month old! I can't relate really. .yeah they get older then it is time for them to go.  Job over." I paraphrased a bit,  but that was basically the gist of it. Him bragging that he isn't an old hen snivelling about chicks leaving the nest. 

Despicable.

He said that?!?

He's an even bigger asshole than I imagined.

[VioletNevermind]

25 minutes ago, MarysWetBar said:

Just thought of something else that pissed me off. The part where they are discussing the older set of kids leaving home and how hard that is on a parent. Then King Douche says with glee " man, I have a 4 month old! I can't relate really. .yeah they get older then it is time for them to go.  Job over." I paraphrased a bit,  but that was basically the gist of it. Him bragging that he isn't an old hen snivelling about chicks leaving the nest. 

Despicable.

There are so many reasons to loathe him, but I could get the job done on this merit alone.  What a carefree slap in the face to the women who are raising his offspring.  His first priorities have never been his wives or kids.  It's himself.

Edited June 27, 2016 by SuzyLee

[3girlsforus]

19 minutes ago, MarysWetBar said:

Just thought of something else that pissed me off. The part where they are discussing the older set of kids leaving home and how hard that is on a parent. Then King Douche says with glee " man, I have a 4 month old! I can't relate really. .yeah they get older then it is time for them to go.  Job over." I paraphrased a bit,  but that was basically the gist of it. Him bragging that he isn't an old hen snivelling about chicks leaving the nest. 

Despicable.

what a supreme jackass!! It's good I didn't watch this dung pile because I would have flung something at the TV.  He has no understanding that having kids is a lifetime commitment.  I wonder if it's this crap coming from Kody that made Christine tell Mykelti she couldn't come home. I wouldn't be surprised if Kody told her that they are done with Mykelti so she coudln't be in "his" house anymore and Christine just parroted the word of the lord because that's what she does. 

[giaNtsandYankees]

13 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

Once again Dayton proves he is the smartest person in the entire family.  I hope he manages to influence the younger kids to explore the world and not just hop a broom at age 19 and commence to breedin' which I fear is going to be the example set by Maddie and Mykelti.

I think Madison may finish school before having kids. She had mentioned a couple of times that she will finish school and will wait a few years before having kids. She also said that Caleb will be going to school as well. So they might wait.

Mykelti on the other hand may commence to breeding. She had a whirlwind courtship (which is normal in LDS and AUB culture) and she said that once she offically gets engaged, the wedding will quickly follow.

And good on Dayton for saying that he'd like to see the world and experience life before thinking about marriage rather than rush into it. I'm not against early marriage, but I glad to hear that he may not succumb to the pressure of getting married early that some (note that I said"some." No offense to anyone here that is LDS or FLDS/AUB) LDS AUB families put on.

[Absolom]

Mariah may never "get over" the thing with Meri.  It has most likely changed their relationship forever.  She may be able to forgive her, she will eventually quit talking about it, and it will stop being in the forefront of her mind, but she will never forget.  It's part of her life and the betrayal she feels will color the rest of her life especially with Meri.  It's one of those things that can never be undone.  Infidelity is not just between the spouses and it will almost always affect the children and even more so an only child in the position Meri had put Mariah. 

[Bajovane]

About Aurora - oh yeah - does this girl ever try to dominate a convo - I saw the look between two of Christine's kids (who were sitting next to her) and it was very, very telling to me.  It was fleeting, but it was most likely an eye-roll kind of thing between the two - it was just after the question about Hawaii.  Of course Aurora was so very dramatic about how WONDERFUL the trip was.  

About Christine and Mykelti - wow.  While I can understand how impulsive Mykelti must be - it has to sting how different they are with her and Madison with their intendeds.  It will be interesting how that plays out.

[IvyDancer]

Despite the fact that the Browns protest otherwise, what with their constant comments regarding "coming out" and being "out and proud" regarding the polygamists, they truly are incredibly sheltered and it is best demonstrated by their closed-ranks around Meri and Christine's reaction to Mykelti and Aspyn inappropriately requesting to move home, at least in her view. If any of the Brown adults had actually gone out into the world, lived a normal life in college, and experienced setbacks and triumphs along the road to adulthood, they would actually know that maturity is a gradual process and doesn't occur immediately overnight. Christine's reaction seems uncharacteristic of her nurturing nature, yet it shows how sheltered the family truly is. She simply cannot fathom how or why anyone would need to "move backward in their progress" or however she frames it, because at that age she had already courted and married Kody. It's sad really, and hits a bit too close to home in some aspects. I definitely think that the girls may suffer more frequently under that kind of parenting philosophy, and to be honest, even though we largely criticized her seemingly selfish reasons at the beginning, good on Mariah for fighting so strongly to distance herself from her family with her college choice. Hopefully she will establish a network there and won't fall prey to the same traps that have been laid for Mykelti and Aspyn. 

[3girlsforus]

I wonder what the terms of the divorce were for Meri. I would think that the court would require them to split assets even if they planned to be "spiritually married'.  Does she have a guaranteed share of the TLC money? Do you think she was forced to agree to continue with the show as part of the divorce agreement? If the TLC money is put into one fund controlled by Kody, I wonder if he's required to provide her money if she bails. He wouldn't have to pay child support because Mariah is not a minor and the house isn't worth anything so even if the got the house in the divorce she couldn't sell it and get money to support herself. 

[mamapajama]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't one grow up BEFORE they BEGIN having children? 

I loved when Little Lord Fauntleroy flipped us off.  He always reverts to pouting and swearing, ("My Hell !") when he gets mad.  This time his anger was just exacerbated by the fact that none of his Sister Moms had remembered to pack his Legos.

[Misslindsey]

Quote

While I can understand how impulsive Mykelti must be - it has to sting how different they are with her and Madison with their intendeds.  It will be interesting how that plays out.

I agree. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I do not feel that strongly one way or another about Mykelti getting engaged. If it works out that is great, and if it does not I hope she learns from it. I am not going to judge Tony, because I have seen very little of him and he looks like a regular guy to me. I have said before I enjoyed college, but if Mykelti does not and is happy working at a pawn shop with her husband-to-be working in a bank that is fine with me. I do think she is immature and impulsive, but if she is set on getting married nothing is going to stop her. As much as I hate the adults I do hope for the best for the kids. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Misslindsey

[kimaken]

Quote

I find it hard to be sympathetic to Meri because she doesn't own her shit.

I think Meri has "owned" as much as she's willing to...or possibly, King Kody decreed that this is the spin they'll all stick to and that's the end of it, thus keeping the TLC gravy train going, and saving face (for himself). I still think that Kody (either alone or at Robyn's insistence) demanded the divorce, but for the show, they played it out as if Meri decided herself that this was the best thing to do--for the children! Now they have to stick to that line, thus all that talk about Meri "being in a dark place in her mind" is more spin given to avoid admitting that Meri was blindsided by the divorce and driven to despair and depression, thus becoming vulnerable to the attentions of a catfisher. I also think that Meri won't/can't ever admit to the full truth of all that went on, given how she's mentioned this season that she fears Kody's temper.

If there is another season, I hope they leave the catfishing line behind and move on to something new--that 5th wife rumor might be interesting, especially if it causes a lot of trouble for Kody.

[islandgal140]

For once I am gonna disagree. This wasn't a tell all that tells nothing. This was a tell all that tells lies. Even for them, it was just blatant lie after lie after lie. They (meaning Kody) tried to blame the viewers and posters for their marriage troubles and making Meri suspectible to being catfished. Even Meri shook her head no with that one. The interviewer had to reel him in and get him to back out of that.

- Kody and Meri ain't working on shit. His gaze is so steely when he looks at Meri. 

- All of them listened to the voicemails, read all the emails and texts and eyeballed the pics.

- Did Meri really fix her lips to say that the voicemails sounded edited and spliced? Keep reaching!

- Exposed a lie: Robyn never before admitted to knowing about the catfish beforehand while it was going on. Last season she acted like she had no idea what was bothering Meri until Meri told her.

- Meri's too many to list bed of lies.

- Will never believe that the divorce was all Meri's brilliant idea. Nope!

1 hour ago, MarysWetBar said:

Just thought of something else that pissed me off. The part where they are discussing the older set of kids leaving home and how hard that is on a parent. Then King Douche says with glee " man, I have a 4 month old! I can't relate really. .yeah they get older then it is time for them to go.  Job over." I paraphrased a bit,  but that was basically the gist of it. Him bragging that he isn't an old hen snivelling about chicks leaving the nest. 

Despicable.

The kicker is that he said he got emotional sometime after Logan's graduation, but it wasn't really for Logan or him growing up that made him emotional. Kody was holding baby Solomon in his arms and a song came on about growing up too soon and he teared up, both at the time and on last night's show. What a jackass!

[MarysWetBar]

5 minutes ago, islandgal140 said:

For once I am gonna disagree. This wasn't a tell all that tells nothing. This was a tell all that tells lies. Even for them, it was just blatant lie after lie after lie. They (meaning Kody) tried to blame the viewers and posters for their marriage troubles and making Meri suspectible to being catfished. Even Meri shook her head no with that one. The interviewer had to reel him in and get him to back out of that.

- Kody and Meri ain't working on shit. His gaze is so steely when he looks at Meri. 

- All of them listened to the voicemails, read all the emails and texts and eyeballed the pics.

- Did Meri really fix her lips to say that the voicemails sounded edited and spliced? Keep reaching!

- Exposed a lie: Robyn never before admitted to knowing about the catfish beforehand while it was going on. Last season she acted like she had no idea what was bothering Meri until Meri told her.

- Meri's too many to list bed of lies.

- Will never believe that the divorce was all Meri's brilliant idea. Nope!

The kicker is that he said he got emotional sometime after Logan's graduation, but it wasn't really for Logan or him growing up that made him emotional. Kody was holding baby Solomon in his arms and a song came on about growing up too soon and he teared up, both at the time and on last night's show. What a jackass!

Thanks for going into further detail! 

I only half caught that portion but felt my blood pressure shoot up 10000 points regardless.

Also..was distracted due to my intense need to keep up with the Kardashians! ???

[sucker4reality]

I'm just now watching the Tell-All, and I have to disagree with someone upthread saying Mariah is dancing around the issue. She said she doesn't know if she has sympathy for her mom, and that is a completely different tune than Kody and the other wives are singing, the one where Meri is nothing but a victim. Sure, the other wives might empathize with the "dark place" that Meri was in when she started an online relationship with a stranger but to automatically throw sympathy her way? Um, no.

Other than Mariah's reaction, I didn't really pay any attention to the catfish crap. I watch the Tell-All's (and the show really) for the kids, so that being said, my thoughts on them:

While Madison is a little on the young side to be married, I think she is definitely more mature than Mykelti is about the whole thing. For one, she'd known Caleb for years and was initially not even interested in him. That shows she took some time to get to know him on a level deeper than 5 months in St. George will let you. I'm not going to judge Mykelti's young man, but the time and intentions put into these relationships are obviously different. Secondly, her disappointment at her mother's reaction to her news compared to Madison's is very telling of the lack of reflection she's made on her relationship with this guy. If she had taken even the slightest step back from the situation before telling her mom about her plans, or at least judging her mom's reaction, she would've seen the differences between her own relationship and Maddie's. Finally, while I think both sisters are very stubborn,  Maddie's stubbornness usually ends more positively than Mykelti's. When Maddie says she's going to finish school--while it'll be harder than she probably thinks it'll be--I tend to believe her more than I do Mykelti, and I don't know either of them personally.

ETA: Mykelti asking Christine to talk to Kody about them getting married is something you would see from a little kid who's afraid to get in trouble. If she's as grown up as she says she is, why can't she speak to her father  herself? And the same for her fiancé.

Next, the younger kids saying they don't know if they'll live plural marriage sounds exactly like the older ones 5 years ago. I think many of them will fall hard on the monogamous side of the fence in the next few years, especially Dayton, Gabriel and Gwendolyn (sp?). Dayton is just too smart for this whole freak show. Gabriel is Janelle's youngest son, and all of her boys seem to see through a lot of Kody's B.S. Gwendolyn's snide one-liners are pretty revealing about how she feels about the whole thing. If any of them ends up in a plural marriage, my money's on Aurora. She wants attention so badly, I think she'll latch on to the first guy to give it to her, married or not, AUB, LDS, or what-have-you. They need to be careful with her, for her own sake.

And I think Logan speaking openly about his feelings for Michelle and their potential future is very bold and respectable. If you follow them on social media, you'll see they've been traveling a lot together (and if they're using TLC money, it ain't nothin' I wouldn't do) and working on college/grad school, so they're not rushing into things Mykelti-style or even Maddie-style, but I wonder if they're pushing their plans back to make room for Mykelti's misguided attempt at the spotlight.

Edited June 28, 2016 by sucker4reality
adding some thoughts and correcting my awful, awful English

[notnowimbusy]

It's clear that Kody feels absolutely no responsibility to maintain any type of relationship with these women.  Their job is to provide children, take care of children, and once they are done, he has moved on.  They are disposable.  Having four houses close together is purely for the show.  Otherwise they would all be happy - maybe even happier - living apart.   I think Christine is the only wife who even has a shred of hope any relationship with Kody i still a possibility.    Robyn, who loved being the center of his attention, has grown tired of his immaturity.   His comment about "growing up and not having more kids" sounds more like something that Robyn said to him.   This show is such a farce - this isn't a family in any way, shape or form.  It's one guy who's making it up as he goes along, and it's all falling apart. 

The older kids, with the exception of Apsyn, have shown no interest in the lifestyle.  This would normally be a big blow to a parent, but in reality, Kody isn't into this for some deep religious reasons, it's something he picked because he thought it was cool.  I truly wish the girls would stop with the cheap hair dye!!!! 

I would have thought Christine would have had the time/opportunity to discuss the upcoming engagement before they taped the "tell all".   Probably she hasn't had any time with him, or he blew her off.

Everyone knows Meri was deep into the catfish relationship, no question.  I think what would have been interesting to film - and very telling - what the conversation that really took place.    I imagine Kody looking confused, angry and out the door.  Robyn was probably screaming, and there was a group pile on about how Meri was putting them all in jeopardy - not to do with any type of family issue - but with the show.  They most likely wanted her gone - but that would mean Meri getting more screen time - and I can see Meri telling them if they don't stand by her, she's going to spill all the nasty little secrets.

[Kohola3]

Quote

He has no understanding that having kids is a lifetime commitment. 

Not for him.  He's a sperm donor and nothing more.  Populate that planet and move on.  

Hopefully the middle kids (as someone else posted) will see the real black hole of polygamy once the TLC gravy train derails, they start filing bankruptcies, lose the houses and start milking welfare again.  They have grown up with all kinds of goodies that will soon be gone.  I feel for them but honestly cannot wait for this bunch to crash and burn.

[Celia Rubenstein]

12 minutes ago, mamapajama said:

I loved when Little Lord Fauntleroy flipped us off.  He always reverts to pouting and swearing, ("My Hell !") when he gets mad.  

That was a sad little display, I agree.  But what seemed to get Kody really cheesed off was when the the OG wives were giggling over Robyn complaining about him and bickering with him.  He was soooo mad, hahaha!  It made it worth watching the whole hour for me.

I think he freaked out because as much he resents ever having to listen to any of them complain about anything, having all the wives get along is probably the LAST thing Kody actually wants.  He has basically employed the "divide and conquer" method of controlling his harem, knowing that as long as they don't get along, they can't ever really band together against him, and he is in the clear.   But seeing them all giggling about how Robyn was standing up to him meant that not only were they laughing at someone showing contempt for him, they were doing it together.  And seeing them bond over him being made to look stupid must be one of his worse nightmares.  

[ghoulina]

2 hours ago, MarysWetBar said:

 

Just thought of something else that pissed me off. The part where they are discussing the older set of kids leaving home and how hard that is on a parent. Then King Douche says with glee " man, I have a 4 month old! I can't relate really. .yeah they get older then it is time for them to go.  Job over." I paraphrased a bit,  but that was basically the gist of it. Him bragging that he isn't an old hen snivelling about chicks leaving the nest. 

Despicable.

 

Maybe that explains his deer in headlights look when Maddie asked him to officiate her wedding. He thought he was done with her. 

 

5 minutes ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

That was a sad little display, I agree.  But what seemed to get Kody really cheesed off was when the the OG wives were giggling over Robyn complaining about him and bickering with him.  He was soooo mad, hahaha!  It made it worth watching the whole hour for me.

Ooooh, I loved that moment too! He hates any sign of the wives uniting against him. 

[waterytart]

1 hour ago, 3girlsforus said:

I wonder what the terms of the divorce were for Meri. I would think that the court would require them to split assets even if they planned to be "spiritually married'.  Does she have a guaranteed share of the TLC money? Do you think she was forced to agree to continue with the show as part of the divorce agreement? If the TLC money is put into one fund controlled by Kody, I wonder if he's required to provide her money if she bails. He wouldn't have to pay child support because Mariah is not a minor and the house isn't worth anything so even if the got the house in the divorce she couldn't sell it and get money to support herself. 

Just curious - why isn't the house worth anything?

[Adeejay]

24 minutes ago, Bajovane said:

About Christine and Mykelti - wow.  While I can understand how impulsive Mykelti must be - it has to sting how different they are with her and Madison with their intendeds.  It will be interesting how that plays out.

I've always thought Christine the warmest and most nurturing of all the wives, so I am surprise that she took such a hard stance with Mykelti. There's probably a lot we don't know about their relationship, because I've noticed that she doesn't speak glowingly about her, the way she does Aspyn. I have a feeling that if Mykelti was reassured that she could always come home - no matter what, she wouldn't be marrying the first "Tony" that came along .  I agree with the poster who said this decision has Kody's hoof prints all over it. 

These people talk out of both sides of their mouths.  They would have us believe that the children have four mothers, and yet, Meri admits that she would have a problem with her daughter living with one of the other moms. 

Now that Robyn is the legal wife, she doesn't seem to be hiding her contempt for Kody;  which helps to explain why he seems so angry these days.  At first, I thought his surly demeanor was because of what happened with Meri and the catfish, but I am starting to believe it has more to do with his relationship with Robyn. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

Just curious - why isn't the house worth anything?

I believe they took out interest only loans for all four places. Which means they haven't paid a dime toward the principal or toward actually owning the places.

[PlygPigs]

5 hours ago, islandgal140 said:

One moment that revealed the real Kody was when he seemed genuinely upset that the ladies thought Robyn being snippy to him was so funny and cute. Christine was able to turn it around and make everyone laugh but I thought Kody was dead serious and not happy. 

Too funny, Kody was pissed! He said something like, "I don't know why you all are laughing about her being mouthy to me." Mouthy? That's a word I would use to describe my children, not my spouse! In fact, the whole thing reminded me of a parent chastising his children. 

[sucker4reality]

1 minute ago, PlygPigs said:

Too funny, Kody was pissed! He said something like, "I don't know why you all are laughing about her being mouthy to me." Mouthy? That's a word I would use to describe my children, not my spouse! In fact, the whole thing reminded me of a parent chastising his children. 

That's what I thought too.

[waterytart]

10 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

I believe they took out interest only loans for all four places. Which means they haven't paid a dime toward the principal or toward actually owning the places.

Wow, that seems like a terrible and extremely short-sighted move. Unless they're planning on ditching the houses at some point? I didn't even know you could do that.

[Kohola3]

It was the only option they had. Their credit was for shit.  And I'm sure they figured they would be on TLC until the end of time because we are all so incredibly fascinated with their fabulous lives.

[kassa]

I definitely winced when Kody used the word "mouthy," which is definitely a term associated with children contradicting authority figures.  To be fair, every single one of them publicly has embraced the notion that he IS their authority figure, but it goes to show how they've managed to finesse that side of things over the years to the extent that when he really goes there, we're surprised.

I agree that the middle children are where the older children were a few years back when they were asked the question. I actually think most are old enough to see the reality of the situation and know they're leaning towards monogamy.  Unlike thousands of other kids in polygamy, they DO see monogamous relationships around them in every day life, now including their older siblings, and will experience those as emotionally healthier than what they witnessed their parents living.  (To be fair, there are lots of unhealthy monogamous relationships, too, but the thing with the Brown marriages is that they insist they're happy when they're not)  Seeing Logan and his girlfriend and Maddy and Caleb happy is going to have more influence than a thousand "see how happy Janelle and Meri and Christine and Robyn are?!" from Kody.

I think years ago when the older kids were asked the question I also said that kids are finely tuned to "betraying" their parents and keeping family stuff secret.  Even if they already know for damn sure they'd never live plural marriage in a thousand years, to say so would be hanging their parents out to dry.  "So... not ONE of your children wants to live this lifestyle you keep saying is so amazing.  You've got a zillion kids and every one thinks they'd be happier doing something completely outside their frame of reference.  Why is that?"   Not to mention that they probably were prepped to just say "I don't know" -- by both parents and older kids, as a way to keep the interviewer from following up ("what about it do you hate?") and simultaneously protect the parents.

[okerry]

45 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

Now that Robyn is the legal wife, she doesn't seem to be hiding her contempt for Kody;  which helps to explain why he seems so angry these days.  At first, I thought his surly demeanor was because of what happened with Meri and the catfish, but I am starting to believe it has more to do with his relationship with Robyn. 

My theory is that while Robin was temporarily out of commission with a new baby, Christine was glad to step up and perform Kody duty. That would explain why Christine looks so happy these days and Robin not so much. I think she forgot that even though her dear legal hubby hasn't touched Janelle or Meri in years, Christine is a different story and she forgot that the Kodster will happily hit that given the opportunity no matter what Robin tries to offer.

Hope Robin enjoyed caring for her new baby alone while her husband was out banging a curvy blonde. Heh.

[LilWharveyGal]

Guys, I'm so overwhelmed by the sea of B.S. that just spewed from my television that I can't even find the energy to snark.  (I mean, seriously.  Some of those lies were as fantastical as the Game of Thrones finale.)  I tip my hat to those of you who are still able to fight the good fight.

[3girlsforus]

48 minutes ago, PlygPigs said:

Too funny, Kody was pissed! He said something like, "I don't know why you all are laughing about her being mouthy to me." Mouthy? That's a word I would use to describe my children, not my spouse! In fact, the whole thing reminded me of a parent chastising his children. 

Well most of us view our spouse as a partner with whom you are a relationship. Kody considers himself a master over his wives, not women he respects or has relationships with, besides impregnating them. Since he seems himself in a master role it's hardly a surprise that he would treat them like children. 

49 minutes ago, waterytart said:

Wow, that seems like a terrible and extremely short-sighted move. Unless they're planning on ditching the houses at some point? I didn't even know you could do that.

long term financial planning isn't exactly something they are famous for. 

[scrambled eggs]

19 hours ago, ExplainItAgain said:

Oh, the younger kids are still open to plural marriage - I look forward to seeing what family dysfunctions will turn the tide for the youngins as it did the older ones.

Yeah, that's concerning. They need the positive influence of their older siblings, but that's being lost as Logan, Madison, and the others move away. 

[ghoulina]

54 minutes ago, PlygPigs said:

Too funny, Kody was pissed! He said something like, "I don't know why you all are laughing about her being mouthy to me." Mouthy? That's a word I would use to describe my children, not my spouse! In fact, the whole thing reminded me of a parent chastising his children. 

Yup. Kody sees controlling his wives as the same way you would try and control children. What's hilarious is he's totally ineffective. The inmates are running the asylum, and he's lost complete control. 

[giaNtsandYankees]

28 minutes ago, okerry said:

My theory is that while Robin was temporarily out of commission with a new baby, Christine was glad to step up and perform Kody duty. That would explain why Christine looks so happy these days and Robin not so much. I think she forgot that even though her dear legal hubby hasn't touched Janelle or Meri in years, Christine is a different story and she forgot that the Kodster will happily hit that given the opportunity no matter what Robin tries to offer.

Hope Robin enjoyed caring for her new baby alone while her husband was out banging a curvy blonde. Heh.

That's what I was thinking. As other posters had said, Meri's in doghouse, the honeymoon is well over for Sobyn and Kody (yes, she was peggo too/just had a baby), and Janelle just seems indifferent towards her marriage to Kody, so Christine must be getting their shares of the D! ?

[sucker4reality]

20 minutes ago, scrambled eggs said:

Yeah, that's concerning. They need the positive influence of their older siblings, but that's being lost as Logan, Madison, and the others move away. 

Besides Aurora, I worry most about Truely, Solomon and Ari/Aria/Ariella. They won't remember what everyone  Savannah's age and up will remember and they'll either never get that influence and go off the deep end or be caught in the middle when the circus tent comes crashing down.

Edited June 27, 2016 by sucker4reality

[Maria Von Trapp]

3 hours ago, Bajovane said:

About Aurora - oh yeah - does this girl ever try to dominate a convo - I saw the look between two of Christine's kids (who were sitting next to her) and it was very, very telling to me.  It was fleeting, but it was most likely an eye-roll kind of thing between the two - it was just after the question about Hawaii.  Of course Aurora was so very dramatic about how WONDERFUL the trip was.  

About Christine and Mykelti - wow.  While I can understand how impulsive Mykelti must be - it has to sting how different they are with her and Madison with their intendeds.  It will be interesting how that plays out.

 Aurora was so quick to jump in when Gabriel commented that his Dad has no skill in the surfing department. She said " he has skills in other things", or something... Ya, but what Gabriel was saying is that he has NO skill when it comes to surfing, so why did you need to correct him ? It seems she cannot stand to have anyone say a negative thing about Kody, who she seems to have a crush on.

[LotusFlower]

8 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

I completely get telling Mykelti she can't just come home and sit on the couch. But why did she need to go to Utah to get a minimum wage job? Couldn't she live at home and do that? Or be told if she comes home she gets a job and does X things around the house. She's only a 18 (or 19). She isn't pushing 30 with a habit of starting and stopping things then running home for free food and housing. There are times to step in and say 'get the heck out' but not at such a young age. She's at the age where she needs guidance to figure out what she wants to do with her life. Without guidance she heads off and decides to marry the first "banker" she comes across. 

I think there's more to the story here that we haven't been privy to.  I read that the pawn shop owner helped fund MSWC, so maybe Mykelti working at the shop was part of some deal.  Or maybe they legitamely thought that Mykelti living away from home and working for a family friend would help her mature and give her time to figure out what she wanted to do.  I think they always thought the job would be temporary, which is why Kody seemed so surprised (and disappointed) when she told him she loved St. George and considered it home.  I'm sure Tony had something to do with that!  

[SongbirdHollow]

I feel a little different about Mykelti than most have posted. I don't think she's particularly immature. She's well spoken and thoughtful. I don't think it's wrong that she was disappointed about her mother's reaction. I don't think she's copying Madison. A lot of people marry young, especially when they haven't got much going on otherwise and want to start their family. Personally, I think a year of dating should be the minimum (you get all the holidays done once!) and I myself dated my spouse 6 years before we finally married. (And, like Michelle, I told him without a ring I wasn't following him out of state for grad school.)

Tony doesn't impress me at all, but I guess she sees something in him. I don't know, maybe I see so many kids in my extended family failing to launch that I'm kind of happy to see one try to be independent.

I was not  a fan, however, of the whining about "college is haaaaard!" It's not for everyone, to be sure. Just admit it and move on.

[LotusFlower]

8 hours ago, taragel said:

Kody could not have been more blunt or obvious about how little he cares about the relationships between his sister wives or even how little he desires to put any work into his own relationships with each wife to strengthen them. I couldn't believe how transparent he was about that actually. 

ITA.  In fact, I thought it was kind of a bombshell revelation in the sense that his POV was in stark contrast to what the family (and the show) has always said and tried to portray - that they're one big, happy family, and that the theme of the show and the #1 reason they went public with their polygamous lifestyle was to extols its perks and virtues - all the kids having more than one mother, and sister wives supporting each other chief among them.    Only we've seen the exact opposite - these sister wives openly loathe each other, and they certainly don't support one another.  And as for the kids, the other wives help out with child-raising so much that Robyn got a live-in nanny, and Meri sits in her empty mansion alone, doing nothing.  And Kody, as you mentioned, outright confirmed all this, and admitted he didn't care.  Wow.  

[bichonblitz]

5 hours ago, Absolom said:

Mariah may never "get over" the thing with Meri.  It has most likely changed their relationship forever.  She may be able to forgive her, she will eventually quit talking about it, and it will stop being in the forefront of her mind, but she will never forget.  It's part of her life and the betrayal she feels will color the rest of her life especially with Meri.  It's one of those things that can never be undone.  Infidelity is not just between the spouses and it will almost always affect the children and even more so an only child in the position Meri had put Mariah. 

Agree! If my mom (or dad) pulled the shit that Meri did, and then dragged me in to the unsavory details there would be no forgiving or forgetting anytime soon. 

[mythoughtis]

I think Christine's 'you can't move home because that is going backward' was (for her) , tough love.  She wanted MyKelti to stay in school. The conversation probably went like this:  I don't want to go to school any more, I'm moving home when the lease is up.  Christine:  If you drop out of school, then you become an adult and need to get a job, an apartment, and provide for yourself.  MyKelti - oh, look, pawn shop guy has an opening.   Did Christine (and/or Kody) need to stop and consider MyKelti's age  and immaturity compared to Maddie, Aspen, etc? yes.  However, these are the people who seem to have all gotten married at the age of 19.  Still SMH as to why they didn't think the children might follow in their footsteps without additional guidance.

Kody is feeling his age, he has a gaggle of children that get on his nerves, and he prefers all of them to be gone - that's why he is now happy to see them leave 

Edited June 27, 2016 by mythoughtis

[3girlsforus]

20 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

  Still SMH as to why they didn't think the children might follow in their footsteps without additional guidance.

 

I don't think it occurred to Christine because she's sheltered and pretty stupid when it comes to understanding this kind of stuff. It didn't occur to Kody because he didn't care enough to think about anything other than getting another kid off of his radar. Once the kids are old enough to think they are a threat to him because they are smart enough to realize he's a dick. 

[IvyDancer]

4 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

That was a sad little display, I agree.  But what seemed to get Kody really cheesed off was when the the OG wives were giggling over Robyn complaining about him and bickering with him.  He was soooo mad, hahaha!  It made it worth watching the whole hour for me.

I think he freaked out because as much he resents ever having to listen to any of them complain about anything, having all the wives get along is probably the LAST thing Kody actually wants.  He has basically employed the "divide and conquer" method of controlling his harem, knowing that as long as they don't get along, they can't ever really band together against him, and he is in the clear.   But seeing them all giggling about how Robyn was standing up to him meant that not only were they laughing at someone showing contempt for him, they were doing it together.  And seeing them bond over him being made to look stupid must be one of his worse nightmares.  

I wholeheartedly agree with you. It also occurred to me (and probably many others) that Kody is using this show and his children as a form of therapy. When responding to a question earlier on in the program, Kody showed emotion and looked terrified and almost depressed at the thought of being made fun of and/or left out. This would explain his parroting of leading the kids, rallying the troops and maintaing the facade of his leadership and control over the family. He was probably picked on in high school and was always thought of as a "never-was," in his mind, he's made it, as sad as it is, with three or four women who are tied to him for life and a gaggle of children that he didn't help raise. 

If you closely watch his expression, he seems angry, unhappy, and upset constantly but it's only because he feels neglected, not listened to, or otherwise has his needs not being met. Which is preposterous since he has brought this all on himself.