S07.E09: Tell All that tells nothing

[LucyEth]

Wow, these people can really put a spin on things, especially Meri.

[MollyBrown]

My husband had no idea who Kody was and saw the Hawaii trip. He thought it was a show on cults.  

[riverblue22]

56 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

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 

I agree, I think he is sick of the headaches that come with teenagers.  And I think he meant it when he was ready to be done with babies.  Kody wants to get on with his celebrity life of hanging around in Vegas.

[3girlsforus]

10 minutes ago, MollyBrown said:

My husband had no idea who Kody was and saw the Hawaii trip. He thought it was a show on cults.  

It is. It's the cult of Kody

[mscav]

1 hour ago, MollyBrown said:

My husband had no idea who Kody was and saw the Hawaii trip. He thought it was a show on cults.

It is a show on cults. Even with their guard up on the tell nothing, Christine reiterated over and over again how they come from a religion fearful of outsiders.  Kody mentioned a few times that their "wedding" ceremonies are very secretive. Kody seemed to think that it was perfectly normal to tell a small child that he would pick her husband. Any "religion" that is fearful,secretive and allows others to have complete control over any other human being (Kody thinking he should choose who his daughters spend the rest of their lives with) is a cult.

[msblossom]

The looks going back and forth between Kody and Meri when they were both asked about the catfishing were very telling.  It was like they were communicating to each other with their eyes saying: "Don't go there." "Stick to the script." "You're going too far." "Deviate from the question being asked." "Remember how we practiced it." So ANNOYING. And Meri, you most certainly were planning to leave, otherwise your daughter wouldn't still be pissed and giving you the silent treatment. And your "Love ya." texts were no casual thing -- you fell IN LOVE, hook, line, and sinker. We've seen the texts, heard the voicemails, seen you acting provocative with a banana, acting in desperation wanting to speak to the "man" you fell in love with.  I'd actually have compassion and respect for her if she'd been honest instead of lying the whole time. Meri is just pathetic, and I 100% believe if she met a man who gave her the attention and love that she craves she would leave Kody in a NY minute. She is, and always has been, the most miserable of them all.

[CofCinci]

Mariah - Enough with the misplaced anger towards your mother already. Yeah, she had an Internet affair and was ready to leave her "marriage."  Who hasn't? Have you met Kody? He's a real asshole.  Meri (and the other women) had to not only compete for his attention/affection but every single family resource. His favor granted luxuries.  Your mother was lonely and depressed -- for years. Do you want her to stay in this misery marriage?  I would never want my mother/sister/daughter to ever be in a marriage like this. Look at poor Christine: the woman has to take all sorts of psychopharms to numb her sad reality.  Grow the hell up, you spoiled brat, and encourage your mother to go live her life. 

Too bad Sam wasn't real.  All these women deserve active, loving partners. 

Edited June 28, 2016 by CofCinci

[sweet201]

Interviewer: "Did Meri have an emotional affair?"

Kody: *dead long-division eyes as the dusty, rusty hamster wheel in his head slowly turns* ee-moe-tion...? *geico caveman brow*

[llewis823]

15 hours ago, giaNtsandYankees said:

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! ?

eeeewwwweeee!!!!!

[DakotaJustice]

13 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

It is. It's the cult of Kody

Well the Hawaiian venue did have kind of a "Jonestown" feel to it, at least in photos. Ugh, 

[laurakaye]

17 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

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.

The thing is, and Kody has to know this...his show would be long gone if it weren't for the snarkers here, on CJ's blog, and elsewhere, actually tuning in to watch his one-man trainwreck.  The very same people he said were trying to ruin his marriage to Meri, the very same people he flipped off.  His stupidity knows no bounds.

13 hours ago, riverblue22 said:

I agree, I think he is sick of the headaches that come with teenagers.  And I think he meant it when he was ready to be done with babies.  Kody wants to get on with his celebrity life of hanging around in Vegas.

In his wrinkly, ill-fitting, faded denim shirts and jeans combo, no less.  'Cause he's cool like that.

I finally forced myself to finish watcing the captivating tell-all (eye roll), and I totally agree with the poster that said that Kody and Meri were communicating with their eyes.  But worse than that, Meri is such a completely unconvincing liar.  I loathe when she says things like, "he, she, it, WHATEVER" and uses the words "dumb" and "stupid" not to describe herself, but the situation she found herself in.  Once again, she is completely dancing around the fact that she THOUGHT she was talking to a man, saying "I love you," and still insists that she only said the things she said, and took those pictures, and sent those voicemails because she was being "threatened."  BS BS BS.  Those were not the pictures of a woman being threatened, and the mushy voicemails were sent by a woman in love with the man she thought was going to take her away from everything.  When she lies, which is most of the time, her eyes dart all over the place and she uses 100 words where 10 would do.  It's revolting.  And her family is sitting there, pretending to buy what she's selling.  Do we really think that none of them, Meri included, have looked at or listened to all of the evidence?  Her voicemails were SPLICED?!  Come on!  I was SO hoping the interviewer would pull out her phone and play one of the voicemails for the adults and ask them, one by one, what they thought...much like she did with the younger kids regarding polygamy.  It's okay to put young kids on the spot by asking them about their future marriage plans, but not okay to put a clearly lying Meri on the spot for what she did?

[3girlsforus]

1 hour ago, laurakaye said:

 

I finally forced myself to finish watcing the captivating tell-all (eye roll), and I totally agree with the poster that said that Kody and Meri were communicating with their eyes.  But worse than that, Meri is such a completely unconvincing liar.  I loathe when she says things like, "he, she, it, WHATEVER" and uses the words "dumb" and "stupid" not to describe herself, but the situation she found herself in.  Once again, she is completely dancing around the fact that she THOUGHT she was talking to a man, saying "I love you," and still insists that she only said the things she said, and took those pictures, and sent those voicemails because she was being "threatened."  BS BS BS.  Those were not the pictures of a woman being threatened, and the mushy voicemails were sent by a woman in love with the man she thought was going to take her away from everything.  When she lies, which is most of the time, her eyes dart all over the place and she uses 100 words where 10 would do.  It's revolting.  And her family is sitting there, pretending to buy what she's selling.  Do we really think that none of them, Meri included, have looked at or listened to all of the evidence?  Her voicemails were SPLICED?!  Come on!  I was SO hoping the interviewer would pull out her phone and play one of the voicemails for the adults and ask them, one by one, what they thought...much like she did with the younger kids regarding polygamy.  It's okay to put young kids on the spot by asking them about their future marriage plans, but not okay to put a clearly lying Meri on the spot for what she did?

The family doesn't have to buy it because they are selling it as a group. As ridiculous as the story and excuse were, there is no way they went into this 'tell-all' without a plan of what to say. Kody is the Executive and Chief of this craptastic nightmare so whatever was decided was his approval. I have no idea if Meri wanted to be more truthful about her feelings but I guarantee Kody told her she couldn't be. If she admits she was lonely or looking for attention, or needing of love etc it would be an enormous ego blow to Kody. He portrays himself at such a stud that he requires 4 women. He's such a specimen of testosterone that he can be everything 4 women need and they would never have a need for anything else. He would not allow anything to tarnish that image. He's dumb enough to think people buy his act. Kody told them what to say and they did. 

[Kath94]

I haven't watched the whole show yet (fast-forward is my friend!) but I had to laugh when the "hostess" asked Kody something like, "what's going on in your head at this moment?"   And he had to think.  You could almost HEAR the wheels spinning.  But he just stared with that deer-in-the-headlights look.  That's it!  That's the answer!  There is absolutely NOTHING going on in there!

[Lsk02]

I finally finished watching this and had a thought after Christine's interview and Mykelti's engagement announcement. I wonder if Christine would be having such a hard time with it if Mykelti were marrying into a polygamist family, say as the 3rd wife?  I believe her when she gives all her reasons for disagreeing with it (and I agree with her!) but I do wonder if Mykelti were going into an established family and doing exactly what Christine herself did if she'd feel differently. Obviously there is no way to know, but I suspect her reaction would have been different...

Edited June 28, 2016 by Lsk02

[CofCinci]

1 hour ago, Lsk02 said:

I finally finished watching this and had a thought after Christine's interview and Mykelti's engagement announcement. I wonder if Christine would be having such a hard time with it if Mykelti were marrying into a polygamist family, say as the 3rd wife?  I believe her when she gives all her reasons for disagreeing with it (and I agree with her!) but I do wonder if Mykelti were going into an established family and doing exactly what Christine herself did if she'd feel differently. Obviously there is no way to know, but I suspect her reaction would have been different...

Christine's only issue with this Tony fellow is that he's not part of the family wreath (no trees here). She's been programmed her whole life to fear outsiders. If Kody didn't force them all to participate in the series, Christine would still be in the Lehi house lying about her lifestyle and afraid to go outside. Tony isn't familiar to their backward inbred cross-married cult so Christine will never be supportive of the relationship.  Logan is dating an outsider but that's okay because he's male, not Christine's child and he doesn't care for Kody. 

[Absolom]

Ratings:  1.170 M viewers and a .33 rating.

[Galloway Cave]

17 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Ratings:  1.170 M viewers and a .33 rating.

So pretty much a steady decline through the entire season. Let's see how management handles this....

[KateHearts]

I'm sorry, but the denial that Meri had an affair based on the fact that "this person" didn't exist?  Obviously she was in love with whoever that internet avatar was or represented itself to be. To her, "Sam" was real.  The tapes were NOT spliced, and she wasn't saying, "love ya! Bye!" but rather pitifully begging for Sam to call her, to love her back, to continue to fulfill whatever it is she was missing.  I couldn't stand to watch them all stare blankly when asked, because of course- everyone knows she betrayed her "marriage."  It's really sad, frankly.

This season has a lot of chat between the wives about annoying things Kody does, how funny it is that they think he's an idiot.  I find that mildly entertaining. He's lost a lot of control and is increasingly frustrated that he can't boss everyone around (note the angry outburst at the Thanksgiving table configuration, the attempt to command complete silence from 20+ people to announce the Hawaii trip, the parking tantrum while in Hawaii).

[BlackWidow]

On 6/27/2016 at 0:28 PM, Adeejay said:

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. 

      I must have missed the part where Christine said Mykelti couldn't move home, or maybe she just discouraged it but I can see with this many kids and adult drama, some get lost in the shuffle. Maybe Mykelti felt like she she doesn't fit anywhere, maybe feels bad about dropping out of school, letting parents down, feels like she needs a new 'thing' to glom onto. Something that makes her feel accepted and welcomed.  Man I don't know if that is a great place to be to start off a relationship, but I know a few people who flew the coop early in life, sort of looking to be 'adopted' by the gf/bf  extended family.  It's a dangerous game this, because if they are like normal parents, they will always take their kid's side , as much as they 'put up' , oh I mean love and cherish you like their own...and if they are not like 'normal' parents and don't feel this way towards you or even their own kid, and you have this 'it's me and you against the world, baby' , with your bf/gf,  that might be an even worse place to be in, especially when kids come along.  I'm hoping there isn't this big rush to get married because she's pregnant and that might be why she didn't show for the tell-all , or it could be there is unresolved tension about the whole thing, happy twitter or instagram posts notwithstanding...

7 hours ago, laurakaye said:

The thing is, and Kody has to know this...his show would be long gone if it weren't for the snarkers here, on CJ's blog, and elsewhere, actually tuning in to watch his one-man trainwreck.  The very same people he said were trying to ruin his marriage to Meri, the very same people he flipped off.  His stupidity knows no bounds.

In his wrinkly, ill-fitting, faded denim shirts and jeans combo, no less.  'Cause he's cool like that.

I finally forced myself to finish watcing the captivating tell-all (eye roll), and I totally agree with the poster that said that Kody and Meri were communicating with their eyes.  But worse than that, Meri is such a completely unconvincing liar.  I loathe when she says things like, "he, she, it, WHATEVER" and uses the words "dumb" and "stupid" not to describe herself, but the situation she found herself in.  Once again, she is completely dancing around the fact that she THOUGHT she was talking to a man, saying "I love you," and still insists that she only said the things she said, and took those pictures, and sent those voicemails because she was being "threatened."  BS BS BS.  Those were not the pictures of a woman being threatened, and the mushy voicemails were sent by a woman in love with the man she thought was going to take her away from everything.  When she lies, which is most of the time, her eyes dart all over the place and she uses 100 words where 10 would do.  It's revolting.  And her family is sitting there, pretending to buy what she's selling.  Do we really think that none of them, Meri included, have looked at or listened to all of the evidence?  Her voicemails were SPLICED?!  Come on!  I was SO hoping the interviewer would pull out her phone and play one of the voicemails for the adults and ask them, one by one, what they thought...much like she did with the younger kids regarding polygamy.  It's okay to put young kids on the spot by asking them about their future marriage plans, but not okay to put a clearly lying Meri on the spot for what she did?

I don't know if people on here took offense to the flip-off but I thought it was funny in a toddler tantrum kind of way. As far as the whole bs catfish story, to me it seemed like Meri was wanting to admit more than she did, but kept to the bs story. I doubt the kodfish coached her, he's just too clueless, but neither do I believe his (what appeared to be coached) bs about 'ignore it and it's not real'. Several times it looked like he was looking at Meri as if he were trying to suss out whether she was lying or not, as if he never asked her that much about the whole thing and was letting the interviewer as for him. Meri also was giving him several strange looks, as if she were thinking, you don't have to make up bs for me or 'I can't believe this is what you're going with' as far as his take on it. Like he wasn't going to get personal, he was just going to repeat something someone told him in some new-agey self-help kind of way , the whole 'if we don't give the catfish any energy, they can't hurt us, the aren't real, etc'. His small admission that yes things were not great with Meri and maybe he contributed to her being vulnerable to that seemed weak, like he was goaded into it by the interviewer but didn't really want to cop to any plyg relationship failure on his part for any length of time.

5 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

The family doesn't have to buy it because they are selling it as a group. As ridiculous as the story and excuse were, there is no way they went into this 'tell-all' without a plan of what to say. Kody is the Executive and Chief of this craptastic nightmare so whatever was decided was his approval. I have no idea if Meri wanted to be more truthful about her feelings but I guarantee Kody told her she couldn't be. If she admits she was lonely or looking for attention, or needing of love etc it would be an enormous ego blow to Kody. He portrays himself at such a stud that he requires 4 women. He's such a specimen of testosterone that he can be everything 4 women need and they would never have a need for anything else. He would not allow anything to tarnish that image. He's dumb enough to think people buy his act. Kody told them what to say and they did. 

They are acting for sure, and many of the answers seemed scripted but I don't think it is the kodster who is making that stuff up. As I said to the previous poster, it sounds like shrink-babble, innocuous and one of their favorite words 'safe' because it doesn't allow for both people to say either 'I blew it, I didn't treat you well' or ' I was lonely and stupid' or whatever, the way they dealt with it is externalizing the issue, which is not really the catfish , but what led to it. And yeah, this whole topic has been beaten to death.

On 6/26/2016 at 5:35 PM, Forcereals said:

A season of clipshows...What the hell actually happened this season?  Light stringing?  Thanksgiving place settings?  I don't feel like we've learned anything new.

Who did Christine's lashes?  Janel looks uncomfortable like she can't put her arms down.    Kodouche looks confused.  Meri looks more and more like a muppet to me each week--overly tan Nerf face like Miss Piggy's cousin, which isn't a read because I think Piggy looks great, but it's just odd when people look like muppets.

The endless replays, ugh, most people who watch the show know all this, and the playing it before the commercials, and during the show, it sure serves as filler to eat up time we would rather be hearing from them in the here and now. They do this on the regular show too , way too much. The lashes thing, both #4 and Christine had strange looking, almost drag-queeny lashes. Not flattering. Janelle's makeup was decent, subtle and colors were right to keep her from being so washed out looking with the all-over bleached hair. Meri looked about as orange as usual, but her hair was somewhat better. I wonder if she might consider letting the roots go a while , way back when the show started when she had longish hair, it was kind of a dirty blonde and the not-quite-so-bleached darker blonde was flattering. I think this is before she turned orange though.

On 6/26/2016 at 7:08 PM, 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.

Yep, both of them giving each other weird looks. Meri giving so many 'really' or 'oh ok, you're going to address it like that'  or' you don't have to protect  or lie for me' looks and kodster externalizing everything with prepackaged lines while seeming to scrutinize ever answer she have to the interviewer.

On 6/26/2016 at 8:49 PM, islandgal140 said:

Agreed that this interviewer was a marked improvement over Tamron.  Not that she got anything other than the same non-answers Tamron got but she dug deeper. I especially like that she asked about whether this was an emotional affair. 

they really bs danced around the whole thing, kodster refusing to address it on a personal level.  I don't think he can grasp or let himself admit he contributed to this, and that Meri was so lonely and unhappy. That doesn't bode well for them picking up the pieces. The whole crew knows people at home probably have heard the tapes and seen the texts, but they are obviously trying to stay neutral and not blame or take sides , it's very politicianlike, afraid that they might alienate some part of their audience by whatever they say, because in the end, the show must go on.

On 6/26/2016 at 9:02 PM, DNR said:

Twice a day ! Every day ! Every VM ! I can picture Sobyn loving every minute of those voicemails.  Feeling extreme confidence in  her #1 favorite wife status 

I'm wondering if kodster is pissed at her if he thinks she at all knew anything and one, hid it from him and two, is now covering Meri's butt or pretending to be supportive, or may actually be being supportive towards Meri  if he wanted her to close ranks against Meri and she didn't. Hard to say.  I don't know if anyone is 'favorite' at this point, there is so much dysfunction and stress happening, although like myself and other posters have said, it sucks that it sure looks apparent that while things are not all great with one or more, it looks like the ones who were thrown by the wayside suddenly seem perkier , as if they benefit from more attention simply because he doesn't want to deal with the stress and thus is hanging out more with them. That would totally go against the whole 'if my sisterwife ain't happy, ain't nobody happy' credo they haul out when they are pretending to be all 'oh they have my best interest at heart, they have my back;..

On 6/26/2016 at 9:30 PM, Celia Rubenstein said:

 

I am glad she doesn't seem jealous or upset about this happening because Christine is actually damn lucky she has someone she trusts living next door and that person gets along with Aspyn and is willing take her in.  And Aspyn should be glad too, because she might  have been on the receiving end of the "you can't go backward" speech and she might be planning a wedding to some man she hardly knows ... just like Mykelti is doing.  

in a way, it also has the side 'benefit' with Aspyn living next door, of having a teen in the house, people act differently when there is an almost adult in the house than with just little kids, or babies and maybe the cousin Mindy who helps with the kids. Seems like it might get weird with no privacy, not only in *that* kind of way, but just having alone time together.  I don't even know how many Christine still has at home, I can't keep track. I still am not totally clear about the 'you can't move back' thing or blaming Christine for whatever Mykelti is doing. Maybe Mykelti thought well here's my options, shitty job, school, or some man.

On 6/27/2016 at 5:27 AM, tabloidlover said:

Bringing this over from the Baby Sister episode topic (because it's really early and I posted it in the wrong thread)

I would love the opportunity to flip Kodouche off the way he did us last night.  How fucking rude to the people that have watched your shit show and enabled you to have the lifestyle you have.  Asswipe.  I really hope this show is cancelled now.  I just can't with the his arrogance any longer.

Edited to add that I would also like to hold up the picture of Meri assaulting the banana in front of his face while I flip him off. 

He's too much of a doofus to feel offended by the flip off. I'm sure he is just all butthurt over several things, catfishgate being one, #4 changing personality while pregnant and maybe still has moved past the 'eternal honeymoon' thing, maybe even has to cook now lol, some weird dynamic of all the wives, like are Meri and #4 partners in crime, you cover me and I will cover you or are they on the outs, Mykelti marrying some guy she dated for 5 months at age 19 whom the family didn't know well at the time of announcing it in Hawaii, discussions of what will and won't be 'told' on 'tell all' or shown on the show, maybe #4 said, if I have another kid, I'm not doing it on tv for the third time, and kody was like, oh yes you will and she was like, well, then I won't be having more, who knows, there could be all kinds of stuff we don't know about, and I would wager there is.

On 6/27/2016 at 6:20 AM, ghoulina said:

... If Sam was really a man, would he still be singing that tune? Because, to me, the Catfish part doesn't matter so much. At least not as it pertains to Meri's intentions. I do not believe she knew until much later, and I do not believe she felt forced into sending those love betters and banana pictures. In her mind and heart, she was ALL in with this guy. If it had turned out to really be a guy, but Meri cut it off before meeting him, would Kody still feel there was no crossing the line? I doubt it. I think he's hiding behind the fact that this was just a woman fucking around on the internet. That's the only way his masculinity stays in tact. 

 

He either is pretending not to care, or worse, actually doesn't really care. The thing that would be a bomb is if the catfish story was invented , meaning this JO person exists , has that blog and all that, but there was some real dude as well. Meaning that some of the texts and voicemail stuff is real. Kodster talks a good game but he sure was staring at Meri like he is still trying to get at something, as if he himself doesn't believe her, even as he spouts his land-of-make-believe stuff about 'they aren't real'...remember how these people love half-truths and plausible deniability, so they can say they aren't technically lying.   Watching how awkward they all are together is infinitely more interesting though than the catfish story. The whole 'we were targeted, we're victims' thing in light of what has been on the news lately is tiresome.  What is left for them, the kid was born, Maddie got married, Hawaii trip, Mykelti bombshell,  umm what else? Please, no more boring bday/pool parties...

On 6/27/2016 at 7:25 AM, Lm2162 said:

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. 

She was totally full of it with the spliced and diced. They aren't particularly good liars either. Worse, I wish they talked about other stuff, cause catfishgate is getting played out.

On 6/27/2016 at 8:22 AM, autumnh said:

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

Even though she tries to come off with that same fake-authoritative tone her mom does, I still feel bad for her, if only because it is rough to see one's parent not even that oh, they did something I don't agree with, but as fallible, as people with faults, as imperfect- because in feeling bad for her mom, she would also have to accept things are not all hunky-dory with her parent's relationship, or that her mom might be fearful of kody, or that he treated her crappy and maybe she is not this 'strong, empowered woman' Mariah thought she was, or that her parent's plyg lifestyle can lead to people feeling lonely and neglected, or maybe even she as a kid, has her own gripes about how she was raised, who knows, it just opens up a huge can of worms.

On 6/27/2016 at 9:50 AM, 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 does seem to just take everything back to himself, even when he is trying to be 'introspective' it is still not really any great philosophic epiphanies , just how does this affect the kodster. How he said that was almost like he counts himself as a separate entity despite all his talk about 'the family' and the rock-building thing that failed with Christine. Well, maybe in his head, he refuses to admit he is aging along with everyone else, even if he can keep making kid after kid, hence the 'grow up' part , meaning himself. Also wondering if that 'grow up and stop having kids' was brought about by the mere suggestion of a possible #5.

On 6/27/2016 at 0:09 PM, 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'm not sure if he is actually mad about them picking on him or if that is pretend-funny for TV. Do agree and have said similar in the past that it does seem to his advantage that the wives do not 'unionize' , so to speak, to demand fairness and equal treatment for all, rather than individually kissing ass and playing up to him, trying to curry favor while maintaining competitiveness  and jealousy with each other. If they actually do get together, just the women and start coming up with what they want and don't want either individually and/or collectively , his little kingdom of 'ooh am I the 'favorite' this week?' nonsense is done and he will have to do more than just be  the hair-tossing fun guy, or the 'I'm mad at you, you have to win back my approval guy' or whatever of the many personas he wears. He will have to back it up with behavior and change and perhaps some sacrifice on his part.

[KateHearts]

Does anyone know what the backstory is on Robyn's first marriage?  

[Roslyn]

Has anyone noticed a parallel with the oldest kids?

Logan--Janelle's oldest.  Spent his entire life being a step father/big brother role and now that he is on his own in college is in a relationship but obviously not in a hurry to rush things.

Aspyn--Christine's oldest.  Spent her life as a surrogate mother, even being too mothering to Mykelti when they were roomies.  She seems to be enjoying the college life and isn't in a relationship that anyone seems to know about.

Mariah--Meri's oldest.  For all the snark she is still in school and not running away to be a sister wife in a commune. 

Dayton--Robyn's oldest. showing himself to be a mature, level headed young man who wants to live and not settle down into marriage.

Yet...the second born for each of them.  Robyn's Aurora has clear attention issues and they have been noticeable on camera from day one. Christine's Mykelti is her "wild child" as she has called her.  Janelle's Madison is a seeming level headed young woman, she has been out spoken since the beginning, but even Janelle has alluded to her fears that Maddie will toss it all in "for a boy".  Which she kinda has done.

The siblings that have been forced into parental roles (even Mariah because many times it feels like Mariah was treated as an equal friend for Meri vs. a daughter) have no interest in being parents in their now adult lives..they have had their fill with that role.

[LotusFlower]

3 hours ago, Absolom said:

Ratings:  1.170 M viewers and a .33 rating.

 

3 hours ago, Galloway Cave said:

So pretty much a steady decline through the entire season. Let's see how management handles this....

Wow.  That number is really low, and yes, the ratings declined throughout the season, but the first ep. of the season premiered to significantly lower numbers in comparison to past seasons as well.  And here's some further comparison: this Tell-All episode pulled in less than HALF of last fall's season 6 Tell-All episode, which brought in 2.1 M viewers total/.07 in the 18-49 demo.  The show picks up viewers in the Live +3/+7 ratings (DVR viewings), but it still feels like a huge drop-off to me.  Has the (ratings) tide finally turned?  Will TLC finally say goodbye to this show?

[mamey2422]

23 hours ago, CofCinci said:

Mariah - Enough with the misplaced anger towards your mother already. Yeah, she had an Internet affair and was ready to leave her "marriage."  Who hasn't? Have you met Kody? He's a real asshole.  Meri (and the other women) had to not only compete for his attention/affection but every single family resource. His favor granted luxuries.  Your mother was lonely and depressed -- for years. Do you want her to stay in this misery marriage?  I would never want my mother/sister/daughter to ever be in a marriage like this. Look at poor Christine: the woman has to take all sorts of psychopharms to numb her sad reality.  Grow the hell up, you spoiled brat, and encourage your mother to go live her life. 

Too bad Sam wasn't real.  All these women deserve active, loving partners. 

I agree that Mariah may be acting a bit immaturely but then I remember that her perception of Meri and Kody's marriage was not one of misery but one she saw as ideal. She was an only childhood to a sister wife who had an abundance of attention and resources compared to her siblings. I think she was in a bubble and Meri's relationship with the catfish burst it. I often find Mariah bratty but I feel bad for her in this instance. 

[Tabbygirl521]

The evasiveness throughout this ep was frustrating. But I start thinking that Meri, one way or another , kind of painted herself and all of them, really, into a corner. I think there are a lot of reasons she won't spill her guts but I got the feeling that one big reason might be not wanting to have too much more catfish dirt on the interwebs until the end of time. Who would want their kids to know all the gruesome details? She already has alienated Mariah  

Also, Kody was giving her the constant death glare, when his hamster wheel wasn't getting stuck. I don't think she is afraid of his wrath, but I thought it might be a warning to her not to be too forthright. Hell, look how paranoid they are abut hospital births. They claim they want to Share All about their lives, but all the big stuff has always been glossed over. 

Robyn seems Over It. She barely spoke. 

ETA: just remember Kody looking righteously pissed about the women laughing at Robyn getting "mouthy. To ME!" And just being 1000% indignant. He must be a royal pain to live with. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Tabbygirl521

[Snarklepuss]

On 6/27/2016 at 10:37 PM, CofCinci said:

Mariah - Enough with the misplaced anger towards your mother already. Yeah, she had an Internet affair and was ready to leave her "marriage."  Who hasn't? Have you met Kody? He's a real asshole.  Meri (and the other women) had to not only compete for his attention/affection but every single family resource. His favor granted luxuries.  Your mother was lonely and depressed -- for years. Do you want her to stay in this misery marriage?  I would never want my mother/sister/daughter to ever be in a marriage like this. Look at poor Christine: the woman has to take all sorts of psychopharms to numb her sad reality.  Grow the hell up, you spoiled brat, and encourage your mother to go live her life. 

Too bad Sam wasn't real.  All these women deserve active, loving partners. 

I think that just as Mariah took some time to grow up enough to realize polygamy was not for her, it's going to take some time for her to mature enough to see things this way with regard to her parents.  I think she will forgive her mother in time, and turn the hate on her father.  Once the show is basically over the K-douche will unleash more of his pent up rage over not being in control of his "flock" anymore and it will become painfully apparent to Mariah.

The comments have been absolutely outstanding this week, so much so I have to comment on it myself.  I've been too busy to post and just catching up now, but I'm surprised I haven't already used up my quota of "likes".

[DakotaJustice]

Whats pitiful is that I believe that SW is TLC's highest rated show so it's not going anywhere.

[3girlsforus]

5 minutes ago, DakotaJustice said:

Whats pitiful is that I believe that SW is TLC's highest rated show so it's not going anywhere.

You have got to be kidding me!! Is there any hope that TLC will look at numbers like this and see that the 'Freaks on Parade' that TLC has become has run it's course and they should completely change their type of programming? 

[Roslyn]

I really think that Kody's cranky ass attitude for this entire season is a big big tell that he HAS listened to voicemails and read the texts and info online from Meri's friendly interlude.

Just as Meri's sullen and angry attitude last season was her tell about some deep issues going on with her.

Lying Liars who Lie.

[laurakaye]

What was up when Meri said that the catfisher was "obsessed" with Robyn?  Was JO stalking Robyn on Twitter?  Because I have always thought that Robyn was either somehow in on it, or was aware that Meri was being catfished but never said anything.

[ghoulina]

14 hours ago, mamey2422 said:

I agree that Mariah may be acting a bit immaturely but then I remember that her perception of Meri and Kody's marriage was not one of misery but one she saw as ideal. She was an only childhood to a sister wife who had an abundance of attention and resources compared to her siblings. I think she was in a bubble and Meri's relationship with the catfish burst it. I often find Mariah bratty but I feel bad for her in this instance. 

This is exactly what I think! And that's where I believe a lot of her anger is coming from. She's been disillusioned. It wasn't just college that opened her eyes, but the reality of her mother's relationship and status in the family. Her bubble has been burst and she's having to question her entire life. So I think she's feeling very resentful towards her mother right now. 

[Tabbygirl521]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

This is exactly what I think! And that's where I believe a lot of her anger is coming from. She's been disillusioned. It wasn't just college that opened her eyes, but the reality of her mother's relationship and status in the family. Her bubble has been burst and she's having to question her entire life. So I think she's feeling very resentful towards her mother right now. 

And I'm sure the idea of spilling her guts about it on TV isn't appealing. She may be sick of the whole circus of publicity at this point. She seems to be enjoying "mainstream" college life, which may be highlighting how unusual it is to live your life in public. She's at the age where most kids want to get away from their parents anyway. This mess cannot be helping. 

[MonicaM]

16 hours ago, mamey2422 said:

I agree that Mariah may be acting a bit immaturely but then I remember that her perception of Meri and Kody's marriage was not one of misery but one she saw as ideal. She was an only childhood to a sister wife who had an abundance of attention and resources compared to her siblings. I think she was in a bubble and Meri's relationship with the catfish burst it. I often find Mariah bratty but I feel bad for her in this instance. 

Mariah reminds me of my brother.  Within the family, we always say that he got the worst personality parts of each parent without the good traits.  Mariah seems to be the worst parts of Kody and Meri combined.  It doesn't help that she was probably spoiled by her unhappy mother, but her basic personality seems to be dour, self-centered and humorless.  

[SometimesBites]

4 hours ago, ghoulina said:

This is exactly what I think! And that's where I believe a lot of her anger is coming from. She's been disillusioned. It wasn't just college that opened her eyes, but the reality of her mother's relationship and status in the family. Her bubble has been burst and she's having to question her entire life. So I think she's feeling very resentful towards her mother right now. 

Agreed. Plus, even if they filmed Mariah's reactions late in this current season, it would have been chronologically closer to the time of the shit hitting the fan. We snark-viewers have been privy to all this longer than Mariah has, and it's a hard thing to be confronted with a parent's human shortcomings, at any age. Chances are that Mariah did poke around in the photos and voicemails, and that would be a bitter pill to swallow. Meri is bobbing and weaving, lying and avoiding the facts--as are the rest of the adults--when people would actually have far more respect for her if she 'fessed up in a calm, self-confident manner. She could acknowledge that she strayed emotionally during a tough time in her marriage, that she regrets it and is relieved that it didn't actually lead to greater trouble, AND use her experience as a teachable moment for viewers about the dangers of catfishing. But NO. They're all so busy whitewashing and backpedaling that they just dig the pit of lies deeper and deeper. It's who they are, the lot of them.

[LotusFlower]

11 hours ago, DakotaJustice said:

Whats pitiful is that I believe that SW is TLC's highest rated show so it's not going anywhere.

Not anymore.  The ratings really took a tumble this past season.  The show's average for these past eight or so episodes (PTV called it season 7, but I think TLC called it the latter half of season 6) was around 1.3 M viewers/.04 in the 18-49 demo.  That's not only a huge drop-off from past seasons (about 50%), but even from (the first half of) season 6.  I know the ratings improve when DVR viewings are included, but I don't know if they're good enough to keep this shit show going.

[DakotaJustice]

What's TLC's highest rated show now?

[CofCinci]

8 hours ago, DakotaJustice said:

What's TLC's highest rated show now?

Duggars.

[missy jo]

I can't believe they got to the very end of the season without Meri "calling a thing a thing" and admitting she had an affair. I mean, she told the family she might be leaving them at the end of the previous season! 

Meri had an affair. By every definition. It doesn't matter that the person on the other end was a fake. Mariah is the only one who seems to get it. 

So we watched table settings, beach umbrella debates and parking cars. And more therapy sessions, because all these people hate each other. 

I think they showed two episodes at a time each week to get it off the air more quickly. Doesn't bode well. 

[laurakaye]

3 hours ago, missy jo said:

So we watched table settings, beach umbrella debates and parking cars. And more therapy sessions, because all these people hate each other. 

I think they showed two episodes at a time each week to get it off the air more quickly. Doesn't bode well. 

We learned that cans of creamed corn, spray-painted gray, make lovely table arrangements, especially when you put 385 of them on each table.  We learned that sand, in Hawaii, gets hot.  We also learned that parking cars in a parking lot is very hard work.

That's what the Browns wanted us to see - the wacky, map-cap silliness of having such a large fam'ly.

What we really saw is that Meri and Janelle have deep-seated hate and distrust in one another and can barely tolerate being in the same room together.  We learned that Kody doesn't listen to his wives, ever.  We also learned that no matter the task, Kody will make it as difficult as possible because he's got the emotional maturity of a bratty, spoiled child.

That's what we all saw.  And those are the issues that the Browns will continue to dance around for as long as this show is on the air.

[DakotaJustice]

5 hours ago, CofCinci said:

Duggars.

they're back on?!?!

[Absolom]

As for TLC's highest rated show it's tough to say.  They have several in the same general range: Roloffs, Duggars, The Little Couple, Sister Wives, and two or three I don't watch.  The episodes are usually between 1.2 and 1.5 or possibly 1.7 million viewers over the course of their seasons. 

[3girlsforus]

1 minute ago, Absolom said:

As for TLC's highest rated show it's tough to say.  They have several in the same general range: Roloffs, Duggars, The Little Couple, Sister Wives, and two or three I don't watch.  The episodes are usually between 1.2 and 1.5 or possibly 1.7 million viewers over the course of their seasons. 

Well I just saw an ad for a new show called 'Love at First Kiss'. Looks like the premise is two strangers kiss to see if they should date. That is bound to have record-breaking ratings LOL!!!!

[Absolom]

6 minutes ago, 3girlsforus said:

Well I just saw an ad for a new show called 'Love at First Kiss'. Looks like the premise is two strangers kiss to see if they should date. That is bound to have record-breaking ratings LOL!!!!

I hope for the sake of getting some of the aged dreck weeded out that TLC finds several bit of ratings gold in the near future.  If they can get some shows bringing in 2 M viewers, we'll get to see a lot of the mediocre shows cancelled.  SW to the sunset!  I have SW and Roloffs sitting on the DVR and I think I've seen one episode each from this season.  I usually only watch it while shorting paperwork or folding laundry.

[DakotaJustice]

*sigh*

I really, really miss Property Ladder.  (and this would be a great time to revive the show with the real estate craziness that's going on now)

If TLC brings it back, I'll call Comcast and get my cable re-installed in a NY minute!!!

But for SW - Nah. 

Edited June 30, 2016 by DakotaJustice

[Tabbygirl521]

When the interviewer is talking to the younger kids, shortly after Dayton talks about having things he wants to do before getting married: The interviewer starts to move on, but the other boy (don't know his name) kind of whispers, "Dayton!" and makes some kind of motion with his hand. Dayton kind of grins and very subtly shakes his head No. Did anyone catch what was said? It seemed such a genuine moment between sibs and I really want to know!

[3girlsforus]

44 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I hope for the sake of getting some of the aged dreck weeded out that TLC finds several bit of ratings gold in the near future.  If they can get some shows bringing in 2 M viewers, we'll get to see a lot of the mediocre shows cancelled.  SW to the sunset!  I have SW and Roloffs sitting on the DVR and I think I've seen one episode each from this season.  I usually only watch it while shorting paperwork or folding laundry.

As someone said earlier, the only thing that will make the Browns interesting enough to watch will be what happens when the TLC money dries up, but then if that's something to watch they would get paid so that won't work. 

Personally I'd love to see TLC fund Meri truly divorcing Kody and leaving the family. We know she wants out, probably even more now that she is going to be reminded of the catfish situation at every turn. But she wouldn't leave without money. She thought 'Sam' was the love and money she wanted. Maybe TLC can be it. I'd watch that. 

[ghoulina]

3 hours ago, 3girlsforus said:

Well I just saw an ad for a new show called 'Love at First Kiss'. Looks like the premise is two strangers kiss to see if they should date. That is bound to have record-breaking ratings LOL!!!!

Return to Amish is coming back, so I'm sure it will beat all the others! Mwahahahaha

[Kohola3]

Can TLC sink any lower?  Wait, no, they have SW.  A new low now that Boo-Boo is long gone.

[MarysWetBar]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Can TLC sink any lower?  Wait, no, they have SW.  A new low now that Boo-Boo is long gone.

Honestly i believe the Duggars are as low as TLC has gone. Putting those grifters back on the air after all that mess?  Insane and a sad look at what constitutes entertainment.

[mamey2422]

11 hours ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

When the interviewer is talking to the younger kids, shortly after Dayton talks about having things he wants to do before getting married: The interviewer starts to move on, but the other boy (don't know his name) kind of whispers, "Dayton!" and makes some kind of motion with his hand. Dayton kind of grins and very subtly shakes his head No. Did anyone catch what was said? It seemed such a genuine moment between sibs and I really want to know!

I saw this too but wasn't sure. I interpreted it as the other boy giving Dayton a sorts of thumbs up gesture/good job sentiment. 

[laurakaye]

10 hours ago, mamey2422 said:

I saw this too but wasn't sure. I interpreted it as the other boy giving Dayton a sorts of thumbs up gesture/good job sentiment. 

I don't know, but it makes me happy.  Whether or not Dayton is indeed autistic (as Robyn has said in the past, but Robyn likes to rearrange the truth to fit her own purposes, so who really knows), I'm glad to see that he seems to have found a quiet place for himself in this circus.  It can't be easy to go from having two sisters to having 87 new siblings to adjust to - not to mention the noise, the chaos, and having Kody erase history and become Dayton's "dad."  I was fearful for Dayton at first - my heart ached for this sweet, low-key kid who seemed to know exactly what was going on, and his calm, thoughtful reactions to the changes that happened around him.  The only good thing to come out of this entire season is knowing that Dayton has some pretty cool plans for his future, and no, Kody - you don't get one iota of credit for that.

Edited July 1, 2016 by laurakaye