S03.E01: A Courtship Begins

[BitterApple]

Sew, you were Blessa blocked AND banned from Pickles? That's impressive, well done!

During the baby-sitting scene, I was wondering if Jessa's friend sat outside for ten minutes while the crew got footage of Bin and Jessa "babysitting" and then walked in and picked the kids up. I also wish the woman hadn't mentioned the challenges of adoption with her adopted kid sitting right there. I get the vibe that Noelle is more of an exotic pet for these people than a daughter they treat as their own. 

[birkenstock]

Yeah, I didn't like the vibe between the Napier mom and Noelle. It was the same at their dinner with Ben and Jessa last season.  It feels like they resent her for not immediately adjusting to the family.  Hopefully, the "challenges" discussion isn't an everyday occurrence and was producer-driven. I don't have many nice things to say about Ben, but I remember him being really interactive with and kind to her.

I was annoyed to see Jim Bob on the screen again. Of course he likes Jeremy, he and Michelle have a reason to be on the show again. Just glad there were no JB/Michelle talking heads. 

Jinger seems happy. IDK about Jeremy. He talks to people like they're confused five year olds. 

[Whyyouneedaname]

I recorded and watched this morning......how old is Jinger??? She acts like a an immature, love sick puppy. And with this being the first time someone has shown her any romantic attention, I guess you could equate her actions to that of a giggly middle school girl. 

[BitterApple]

40 minutes ago, birkenstock said:

Yeah, I didn't like the vibe between the Napier mom and Noelle. It was the same at their dinner with Ben and Jessa last season.  It feels like they resent her for not immediately adjusting to the family.  Hopefully, the "challenges" discussion isn't an everyday occurrence and was producer-driven. I don't have many nice things to say about Ben, but I remember him being really interactive with and kind to her.

 

Agree 100%. You just get the sense they have this attitude of how dare this little brown child not appreciate the wonderful (white) God-fearing Christians who "rescued" her from a life of sin. It's why Fundie adoptions make me wary. These are children, not show ponies you brandish about at church to show off your Super Jesus-y status.

[cereality]

I feel bad for JD. I'm too busy for love is totally a justification to make himself feel better, when last season he said more than once that there's a girl out there for him - he just needs to find her; and Lord willing one day he'll build his own playset for his own kids. I think he just doesn't know where to start. I honestly wish he'd chat with Zach Bates more or even go hang with him in Tenn. Supposedly they're friends and Zach met his wife when she was waitressing and he'd hang out and talk to her. I think JD just needs a wingman and then he'd realize he can talk to women too.

And what is it with these fundie men who talk so softly almost whispering when trying to be sweet?! Jer did it when asking Jing to court and in all the interviews after. Chad Paine did - and still does - the same thing w the added effect of getting teary to show how much he wants everything to be perfect as per Erin's dreams. Why not just be yourself rather than what you think a sensitive man should be?!

[PJ123]

7 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Agree 100%. You just get the sense they have this attitude of how dare this little brown child not appreciate the wonderful (white) God-fearing Christians who "rescued" her from a life of sin. It's why Fundie adoptions make me wary. These are children, not show ponies you brandish about at church to show off your Super Jesus-y status.

Also agree 100%.  And sadly this is an attitude of most in the fundie-community who adopt (or considering it).  They think they get points for adopting (i.e. "saved God's gift") and extra points if its of another race.  They say things like "God knew we were meant to be"  - er, no, a tragic situation happened and the birth family could not take care of said child (or in some cases, coerced/kidnapped).  They ignore the child's lifetime loss (no matter how old when adopted) and especially their race and connections (i.e. "whitewashing").  But yet they continue to do so, treating that child like a circus side show.  Then when the youthful cuteness wears off as they get older, kids are shunned and ignored.    Fundies then have the attitude and shock that how DARE this child not feel more grateful and be submissive and conform.  This is usually when abuse (mental and physical) can start to happen.  Children grow up confused, resentful, and hurt with race identity issues.  Praying it away will not work.  I wish there was some way to weed these pathetic excuses of "parents" out from adopting.

As an adoptive parent of a child of color, I am so glad I did not see this or I might have thrown something at the TV.

[ginger90]

So Jessa never thought putting a crib under a window, with blinds, was not a good idea? Shells within reach from the crib, etc. come on. And Marcus acting the way he did in Jessa's house, with one correction by Anna shown? And why does every project have to include a deadline that must be met or.......or what?

And I guess they were never taught about pilot holes. That free training sure was worth it all of those years.

[Aja]

27 minutes ago, PJ123 said:

Also agree 100%.  And sadly this is an attitude of most in the fundie-community who adopt (or considering it).  They think they get points for adopting (i.e. "saved God's gift") and extra points if its of another race.  They say things like "God knew we were meant to be"  - er, no, a tragic situation happened and the birth family could not take care of said child (or in some cases, coerced/kidnapped).  They ignore the child's lifetime loss (no matter how old when adopted) and especially their race and connections (i.e. "whitewashing").  But yet they continue to do so, treating that child like a circus side show.  Then when the youthful cuteness wears off as they get older, kids are shunned and ignored.    Fundies then have the attitude and shock that how DARE this child not feel more grateful and be submissive and conform.  This is usually when abuse (mental and physical) can start to happen.  Children grow up confused, resentful, and hurt with race identity issues.  Praying it away will not work.  I wish there was some way to weed these pathetic excuses of "parents" out from adopting.

As an adoptive parent of a child of color, I am so glad I did not see this or I might have thrown something at the TV.

It's been a while and my recall may be spotty, but I think this was pretty much verbatim an episode of Intervention (in this case, the family rescued their show pony from India and he ended up heavily addicted to heroin.) 

1 minute ago, ginger90 said:

So Jessa never thought putting a crib under a window, with blinds, was not a good idea? Shells within reach from the crib, etc. come on. And Marcus acting the way he did in Jessa's house, with one correction by Anna shown? And why does every project have to include a deadline that must be met or.......or what?

Or there will be absolutely zero suspense instead of lame, manufactured suspense?

[Celia Rubenstein]

3 hours ago, My2sense said:

The baby proofing was totally unessesary for a few hours of babysitting two preschoolers! Give me a break!

I found it ridiculous that they were going to put the locks on every single lower cabinet door.  Jessa specifically mentioned putting one on the cabinet where she keeps her cookie sheets.  That's just dumb.  Really, who cares if the kid can access the cookie sheets?  Those baby locks can not only damage your cabinets if you aren't careful, they are a pain in the neck.  Who wants to deal with them being on cabinet doors if you don't really need them there? 

She would have been better off storing all her dangerous items or breakable ceramic bowls or whatever behind one or two doors and just putting locks on those.  Some people actually move their cleaning chemicals and stuff to a higher cabinet so the kid simply can't reach it in the first place, and maybe even put a lock on that.  Oh the whole thing was just dumb.  I don't know why I am wasting my time thinking about it lol

[Natalie68]

1 hour ago, cereality said:

I feel bad for JD. I'm too busy for love is totally a justification to make himself feel better, when last season he said more than once that there's a girl out there for him - he just needs to find her; and Lord willing one day he'll build his own playset for his own kids. I think he just doesn't know where to start. I honestly wish he'd chat with Zach Bates more or even go hang with him in Tenn. Supposedly they're friends and Zach met his wife when she was waitressing and he'd hang out and talk to her. I think JD just needs a wingman and then he'd realize he can talk to women too.

And what is it with these fundie men who talk so softly almost whispering when trying to be sweet?! Jer did it when asking Jing to court and in all the interviews after. Chad Paine did - and still does - the same thing w the added effect of getting teary to show how much he wants everything to be perfect as per Erin's dreams. Why not just be yourself rather than what you think a sensitive man should be?!

I can see it now.  The Bachelor does Fundy featuring JD Duggar!  I have only seen the Bachelor once and it wasn't by choice (it was as gross and bad as I suspected).  HOWEVER, I'd give this a whirl.  But the girls have to be normal and not fundy.  Give it a good spin.

[IntoTheMystic]

If we had been playing a drinking game that required us to drink every time Jessa said Napier or baby proof, the entire viewership would be dead right now due to alcohol poisoning. Jessa is the most unnecessarily repetitive person I've ever seen on television. It's like they think the entire viewership has ADHD. 

I felt so bad for that adopted child that I wanted to break something. Like my television. Or the cable receiver. My house won't survive another viewing of this mess.

Jinge. Jinge. Jinge. If we had been drinking every single time Jeremy said Jinge we'd also be dead right now. Jinge rhymes with minge and I therefore just CAN'T. 

Jinger acts like one of those starry-eyed fangirls you see at Comic-Con who can't form complete sentences and basically just stare at celebrities. I know this because I can be found acting exactly this way at Comic-Con sometimes and it's just so unbecoming. She seems really happy, though, I guess. She is so ready to fly the coop. You can tell. Jeremy has chiclet teeth and talks so softly I was thrown because 'keeping sweet' is for girls. I guess maybe Jim-Boob was in the background telling Jeremy to buy used and save the difference so that's why he asked the florist to use the flowers off the floor. It's the only explanation for that sad bouquet.

Jim-Boob has aged a LOT. And not well.

Jill seems to be very over Central America and having her gringo child there. Derek wants another baby and it IS up to him when they add to the family, but he should crack open a book and be mindful of Zika before he unzips the fly of authority and procreates.

I felt so dirty after watching this that I triple exfoliated in the shower and after drawing blood, I should avoid the sun until my skin grows back. Which means I'll likely have nothing better to do than watch MORE bad television and now I wish I HAD been drinking.

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by IntoTheMystic

[Magoo]

Did my eyes deceive me, or did we see a real, live, actual full-on, body-to-body front hug between JinJer in this episode?  It may have been in the upcoming scenes, but I'm almost certain I saw it. 

[farmgal4]

6 minutes ago, Magoo said:

Did my eyes deceive me, or did we see a real, live, actual full-on, body-to-body front hug between JinJer in this episode?  It may have been in the upcoming scenes, but I'm almost certain I saw it. 

I saw it too.  I think it's in an upcoming scene.

[IntoTheMystic]

5 minutes ago, Magoo said:

Did my eyes deceive me, or did we see a real, live, actual full-on, body-to-body front hug between JinJer in this episode?  It may have been in the upcoming scenes, but I'm almost certain I saw it. 

 

Nope. You really saw it. A booby-licious hug. Full frontal. I feel SO scandalized. 

But Jinge seems to be pushing the courtship limits like crazy. She was hugging Jeremy in greeting *and* accepting his sad-flowers before a courtship offer AND she went onto the front porch in broad daylight without a chaperone . . . just the littles watching through the window . . . to have an adult discussion with him. And I'm sure they were closer than six inches during the courtship whispering.

I feel dirty all over again. Such a rebel, Jinge, such a rebel.

[Ljohnson1987]

That was a snoozefest. I don't know how they're going to make it interesting. Also, shouldn't Jessa and Bin thought about baby proofing for their own kids, and not just because they were watching someone else's kids?  Guess they really think God will protect him 24/7. Wake up idiots. 

[Magoo]

1 minute ago, IntoTheMystic said:

But Jinge seems to be pushing the courtship limits like crazy.

Ohhhhhhhhh, you're totally right!  I must have been so focused on that scandalous booby-licious hug (! hee!) that I didn't realize how many other rules she's recklessly tossing aside.  And in front of the children, too!  ::pearl clutch::  Does this mean the parentals have relaxed their rules overall, or is this the Free Jinger we've always suspected was in there - shockingly rebellious and throwing caution to the wind? 

Michelle seemed SO checked-out.  "Another chapter of life, Mama," says JimBoob wistfully, pulling her ever-tighter to his side (while eyeing the new couple with hawk-eyed suspicion).  "MmmHmmm..." murmers Michelle absently, staring blankly into space.

[BitterApple]

27 minutes ago, Magoo said:

 

Michelle seemed SO checked-out.  "Another chapter of life, Mama," says JimBoob wistfully, pulling her ever-tighter to his side (while eyeing the new couple with hawk-eyed suspicion).  "MmmHmmm..." murmers Michelle absently, staring blankly into space.

Yes!! It's like she's there, but she's not there, if you know what I mean. They must have upped her Xanie dosage since Joshgates.

[GeeGolly]

The child-proof door things are not for entrances and exits to the home. It could be very dangerous in an emergency situation. Just lock the door, or put a chain or latch lock that is out of reach of the kid. The only door we baby-proofed when my kids were little was the cellar door, a door where I felt an accident could occur in a matter of seconds.

[tabloidlover]

4 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

I haven't watched.  I boycotted yet I recorded this last night.  I will watch when my headship is at work Saturday.  I am too embarrassed to do it in front of him.

 

I watched this as soon as my headship went to work this morning.  Cannot have him knowing I watch this crap.

[Natalie68]

3 minutes ago, tabloidlover said:

I watched this as soon as my headship went to work this morning.  Cannot have him knowing I watch this crap.

Ha!  When it was on last night and I was recording it I was also recording another show so I could not change the channel.  I had to quickly move through the DVR so he didn't see it on the list.  Luckily he doesn't recognize the name Counting On (yet).  Counting On Watchers Anonymous.  We can meet in the prayer closet.   Should we have a secret knock?

I tried to quit this show but it won't let me.  Its like a drug. 

[ginger90]

Jessa must have spent a chunk of change in that hardware store. Just the "baby proofing" would have been a good amount. Then she added the Melissa and Doug items (NEW). Ben had a hard time opening the front door. I can picture him urinating in the bathroom sink, or tub, unable to unlatch the toilet seat.

[tenativelyyours]

7 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

I don't know. I kinda find it heartbreaking. He's given up and now he's trying to rationalize it for himself so he can keep sweet for Jesus as he faces the prospect of a long, lonely life attached to Jizm Bob's puppet strings. Poor slob.

 

I do find it a bit sad because I get the sense with JD that he realizes something has gone wrong with the whole belief system he was inculcated raised and promised.   I just don't think he has the thinking mechanisms to take it the needed step further and so he feels more than a bit lost and yet also forced by that belief system to find a reasoning for it.  I do find it a bit painful since I think this is the fate a lot of the children will have as adults.  Even the ones that do end up married.  Or already are.   They have simply been blanket trained away from any critical thinking or even true self-actualization that I think happens to most us even if it is simply forced on us through life.  It must be hard too as JD is old enough to see all the transitions of the family as they fit themselves to a certain and rather rigid set of paradigms and now thanks to Josh seem to be willing to relax them all in the name of TV.  For someone like JD who thinks the system he was raised in promises him a healthy and happy life with someone else to now see it sold on more seasons of shows and hoped for commercial marketing that benefits daughters only and his father, I think has to be confusing and hurtful.  Especially when he also has been raised that his father is pretty much the end all be all in matters of authority.  And for that matter, Thought!

 

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

Yes!! It's like she's there, but she's not there, if you know what I mean. They must have upped her Xanie dosage since Joshgates.

Nah.  Jim Boob just didn't pull the string in the back of her head out far enough.  As Michelle gets older it probably takes a certain tricky yank to get full sentences without pulling it too far out and having it break.  He should have just given a soft tug which would produce the needed saccharine smile and over glazed eyes and not tried for the half ass pull that resulted in the failed attempts at actual verbalization. 

[mythoughtis]

Not only did Jinger and Jeremy side hug several times, she was resting her head on his chest outside.  Remember when JB practically gave Jill whiplash changing places with her in Nepal when poor Derick put his hand on her back/shoulder while they were walking?  Jessa and Ben were required to have a chaperone when they sat in a porch swing at a party at Ben's parents. 

I'm guessing that Jeremy can only take these courting rules to a certain point and JB has had to go along to get along.  I don't think the guys are lining up to court the Duggar girls.  For example, - what 30 year old guy wants to 'court ' a 27 year old like Jana with the rules that should apply to teenagers?

As for the childproofing - this was Josh and Anna's first house, the cabinets and such should have already been done.  Also trying to figure out how Jessa could have had buddies as a child and not already know about child-proofing. 

[cereality]

Beggars can't be choosers - JB knows he NEEDS to get a daughter married off to get her off his payroll and to keep the TLC train rolling; and he knows there's not a line of men out the door willing to take his daughters and to deal with him as a father in law. Thus, he knows he can impose some rules but can't get as overbearing or crazy about it as he was with Bin or Derick bc if Jer walks away -- the TLC train is over since there's no other storylines. Not to mention try getting rid of a daughter with the taint of a broken courtship on top of the taint of an older brother who molested the sisters . . . . JB won't be too demanding, he knows where his bread is buttered.

[Love2dance]

2 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Jessa must have spent a chunk of change in that hardware store. Just the "baby proofing" would have been a good amount. Then she added the Melissa and Doug items (NEW). Ben had a hard time opening the front door. I can picture him urinating in the bathroom sink, or tub, unable to unlatch the toilet seat.

Not a problem. I'm sure TLC paid for the "plot device."

[BetyBee]

That was an astonishing amount of dust clinging to that frame Marcus picked up!  I think a good cleaning and some common sense would have been enough baby proofing for the visit from the Napier kids.  

[Sew Sumi]

1 hour ago, mythoughtis said:

Not only did Jinger and Jeremy side hug several times, she was resting her head on his chest outside.  Remember when JB practically gave Jill whiplash changing places with her in Nepal when poor Derick put his hand on her back/shoulder while they were walking?  Jessa and Ben were required to have a chaperone when they sat in a porch swing at a party at Ben's parents. 

I'm guessing that Jeremy can only take these courting rules to a certain point and JB has had to go along to get along.  I don't think the guys are lining up to court the Duggar girls.  For example, - what 30 year old guy wants to 'court ' a 27 year old like Jana with the rules that should apply to teenagers?

As for the childproofing - this was Josh and Anna's first house, the cabinets and such should have already been done.  Also trying to figure out how Jessa could have had buddies as a child and not already know about child-proofing. 

They gutted the place. due to the black mold. All the cabinets are new. 

[sheshark]

1 minute ago, Sew Sumi said:

They gutted the place. due to the black mold. All the cabinets are new. 

No, they only painted them.

Quote

Not only did Jinger and Jeremy side hug several times, she was resting her head on his chest outside. 

Worse yet, they said "I love you" - pieces of hearts just crashing to the ground.

[Sew Sumi]

I thought the kitchen was a gut job because they gained significant square footage in the back, and I thought that the back window was over the sink. It's now over the stove, which is another problem that real professionals would have fixed. Things along that back wall definitely shifted, but I suppose if the mold hadn't penetrated the cabinetry, it could be recycled. I just didn't pay attention to Smuganna's old cabinets (other than the 1980's color) enough to know for sure. :)

I do know that Jessa got marble countertops. That was a definite upgrade over whatever Anna had. 

[scenicbyway]

Poor Ben is going to be trapped in his house because he can't figure out the child lock on the front door.

What's happened to Derick?  Braces don't transform your face that much.  I also can't figure out why he has braces if he can't get to an orthodontist regularly.

Jill is such a cautionary tale, completely naive and sheltered takes off to a developing country having no clue and now she's a prisoner in her own house because she's too scared to leave.  I think they must've had some scare because last fall they were happy to be there, now she seems frightened.

Jessa not knowing how to baby proof?  Yeah right.

I'm happy for Jinger but it's crazy that Jeremy would need to, as a grown man, ask her father to date her.  Even JIm Bob seemed bored with the conversation.

[BitterApple]

39 minutes ago, BetyBee said:

That was an astonishing amount of dust clinging to that frame Marcus picked up!  I think a good cleaning and some common sense would have been enough baby proofing for the visit from the Napier kids.  

Jessa's house is so freaking cluttered it was giving me hives. The furniture is way too big for the space, there's too much of it and the endless amount of knick knacks, picture frames and floor decorations makes me want to pull a dumpster up to the front door and start tossing. It's no wonder there's a solid coating of dust on everything, a house like that is a total pain in the ass to clean.

Edited August 25, 2016 by BitterApple

[MarysWetBar]

5 hours ago, Celia Rubenstein said:

I found it ridiculous that they were going to put the locks on every single lower cabinet door.  Jessa specifically mentioned putting one on the cabinet where she keeps her cookie sheets.  That's just dumb.  Really, who cares if the kid can access the cookie sheets?  Those baby locks can not only damage your cabinets if you aren't careful, they are a pain in the neck.  Who wants to deal with them being on cabinet doors if you don't really need them there? 

She would have been better off storing all her dangerous items or breakable ceramic bowls or whatever behind one or two doors and just putting locks on those.  Some people actually move their cleaning chemicals and stuff to a higher cabinet so the kid simply can't reach it in the first place, and maybe even put a lock on that.  Oh the whole thing was just dumb.  I don't know why I am wasting my time thinking about it lol

We used sealer rings!  And sure didn't put them on every cupboard!  My mom moved her Tupperware and pot lids to a lower cupboard once my boys were that age, and that was their cupboard. She would laugh watching them crawling in and out with their treasures and bang the lids together. My brother and i would side eye it all and wonder who replaced our strict mom with this laughing lunatic! Haha

[Marigold]

I don't think Jeremy came off as very likeable in this episode. Not impressed at all. 

[cereality]

Is gringo an offensive term? I'm genuinely asking bc I don't know and always assume you don't speak of race with "casual" words like that for fear of offending. Like I would've said - he's Caucasian.

In any event didn't they know they were moving to a high crime central Am country with a white child? Or did she believe their entire mission would be spent in the big city in their nice apartment complete with GE appliances and a Walmart down the street with Derick skipping off to school with his backpack?? Did it never occur to her that eventually they'd be in a small town or village where they'd be the only white family, where there's more poverty and less infrastructure and thus things like blackouts or no running water is just a fact of life?! Did Derick never sit down and explain this to her? Bc he seems happy out there and unphased by it all - maybe bc he's lived in a developing country before and knows they all have similar issues.

[Tabbygirl521]

14 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

Ben needs to take an English course from whatever "college" he is attending online.  He always substitutes "whenever" for "when"  

Last night's example --  "That's kinda the stage of life he was at whenever we first met him"   What the hell is that?  And why is everything either the stage or season of life?  Who talks like that?

They all do it. It's a "thing." It drives me insane also. 

[Sew Sumi]

59 minutes ago, cereality said:

Is gringo an offensive term? I'm genuinely asking bc I don't know and always assume you don't speak of race with "casual" words like that for fear of offending. Like I would've said - he's Caucasian.

In any event didn't they know they were moving to a high crime central Am country with a white child? Or did she believe their entire mission would be spent in the big city in their nice apartment complete with GE appliances and a Walmart down the street with Derick skipping off to school with his backpack?? Did it never occur to her that eventually they'd be in a small town or village where they'd be the only white family, where there's more poverty and less infrastructure and thus things like blackouts or no running water is just a fact of life?! Did Derick never sit down and explain this to her? Bc he seems happy out there and unphased by it all - maybe bc he's lived in a developing country before and knows they all have similar issues.

Yes, "gringo" is a derogatory term when spoken by a Latino. Jill was definitely using it in that context. 

Thing is, she posted pictures of the Big White Baby with a El Salvadoran playmate less than a month ago. Remember it? They were playing by a truck, near a puddle. At any rate, Jill hasn't been holed up in the house like she's trying to portray. They even posted pics of them hiking to a more remote location during the last round of missioncations right before they left! Didi they have armed guards with them? If so, they weren't shown, I guess to make them look more courageous? At any rate, Jill and Izzy were both there. 

[tenativelyyours]

4 hours ago, scenicbyway said:

Poor Ben is going to be trapped in his house because he can't figure out the child lock on the front door.

What's happened to Derick?  Braces don't transform your face that much.  I also can't figure out why he has braces if he can't get to an orthodontist regularly.

Jill is such a cautionary tale, completely naive and sheltered takes off to a developing country having no clue and now she's a prisoner in her own house because she's too scared to leave.  I think they must've had some scare because last fall they were happy to be there, now she seems frightened.

Jessa not knowing how to baby proof?  Yeah right.

I'm happy for Jinger but it's crazy that Jeremy would need to, as a grown man, ask her father to date her.  Even JIm Bob seemed bored with the conversation.

 

Actually that could explain a lot of the choices regarding child lock placement.  Maybe Jessa is tired of being woken up from her naps from Bin making too much noise as he looks for something in the house to entertain himself?   For the last time Bin, those cookie sheets are not a toy!

[CarolMK]

I was catching up on old episodes of Counting On that I missed last fall due to my old job, and I remember seeing Jeremy in the grocery store shopping with Ben and Derrick for the baby shower. I wonder how long Ben and Jessa knew him and if Jinger had any interest in him at that time.

The scene of Jeremy asking Jim Bob to court was pretty silly, especially since Jeremy is a 28 year old man. I'll be willing to be he and Jinger don't save their first kiss for their wedding day.  Let's hope that they don't feel the need to bring it up either. 

Jill looks like she's ready to come home ASAP. No running water for 3 days with a baby in diapers and no a/c? Ugh, how would you even flush a toilet, let alone bathe ? 

[GeeGolly]

Our hot water heater broke recently. We went a few days without hot water and I was not a happy camper. Call me spoiled or privileged, but having intermittent outages of water would have had me back on a plane home by the second month. 

[kokapetl]

I'm a little suspicious about how the Napiers treat Noelle. Her dress's fabric was an "African" pattern. And of course they're the kind of dolts who pick an Irish name like "Ethne" and fail to pronounce it correctly "Enya". 

I feel a little bad criticizing Jill's gross hair now that we've learnt she has to put up with 3 day long electricity and water blackouts. Derick is a selfish prick. 

Plenty of hot water in Arkansas, but the Duggar sons are looking extra grody, and Jeremy's not so hot when those blackheads on the tip of his nose aren't airbrushed away. 

[drafan]

15 hours ago, cereality said:

. Chad Paine did - and still does - the same thing w the added effect of getting teary to show how much he wants everything to be perfect as per Erin's dreams. Why not just be yourself rather than what you think a sensitive man should be?!

Awwww....I give Chad Paine a pass on just  about everything. He and Erin are just so 50s-style cute that I can't stand it. And they have hobbies, and interests, and vacation without an entourage, and actually DO STUFF. Love them.

Didn't know the "season" of this show had started and flicked past it a few times......

Jeremy seems WAY too old and worldly for Jinge. Thought the flowers-in-coffee-mug was sweet....Jinge has never had coffee from a non-styrofoam cup  before. She probably wondered what it was. Maybe Jeremy will introduce her to the world of stainless utensils and Fiestaware.

Jessa annoys...those kids were way too old for that level of child-proofing. 6 and mature 3? Stoopid. And, of course she chose stereotypical girl toys for them. They would never have gotten Melissa and Doug stuff if TLC hadn't been footing the bill. And did I see something with dinosaurs????? Hmmm.....

JB? Go away. Aaaannnnd take dopey "expert mom of 7 years"  Anna with you.

I swear you can watch this whole thing by flicking by periodically ,with all that "recapping" .

[saylubee]

Honestly, I think Derick plays up Danger America as a form of control so Jill doesn't go with him everywhere.  "Oh, you want to come to school with me today because you're bored at home with no water and no power?  Hmm, no, it's too dangerous.  You could get raped!  Murdered!  Izzy kidnapped!  It's better to stay here.  I'll even stop at the market on the way home so you don't have to shop this week."  

[Churchhoney]

13 hours ago, cereality said:

Beggars can't be choosers - JB knows he NEEDS to get a daughter married off to get her off his payroll

However, he's more likely to get a new son-in-law ADDED to the payroll. Cause Jeremy's house church in Laredo? -- I have a hard time seeing that becoming too profitable.

I think just about anybody with any financial prospects at all would avoid the Duggars like the plague at this point. Because someday you'll likely be expected to support the whole gang. Jizm Bob may still be pulling in some real estate money right now. But he isn't going to live forever. And his uneducated, untrained, inexperienced, world-and-work-avoiding brood are going to outlast him, champagne tastes and all.

[88Keys]

18 hours ago, IntoTheMystic said:

If we had been playing a drinking game that required us to drink every time Jessa said Napier or baby proof, the entire viewership would be dead right now due to alcohol poisoning. Jessa is the most unnecessarily repetitive person I've ever seen on television. It's like they think the entire viewership has ADHD. 

 

 

 

It was so weird, how she said their name.  I kept hearing "Nay-beers." 

10 hours ago, cereality said:

Is gringo an offensive term? I'm genuinely asking bc I don't know and always assume you don't speak of race with "casual" words like that for fear of offending. Like I would've said - he's Caucasian.

In any event didn't they know they were moving to a high crime central Am country with a white child? Or did she believe their entire mission would be spent in the big city in their nice apartment complete with GE appliances and a Walmart down the street with Derick skipping off to school with his backpack?? Did it never occur to her that eventually they'd be in a small town or village where they'd be the only white family, where there's more poverty and less infrastructure and thus things like blackouts or no running water is just a fact of life?! Did Derick never sit down and explain this to her? Bc he seems happy out there and unphased by it all - maybe bc he's lived in a developing country before and knows they all have similar issues.

Basically, gringo means foreigner or non-hispanic person (usually white) in Latin America.  It's not offensive or derogatory.  I even looked it up on Urban Dictionary and Dictionary.com and both said "non-disparaging." 

Kidnappings do occur in Central America, and white children are in demand.  I don't think Jill is racist for being aware of that.  However, I would bet money that the producers told her to lay it on thick and play up the "danger!" angle to add drama to the show.  I don't think she's living in fear, though I do think she's probably unhappy.  I would be too, with no water and rolling blackouts.  :(

8 hours ago, CarolMK said:

Jill looks like she's ready to come home ASAP. No running water for 3 days with a baby in diapers and no a/c? Ugh, how would you even flush a toilet, let alone bathe ? 

You can flush the toilet by dumping more water into the bowl.  However, that assumes you have a stash of water on hand.  I'm guessing, if they did, they would rather use it for drinking and bathing.  I'm guessing they went out to squat in the bushes when the water went out. 

[Tabbygirl521]

Am finally watching this. Ha, I knew Jessa was pregnant. They dropped some hints last "season" but I forget what they were. 

What "steps" is Joshyouah doing to "do the right thing"? Making sure Anna has the key to his chastity belt each morning? Anna does not look joyful, no matter what she says. Poor thing. I hope it all works out so that she is happy. 

I think JD is perfectly nice looking. He also looks to have some drive and ambition. I hope he is getting what he wants out of life, aside from restricting the rights of any of his fellow Americans  

Jinger looks happy. I like the remark from Jana that Jinger always knows where her phone is now. I hope that means she has private phone calls whenever she likes. 

Edited August 25, 2016 by Tabbygirl521

[Tabbygirl521]

I gotta give JB a bit of credit for invoking Michelle when Jeremy was asking him for permission, and said he was speaking for them both, after discussion. The whole practice is weird to me, but am glad that Michelle seems to have equal say. 

DEFINITELY mutual chemistry between JinJer. That made me smile. 

Edited August 25, 2016 by Tabbygirl521

[fuzzylollipop]

I got such a sad vibe from JD in this episode, he seems to have given up on romance. I'm sure Josh tainted the Duggar boy name in their already limited "courting potential" circle. He also seems to have lost quite a bit of weight, he just didn't seem as unfortunate looking as I've seen him look in the past. I think I'm getting soft because I can't snark on him...Or maybe it's because when he was doing his talking head he looked down and up and gave this quick, shy, sad glance to the camera that I've seen Jana do a million times in her talking heads and it kind of broke my heart. Makes me wonder what course all their lives would have taken if they would have grown up without the camera. Jana and JD particularly seem to be the working horses of the family. 

No words on Jessa. Her house was disgusting and had more knick knacks than my 90 year old grandma's. I dry heaved when Marcus lifted that picture frame from the floor with that record sized dust bunny. Your baby is crawling and this is how you keep your floors? Hopefully Spurge hasn't inherited daddy's allergies. Also, what is the point of all those pictures and random crap on the floor?! That seems like a cleaning and functional nightmare. I can't imagine having to get up in the middle of the night to pee and have to go through that obstacle course of Pinterest crap. Speaking of Pinterest, I want to add them to my minimalist decor board on there because, you know, sometimes less is more. 

[Barbie]

Help me out please... I don't remember any of the other courting couples saying "I LOVE YOU" like that when asked to court... This is different with Jinger.. right? TIA

[Missy Vixen]

On 8/24/2016 at 6:41 AM, tabloidlover said:

And why is everything either the stage or season of life?  Who talks like that?

IMHO.

The production staff is scripting/storyboarding the Duggars. In other words, they're given phrases that TLC's producers think makes the meaningless and boring BS featured on this show sound important as they're directed to do things for filming. The Duggars have such limited vocabularies (remember, they don't read) that they need a script. I'm sure they think spitting out the words "stage or season of life" means they're really thoughtful intellectuals.

[Tabbygirl521]

3 minutes ago, Barbie said:

Help me out please... I don't remember any of the other courting couples saying "I LOVE YOU" like that when asked to court... This is different with Jinger.. right? TIA

I think you're right. So far, this seems almost normal. I think the only reason I watch is in the hope that the kids' lives will morph so they can be their real selves.