S09.E11: Tell All - Part 1

[kicotan]

1 hour ago, Kohola3 said:

The key word there is "should".  In reality, Kootie will do only what is best for him.  He has made it crystal clear from the beginning that it's not his job to work on relationships with his concubines.  If they don't like it, tough cookies.

And yet, they are still down for him.  It reminds me of the chicks who marry death row inmates that will NEVER be free. The chick that married one of the Menendez brothers~how in the ever loving fuck is a man who killed his parents and living the rest of his life as a death row inmate her idea of the perfect husband?

Edited April 6, 2018 by kicotan

[kicotan]

1 hour ago, DakotaJustice said:

There is no marriage anymore. They're just exes who co-own a house, have a grown daughter, and are on the same TV show. Kody doesn't have to do diddly squat. 

In Monogamy Land, where the Brown's Personal Sect of Mormonist-based Polygamy doesn't exist, this is true.

But inside of their own Personal Sect of Mormonism, they are connected in some version of marriage that although most of us can't comprehend or even consider agreeing to, they are on the spiritual path to God's approval and grace.

I think the biggest faux pas of this whole shitshow of a show is that they fail to remind the viewing public that they are 100% invested in their religious convictions, however bizarre and repugnant they might be to those of us who haven't grown up as dyed in the wool FLDS...but then, if not for the shock value and soap opera drama, who would watch?

[DakotaJustice]

1 hour ago, kicotan said:

In Monogamy Land, where the Brown's Personal Sect of Mormonist-based Polygamy doesn't exist, this is true.

But inside of their own Personal Sect of Mormonism, they are connected in some version of marriage that although most of us can't comprehend or even consider agreeing to, they are on the spiritual path to God's approval and grace.

I think the biggest faux pas of this whole shitshow of a show is that they fail to remind the viewing public that they are 100% invested in their religious convictions, however bizarre and repugnant they might be to those of us who haven't grown up as dyed in the wool FLDS...but then, if not for the shock value and soap opera drama, who would watch?

The Browns are some of the least-religious people I've ever seen on TV.   Obviously the kids don't believe in it for themselves.  I don't think Meri believes as strongly as the other 4.  I was just going thru the book again and Meri was horrible to Janelle from the get go.  If you're miserable in your religion, and with no local religious community/congregation, most people won't stay in it.  Kody pretty much stated that he wasn't going to be pulling Meri into his planet in the afterlife so why even bother at this point?

[DakotaJustice]

2 hours ago, TurtlePower said:

So sick of Meri and her crap. Kody hates her, the family understandably doesn't trust her and yet SHE IS STILL THERE, playing victim. I just quit MBFFL forum and am ready to quit this one, too. It goes continually in circles, centered around the Meri-Go-Round. 

Whatever, Meri. Sit there with your frizzy fried brassy hair, orange tan, bronzer over-use, selling ugly tights and pretending you were a "victim". Over it. 

I think you've got your answer, she stays around primarily for financial reasons.  As unpleasant as she is, Meri is who is carrying the show right now.  I made a spreadsheet of the ratings and this season's overall ratings were the most insipid of the entire life of the show.  But the highest rated episodes (such as they are) were the ones featuring Meri. Even the Maddie birth episode didn't do all that well.

 

Edited April 6, 2018 by DakotaJustice

[Roslyn]

8 hours ago, DakotaJustice said:

I think you've got your answer, she stays around primarily for financial reasons.  As unpleasant as she is, Meri is who is carrying the show right now.  I made a spreadsheet of the ratings and this season's overall ratings were the most insipid of the entire life of the show.  But the highest rated episodes (such as they are) were the ones featuring Meri. Even the Maddie birth episode didn't do all that well.

 

...not just featuring Meri...but her name is in the title of the show and it has a slight negative feel with "is she MOVING?" and of course "Confronting..." The labor show only slightly edged out the third episode with Meri's name in it too.  Sadly...her bullshit drama is exactly what people are tuning in for.

[VedaPierce]

On March 26, 2018 at 9:18 PM, Gothish520 said:

Are you anywhere near New England? My brother is single, employed, good-looking, funny, in great shape, and his kids are grown and both are going into the military - sounds like a match made in heaven!

This is cute :)

there's a special place in heaven for a matchmaker!  

[Kohola3]

11 hours ago, kicotan said:

But inside of their own Personal Sect of Mormonism, they are connected in some version of marriage that although most of us can't comprehend or even consider agreeing to, they are on the spiritual path to God's approval and grace.

Possible but absolutely no evidence of that. I watched the first season to learn more about their beliefs but gave it up when nothing was forthcoming. I think it's more their Own Personal Version of TLC Paychecks that keeps them together  I think the religion flew out the window when they moved to LV. 

While I certainly don't see Kootie as some sort of David Koresh type, he had enough charisma to sell the story for the first three who were already familiar with the life style.  But they seem to have dropped any vestige of this being a faith-based story a long time ago.

[Adiba]

14 hours ago, DakotaJustice said:

The Browns are some of the least-religious people I've ever seen on TV.   Obviously the kids don't believe in it for themselves.  I don't think Meri believes as strongly as the other 4.  I was just going thru the book again and Meri was horrible to Janelle from the get go.  If you're miserable in your religion, and with no local religious community/congregation, most people won't stay in it.  Kody pretty much stated that he wasn't going to be pulling Meri into his planet in the afterlife so why even bother at this point?

I agree that as of the present time they do not seem to be very religious. However, old habits and beliefs die hard. For example, I did not eat meat during any Friday this Lent, even though I’m no longer a practicing Catholic. Many of my Jewish friends may not go to Temple regularly and they may eat a bacon cheeseburger when dining out, but they would never cook bacon in their homes. I think with regard to the Browns, it’s somewhat like that. Janelle mentioned something about “testimony” in the tell-all— which is a religious (particularly LDS, FLDS) term and concept. 

Did Kody really say that he and Meri are no longer “sealed for eternity?” If he did, then I agree, nothing should be keeping Meri there except $$$. 

[Kohola3]

23 minutes ago, Adiba said:

Did Kody really say that he and Meri are no longer “sealed for eternity?” If he did, then I agree, nothing should be keeping Meri there except $$$. 

Gotta love a religion where the man has all of the power all of the time. Tired of this wife?  Just "unseal".  Need more variety in your sex life?  Take another wife.  And it supposedly extends right into the afterlife where it's up to the husband to whisper the secret name.  Otherwise, it's off into the farthest depths of space for whatever wife he's mad at when he bites the bullet.

[DakotaJustice]

42 minutes ago, Adiba said:

I agree that as of the present time they do not seem to be very religious. However, old habits and beliefs die hard. For example, I did not eat meat during any Friday this Lent, even though I’m no longer a practicing Catholic. Many of my Jewish friends may not go to Temple regularly and they may eat a bacon cheeseburger when dining out, but they would never cook bacon in their homes. I think with regard to the Browns, it’s somewhat like that. Janelle mentioned something about “testimony” in the tell-all— which is a religious (particularly LDS, FLDS) term and concept. 

Did Kody really say that he and Meri are no longer “sealed for eternity?” If he did, then I agree, nothing should be keeping Meri there except $$$. 

He didn't use those exact words but even if they are "sealed for eternity" he apparently has the option to opt out of pulling her through the veil and onto his planet of eternal misery.

[DakotaJustice]

22 minutes ago, lma said:

Wow I’ll admit to not keeping up with all the tawdry details (especially trying to avoid the photos), but I didn’t know all this was going on.

Dayum Meri.

If JO had that information she would have revealed it in Almost Meri'd. Or sold it to the tabs who would pay well for it as the TLC contracts are a better kept secret than Col Sanders' herbs and spices.

The mortgage info is pretty much public record - anyone with a link to the internet can find it.  

Here's how the reviewer of JO's fake book summarized that:

"Her home is move out ready by the end of June; she starts plotting how she can extricate Kody from her financial situation. The mortgage and some smaller bills are in both Meri and Kody’s names, as well as a checking account that is mainly for Meri’s personal use. Meri acts somewhat shady; she heads down to the bank to see what can be done and she is informed that Kody would have to sign off on the account to remove him. She gets pretty much the same story from the mortgage company; worse, once Kody is removed from the loan she would have to refinance the house entirely if the balance couldn’t be paid at that point. Her finances seem a little bleak, which makes me think it's possible that a lot of the friction in June stems from the fact that Meri's turned out to have much less to her name than Zero had calculated."

http://bullshitbookclub.blogspot.com/2016/02/chapter-5-june-want-to-explain-this.html?m=1

I don't think Meri told JO/Sam how much TLC was paying them - I'm sure that the entire family has been sworn to secrecy on that lest they be cancelled and sued into oblivion a la Jon Goesslin. 

[kicotan]

10 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Possible but absolutely no evidence of that. I watched the first season to learn more about their beliefs but gave it up when nothing was forthcoming. I think it's more their Own Personal Version of TLC Paychecks that keeps them together  I think the religion flew out the window when they moved to LV. 

While I certainly don't see Kootie as some sort of David Koresh type, he had enough charisma to sell the story for the first three who were already familiar with the life style.  But they seem to have dropped any vestige of this being a faith-based story a long time ago.

I'm merely playing along with their ambiguous dogma.  They seemed to have a jolly good time of devoting a whole hour to "Polygamy 101".  Their answers to questions like "does he have to get permission first to court a new wife" were filled with trotting out their own faith based one true way.  For example, the tizzy of disgust Christine went into after Janelle exclaimed that the men in their Sect don't go out trolling for women.

If, in reality they gave up their bizarre religious beliefs I'd be surprised.  When the TLC gravy train ends and they all split up, move on and join into other relationships, I won't be surprised.

[kicotan]

20 hours ago, DakotaJustice said:

If you're miserable in your religion, and with no local religious community/congregation, most people won't stay in it.  Kody pretty much stated that he wasn't going to be pulling Meri into his planet in the afterlife so why even bother at this point?

I'm pretty sure the paycheck is a BIG draw.  I'm guessing she's waiting for him to throw her out of the family so that she's the victim once again.  Poor sad unlucky Meri.

[neh]

On 05/04/2018 at 9:32 PM, TurtlePower said:

So sick of Meri and her crap. Kody hates her, the family understandably doesn't trust her and yet SHE IS STILL THERE, playing victim. I just quit MBFFL forum and am ready to quit this one, too. It goes continually in circles, centered around the Meri-Go-Round. 

Whatever, Meri. Sit there with your frizzy fried brassy hair, orange tan, bronzer over-use, selling ugly tights and pretending you were a "victim". Over it. 

The show goes around in circles.  We on the forum are just in the merry- go 'round....or make that the Meri  go 'round.

[neh]

On 06/04/2018 at 8:02 PM, kicotan said:

I'm pretty sure the paycheck is a BIG draw.  I'm guessing she's waiting for him to throw her out of the family so that she's the victim once again.  Poor sad unlucky Meri.

Kody will never throw Meri out of the family.  He does not was to be the bad guy.  He enjoys the victim role as much as Meri does.  Kody is less in your face about it.