S08.E01: It's All Greek to Me

[Barb23]

4 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Jessa may have done something for Ben that was on a different day or not filmed.  Maybe she sent Ben out with friends who weren’t interested in being on TV. 

 

Maybe it's a "To be continued" episode.   TLC will squeeze in an episode of Jessa buying an anniversary gift for Bin. Let's hope not.

[BitterApple]

One thing I forgot to mention: omg, that preview for next week! Michelle barking at Josie, "Bombs! Bombs! There's more than one bomb!". Slow your roll, Mama Rose. The kid's only seven. Jana must've forgotten to slip the Xanies in Michelle's coffee that morning.

Edited August 2, 2018 by BitterApple

[Squirrely]

My husband and I are often the last ones eating. I don't feel like we take that long. We're social, chatty people who chew every bite. lol I know a few people who inhale and are done before most people are halfway there. I don't know how their systems handle it. I literally gag if I try to eat super quickly. 

I'm just here for JD's courtship. I want to know more about his special someone. That was the happiest I've seen him look in a long time. Poor Jana, though. I can't figure it out. She's such a catch! She's the perfect match for a fundie guy who actually doesn't want to have 20 kids. But she's probably over the hill in their fucked up world now. :( 

[sATL]

RE: the preview for next week    - why is Michelle (who I see brought back her 20 lb jean skirt)  trying to get Josie ( who I guess is off TLC punishment list too) to record & sing the national anthem in a studio?  Who needs another CD version of the national anthem ?

I can't tell if the other little girls are there. I guess with the Marriage& Motherhood of JoyAnna - now the Duggars have to reach further down into the birth order of girls.

In the preview Michelle is trying to get her to say " the bombS" - and then goes on to say there was more than one bomb,

[EVS]

When this thread appears under ‘next unread topic’ on my iPad, it shows up as “S07.E09: First Comes a Wedding, Then Comes a Ho”.  That sounds like the title of an episode about Josh. 

[GeeGolly]

I finally got around to watching this episode, sort of. I fell asleep at one point and never did see Ben's dinner.

I'm not surprised the Duggars couldn't name a Greek God, nor were the producers, because the Duggars only know of their God, and that's on purpose.

Anniversaries are to celebrate a marriage, as a couple. It just reinforces how self-centered Jessa is.

Kendra and Joe should get their own show. It's refreshing that Kendra knows how sheltered she's been and doesn't hold it as a Fundy badge of honor. I'm guessing she went home and talked endlessly to her mom and sister about Greece.

And Lauren has a personality - who knew.

Edited August 2, 2018 by GeeGolly

[woodscommaelle]

Their tour guide was adorable.

Also, I heard 'doing life together' at least three times this episode. What a strange wording of 'spending our lives together,' or something to that effect.

Edited August 2, 2018 by woodscommaelle

[Sile]

9 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I'm gonna give the Duggars a pass on the Greek mythology. I remember learning about it in school, but couldn't tell you one name beyond Zeus or Hercules. Bin rattling a bunch off was pretty impressive.

 

That's the problem I have with him.  Of all the names he rattles off, exactly one was a god.  And that was the Big Daddy. If someone knows just one god, they know Zeus.  He also named a demi-god and two soldiers in the Trojan War.  I'm not giving him credit for watching Troy.

If he was unsure and saying the names in a questioning manner, then I'd probably give him an attaboy for the effort.  But blithely providing four names, going 1 for 4 and then smirking about it (it was the 'should I keep going' that really fried my bacon)?  No.

ETA  I obviously don't know your age, but I'd bet that you could have named more if you were a teenager or early 20 something that was either still in school or freshly graduated.  A lot of what I learned in school has been lost to the mists of time, but they're not old enough for that defense to fly.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Sile

[queenanne]

ITA, I really loved the mythology unit in middle school, and for years I used to be able to give you both the Greek and Roman names.  I should test myself in future. :)

[mimionthebeach]

5 minutes ago, queenanne said:

ITA, I really loved the mythology unit in middle school, and for years I used to be able to give you both the Greek and Roman names.  I should test myself in future. :)

I'm always getting the Greeks and the Romans mixed up. My daughter has a minor in classics so i get corrected. 

[JennyMominFL]

On 8/1/2018 at 11:18 PM, queenanne said:

And you kept him? (just kidding!)

I did. He's still proud of it. i sort of want to hurt him

Edited August 3, 2018 by JennyMominFL
Its He's no He

[sheshark]

9 hours ago, BitterApple said:

One thing I forgot to mention: omg, that preview for next week! Michelle barking at Josie, "Bombs! Bombs! There's more than one bomb!". Slow your roll, Mama Rose. The kid's only seven. Jana must've forgotten to slip the Xanies in Michelle's coffee that morning.

And her voice!  It is almost a normal, grown woman voice, not Meechelle's usual soft sing-song!  She got so exasperated she forgot herself.

[Kellyee]

Quote

And her voice!  It is almost a normal, grown woman voice, not Meechelle's usual soft sing-song!  She got so exasperated she forgot herself.

All the older girls except Jana are married and gone. Michele is probably having to parent more now than she has in the last 15 years or so, and she's not used to it. Its her own fault though, for setting up the rules about boys work and girls work. I don't feel bad for her at all. She needs to feel what its like to be stuck with multiple "buddies" to look after all day long.

[graefin]

So, does Joe not know what "exfoliating" means because he's a guy, or because he's a Duggar?

[Mollie]

21 minutes ago, graefin said:

So, does Joe not know what "exfoliating" means because he's a guy, or because he's a Duggar?

Because the word has five syllables.

[Absolom]

Ratings for 9:00 PM Monday show:  1.126 M viewers and a .27 rating.

[jennblevins]

6 hours ago, mimionthebeach said:

I'm always getting the Greeks and the Romans mixed up. My daughter has a minor in classics so i get corrected. 

I’ve spent the past few days playing a mental game of “Greek God, Roman god, Egyptian god, or mortal mythological figure?” every time I’m in a dull meeting. I can’t hate on Ben too much because I don’t think I’d do much better. I’d be able to name a lot of names, but half of them would be the wrong category. 

[Bridget]

Re: the Duggars shoveling down their food

It's not just for the boys! We didn't see the girls inhaling their meals, but I noticed in the restaurant that Jana, Jessa and Joy had finished their meals much earlier than both Kendra and Lauren. K & L still had piles of food left on their plates while the J girls sat at the table with either an empty plate in front of them or some leftovers remaining.  You can see in several shots that Kendra's plate is still piled high with food, just like Lauren's, but everyone else finished their meals.

Lauren eating broccoli at dinner was great to see, especially given the usual dietary habits of the Duggars. I know the waif look is in for most fundy girls who are searching for their husband, but when Lauren said, "I told myself no sugar!" upon the suggestion of trying the chocolate dessert, it made me think "Oh dear God, don't be THAT girl who is starving herself." If she's got the "discipline" to order broccoli as a side dish instead of fries, surely she can handle splitting dessert with four other people? I also understand that some people don't have a sweet tooth, but the way she said "I'll be over here, just enjoying my fruit", it seemed like she was humble bragging about her self control. 

Even if she opted to try some dessert, it's not like she'd even manage to get more than one or two bites when sharing with a Duggar anyway!

I guess we now know where the strawberry food obsession at their wedding reception came from! 

PS: Am I the only one who couldn't understand a word Lauren was saying in the beginning of this episode? It was as if she was struggling to put words together and couldn't enunciate if her life depended on it. As she was getting ready, she was stumbling over her words when she was hypothesizing about what Josiah was doing at the moment. It was just so ODD.

My closed captions are usually on when I watch TV because no one knows how to speak slowly and clearly. However, my cable box is currently wonky and I cannot use my captions, so I stopped caring after 2 minutes. I was also really confused when Josiah mentioned she was taking a college class when he was listing the things that he liked about her. 

PPS: During their kiss, did anyone else see Cousin Amy, her husband Kyle and a woman sitting on Kyle's right side in the second row? That woman next to Kyle gave some major side eye during the kiss and it was AWESOME. I'd love to know what she was thinking! 

Edited August 2, 2018 by Bridget

[Aunt Catfish]

On 8/1/2018 at 11:59 AM, Natalie68 said:

My education sucked.  I went to a school where my 5th grade teacher was dating a 15 year old high school student (brought her to a class party), my high school principle was dating his son's girlfriend (was caught making out in a closet at the prom), two teachers were dating each other so yes, I learned a lot from tv/books/movies/osmosis.  One can rise above a shitty lower education.  My second home was the library.  Again, they have no will to learn and are not curious about the world around them.  Their parents have hobbled them yet they are A-OK with it.

Dang!  Sounds like an episode of "As The Stomach Turns"!  And I thought the Freeform Channel commercials for "Teachers" looked raunchy!

[Lunera]

4 hours ago, Bridget said:

PPS: During their kiss, did anyone else see Cousin Amy, her husband Kyle and a woman sitting on Kyle's right side in the second row? That woman next to Kyle gave some major side eye during the kiss and it was AWESOME. I'd love to know what she was thinking! 

 

Amy's husband is named Dylan and the woman was Diana Vuolo. The poor woman looked disgusted through the whole wedding and Amy and her husband were like "WTF they are doing too much"

Edited August 2, 2018 by Lunera

[Sew Sumi]

Another thing on Mechelle's agenda that keeps her away from actually raising her remaining kids: professional teeth bleaching.

[babyhouseman]

My uncle was one of six children and eats fast. My aunt said his whole family is that way. I always thought the children had to compete for the food, and that's why they ate fast. My 32 year old cousin is the oldest of three boys, and he has eaten slowly since he was a child. He enjoys food so maybe he just savors every bite. 

[Aunt Catfish]

14 hours ago, woodscommaelle said:

Their tour guide was adorable.

Also, I heard 'doing life together' at least three times this episode. What a strange wording of 'spending our lives together,' or something to that effect.

Doing life together makes me think of prison sentences.  Being an avid Investigation Discovery Channel fan must make my brain work this way!

[Jeeves]

1 hour ago, Aunt Catfish said:

Doing life together makes me think of prison sentences.  Being an avid Investigation Discovery Channel fan must make my brain work this way!

You’re not the only one. 

[Bridget]

5 hours ago, Lunera said:

Amy's husband is named Dylan and the woman was Diana Vuolo. The poor woman looked disgusted through the whole wedding and Amy and her husband were like "WTF they are doing too much"

Thanks for the correction; I have no idea why I thought Amy’s husband was named Kyle! 

The woman behind MEchelle isn’t the hilarious side eye lady I originally referred to though. I will have to try and grab a screen shot to post.

Side Eye Woman is sitting directly next to Dylan, on his right side, during the kiss and her reaction is hilarious, as it’s very much in the vein of “WTF did I just see?” 

[Heathen]

6 hours ago, Lunera said:

Amy's husband is named Dylan and the woman was Diana Vuolo. The poor woman looked disgusted through the whole wedding and Amy and her husband were like "WTF they are doing too much"

Dillon, not Dylan. 

[Chalby]

Oops - made an error, but don't know how to delete post. I just wrote another one...

Edited August 3, 2018 by Chalby

[Chalby]

23 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

And Lauren has a personality - who knew.

 

Lauren is definitely at the top of my "If the earth was ending and I had to pick one Duggar to praise..." list. Sorry, Jana and Jinger.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Chalby

[Chalby]

On 7/30/2018 at 6:48 PM, Annb67 said:

These stupid giggling girls make me want to throw myself in front of an 18-wheeler. Lauren makes me insane.

The giggling gets me down on the entire show - it seems all the time. However, I find Lauren to be the most attractive addition to the Duggar clan. Maybe she and J can breed the creepy out of this family. Did anyone else catch the mansion Lauren and her family live in? Wow!

Also: I have to confess that after watching x amount of Duggar weddings, it really creeps me out how 'into it' the wedding audience is while watching their first kiss. It feels tawdry, or like the poor gals' innocence is proudly sucked out  by these clumsy guys while the audience salivates. Eww!!!!

[Chalby]

On 7/30/2018 at 6:55 PM, mythoughtis said:

So this couples courtship rules include side hugs before even courting? Josiah gave Lauren one before he sat at the restaurant.  Not a problem in my eyes, just interesting. 

There are so many times that they look at each other with such love, I swear they must kiss when cameras aren't around. I see the chemistry with this couple way more than any other Duggar coupling.

[Chalby]

On 7/31/2018 at 6:30 AM, WarnerCL45 said:

We don’t know what’s going on in their marriage.  Some guys like to make a big, public splash, so everyone can see how caring they are.

Good point - I felt guilty reading a lot of these comments as I was raised in a household where my father made the anniversary all about my mother. Given he usually did the minimum for birthdays and Christmas, I figured this was just the way. I have the same setup in my marriage. I spoil my husband on his birthday, and he spoils me on our anniversary.

[Chalby]

On 7/31/2018 at 12:31 PM, humbleopinion said:

 So sad I know this... but does anyone else remember when on a trip Jimblob answered si when he was spoken to in a foreign language clearly not Spanish just like Joe did in the Greece episode?

Please don't edit Joe as JimBlob 2.0.

I don't want to hate Joe.

Why don't these people make the tiniest attempt to learn the language of whatever country they are going to? I am so embarrassed (for all Americans) when Joe and Kendra were looking at the posters, saying "I don't know what it says. It's all in Greek." No s**t, Sherlock! I don't want people to think they represent most Americans.

[Chalby]

On 7/31/2018 at 2:25 PM, EmeraldGirl said:

The rest of them are still struggling to seem ... normal-ish. 

Yes, the boys are so awkward and their humour is horrible because they've had no exposure to the world. Any Duggar boys you think 'could have' some humour ability, just need more world experience to be able to joke. Think about it, their only role models have been JimBob, and creepy He-who-shall-not- be- named brother. What chance did they have to be able to navigate social situations? Jim Bob never did escape his dork/ inappropriate phase, and you can guarantee many of the Duggar boys would have been tormented if they ever attended public school. Maybe Michelle instinctively knew they weren't your 'average' boys, and would never fit in? However, I feel the girls would have ruled in public school.

[Chalby]

On 8/1/2018 at 8:59 AM, Natalie68 said:

My education sucked.  I went to a school where my 5th grade teacher was dating a 15 year old high school student (brought her to a class party), my high school principle was dating his son's girlfriend (was caught making out in a closet at the prom), two teachers were dating each other so yes, I learned a lot from tv/books/movies/osmosis.  One can rise above a shitty lower education.  My second home was the library.  Again, they have no will to learn and are not curious about the world around them.  Their parents have hobbled them yet they are A-OK with it.

I'm sorry Natalie68, but what the heck kind of school did you attend? As a student, I remember back in the early '80s, gossip about the gym teacher hooking up with one of our grade 12 girls, and he was soon transferred. However, unless it was a private school, in a small town, I just don't see how all that sexual activity was taking place in your school. (And out of curiosity, how does everyone else's sex life negatively impact your education in 7 subject areas?) I am dumbfounded

Edited August 3, 2018 by Chalby

[Chalby]

On 8/1/2018 at 6:17 PM, Marshmallow Mollie said:

I am here to report surely this show is on its way out. I could not stand to watch it live! I am used to fast forwarding through the boring parts. It was painfully slow watching in real time. I lost interest after Josiah asked Lauren to court, but kept it on through part of the Greece trip, and then I turned the tv off. It was so boring!!!

I have to agree with you, but I have generally found the show to be boring. period. I do find I am becoming more and more annoyed/angry with their ignorance. They should not be reacting this sheltered as adults. They have access to the internet - research an activity, before participating! When Joseph was freaking out at the European kiss, I kept think are you serious? And the nerve of him implying that she almost got him full on, and "that wasn't going to happen". Eww...

[Fuzzysox]

I didn't watch this epi. I'm just shocked to learn that Lauren's parents own a mansion!? I need to see the pictures if there are any.

[ginger90]

12 minutes ago, Fuzzysox said:

I didn't watch this epi. I'm just shocked to learn that Lauren's parents own a mansion!? I need to see the pictures if there are any.

There’s a bit of the house in this clip:

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/TLC/status/1024003108249198592/video/1

[Fuzzysox]

Thank you Ginger90! 

WOW what a nice house. We are all doing something wrong! Jesus, who knew cutting grass would afford you that house. 

Ok, now I see why Josiah picked Lauren. She is a lot more mature than Kendra. More motivated. Did Josiah say to advance her education??? Is she taking college courses? I wasn't too sure if Josiah said that. 

Edited August 3, 2018 by Fuzzysox

[Loves2Dance]

1 hour ago, Fuzzysox said:

Thank you Ginger90! 

WOW what a nice house. We are all doing something wrong! Jesus, who knew cutting grass would afford you that house. 

Ok, now I see why Josiah picked Lauren. She is a lot more mature than Kendra. More motivated did Josiah say to advance her education??? Is she taking college courses? I wasn't too sure if Josiah said that. 

When you own the company and do a lot of commercial contracts you can make six-seven figures a year. I live in Florida and lawn care is HUGE---I have a friend who it's only her and her husband and they live very comfortably. 

[JennyMominFL]

5 hours ago, Chalby said:

I'm sorry Natalie68, but what the heck kind of school did you attend? As a student, I remember back in the early '80s, gossip about the gym teacher hooking up with one of our grade 12 girls, and he was soon transferred. However, unless it was a private school, in a small town, I just don't see how all that sexual activity was taking place in your school. (And out of curiosity, how does everyone else's sex life negatively impact your education in 7 subject areas?) I am dumbfounded

 

Some of what she described went on in my "good" school. We had one male gym teacher who creeped us girls out. We never trusted him. and lots of girls had horrible stories abuut him. His wife was also a teacher and the nicest woman. A couple of years after I got out of school he had an affair. He then sliced his wife up with an exacto knife and beat ger. She lingered for a  few hours and then died. He's now serving life in prison in MA.

Edited August 3, 2018 by JennyMominFL

[Loves2Dance]

2 minutes ago, JennyMominFL said:

Some of what she described went on in my "good" school. We had one male gym teacher who creeped us girls out. We never trusted him. and lots of girls had horrible stories abuut him. His wife was also a teacher and the nicest woman. A couple of years after I got out of school he had an affair. He then sliced his wife up with an exacto knife and beat ger. She lingered for a  few hurs and then died. He's now serving life in prison in MA.

I live in a top district in my state. My sister's HS Principal knocked up a cheerleader and then proceeded to leave his wife and marry her. And this was a public school. Crazy things happen everywhere for sure! 

[BitterApple]

49 minutes ago, Loves2Dance said:

I live in a top district in my state. My sister's HS Principal knocked up a cheerleader and then proceeded to leave his wife and marry her. And this was a public school. Crazy things happen everywhere for sure! 

I grew up in a top district as well. Our French teacher married a former student less than a year after she graduated and the school's resident drug dealer once told me several teachers were regular customers. The physics teacher, who was also the basketball coach, used to stash cases of beer in his basement and pretend not to notice when the boys on the team "borrowed" them for parties. My husband's former calculus teacher was recently arrested for recording women in the faculty restroom. The stuff that can go on in one school is crazy.

Edited August 3, 2018 by BitterApple

[awaken]

6 hours ago, ginger90 said:

There’s a bit of the house in this clip:

 

https://mobile.twitter.com/TLC/status/1024003108249198592/video/1

I was thinking of watching the episode, but even that clip set my teeth on edge- their way of speaking, all the fake sounding y'alls from Jessa, the same phrases we always hear about "character" and the other narrow range of topics they talk about, the Marketplace Grill *again*.  

[CalicoKitty]

2 hours ago, JennyMominFL said:

Some of what she described went on in my "good" school. We had one male gym teacher who creeped us girls out. We never trusted him. and lots of girls had horrible stories abuut him. His wife was also a teacher and the nicest woman. A couple of years after I got out of school he had an affair. He then sliced his wife up with an exacto knife and beat ger. She lingered for a  few hours and then died. He's now serving life in prison in MA.

Stuff happens, everywhere.  In my high school in the 1960's, my high school history teacher didn't show up one Monday morning because he had run off with one of his female students over the weekend.  Another guy in in my class married one of our teachers after we graduated.  They were married until she died. This was in a good school in a small, conservative town.  We all just got over it and moved on.

[xwordfanatik]

In my high school (early 70's) there was a music teacher quite openly dating a senior.  In my daughter's HS (late 90's) a teacher was doing the same thing, more covertly, until it was discovered he had given her a new car.  He was also married.  Then he was fired, and ended up cashiering at the local Target.

Back to topic, that was some nice digs!  Did I read Lauren's family just moved there?  Or was that some other family (Abbie's??)  Who can keep track.

Jeremy's mom (Diana?) looks kinda pissy sitting next to Michelle.  I would have, too.

[Fuzzysox]

6 hours ago, Loves2Dance said:

When you own the company and do a lot of commercial contracts you can make six-seven figures a year. I live in Florida and lawn care is HUGE---I have a friend who it's only her and her husband and they live very comfortably. 

Our former tenant worked sales for a large lawn service. He used to tell us about going servicing members of the Chicago Blackhawks homes. I don't know if he made that much money, but damn skippy being a preaching grass cutter pays! I must tell my husband! He is so underpaid being in the delivery business.

[bigskygirl]

There has been a news story floating around Helena about a high school special education teacher having sex with a student. Last week a story came out about her saying she had sex with the student at least 25 times, and she is in counseling because she has PTSD due to the trauma of having sex with the student. Some people think she might have had sex with a special needs student, some people think people are judging her before hearing the whole story.

Now back to the topic at hand. I chuckle at Jeremy's mother facial expressions during the wedding. She had the WTF look going for her.

[Heathen]

The Swansons may have made a nice profit by selling their Georgia home and moving to BF, Arkansas. Or maybe Mr. and Mrs. Swanson both come from well-off families. Who knows. 

[Sew Sumi]

Well, Josiah said this was Lauren's first time to Europe, so if they're monied, they're not well-traveled. 

[McManda]

Why is Jeremy's mom at a Duggar wedding? Is it common to go to an in-law's sibling's wedding? The Voulos don't seem particularly close with the Duggars outside of Jinger. I could see her attending if she was nearby (Duggar weddings seem like an open affair, after all), but don't Mom and Dad Voulo live on the east coast somewhere? I wouldn't make a trip to a wedding I wasn't really invested in. Though Lauren's parents elevated the wedding above standard Duggar-fare, it's not like it was super special or swanky.

I was not invited to my brother-in-law's brother's wedding, but the only time I've really met him was when my sister married my brother-in-law. Brother-in-law's brother lives out of state and I never expected an invite to his wedding.