S01.E18: Dreams & Nightmares

[druzy]

Ashley and Bar’s trip to Atlanta has surprising consequences.

Lexi takes a big step toward pursuing her dream job.

Brianna regrets the family move to Oregon.

Kayla’s relationship with Stephan takes an unexpected turn.

Airs October 29, 2018

[Lynnlynnlynn586]

I am not surprise Stephan hit or kicked Kayla because hes abusive ..

[methadonna]

Ah, there’s the MTV we know and love, with their fierce commitment to reducing teen pregnancy.

 

Lexi has actual, specific, sensible goals, and now that Kieffer* has gloriously failed to complete the simplest task necessary for his plan to “make” her move and “not let her get her way for once,” she takes the very first step to trying to achieve that goal.

 

But, rather than be handed an opportunity for which she may actually be qualified (maybe I misunderstood, but I thought she was willing to even just basically job-shadow to learn more about the field), as so many (OK, like three; the rest don’t even have that much drive) of the girls on this franchise have, despite their ineptitude (Kail), she basically found out it wasn’t gonna be an option for her, because they were only interested in bothering with someone hard-working (which I believe she is, since she made sure to finish school early when she found out she was pregnant, rather than “swear” she’d keep up with online classes or go back after) AND with a highly flexible schedule, which, being a teen mom who doesn’t seem to expect to be able to dump her baby on the closest adult who can breathe, she DOESN’T. 

Can she still pursue this field? Probably. Via a different and lengthier and more challenging path. 

 

But the object lesson here seemed to be a pretty strong “Having a baby as a teen doesn’t mean you’re doomed, but it sure is gonna make accomplishing even an altered goal that much more challenging, and maybe impossible.”

It made me so sad for her as it seemed to register on her face simultaneously as it did in her mind that even this seemingly responsible and mature step she was trying to take was currently halted by having a baby. It was probably the most concrete thing I’ve seen on this franchise of the effect of a young pregnancy, even if you’re driven and trying.

 

Which seems like a pretty key point to hammer home to the dumbass teens who think getting pregnant will be all attention and cute baby clothes and IG followers and “still being a teen” while enabler parents take on most of the real responsibility and maybe reality TV sublebrity status and paycheck.

 

But what does MTV, oh great bastion of virtual society-wide birth control, choose to highlight as a takeaway?

On 10/28/2018 at 12:23 PM, druzy said:

Lexi takes a big step toward pursuing her dream job.

Da fuq? No. She doesn’t. To her credit, she TRIES to take a big step toward pursuing her dream job, but she only gets a little step in before walking into the brick wall that is being a teen mom. But, no, they don’t glamorize teen pregnancy at all. 

 

*Is that his name? I know there’s at least Kieffer Sutherland to precede him by a generation or two, so I don’t know why it continues to amaze me that this is a name, but it just always sounds like a jokey nickname to me, like something that a younger sibling calls his respectably named brother, Keith, while he’s still learning to talk, and the family thinks it’s so cute that they start using it too, until they say it in front of his little friends and he threatens to kill them if they ever say it again as he dies of embarassment as fourth-graders do, but then maybe he tells his fratbros about it eight years later while wasted and they start using it. As a joke. Because it sounds so fucking stupid. Maybe because my sister (who ironically ended up marrying an endodontist) and I have always goofingly (more of a real term than Kieffer) called “teeth” “teefers,” because it sounds dumb as hell and cracks us up.

Edited October 30, 2018 by methadonna
Because I should have waited for an answer to the first question before leaving about the wrong name. Or used a time-travel machine to post it in Jenelle’s thread 47 years ago or whenever it was that she was a teen, who I think WAS dating a Kieffer.

[akr]

It's Kyler, not Kieffer (not that that sounds much more like an actual name . . . apologies to any other Kylers out there).

Let's hope Kayla is fully done with Stephan.  And what does he choose to  get violent over?  That she called him on taking her debit card again.  I'm sorry her baby has a terrible father, but the sooner she figures that out and is done with him, the better.

Let's hope Brianna's mom hasn't dug them all a hole so deep they can't climb out of it . . . 

Edited October 30, 2018 by akr
homonyms . . .

[eskimo]

So Stephan was heard in the background of the 911 call saying (paraphrasing) 'You called the police on your child's father'?  How about not beating on your child's mother?  I hate him so bad.  He's a giant turd.

Did Briana not know that they didn't have an apartment to go to till she got there?  Was she surprised to learn they were staying in an Airbnb, with no jobs, as they were pulling into the driveway?  I doubt it.  Just admit that you inherited your mothers decision making skills.  You could have stayed.  Or did you not have a job or a place to live once your mom left?  All of this must be somebody else's fault.  Oh, and if her hair is as greasy as it looks it probably smells bad, and that might turn potential employers off.  Unless they mostly air things filmed within the first 30 min of the crew arriving and she's fresh out of the shower every time. 

[Dance4Life]

Jade- You are not supposed to drink while taking anti-anxiety and depression meds.  Then they wonder why these medicines done work for them!! 

 

Kayla- whaaaaaat?  Stephan took YOUR ..............ATM card this time and when you asked for it back he beat you?

  I see you got yourself a police report and protective order.

Glad you had the same consideration for your own Mom three months ago!

It is obvious Stephan is on drugs.  Why don’t they just address it?  Let’s see?  Kayla likes her drugs, too. 

 

 Is Izaiah even Stephan’s kid?  Kid looks nothing like him.  Stephan needs DNA test.  Or, maybe he will look the other to stay on MTVs payroll.

 

Briana- WTF, is wrong with that mom? They are practically  homeless and near starvation.  Briana gonna jump from D-to-D!  Hope she has a Norplant.

 

Lexi- Dr. G had all of us wanting to be an ME! Lexi you go out there and get a job. She is sooooo boring!

 

The ones in Atalanta. We can have a BIG house here.  Ok, bud, calm down.  Southern wages are low and why everything SEEMS cheaper. 

[configdotsys]

Lexi is getting hit with the realization that when you have a baby as a teen, it affects everything and if you don't have all of your ducks lined up, it can derail the career path you so want to pursue. . I think it's great that she has an interest, but you can't just say you're interested in a particular career and expect someone to just say "come on in, we'll hire you as an intern and teach you everything about the business." You need to come in with something. I was hiring a tech person many years ago and got a resume from a friend's mother practically begging me to give her daughter the job because she was "interested" in technology. I met with her and she knew zero. Come on now. 

Forwarded through Jade. Zzzzzzz.

Wow. Robert saying to Breanna's mother "and who made her that way" or whatever when mom said "she wants everything handed to her." Wow! They seem to sit around talking about needing jobs more than actually pounding the pavement. 

Bar and Ashley. Boring. Zzzzzzz.

Kayla makes me crazy. Well, let's just do a two week RO to regroup? Goatface sends a laughing face with the question: you told people I hit you? He's a violent psycho and any reaction that she has other than getting a full on RO, telling him he better stay away is moronic. Her mother knew what was going on: over the two weeks, the anger will dissipate, she will want to see him again and use the "I don't want to keep him from his son" as the excuse.  That's why Kayla got so pissy. Mom should file for a RO that he can't come anywhere near her house. Ever. Or at the very least, grow a backbone and tell Kayla that he is not to come anywhere near their house and will never be let in again. If Kayla does not like that, she can GTFO. The shit that these people put up with is astonishing. "I don't know how I'm going to get past this," she said. She'll get past it. He'll be back around and this merry go around will go on and on. 

[Pepper Mostly]

8 hours ago, eskimo said:

So Stephan was heard in the background of the 911 call saying (paraphrasing) 'You called the police on your child's father'?  How about not beating on your child's mother?  I hate him so bad. 

We all knew it would just be a matter of time. Stephan is bad, bad news. And Kayla still doesn't want to face the truth. She shut her mother down hard when she tried to bring up alternatives.

But the thing that baffles me the most is that the police said it was basically "he said, she said" so it would be difficult to pursue a case?? Wasn't there a witness there who SAW Stephan drag Kayla out of the car and hit and kick her? Wasn't her mother taking pictures of her bruises? Didn't she file a police report right away?

Stephan is obviously high as fuck, in addition to being a seething ball of rage. Kayla should leave the state and change her name.

I have a soft spot for Lexi, despite it all. If she'd lose that tub of charmless lard Kyler she'd be OK in the end. And seriously? Mumbly, inarticulate Kyler failed Speech?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Brianna is an idiot. I was just gawping like some sort of tropical fish during her segments. She thought they'd have an apartment "all set up"? How? By whom? With what? She's astonished that they all have to get jobs? Guess what, MIss Princess, this is being an adult. Better get used to it. And really, if I hear one more of these Nobelists say "we'll figure it out" I'm lobbing a brick right through the teevee. Guys. Its not rocket science. There's nothing to "figure out". Get a job. Save your pennies. Get an apartment. Live your life. The end. On every single one of these shows some Gamma Minus Semi-Moron is gabbling about how they  "just need to figure it out", usually about some normal, every day thing that regular people do every day without fanfare or fuss. But instead of doing it, they go for coffee at an empty restaurant or for a pedicure, drone on and on about it to some Rent-A-Friend, and do nothing.

Edited October 30, 2018 by Pepper Mostly

[Soobs]

Did you guys hear that Briana needs a job?  How is it that Bar and Ashley are talking about buying a house and Briana's crew are talking about selling the car for food? I guess some of these folks blasted through their Mtv money pretty quickly. Also did I hear Briana's mom say she was about to punch her daughter in the face? Even in jest, who says that to their child?

Jade's new roomie seemed okay. She needs more people around her that aren't a total disaster. It's good that she hasn't gone back to the boyfriend. Every time he says or does one semi nice thing, he expects her to fall all over him and when she doesn't he's acts like a brat. It's not a good look.

Kyler not graduating took him down a peg.

Stephon could seriously hurt their child or even kill Kayla. It literally happens every day. She needs to move far away toot sweet.

[Lynnlynnlynn586]

51 minutes ago, Soobs said:

Did you guys hear that Briana needs a job?  How is it that Bar and Ashley are talking about buying a house and Briana's crew are talking about selling the car for food? I guess some of these folks blasted through their Mtv money pretty quickly. Also did I hear Briana's mom say she was about to punch her daughter in the face? Even in jest, who says that to their child?

Jade's new roomie seemed okay. She needs more people around her that aren't a total disaster. It's good that she hasn't gone back to the boyfriend. Every time he says or does one semi nice thing, he expects her to fall all over him and when she doesn't he's acts like a brat. It's not a good look.

Kyler not graduating took him down a peg.

Stephon could seriously hurt their child or even kill Kayla. It literally happens every day. She needs to move far away toot sweet.

Brianas mom acts real immature and who moves out of state without a job lined up or at least interviews?? I think the mom acts like she is the child.

[MaggieG]

Maybe Brianna's mom expected that she would be able to live with her parents? The whole reason she gave for moving there was to be closer to them. Clearly no planning went into this.

Ashley and Bar were at Gritz which is a restaurant in Mcdonough, GA. It's about 35 miles south of Atlanta. Pastor Tea was probably looking at houses in the Southern Atlanta area because they are a lot cheaper than in Atlanta itself. Does anyone know if she's officially moved? We live in the area as well.

I hope Lexi isn't discouraged and she keeps at it. She'll be able to take care of herself and Tobias in the long run and won't have to worry about that idiot Kyler, who can't even pass a speech class.

Jade mentioned she was in college. Did she drop out or did she graduate?

I'm not surprised Stephan flew off the handle. It's been a long time coming. I'm glad Kayla's friend (Annabelle?) was there and called the cops. I truly wonder if Kayla had been alone, if she would have done that. Probably not, she will always make excuses for Stephan. He will continue to get in her head with the "my son, my son, my son" BS so she'll feel bad about keeping him from Isaiah. I really wish both she and her mother had more of a backbone. Or maybe her friends can talk some sense into her, Annabelle seems smart.

[suzeecat]

OMG, who packs up and moves *ANYWHERE* without knowing WHERE you're going to LIVE, and HOW you're going to pay the bills?!?!?  Incredible.

Nobody was surprised to learn Stephan had beat Kayla.  That dude is a monster.  I'm not sure what he meant when he asked her "you called the cops on the father of your baby?"  Just because he inseminated someone does he feel he has a free pass to steal from and take out his anger on her? 

WHO *ARE* THESE PEOPLE? 

[luvbadtv]

I think Brianna wanted to smack her baby, but didn't because the cameras were there.  When they were sitting around discussing their lack of job search, the baby kept pulling at her hair; twice she angrily pulled his arm down.  She might want to wear something slightly nicer than jeans and a t-shirt when she applies for a job.  I don't think she needs a skirt or suit on to apply for a waitress job, but at least clean it up a bit.

[tumamita]

The 30 yr old Kayla is really going to regret a lot of poor decisions she's making with an immature mind. Her ex beat her up because he stole HER debit card and she's worried about making sure he knows she's not going to take the baby away from him??? OMG WAKE UP AND OPEN THOSE BIG EYES. This is the kind of man you want raising a FUTURE MAN!!? Kayla, sometimes the best thing we can do as mothers is keeping certain people out of our children's lives, even if its their father. This hits close to home because I also have sole custody of my children due to terrible choices of violence their father has made. It's sad and I know its hard.

 

Briana's mom is pretty much the worst mother I've saw on tv for awhile and I'm sure when her daughter got on tv, she wouldn't think she was viewed as a bad parenting. Wow - unstable and just plain awful. You said you want to punch your daughter in the face because she's worried about real life situations you put them in!? Whatever age she is - you are still the parent. Yikes.

[MaggieG]

2 minutes ago, tumamita said:

Briana's mom is pretty much the worst mother I've saw on tv for awhile and I'm sure when her daughter got on tv, she wouldn't think she was viewed as a bad parenting. Wow - unstable and just plain awful. You said you want to punch your daughter in the face because she's worried about real life situations you put them in!? Whatever age she is - you are still the parent. Yikes.

This is pure speculation on my part, but I really think when Brianna's mom made the whole moving back to OR plan, she was hoping both her daughters would stay behind in WI. That way she is can start over and wouldn't have to worry about taking care of them or the the baby.

[ShaNaeNae]

On ‎10‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 9:21 AM, Dance4Life said:

It is obvious Stephan is on drugs.  Why don’t they just address it?  Let’s see?  Kayla likes her drugs, too. 

Has it been reported anywhere that Kayla does drugs too?  Outside of marijuana that a lot of people do, I don't see any indication she does a lot of drugs.

Stephan can go to hell.  

I can't get past Groucho Marx every time I watch Lexi.  There's no arch or blending or anything.  Just 2 big black blocks drawn on her forehead.  She's so monotone and boring, I don't know how she got picked for TV.

Brianna, Brianna.  First, that baby is on dad #3.  I started side eyeing her when she had hickeys on her neck a week after breaking up with Denae.  You have a baby. There's no reason you should be on relationship #3 within a year.  Did I hear her boyfriend or someone right when they said he still needs to graduate high school? I couldn't believe these people, no job, no place, nothing.  Let's just move.  And before they moved, her mom was telling her once there, they need to get an apartment and job and Brianna's eyes just glazed over and she just stared off.  It's like she just expected this shit to happen by itself.  Roll into town with your boyfriend of 1 month and furnished apartment set up and job ready and waiting.  You wanted to have a baby, time to be an adult!  And girl, dress a little better than jeans, tee and flip flops for job hunting.  No matter the position.  About Robert, 

Spoiler

I heard they broke up so that went far. 

 

And Ashley, life won't be perfect if you move.  You won't be leaving the drama.  Yes, drama is often started with both families.  But there is a lot of drama started between them, so it's just going to follow you until you alleviate some of the big blow ups.  

[politichick]

19 minutes ago, ShaNaeNae said:

Has it been reported anywhere that Kayla does drugs too?  Outside of marijuana that a lot of people do, I don't see any indication she does a lot of drugs.

Stephan can go to hell.  

I can't get past Groucho Marx every time I watch Lexi.  There's no arch or blending or anything.  Just 2 big black blocks drawn on her forehead.  She's so monotone and boring, I don't know how she got picked for TV.

Brianna, Brianna.  First, that baby is on dad #3.  I started side eyeing her when she had hickeys on her neck a week after breaking up with Denae.  You have a baby. There's no reason you should be on relationship #3 within a year.  Did I hear her boyfriend or someone right when they said he still needs to graduate high school? I couldn't believe these people, no job, no place, nothing.  Let's just move.  And before they moved, her mom was telling her once there, they need to get an apartment and job and Brianna's eyes just glazed over and she just stared off.  It's like she just expected this shit to happen by itself.  Roll into town with your boyfriend of 1 month and furnished apartment set up and job ready and waiting.  You wanted to have a baby, time to be an adult!  And girl, dress a little better than jeans, tee and flip flops for job hunting.  No matter the position.  About Robert, 

  Hide contents

I heard they broke up so that went far. 

 

And Ashley, life won't be perfect if you move.  You won't be leaving the drama.  Yes, drama is often started with both families.  But there is a lot of drama started between them, so it's just going to follow you until you alleviate some of the big blow ups.  

Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I heard them say Robert is a high school dropout. She really knows how to pick them. And her mother is awful, too. Good on the other sister from getting shot of those losers. The mother said she wanted to move to Oregon to be with family, so why aren't the family members putting them up? And when she said she wanted to punch Briana in the mouth? OMG.

Lexi is so boring she belongs in a mortuary.

What a crew, eh?

[akr]

1 hour ago, ShaNaeNae said:

I can't get past Groucho Marx every time I watch Lexi.  There's no arch or blending or anything.  Just 2 big black blocks drawn on her forehead.  She's so monotone and boring, I don't know how she got picked for TV.

I like Lexi!  I wouldn't watch if it were just a bunch of train wrecks.  I think there's hope for Ashley, too, but it seems to me that the others are all just going nowhere, in slightly different ways.  Even the best case scenarios I can imagine for Jade, Kayla, and Brianna are pretty depressing - that they manage to avoid drugs, alcoholism, and abusive partners, and stumble sadly through life at a series of minimum wage or barely better than that jobs, and possibly figure out what they're doing just in time to become grandmothers. I suppose MTV money will take the sting off it a little, if it lasts more than a season or two, but mostly that will just defer coming to terms with the situation.

[Jackintheknox]

I should hate Stephan the most (and don’t get me wrong, I do hate him! Right down to his douchy name.) But gawd Kyler is a close second for me! Did I understand correctly that he is going to go on and spend a 5th year in high school to pass speech?! Instead of going to summer school?! Who raised this mouth breather?? I would think his own parents would step in and pressure him/make him go to summer school or negotiate some way to complete the credit. He’s such a fluffy loser, I just don’t see why he’s so smug. I want the cameras around when the world finally kicks his ass. 

 

I’m sad for Braeson. I think it’s awesome that they treat him like a normal baby. However, I don’t see them worrying much about connecting with occupational therapists, working to meet milestones, etc.  I also have a child with an upper extremity deformity and I can’t imagine moving somewhere without that being on the top of my list. That being said, I also can’t imagine moving without a job and apartment lined up.

[ChristmasJones]

People wonder how people become homeless. Brianna's family is demonstrating how it can happen - spending all your money on a move, without having a job or a place to live secured first.  This is a horribly reckless decision.

[configdotsys]

On 11/1/2018 at 8:05 PM, Jackintheknox said:

I’m sad for Braeson. I think it’s awesome that they treat him like a normal baby. However, I don’t see them worrying much about connecting with occupational therapists, working to meet milestones, etc.  I also have a child with an upper extremity deformity and I can’t imagine moving somewhere without that being on the top of my list. That being said, I also can’t imagine moving without a job and apartment lined up.

Didn't Breanna meet with someone to go over the milestones he has reached so she'd be aware before the move? It sure doesn't look like she's done anything with that information in Oregon yet but I am guessing they are waiting to get settled somewhere.

I get so stressed even thinking about the idea moving somewhere with zero money, no job and no place to stay. How much is that AirBnB costing them every day? Why didn't the grandparents let them sleep on their floor and hold the AirBnB money, get a job, and get a place? Did they ever say why the grandparents didn't allow them to stay in their house?