S10.E02: Sister Wives Secrets

[jumper sage]

22 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

I think Meri is a complete asshole and there's NO FREAKING WAY that she just absolutely could NOT find a time WHEN THEY WERE ALL ON VACATION TOGETHER to tell them that she'd closed on the stupid house and her mother was already all moved in.

HOWEVER - Janelle? Sit the f*** down and shut your pie hole. YOU weren't asked to come help Meri move her mother to Parowan because the big guy in the blue (and later purple) shirt, Meri's brother, who was doing the heavy lifting, IS YOUR EX-HUSBAND.

In case you didn't know what colossal liars all 5 Brown adults, and TLC, are, yes, I'm serious, that is a fact. Unless Meri has 2 brothers named Adam. Yeah, TLC neglected to put "Janelle's ex-husband" on the screen when Adam was shown during the move. They think none of us has internet access, apparently. I don't recall this ever being addressed on the show. We're all supposed to pretend we don't know it.

Even if he wasn't there, should Meri's mom have to LOVE having Janelle around? You divorced her son and married her daughter's husband! 

Who believes that Janelle has ever in her entire life offered to help someone move? Anyone?

Meri's full of shit when she says she didn't think ANY of them would want to help (Christine, Dayton, Paedon, etc all helped Maddie & Caleb move on last week's episode), but there's plenty of shit to go around, because Janelle knew damn well why she wasn't invited to "help". 

BTW my opinion is that unless Meri's brother is a HUGE asshole, Janelle traded down. But I guess just about anyone seems better to me than Kody.

Someone's been doing their homework and I EFFING LOVE IT!  Do tell!

I am soooo sick of Meri and her fairy tale of the catfish.  Why she is trying to insist her daughter, who's father you cheated/tried to cheat on, would give a shit.  Meri is not the victim but the would-be-adulterer.  Meri made me actually feel sorry for these crazy polygs.

[Granny58]

2 hours ago, smarty2020 said:

THIS is what is sad about their move to Flagstaff.  Christine and Janelle went from sharing one long backyard and being able to pop into each other's kitchens to being physically distant.  What possible justification can there be for how that was a move for the better?  They had the perfect set-up in Vegas.

What is their set-up like in Flagstaff?

[Galloway Cave]

5 minutes ago, Granny58 said:

What is their set-up like in Flagstaff?

Three rentals and one purchased home spread out over town. The vacant land they purchased are together.

[Sasha888]

8 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

Someone's been doing their homework and I EFFING LOVE IT!  Do tell!

Not a whole lot to tell, and it depends on believing things you read on the internet, etc...but this is the best I can piece together regarding Janelle and Meri's brother.

Janelle's first husband was Adam Barber, Meri's brother. Now Janelle has told us on the show that she was at first only slightly interested in the faith, and that Meri & Kody were her "token plyg friends", she found them interesting because of the fact that they were polygamists. (LIE - she knew Meri & Kody because they were in-laws, she was married to Meri's brother. And being "plyg" couldn't have been what was so interesting about them, she was married to Adam, son of a polygamist! Kody has often said he discussed becoming a polygamist with Meri's father, who obviously is also Adam's father...so Janelle's father-in-law was a polygamist. Kody & Meri weren't the only "plygs" she knew.) On the show, Janelle very lightly touches on the fact that she was at Kody & Meri's wedding, and they show pictures of her with the happy couple (because she's in the FAMILY pics, she's Meri's sister-in-law!).

Janelle also claims that when she met Kody, she had what she calls "A singular experience. Like I'd known him in the past" and that she just knew she was supposed to be with him. Well apparently she had that revelation while she was married to Adam, cuz it sure sounds like that's how she met Meri & Kody! Whatever the timeline is, I would think that you OBVIOUSLY would have met your husband's sister Meri and her husband Kody while married to said husband, or even before, perhaps while dating Adam.

At some point Janelle divorces Adam, and approaches Kody (in their dumb book, which I bought second hand so as to not give any money to these kooks, Kody says Janelle approached HIM, not the other way around) about being his second wife. Kody likes the idea and Janelle becomes wife #2.

Sometime during the courtship dance of Kody & Janelle, Janelle's mother Sheryl becomes intrigued with the faith as well, and she meets and marries Kody's dad. Before Janelle and Kody marry.

They explain Janelle's mom being married to Kody's dad several times on the show, but NEVER touch on the fact that Janelle was divorced from Meri's brother prior to marrying Kody. Perhaps the powers that be find this tangled mess too distasteful, or maybe it's Janelle & company who don't want to get into it.

So the basic timeline as I understand it is - 

• Janelle's married to Adam Barber, Kody is married to Meri, so Kody is Janelle's brother-in-law and Meri her sister-in-law.
• Janelle divorces Adam, Kody & Meri are now her ex in-laws.
• Janelle wants the Kodester, tells her mother she's intersted in polygamy, and introduces her mom Sheryl to Kody and his parents.
• Sheryl marries Kody's dad...Janelle is now Kody's step-sister.
• Janelle and Kody get married.

Anyone want to imagine how much fun the Barber family Thanksgiving is? Meri Barber Brown, her husband Kody, her sister wife Janelle, and her brother Adam who is ex-husband to Janelle? Or do you already feel dirty enough reading this weird shit? ;-)

They've probably never all gotten together in this manner for Thanksgiving though, because remember the Brown clan is busy painting grey corn cans grey (not my joke, TM @laurakaye, I believe...) and having their own Thanksgiving with their brood. How would you choose which in-law's to go to for Thanksgiving anyway? Meri's parents, Christine's parents, Janelle's, Robyn's? Whose year is it? I guess polygamists just don't get to see their parents on holidays. Except maybe their mothers, who seem to all be discarded by their plyg husbands in their old age.

But remember, polygamy is awesome...that's the basic premise of this farce of a show.

[LotusFlower]

15 hours ago, chuckity said:

Public Service Announcement for XFinity Peeps:  The next episode, Kody Wants Out, that's supposedly set to air on 2/10/19, is already OnDemand.  

Thanks.

i just watched it.  There’s a lot to snark on, as usual.  And I’m back to hating Kody.  

[Kyanight]

3 minutes ago, Sasha888 said:

 I guess polygamists just don't get to see their parents on holidays. Except maybe their mothers, who seem to all be discarded by their plyg husbands in their old age.

That is so sad.

[Twopper]

Okay, I forgot to add in my comments about the B&B that I figured the other people looking at it on the travel site today  were also people who had watched this train wreck of a show.   Maybe some of you?

Also Meri needs to get an editor;  her punctuation skills are minimal.     I have grammar and spelling mistakes when I post on these boards (I try to proofread and correct them, but sometimes I have to go do other stuff, and mistakes slip by---please don't judge!), but if I had a business I would not only proofread, I would have a professional writer or editor look at it and make corrections and/or clarifications.

That was the same brother that Janelle was married to before Kody?   I think the fact that she and Meri's brother divorced, and she then married Kody is the reason that she is my least favorite of the wives, surpassing my dislike of Meri.  I find it to be creepy. And with her mother being married to Kody's dad which makes her mother one of her MIL's is even creepier.   Actually, I find it awkward and rather disgusting.   So she's in it so she and Kody can all be on the same planet with Meri, Robyn, and Christine when they die?   That doesn't sound like Heaven to me--more like one of the circles of Hell in the Inferno.   Is that what they will be practicing when all the kids are gone (they should have Robyn's youngest around for another 15 years) and it is just Kody and the women.   What I don't understand about this is that it is supposed to be Kody and his family which I guess includes his children, but then those children should be with their spouse and our sister wives in other place.   I married a widower so I really like the idea that there is no marriage in Heaven.

I don't know that Robyn is over it yet, but I do get the idea that this probably hasn't worked out the way she expected.  I have no idea how her little business is doing.

Ysabel is very lovely and probably resembles Christine at that age.  Christine annoys me the least, although she seems to have taken an assertion table to behave the way she is with Kody.  She's the true believer. 

I wonder if they will be happier in Flagstaff?  I guess this is to sell the houses in LV  before the payments balloon after the 5 years of interest only payments expire.  Maybe it is also a geographical cure to stop the infighting.

[Yeah No]

13 hours ago, OutTheBlue said:

I am watching right now and Meri refuses to accept that her sister wives are actually happy for her because she wants to stay the victim. Always. Even though they're really the victims of her vileness. 

I'm not defending Meri but the dynamics between all the wives is completely toxic, plus I think they put on an act for the camera.  When the cameras are off they avoid Meri and exclude her from their lives.  They really couldn't give a rat's ass whether she closed on the house.  But as soon as the cameras go on they fake "play nicey-nice" with her to make her look bad and themselves good.  Meri would not have told them about the closing and the move because they always say "no" if she wants to include them in her life.  Now just because the cameras are on they all act like they want to be a part of her life and she's the one excluding them.  Sorry, I'm just not buying it.  I honestly think the only reason Meri allows herself to be made to look this bad on TV is for the show money.  She looks bad enough without any help but with it she looks 10x worse.

[Sasha888]

It's hard for me to tell because this crap is so heavily edited and scripted, and very NON-reality, but from what I'm seeing it seems that Meri rilly wants a relationship with Grody again. She's made several comments to that effect (when he kisses his grinder and says I love you to it, she says "Damn, I wish I was a grinder", etc.) and she made quite a few similar comments last season as well. And, she was rilly upset when he blabbed to that reporter last season that they were not "co-habitating" anymore. She absolutely did not want everyone knowing she's out of the wifely rotation.

If so, I have to say I think she is rilly beating a dead horse here...I don't think His Highness has ANY fillings left for Meri. Last week, in the "coming up this season" previews, it looked like we are going to be treated to some "Meri & Kody work on their relationship" episodes, and I just think this couldn't be more scripted and false. I don't see him ever, ever forgiving Meri for stepping out on him.

Personally, that wouldn't be my reason for being done with Meri - bad as that is - my reason would be because she's one of the most selfish people I've ever seen and absolutely WILL NOT take responsibility for ANYTHING she does. She is NEVER wrong. If anybody calls her on it, she's going to bawl and bawl, and make it into a HUGE deal. Nearly EVERY family meeting is about Meri. Meri wants something. Meri didn't get something she wanted. Meri excluded people, or feels excluded herself. She is just EXHAUSTING. She's toxic for the whole family to be around...that would be MY reason for being done with her.

I would think that the other 3 women would be totally done with her too. This storyline of them all STILL walking on eggshells around Meri rings false to me...I'm starting to agree with those of you who have said you believe TLC has told them without Meri to be the villain, the show won't get renewed. She's needed to make it interesting (it's BARELY interesting...but anyway...without some tension and a villain, what do you have?).

I guess we're here to comment about what we see on the show, and what we're seeing is everyone still cow-towing to Meri, so in that respect my comment on that is "Why? Why try to make her happy? You never WILL, she's not a person who CAN be happy! Get rid of her toxic ass!" But really I'm thinking, this is all bullshit...they can't all seriously still want Meri around after everything that's happened. If she'd taken any kind of responsibility for the catfishing crap, maybe some healing could happen, but she hasn't and never will. (I do think Meri's personality is actually depicted accurately on the show...her Twitter rants and rudeness in real life during LuLaRoe live sales matches the bitch we see on screen...it might be the one thing we see on the show that is real.)

I'm curious what everyone thinks about this "Meri & Kody work at mending fences" stuff that's coming up this season. I think she rilly would like him back (if he gives in to her every whim and can be HBIC again) and I think he wants nothing to do with her. I think he's going through the motions because the show told him he has to.

The minute I have the slightest bit of pity for Meri, chasing after a douche like Kody who has no fillings for her, she does something so vile and childish that I want to bitch-slap her and any sympathy I had vanishes...

[Yeah No]

4 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

I've said in the past that Janelle is so "blah", but this "new" Janelle is ridiculous. Producer-driven, or something, but it's not the real Janelle, and it's really annoying. 

In terms of alliances, I think we're back to how things were at the beginning...it's Christine/Janelle teamed up against the others. When they have their family meetings, everyone comes in the front door and it seems uncomfortable and formal. 

When Janelle goes to talk to Christine, she comes waltzing in Christine's back door without knocking. Christine barely looks up from her dishes and says "Hey Janelle." I think that was the one moment of truth we saw last night. Also, someone spotted a play pen at Christine's house last week, which could only be for Axel, and Christine loves her Blessed Oma t-shirt. I think those two are tight, and probably do plenty of talking about Meri & Robyn.

I think all the wives now are completely producer driven and we're not seeing anything genuine at this point whatsoever.  They're covering over the real truth and inventing the plot they want to sell to the public.  The only thing is that most of us have been exposed to this family long enough to spot the truth amid the lies and misrepresentation.  And it's pretty sad.

[Sasha888]

7 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I think all the wives now are completely producer driven and we're not seeing anything genuine at this point whatsoever.  They're covering over the real truth and inventing the plot they want to sell to the public.  The only thing is that most of us have been exposed to this family long enough to spot the truth amid the lies and misrepresentation.  And it's pretty sad.

It is kind of sad. I think Janelle & Christine might have a just a little bit to do with each other, but it's more like distant relatives, not close ones. For those of us who see their social media stuff during the time they're not filming, we pretty much see 4 women living 4 totally separate lives. 

Not AT ALL what they set out to show when the show started, and they're going to stick to that narrative until the bitter end. If they showed a bit of the truth, it might actually be (dare I say it?) interesting!

[Yeah No]

Kody kept his mouth shut because in the end it would make him look bad.  He really doesn't care how it would affect anyone else.

Also, and this is probably an unpopular opinion, but a mother shouldn't have to admit her failings to her child to deserve forgiveness.  A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.  I don't know why this is not a more popular opinion.  Just because Meri is insufferable doesn't give Mariah the right to act superior to her mother.  If she really loved her mother she wouldn't act like her mother has to earn her love, even if her mother hurt her in the past.  If she did hurt Mariah, she certainly didn't do it "on purpose".  It's obvious to me that Meri loves Mariah unconditionally but it doesn't work the other way around.  Mariah is an adult now and should know better.  If she really is so "above it all" like she acts like she is, then she would be able to do this.  But I think Mariah is a self-absorbed, entitled little bitch and thinks the world (and her mother) should bow down at her feet.  She doesn't strike me as having a compassionate bone in her body.

Edited January 29, 2019 by Yeah No

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, Sasha888 said:

It is kind of sad. I think Janelle & Christine might have a just a little bit to do with each other, but it's more like distant relatives, not close ones. For those of us who see their social media stuff during the time they're not filming, we pretty much see 4 women living 4 totally separate lives. 

Not AT ALL what they set out to show when the show started, and they're going to stick to that narrative until the bitter end. If they showed a bit of the truth, it might actually be (dare I say it?) interesting!

I think the reason they stick to that obviously untrue narrative is because of Kody.  He can't stand the thought that they might not put on the "happy face" to the public and make his little fantasy about how wonderful polygamy is look untrue.  They have to act like everything is wonderful because if they don't, he looks bad because he's pretty much been selling how supposedly wonderful polygamy is to the world for how many years now?  So yeah, sure, they all have to act like they have each other's back, it's all one big happy family, they love Meri and want her to be a part of the family, don't we know?  What total BS!

[Gothish520]

6 hours ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

Doesn't look like that much was done other than some new bedspreads.  Don't care for the crocheted toilet seat cover either... I have stayed at some Historic Inn's that have plenty of old charm - this just looks like a house that has not had a facelift in about 40 years.. the carpeting itself is very 80's.

Brilliant !!! 

She changed all the bedding and decor and did significant decluttering. No offense to the previous owner, but Victoria's looked dark, cluttered and musty. Lizzie's looks brighter and airier, though still with that "days gone by" charm. 

Hey, BnBs aren't for everyone. They are too small and intimate for me, but I love old pictures and antiques and can appreciate the history and nostalgia in things from the past. 

[Gothish520]

1 hour ago, Sasha888 said:

It's hard for me to tell because this crap is so heavily edited and scripted, and very NON-reality, but from what I'm seeing it seems that Meri rilly wants a relationship with Grody again. She's made several comments to that effect (when he kisses his grinder and says I love you to it, she says "Damn, I wish I was a grinder", etc.) and she made quite a few similar comments last season as well. And, she was rilly upset when he blabbed to that reporter last season that they were not "co-habitating" anymore. She absolutely did not want everyone knowing she's out of the wifely rotation.

If so, I have to say I think she is rilly beating a dead horse here...I don't think His Highness has ANY fillings left for Meri. Last week, in the "coming up this season" previews, it looked like we are going to be treated to some "Meri & Kody work on their relationship" episodes, and I just think this couldn't be more scripted and false. I don't see him ever, ever forgiving Meri for stepping out on him.

Personally, that wouldn't be my reason for being done with Meri - bad as that is - my reason would be because she's one of the most selfish people I've ever seen and absolutely WILL NOT take responsibility for ANYTHING she does. She is NEVER wrong. If anybody calls her on it, she's going to bawl and bawl, and make it into a HUGE deal. Nearly EVERY family meeting is about Meri. Meri wants something. Meri didn't get something she wanted. Meri excluded people, or feels excluded herself. She is just EXHAUSTING. She's toxic for the whole family to be around...that would be MY reason for being done with her.

I would think that the other 3 women would be totally done with her too. This storyline of them all STILL walking on eggshells around Meri rings false to me...I'm starting to agree with those of you who have said you believe TLC has told them without Meri to be the villain, the show won't get renewed. She's needed to make it interesting (it's BARELY interesting...but anyway...without some tension and a villain, what do you have?).

I guess we're here to comment about what we see on the show, and what we're seeing is everyone still cow-towing to Meri, so in that respect my comment on that is "Why? Why try to make her happy? You never WILL, she's not a person who CAN be happy! Get rid of her toxic ass!" But really I'm thinking, this is all bullshit...they can't all seriously still want Meri around after everything that's happened. If she'd taken any kind of responsibility for the catfishing crap, maybe some healing could happen, but she hasn't and never will. (I do think Meri's personality is actually depicted accurately on the show...her Twitter rants and rudeness in real life during LuLaRoe live sales matches the bitch we see on screen...it might be the one thing we see on the show that is real.)

I'm curious what everyone thinks about this "Meri & Kody work at mending fences" stuff that's coming up this season. I think she rilly would like him back (if he gives in to her every whim and can be HBIC again) and I think he wants nothing to do with her. I think he's going through the motions because the show told him he has to.

The minute I have the slightest bit of pity for Meri, chasing after a douche like Kody who has no fillings for her, she does something so vile and childish that I want to bitch-slap her and any sympathy I had vanishes...

Sasha I agree that Meri still wants Kody's love and affection. This whole catfishing thing happened because she wasn't getting that, and was lonely. She wants her husband back. I don't know what she was expecting would happen by adding a fourth wife, but when Robyn came in the picture I think she was surprised by her feelings of jealousy and pain. Another wife and more kids meant less time and attention for Meri.

I also think that Kody was really hurt by the situation. He has stated several times that it was a "wake-up call" and has admitted that he shares responsibility for what happened. Whether he is just paying lipservice to taking part of the blame or not, I can't say, but for awhile he was very pensive and distant, and he measured his words very carefully. Regardless of what Meri and Kody have actually admitted about the situation and their feelings, I feel that the pain and hurt and fear rattling around inside both of them seemed to leap off the screen. 

[Schmoopy]

10 hours ago, Saje81 said:

I've always thought Meri was odd looking but these past several seasons, it's only gotten worse. This is super catty, but to me her face looks like it was carved out of greasy modeling clay or play-doh by a student who neglected to smooth out the spots where their fingers dug in a little too hard, couldn't quite figure out the nose and so made it long, square and upturned with a big line down the middle and two balls on the tip with huge nostrils, and then left it out in the sun where the whole thing melted a little into a warped, droopy mess. Add a Neanderthal browline, sunken eyes and a big ol' thumbprint in the chin and you've got a very strange-looking face that overly orange makeup and a perma-scowl only make worse.

 

OMG....this is so funny that I peed a little!!!  ;0

[jumper sage]

4 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

Not a whole lot to tell, and it depends on believing things you read on the internet, etc...but this is the best I can piece together regarding Janelle and Meri's brother.

Janelle's first husband was Adam Barber, Meri's brother. Now Janelle has told us on the show that she was at first only slightly interested in the faith, and that Meri & Kody were her "token plyg friends", she found them interesting because of the fact that they were polygamists. (LIE - she knew Meri & Kody because they were in-laws, she was married to Meri's brother. And being "plyg" couldn't have been what was so interesting about them, she was married to Adam, son of a polygamist! Kody has often said he discussed becoming a polygamist with Meri's father, who obviously is also Adam's father...so Janelle's father-in-law was a polygamist. Kody & Meri weren't the only "plygs" she knew.) On the show, Janelle very lightly touches on the fact that she was at Kody & Meri's wedding, and they show pictures of her with the happy couple (because she's in the FAMILY pics, she's Meri's sister-in-law!).

Janelle also claims that when she met Kody, she had what she calls "A singular experience. Like I'd known him in the past" and that she just knew she was supposed to be with him. Well apparently she had that revelation while she was married to Adam, cuz it sure sounds like that's how she met Meri & Kody! Whatever the timeline is, I would think that you OBVIOUSLY would have met your husband's sister Meri and her husband Kody while married to said husband, or even before, perhaps while dating Adam.

At some point Janelle divorces Adam, and approaches Kody (in their dumb book, which I bought second hand so as to not give any money to these kooks, Kody says Janelle approached HIM, not the other way around) about being his second wife. Kody likes the idea and Janelle becomes wife #2.

Sometime during the courtship dance of Kody & Janelle, Janelle's mother Sheryl becomes intrigued with the faith as well, and she meets and marries Kody's dad. Before Janelle and Kody marry.

They explain Janelle's mom being married to Kody's dad several times on the show, but NEVER touch on the fact that Janelle was divorced from Meri's brother prior to marrying Kody. Perhaps the powers that be find this tangled mess too distasteful, or maybe it's Janelle & company who don't want to get into it.

So the basic timeline as I understand it is - 

• Janelle's married to Adam Barber, Kody is married to Meri, so Kody is Janelle's brother-in-law and Meri her sister-in-law.
• Janelle divorces Adam, Kody & Meri are now her ex in-laws.
• Janelle wants the Kodester, tells her mother she's intersted in polygamy, and introduces her mom Sheryl to Kody and his parents.
• Sheryl marries Kody's dad...Janelle is now Kody's step-sister.
• Janelle and Kody get married.

Anyone want to imagine how much fun the Barber family Thanksgiving is? Meri Barber Brown, her husband Kody, her sister wife Janelle, and her brother Adam who is ex-husband to Janelle? Or do you already feel dirty enough reading this weird shit? ;-)

They've probably never all gotten together in this manner for Thanksgiving though, because remember the Brown clan is busy painting grey corn cans grey (not my joke, TM @laurakaye, I believe...) and having their own Thanksgiving with their brood. How would you choose which in-law's to go to for Thanksgiving anyway? Meri's parents, Christine's parents, Janelle's, Robyn's? Whose year is it? I guess polygamists just don't get to see their parents on holidays. Except maybe their mothers, who seem to all be discarded by their plyg husbands in their old age.

But remember, polygamy is awesome...that's the basic premise of this farce of a show.

OMG!  You deserve a medal....[places medal of bravery around your neck]

1 hour ago, Gothish520 said:

Hey, BnBs aren't for everyone. They are too small and intimate for me

I won't even share a bathroom with my family I live with.................................

[Gothish520]

54 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

I won't even share a bathroom with my family I live with.................................

LOL! Lizzie's does have a bathroom for each room, like many BnBs do these days. I wouldn't stay anyplace where I would have to share a bathroom with strangers!

[endure]

There’s something about Meri and her position in this mess.  You can cut the tension in the room with a knife no matter what room she’s in whether it’s her and Kody, the other wives, her daughter  etc.  I think she bought the B&B solely for her  future as she can see the writing on the wall with Kody and they are already divorced.  I think she’s manipulating the situation for now possibly hoping for her own spinoff show.

[KateHearts]

6 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Also, and this is probably an unpopular opinion, but a mother shouldn't have to admit her failings to her child to deserve forgiveness.  A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.  I don't know why this is not a more popular opinion.  Just because Meri is insufferable doesn't give Mariah the right to act superior to her mother.  

I think I understand Mariah's viewpoint. Meri continues to try and sell her a false tale of her innocence and exploitation, and won't just say, "Mariah- I really made a huge mistake and I hurt you and the family and I hope you forgive me." It's hard for Mariah to forgive when Meri continues to insist that she was not wrong.

Ysabel's curve is really quite pronounced- you could see it in the Homecoming dress.  I hope that they don't make her feel like a failure when she does eventually need surgery.

I could have gotten really hammered if I played the "take a shot" game every time I heard "ON MY OWN."

I have never seen another human cry as much as Meri does.  Her little Muppet face is even more unbecoming when the tears start.  

[Kellyee]

Meri said "by myself" so many times in 2 hours that I started singing "All by Myself....." the song. The family may be screwed up, but Meri is not a victim and she has not been abandoned. Even Maddie and Caleb were willing to help her move her stuff. She needs to stop crying. Its the wet bar of tears all over again. 

Kody is an idiot and is completely checked out of the relationship with Meri. Two mature people would sit down and discuss that and handle it. But neither Kody or Meri are mature, so we get the latest season of this show instead. 

They all suck, but Christine is still my favorite sister wife. Robyn seems past the honeymoon phase with both Kody and Meri. 

[VedaPierce]

12 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

To quote a song:  "No one knows what goes on behind closed doors."

I'm inclined to believe it's him.  His sister Meri is certainly the main reason.

Gotta tell ya...I don't think any man could be horrible enough to make me want to leave him .... and then turn around and marry his sister's ALREADY MARRIED husband!! That madness is all Janelle's.

(which she did, btw, behind Meri's back, don't forget that gem. Janelle planted that poison tree a long time ago. Is there anyone here on this board that would forgive a woman for doing that to her brother, then to her?)

[bichonblitz]

12 hours ago, EmeraldGirl said:

I can’t help but like Christine. She’s always reminded me physically of Linda McCartney, and I like her goofiness. Plus now she’s the hot wife. If she’s just get out of that long red sweater. I think at one point last night they all had a red sweater on! 

I wouldn't call any of them the "hot wife", lol. 

[Kohola3]

9 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

...his grinder...

Is that what they are calling it now? Meri must have rilly liked it.

9 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

I think she rilly would like him back (if he gives in to her every whim and can be HBIC again) and I think he wants nothing to do with her. I think he's going through the motions because the show told him he has to.

Kootie fancies himself King of the Jungle, beating his manly chest and expecting the sheep wives to adore him.  When the Mope cheated on him that not only emasculated him but knocked him off the Lord High Prophet Leader perch.  No way in hell can this be patched up.  It's totally scripted to keep this train squeaking along on its wobbly wheels.  Meri won't change, ever.  Kootie won't change, ever.  All that hurt feelings and emotional angst is for the cameras.

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.

Sorry, this ranks right up there with a politician declaring "You HAVE to respect me because I am the XXX".  Respect is earned, not bestowed.  So is forgiveness.  If Meri had deliberately physically injured someone, should she automatically be forgiven by Pudge?  What's the difference with deliberately harming someone emotionally?  

[Xena]

19 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Meri and the Orange Tears of Parowan

LauraKaye, may I steal this from you to use as the name of my new band?

[taragel]

10 hours ago, Sasha888 said:

Anyone want to imagine how much fun the Barber family Thanksgiving is? Meri Barber Brown, her husband Kody, her sister wife Janelle, and her brother Adam who is ex-husband to Janelle? Or do you already feel dirty enough reading this weird shit? ;-)

And yet.... Meri's mom greeted Janelle very warmly with a hug and some kind words when they moved stuff down to the B&B. I suppose it could be for the cameras but I'm not sure why Meri's mom would feel the need to fake that for them. So maybe there's no bad blood with those two.

[Alapaki]

That other woman was more self-disclosing about the catfisher in just two scenes than Meri has been in two seasons.

i wonder if that’s why they brought her on?  If it was Meri’s idea, it backfired.  

What do people who rely exclusively on this show for information on the catfishing think the nature of Meri and Sam’s relationship was?

[CSunshine76]

9 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Kody kept his mouth shut because in the end it would make him look bad.  He really doesn't care how it would affect anyone else.

Also, and this is probably an unpopular opinion, but a mother shouldn't have to admit her failings to her child to deserve forgiveness.  A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.  I don't know why this is not a more popular opinion.  Just because Meri is insufferable doesn't give Mariah the right to act superior to her mother.  If she really loved her mother she wouldn't act like her mother has to earn her love, even if her mother hurt her in the past.  If she did hurt Mariah, she certainly didn't do it "on purpose".  It's obvious to me that Meri loves Mariah unconditionally but it doesn't work the other way around.  Mariah is an adult now and should know better.  If she really is so "above it all" like she acts like she is, then she would be able to do this.  But I think Mariah is a self-absorbed, entitled little bitch and thinks the world (and her mother) should bow down at her feet.  She doesn't strike me as having a compassionate bone in her body.

But said mother was having an emotional affair while married to the child’s father! I think it would be VERY difficult to forgive a parent for doing that to your other parent.  I’m sure in time, Mariah may forgive her mother.  But I completely understand her not doing so immediately.  Meri needs to own the fact she sought this out...you can’t get catfished if you aren’t a willing participant in the  “relationship”.

[Kyanight]

12 minutes ago, Alapaki said:

What do people who rely exclusively on this show for information on the catfishing think the nature of Meri and Sam’s relationship was?

That's a really good question.   The way it's been presented on the show they were just "friends".  (?)

[kicotan]

10 hours ago, Yeah No said:

A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.  I don't know why this is not a more popular opinion.  Just because Meri is insufferable doesn't give Mariah the right to act superior to her mother.  If she really loved her mother she wouldn't act like her mother has to earn her love, even if her mother hurt her in the past.  If she did hurt Mariah, she certainly didn't do it "on purpose".  It's obvious to me that Meri loves Mariah unconditionally but it doesn't work the other way around.  

Writer Walter Hudson (on the concept of unconditional love), sums it up rather nicely, I think:

”...a particularly insidious lie that cheapens love by transmuting it from a value-based emotional response to an autonomic pleasantry. Put another way, unconditional love is nothing special. If love is unconditional, then anyone deserves it. If anyone deserves it, then the particulars of an individual’s behaviors, beliefs, and values do not matter…Love requires judgment. Love upholds standards. Love sets conditions. When our loved ones fall short, we correct them in love. If we didn’t care, we wouldn’t bother. In that sense, what the “unconditional love” peddlers sell is not actually love, but a miserable and toxic indifference...”

Ironically, the sentiment “love people for who they are.” being used as a mantra for unconditional love doesn’t make sense. Mariah can’t both love Meri for who she is AND love her unconditionally. Meri’s identity, as her mother, is a condition. She is not some random person.  The real exhortation of “unconditional love” is for Mariah to accept whatever taboo Meri has engaged in and be indifferent to the pain she’s caused Mariah or her other fambly members.

I don’t think that would be a healthy love relationship to aspire to.

[laurakaye]

19 hours ago, SabineElisabeth said:

And Janelle apparently finally found the right combination of antidepressants. Kind of creepy, to be honest, to see her not being over everything and everybody. 

It's actually jarring to watch Janelle have her one-woman parade for Meri, especially if you've watched the show since season 1 and are used to a completely different Janelle.  It's like watching a lump of Silly Putty suddenly come to life and start yammering.  It just doesn't suit her at all.

 

18 hours ago, KeeperOfTheIce said:

Oh Kody and these people with weird rules of modesty!   Ysabel looked great, the dress was age appropriate, event appropriate.   She was not showing too much leg - good grief in the park scene she was wearing shorts that showed more skin than that dress! 

Raise your hand if you remember early on with this show how Kody and the Gang pitched a collective fit when Mykelti or Maddie tried to walk out of the house in a tank top.  The rules only applied when Kody felt like enforcing them.  

 

13 hours ago, Galloway Cave said:

Three rentals and one purchased home spread out over town. The vacant land they purchased are together.

So hold on...they haven't sold their McMansions, and yet they are currently paying for temporary rentals AND they bought lots to build on??  I mean.....WTF??!  How??

 

2 hours ago, Xena said:

LauraKaye, may I steal this from you to use as the name of my new band?

Yes, as long as I can play the tambourine.  

 

As far as the comments about Meri's looks, I agree with most of what has been said but I think her terrible, whiny, mopey personality plays a huge part in how she looks.  She is rarely shown with a genuine smile anymore.  All we get are her ridiculous 12-year old eyerolls, the copious tears, and the famous "shrug & smirk," and it causes her face to droop and drag in a most unattractive way.  I thought she was rather cute when the show started.  Now she just looks haggard, and the multi-layers of foundation are not doing her any favors whatsoever.  

Edited January 29, 2019 by laurakaye

[Kellyee]

Quote

A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.  I don't know why this is not a more popular opinion.  Just because Meri is insufferable doesn't give Mariah the right to act superior to her mother.  If she really loved her mother she wouldn't act like her mother has to earn her love, even if her mother hurt her in the past.  If she did hurt Mariah, she certainly didn't do it "on purpose".  It's obvious to me that Meri loves Mariah unconditionally but it doesn't work the other way around.  

Mariah pulls the same manipulative crap with her mother that Meri pulls with everyone else in the family. "I don't want to talk about it but I won't forgive you" is Mariah's version of "I'm not mad but I'm gonna do it by myself, make constant references to being on my own (even though I'm not), and leave you out on purpose even though you keep begging me to let you support me."  They are the same person. Mariah learned her behavior from Meri. Mariah is a little superior to Meri though, because Mariah wised up and realized that polygamy is a no-win lifestyle for women.

[NotinKansasanymore]

So....Meri can leave for 72 hours and go close on a house, and move her mom in, and yet none of the other three wives even noticed she was gone?  Boy they all must be really close and invested in each other's lives.

And if one of them did notice that she was gone for three days, you'd think someone would ask, "Hey where did you go? What did you do?"

[Kohola3]

Just now, NotinKansasanymore said:

And if one of them did notice that she was gone for three days, you'd think someone would ask, "Hey where did you go? What did you do?"

It would probably more likely be be "Meri was gone?  Who cares."

[Alapaki]

33 minutes ago, Kellyee said:

Mariah pulls the same manipulative crap with her mother that Meri pulls with everyone else in the family. "I don't want to talk about it but I won't forgive you" is Mariah's version of "I'm not mad but I'm gonna do it by myself, make constant references to being on my own (even though I'm not), and leave you out on purpose even though you keep begging me to let you support me."  They are the same person. Mariah learned her behavior from Meri. Mariah is a little superior to Meri though, because Mariah wised up and realized that polygamy is a no-win lifestyle for women.

I disagree with this because (and I may be wrong) there seems to be an unspoken prohibition on discussing the fact that Meri was having an online affair with “Sam” (who she thought was a man). 

I get the sense that Mariah is dying to spout out “you cheated on Dad and got caught, after I warned you not to!  And you still won’t admit it!”

But for some reason she’s not allowed to say that. And her mother keeps insisting on putting her in situations where she’ll feel forced to offer forgiveness 

[Anlogle]

14 hours ago, LotusFlower said:

Thanks.

i just watched it.  There’s a lot to snark on, as usual.  And I’m back to hating Kody.  

I have on demand but am very new to it.   I thought that shows wouldn't show up on demand until after it airs on the network they are on. How in it already on demand?  I have looked and don't see it there. Don't even see the last episode aired

[Natalie68]

On 1/28/2019 at 6:44 AM, Sandy W said:

Meri's facial features have zero muscle tone and she has the collapsed look of a VERY heavy drinker, even Janelle's chubby little cheeks show more animation than Meri's.

I wonder if that is the reference Kody is making when he says "Some things are better left unsaid"

I am glad you mentioned her facial features.  I was mesmerized at her face and how it moves.  I have no real words to describe it.  

[Sandy W]

14 minutes ago, Natalie68 said:

I am glad you mentioned her facial features.  I was mesmerized at her face and how it moves.  I have no real words to describe it.  

Meri has aged terribly over this past year.  The only animation she shows is when she is posting on SM about her LLRags.  

The bloating and watery eyes, coupled with the smearing of the orange gloop on her face (perhaps to cover up red blotches), leave me wondering if she is perhaps finding solace in a bottle, rather than "luvah man's" arms, as she used to refer to Kody.

[Anlogle]

13 hours ago, Yeah No said:

o do I think all the wives now are completely producer driven and we're not seeing anything genuine at this point whatsoever.  They're covering over the real truth and inventing the plot they want to sell to the public.  The only thing is that most of us have been exposed to this family long enough to spot the truth amid the lies and misrepresentation.  And it's pretty sad.

I really think Janelles new perkier attitude has to do with her business Strive. She needs to model what it can do for you in order to sell her product or program.  

[Natalie68]

21 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Oh. I hadn't had a chance to see the pictures from before, so thanks for that additional link.

At the end of one of the beds it looks like there are two urns.  Please tell me they aren't urns.

[Granny58]

13 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Kody kept his mouth shut because in the end it would make him look bad.  He really doesn't care how it would affect anyone else.

Also, and this is probably an unpopular opinion, but a mother shouldn't have to admit her failings to her child to deserve forgiveness.  A child should forgive her mother unconditionally.  I don't know why this is not a more popular opinion.  Just because Meri is insufferable doesn't give Mariah the right to act superior to her mother.  If she really loved her mother she wouldn't act like her mother has to earn her love, even if her mother hurt her in the past.  If she did hurt Mariah, she certainly didn't do it "on purpose".  It's obvious to me that Meri loves Mariah unconditionally but it doesn't work the other way around.  Mariah is an adult now and should know better.  If she really is so "above it all" like she acts like she is, then she would be able to do this.  But I think Mariah is a self-absorbed, entitled little bitch and thinks the world (and her mother) should bow down at her feet.  She doesn't strike me as having a compassionate bone in her body.

 

I love my mother.  My mother is human and fallible, just like me!  If my mother was neglected and lonely and subsequently was vulnerable to an affair, I would feel compassion for her.  If ours was a TV fambly, I would speak to her privately and tell her that the world sees through the "victim" story, but she should just say what is true and things will be better for her.  

Edited January 29, 2019 by Granny58

[Natalie68]

20 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

Well, see, here's the thing.  This is what guests see across the street.  Not exactly a charming view to enjoy from your porch swing.

 

So not only do you get to stay where some of Meri's sort of relatives lived you get a FREE SURVIVAL PLAN!!!!  A twofer!  Sign me up! 

It does look a lot better since Meri took out a lot of the extra jazz in the rooms.  All I could think of with that ceiling umbrella was how often does someone give that a good dusting.  It looks like homes would get very dusty on that street.

[Granny58]

7 hours ago, endure said:

There’s something about Meri and her position in this mess.  You can cut the tension in the room with a knife no matter what room she’s in whether it’s her and Kody, the other wives, her daughter  etc.  I think she bought the B&B solely for her  future as she can see the writing on the wall with Kody and they are already divorced.  I think she’s manipulating the situation for now possibly hoping for her own spinoff show.

I would watch, as long as it didn't involve watching the paint dry on the B&B walls. 

[Natalie68]

17 hours ago, EmeraldGirl said:

This is like the 1st season of Gilligan’s Island. Meri - and the rest! 

I’m just fascinated by Meri’s eyebrow game. They’re thick, they’re thin, they’re thick. Geez, there must be 4,000,000 places in Vegas to get brows done. I can tell by the dirtyish look that she puts her self tanner on then and boom - dirty Groucho! She wasn’t blessed with a gorgeous face to begin with (she looks very much like the one old guy ancestor), but she just needs to scrub up. 

So I can’t remember - why was she online chatting with the guy in the first place (according to her story)?  I’ve made male friends online - but that was from support groups, and damn if they don’t STILL try to hit on you! I wouldn’t blame her if she was really looking to get out. Just SAY it already!

I can’t help but like Christine. She’s always reminded me physically of Linda McCartney, and I like her goofiness. Plus now she’s the hot wife. If she’s just get out of that long red sweater. I think at one point last night they all had a red sweater on! 

Robin looks like hell. Talk about needing some self tanner! She’s white as a ghost and soo dour. Ahh, happiness. 

The married kids aren’t doing as well as I thought they would. Fat Tony, Maddie hanging around home too much, Mariah the entitled snot, and now sweet Aspyn has a dumpy guy who isn’t sure about polygamy? 

THANK YOU for the reminder!  I meant to say something about this.  I think Robyn needs to see a doctor.  She was actually looking yellow.  Her skin did NOT have a natural color.  I have a very dear friend who has inoperable liver cancer and his 1st sign was his skin color.  I was alarmed and then Mr. Natalie walked through while I was watching and asked what the hell is going on with Robyn's skin color.  Seriously she did not look healthy.  

[lettsjetts]

18 hours ago, Julyolo said:

Meri's catfish friend Kristie looks like a person that she posed with in an Instagram picture when she first started selling Lularoe. They were frolicking in the leaves together, circa late 2016.

That is her friend Jen. @VegasGlutenFree on Twitter.  

[Kyanight]

1 hour ago, Natalie68 said:

At the end of one of the beds it looks like there are two urns.  Please tell me they aren't urns.

They aren't urns.  They are chamber pots.  Urinals.   Pee pans.  

 

(said tongue-in-cheek).

1 hour ago, Granny58 said:

I love my mother.  My mother is human and fallible, just like me!  If my mother was neglected and lonely and subsequently was vulnerable to an affair, I would feel compassion for her.  If ours was a TV fambly, I would speak to her privately and tell her that the world sees through the "victim" story, but she should just say what is true and things will be better for her.  

I hear ya.

 

Mariah loves her mother, I just think it would be easier to forgive and move on if Meri said "I'm sorry".   "I'm sorry you were hurt by my actions, Mariah".  I have NEVER heard Meri give anyone a sincere apology because she never does anything wrong.  The kindest and most humble people are those who KNOW they aren't perfect and aren't too stubborn to admit it -they can be sincerely sorry about it - and then move on.  Meri LOVES moving on - but has no responsibility or accountability for her own choices and actions.

[deirdra]

I noticed you cannot see the main roof in any of Meri's or the previous owner's BnB photos, but when they were there last season, it looked like it was overdue for replacement.  That will eat up several years of profit, and even more if Meri ignores it until there is interior damage too.

Edited January 29, 2019 by deirdra

[Natalie68]

1 hour ago, Sandy W said:

Meri has aged terribly over this past year.  The only animation she shows is when she is posting on SM about her LLRags.  

The bloating and watery eyes, coupled with the smearing of the orange gloop on her face (perhaps to cover up red blotches), leave me wondering if she is perhaps finding solace in a bottle, rather than "luvah man's" arms, as she used to refer to Kody.

Well she DID do those paintings at a wine/painting place.  Something has worked over her face for sure.  I thought she was sorta cute at the beginning but this lifestyle has not been good for her.  She has gained weight, an awful orange glow, and well, what you said.  They are NOT marketing this lifestyle very well.

25 minutes ago, Kyanight said:

They aren't urns.  They are chamber pots.  Urinals.   Pee pans.  

 

(said tongue-in-cheek).

I hear ya.

 

Mariah loves her mother, I just think it would be easier to forgive and move on if Meri said "I'm sorry".   "I'm sorry you were hurt by my actions, Mariah".  I have NEVER heard Meri give anyone a sincere apology because she never does anything wrong.  The kindest and most humble people are those who KNOW they aren't perfect and aren't too stubborn to admit it -they can be sincerely sorry about it - and then move on.  Meri LOVES moving on - but has no responsibility or accountability for her own choices and actions.

Thank you!

[Gothish520]

8 hours ago, KateHearts said:

I think I understand Mariah's viewpoint. Meri continues to try and sell her a false tale of her innocence and exploitation, and won't just say, "Mariah- I really made a huge mistake and I hurt you and the family and I hope you forgive me." It's hard for Mariah to forgive when Meri continues to insist that she was not wrong.

Ysabel's curve is really quite pronounced- you could see it in the Homecoming dress.  I hope that they don't make her feel like a failure when she does eventually need surgery.

I could have gotten really hammered if I played the "take a shot" game every time I heard "ON MY OWN."

I have never seen another human cry as much as Meri does.  Her little Muppet face is even more unbecoming when the tears start.  

OMG I was thinking the exact same thing about the "on my own"! I swear at one point Meri must've said it about 10 times in one talking head!

[Absolom]

1 hour ago, Granny58 said:

I love my mother.  My mother is human and fallible, just like me!  If my mother was neglected and lonely and subsequently was vulnerable to an affair, I would feel compassion for her.  If ours was a TV fambly, I would speak to her privately and tell her that the world sees through the "victim" story, but she should just say what is true and things will be better for her.  

Obviously your mother brought up a loving and compassionate person.  She is probably a very loving and compassionate person herself.  Unfortunately Meri is not.  She appears to be a manipulative, narcissistic, lying, peevish, and selfish person.  Mariah is handicapped by not having been taught forgiving, compassionate behavior by her mother.  Meri is basically reaping what she has sown.  A person who doesn't freely give forgiveness to those close to them isn't as likely to have it freely given to them.  A person who never says they're sorry is going to be harder to forgive.  A person who betrays a child's father regardless of cause is going to make it difficult for the child to forgive.  A person who never takes responsibility for the pain they have caused is going to frequently cause rifts in their relationships.