'Jumping the shark' is an idiom created by Jon Hein that is used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality that is beyond recovery. The phrase is also used to refer to a particular scene, episode or aspect of a show in which the writers use some type of "gimmick" in a desperate attempt to keep viewers' interest. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark
So let's discuss how you feel about the topic. I'll go first....
The background as to why I watch Sister Wives:
My mother went to high school in a city that was predominately Mormon. When I was young, she told me about an incident that happened when she was in high school. Two girls, who everyone thought were cousins, were found out to actually be half-sisters. Their mothers were sisters, and married to the same man. The family was shunned, and left town shortly thereafter. As a child, I tried to grasp how a man could believe it was OK to marry 2 sisters. Weird, but my curiosity was piqued.
Much later, I watched a reality show called "My Husband's Three Wives". This show was about non religion based polygamy. The husband was horrible, the women were not happy (funny how he 'married' wife #2 while wife #1 was on active duty overseas) and when he decided to bring in wife #3 ( who it turned out had used her own money to prevent foreclosure of the family home as well as money for food and gas for the other wives and their children) the 2 wives had had enough and said NO. The husband then basically patted the devastated 3rd wife candidate on the head, and threw her out of the house. When the show was repeated (on TLC I think) we learned that wife #1 divorced him and remarried. Wife #2 also left, and the would be wife #3 refused any further contact with the man. The man got his doctorate in Psychology, wrote a book and married again, and no longer believes in polygamy. Now THAT show was a train wreck. So of course, when Sister Wives appeared on TLC, I had to watch it.
The most troubling scene for me was:
Right after Robyn gave birth to Solomon. For some unknown reason, Robyn, sitting on a throne-like rocking chair holding a newly born baby Sol, took aim and fired her shot directly at one of her bonus children for 'snubbing' her. According to Robyn, this disrespectful bonus teen refused to acknowledge her position as Kody's wife. He didn't even try to pick up baby Sol. Being that this bonus teen's 'storyline' had been he was not adjusting well to the sudden move to Vegas, it just seemed so cruel to see a supposedly mature adult try to strike down a teenager with such passive-aggressive venom. It got me thinking why would Kody and Janelle allow Robyn's soft-spoken but deadly serious speech against their child? What kind of parent would allow that type of behavior? Yep, apparently the Browns. From Meri's dissing of Christine's youngest to Robyn's dissing of Janelle's son, no wonder Janelle initially said she wasn't going miss sleeping just to see Robyn's baby being born. And though Janelle did show up to see the baby, she made sure Robyn heard her say that Sol looked like all the other Brown kids when they were born. Nothing special about him at all.
Sister Wives jumped the shark:
For me, Sister Wives jumped the shark on the episode when Kody, with way too much breathless enthusiasm, announced that Robyn was pregnant and Mariah ran out of the room crying. Even though Meri tried to explain that Mariah was feeling sad for her infertility, that one scene of Mariah feeling so sad (not to mention the sad faces of the rest of the teens) set up the remaining season, leading up to the episode when Robyn gave birth. Robyn's offer to surrogate for Meri was nothing more than a ploy (most likely the idea of the producers) for a future storyline next season. Will Meri or won't Meri accept Robyn's offer. WHO CARES? The downward spiral begins. And the best the producers could muster up for the next season was 6 weeks of forgettable episodes including the one showing Kody dissing Christine's family tradition for a Jewish one, and Kody unforgivably announcing to the world how so disgusted he was with her eating nachos that he almost didn't marry her. Too bad about Christine's feelings.
From watching Sister Wives, I now know that there is no such thing as 'good' polygamy. It's all bad. Sister Wives has shown the world that love IS divided in a family that practices polygamy, and that cruelty, pain, jealousy and suffering most definitely is multiplied for the women who chose this lifestyle and their children who had no choice.
So let's discuss this. Do you feel Sister Wives has jumped the shark???
I have to agree. Sister Wives has run its course. The first season had 'some' educational value, since TLC needed to 'introduce' the concept to the audience. But the first season was enough to convince a reasonable women that there were not enough redeeming features of the lifestyle to endure the pain.
ReplyDeleteI see no further educational value here. Now it is just a train wreck which can do nothing but add more pain to the children's lives
My reason for originally watching the show was because as a second wife in a plural family I was obviously interested in hearing about the Browns. But this show drives me insane and completely frustrates me. Of course I don't believe that all polygamy is bad but the Browns don't do any plural families a favor considering that they contribute to making all polygamy look horrible. The show jumped the shark a long time ago but what I won't get over is the Special with Natalie Morales when they openly admitted to not trusting each other or treating each other like family members. You can't go on tv promoting a happy, normal family and then tell the viewers that you don't even trust your sister wives. They are not one family and they never have been. The novelty and curiosity factors wore out seasons ago; they haven't seemed happy since the first season- before Robyn. Anyone who watches the show and sees a happy family clearly isn't watching the same show as the rest of us.
DeleteBellarina, I absolutely agree with you about the Natalie Morales interview. I cannot help but think that interview hurt the premise of this show a lot. How their diehard fans can continue to watch after all the dirty laundry that was aired, I don't know.
DeleteI hope that you are happy in your situation and that it's much better than what the Browns show us.
Funky Town - Thanks, I am happy. But my family is totally different from the Browns. We have two wives and six kids and we are not religion based polygamists. And I trust my sister wife! She is my family; we are one family. Which is the main point if you ask me.
DeleteI honestly don't know why I keep watching when it frustrates me so much. I was literally yelling at the tv during the episode when Meri felt like she was being punished for not having more kids and therefore didn't deserve a big house. That episode made me completely hate Meri; she is the most manipulative, jealous and all together unbecoming person in the family.
While I am no fan of Kody's, I don't see him as manipulative or patriarchal or anything. He is clueless, in my opinion. I have never seen the wives as submissive. If anything, Kody has four pretty strong willed wives and he doesn't get away with much or rule much of anything.
But for them to keep pretending that everything is happy and good is ridiculous. There is so much tension among everyone that I can't imagine any family gathering being all that comfortable.
I'm glad you're happy and it's working out well for you! 3 adults total with 6 kids is much more manageable IMO.
DeleteI agree with Kody being clueless. It's almost like he's just flitting through life with everyone else taking on the responsibilities. Almost like a Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian~ they do their thing and leave, to heck with anyone hurt by what they do or don't do.
As for watching when it frustrates you, I think many of us here feel exactly the same. I myself have yelled at the TV screen more than I'd like to admit. It's that train wreck mentality I think.
I'm not sure my example meets the requirements for 'jumping the shark' but here goes. It has ALWAYS bothered me that when Christine was in the delivery room with Truely, Kody (always tactful ya know) asks the doctor about artificial insemination for Meri!
ReplyDeleteReally? Your wife is lying there, in pain, having just given birth to your child and you ask about fertility treatments or artificial insemination or whatever it was?
If that had been my husband there would have been blood on the floor in the delivery room and it would NOT have been mine!
Yes I do believe they jumped the shark and I'll be surprised if this show airs again.
I agree Funky Town. The show definitely jumped the shark then. That whole situation at the delivery of Truely when Kody kissed Robyn and then spent the delivery asking about Meri having artificial insemination was so tacky.
DeleteWhile asking about infertility for Meri while Christine labored was repulsive, I think his real motivation was to get attention...same old, same old. He wanted to get a reaction from the dr, just like when he shook the hands of the tour guide in Mexico when he was with Meri and announced he has more than one wife, just like countless times over...ALL FOR ATTENTION. I don't think he really loves any of his wives, just himself. Any husband who loved his wife (and with an ounce of common sense) does not make labor and delivery about him.
DeleteI think Janelle got bored with it all even before we did. I think it jumped the shark when Robin came into the picture. It seemed like it was downhill after that.
ReplyDeleteYou know why Honey Boo Boo is doing so many more show than sisterwives?
ReplyDeleteBecause it shows happy secure kids. They may not be living our dream life in mansions in vegas, but they are showing them happy and content. The brown family looks as if they all have borderline personality disorder and walk around on egg shells. The redneck family can say and do whatever they want in front of the camaras because those parents arnt living a lie. I hope the browns get cancled.
Jumping the Shark moment for me happened when Kody showed no real interest in fixing his relationship with Christine. Kody was just demeaning and cruel to her.
ReplyDeleteYep. I agree the Honey Boo Boo kids look a lot happier.
Question though. Why would TLC even use their resources to film the shows if they are going to cancel them before they are ever aired?
Why would TLC even use their resources to film the shows if they are going to cancel them before they are ever aired
DeleteThere's a saying that sometimes you have to lose money to make money. I've seen it happened many times when a show is struggling, it's cancelled after only 2 or 3 episodes are aired and the rest are locked away in a vault somewhere. The network then plops a new show into the time slot. If the show is successful, the network can charge more for commercial time...and make more money.
I agree!! I know Kody Brown personally and it sickened me to hear the things he said about Christine on the Natalie Morales interview. He is so self serving it is despicable! I am completely disgusted with his behaviors. I also believe that Meri is cruel and mean spirited. Janelle has put up with way more than she should have. All the while, Kody gives a wink and a nod to her behavior. He is a sorry excuse for a man!!!
Deleteyesterday meri twittered that she is not excited about christmas or anything! it sounds a bit pouty and bitter...i bet the show is done and they just recently got the news. someone on the facebook tlc fanpage is saying the show is being REPLACED by HBB. i bet meri is wishing they saved some of the money so they could keep up the lavish xmas like in the haydays of the tlc paychecks....
ReplyDeleteThere's a new UPDATE for 10/5 on Lourdes' latest I Scour the Internet article for that addresses this rumor about HBB replacing Sister Wives.
DeleteI saw the same tweet too from Meri...but I just thought she was being sarcastic since in the same tweet there was a tweet pic of Mariah in a store holding a tiny christmas tree thingy w/ a wide eyed goofy grin...lol
DeleteJune and Sugar Bear are miles above the Brown Family. They are honest about their lives. They live in a small town, and the most extravagant thing we have seen them do is go to a water park. June extreme coupons, a skill that would serve the Brown's well. I also heard that TLC offered to get Honey Boo Boo's family a bigger, nicer home, and June refused. She likes the town they live in and likes decorating her little house for the holiday's. I have a feeling this is not sitting well with the Brown family and as soon as the TLC gravy train is gone they won't even be able to afford the rental's they are living in much less 4 mcmansions.
ReplyDeleteI felt the show jumped the shark when Robchin offered up her uterus on the sister wife alter to score points with the rough and tough-love Meri.
ReplyDeleteI mean Robchin was whining and crying about just having to move AGAIN!!!!
It was such a gimmick for the producers to think that the viewers would believe that the "new young thing" would endure back aches, swollen ankles, heartburn, hemorrhoids, emotional and physical agony, not to mention 50 lbs. weight gain for her bossy, first wife rival. I have never bought that they are friends...Meri may be in love with Robchin, but for Robchin, I feel she just keeps her enemy close.
Can you imagine the celestial martyrdom this would have launched her into?
Maybe it's just me but when an internal organ comes into play on a reality show, they have "Jumped the Shark"
I think the show began jumping the shark on the first episode. Kody had marvelous air time when he announced he had selected Robyn's wedding gown, and even the women saw it happening when Kody did his little "Carlton Dance" at the dining room table.
ReplyDeleteAnd so it is because the shark is Kody's monumental ego, and the egg shells the children walk upon are what is left of the wives dignity shattered to pieces and trod underfoot.
The book Maddie will write one day will lay it all out with heart and humor and all the pathos we have only glimpsed. I just hope she waits until she is out of the clutches of the grifters so she gets to keep the profits.
I agree when Robyn entered the picture the family was doomed. I went to the TLC main page...Sister Wives is still scheduled. They even have new scenes to watch..
ReplyDeleteI gotta sday i think the HBB show is horrific. I firmly believe it gives out very bad habits for children.. the mother though she may be honest, certainly needs to get her child in check health wise.
The Brown's are still in Vegas...though i must admit the tweet Meri put out yesterday ( I will have to go look at it)...concerns me.
The Browns as was told on this site in the last few days is speaking at UNLV on a panel...I am communicating with someone in the educational Masters dept. to find out what this panel is about...if they are going to have TLC cameras there. I like to try and wrote the whole check out, before I come to a conclusion.
For me, the show jumped the shark when it became all about Kody.
ReplyDeleteAll we got to see was Kody cruising around in his Lexus, Kody going here, Kody going there, Kody saying this, Kody saying that. We only got glimpses of the wives when he went and visited them. The awkward hug and kiss (which even on tv looks awkward, I'm pretty sure they're not getting those when the camera is not rolling).
Kody occupied about 90% of the time. The rest were wives and kids. We only pretty much got to see the wives together as a pack.... To plan for Kody's birthday, Kody's presents or Kody's Kristmas.... I did notice though, the wives and kids without Kody are so different than with Kody.
It was the Kody World Circus... Later on it was just Kody taking trips with the wive on turn... As they say in Spanish "Kody pa'arriba y Kody pa'abajo".
From all viewers, I think only a hand full likes Kody. People don't care that much about Kody. The show is called SISTER WIVES for a reason, not KODY and his PACK.
People really wanted to get to know each wife INDIVIDUALLY and in depth. What they are like, what makes them tick, how is her relationship with Kody, how are the dynamics, how does she really feel about xyz etc etc etc. How are the relationships with the other wives. That never happened.
We never really got to know the kids, damn, I only learned the names of a handful from the show. The rest I had to look up somewhere else.
People also like to see realness. Again, that didn't happen. Most of it was either as fake as Snooki's tan, scripted, poorly acted or it were just trips. People want to see what their real life is like. They don't care about crappy scripted shit, such as Kody's decorated birthday car, the sir-gate story etc
I agree - Kody running around the subdivision plots was the dopiest thing I've ever seen an adult do. He's an attention whore.
DeleteThey jumped the shark with the move to vegas in my opinion. It was a gimmick from the start.
ReplyDeleteTLC has a bad habit of helping their shows jump the shark. I call it the TLC Recipe for Disaster. They always start with the "A look into the world of"...(raising 6 babies or 18-19 kids or polygamy. They show us a few episodes of normal, this is our life. Then Suddenly its Look at us taking a trip. Look at us going to a farm, museum or county fair. They never stay with the real life.Its the same thing for every show they come up with..Duggars, Kate+8, Sister Wives, and the newest new show Conjoined Twins Abby And Brittany . They had two shows about this is our life and our friends , how we go to school etc and now its see us go on a trip to New-York and London.I don't watch HBB so I don't know if they have started doing it to that show.
ReplyDeleteThese incessant, no reason trips is what starts the slide to jumping the shark. I really enjoyed Sister Wives for the first few episodes. I really wanted to know how it worked.then it was Kody on a Honeymoon (yuck) and Kody taking someone to Mexico and another trip.
TLC used to stand for the learning show now its associated with train wrecks.
You are right, frenchparents.
DeleteTLC does seem to use the same game plan over and over.
They showcase the premise (the oddity) and then when the well runs dry on that process, they quickly start scheduling the trips and off-site location events. Viewers get less and less of the *reality* of the original premise and the individuals, and more of the scenery and fluff.
It gets old and boring. The Duggers definitely have reached that stage.
Viewers, at that point, may just as well be served by watching The Travel Channel.
I agree with you both. I've always said the first season of any reality show, especially those on TLC, is the best because it is showing us the family as they are before the fame and notoriety enter the picture. Isn't that why we tune it, to answer such questions as: How does a dwarf go shopping or reach the teller's counter in the bank or cook dinner in an average-sized home? How does a parent of two sets of multiples manage bedtime and naptime, especially during the Terrible Twos? How does a family of multiple wives make it work--who shops, who earns the money, how does everyone get along in one big house?
DeleteCut to the TLC checks coming in and the People magazine covers and the notoriety, and we now see the Roloffs adding on to their modest farmhouse . . . twice. And Jon and Kate are no longer juggling bedtimes and nap times, but trips to Hawaii and beachfront homes in Florida that most of us with two to four kids could never afford or manage. And the Browns are no longer even living in one big house, but multiple large homes, including the one wife who is going to be an empty-nester soon and who still feels entitled (no way does Meri feel like the others are equals to her).
I'll bet that the Honey Boo Boo family will end up the same way--in some McMansion (they have four kids and a grandkid already in what appears to be a three-bedroom single-story home--it won't be long before the paparazzi are on their doorstep and they claim they need the huge house for their privacy).
They should have never moved to Vegas. The show became extremely gimmicky aftr that. I don't think they saved ANY money probably because they thought they could ride this out for a few more years at least. I don't know how with so many kids in this economy they could be so stupid financially. I still think bringing Robin in was a terrible idea though it seems like all the kids are getting along OKay. I think 5 years down the rode and you will not see all 4 wives there. Hopefully Christine and Janelle move on.
ReplyDeletePersonally I like HBB. I wish the TLC producers or editors would be a little kinder to Alana!! NO ONE NEEDS TO SEE SNOT RUNNING DOWN HER NOSE!! I hope Sugar Bear treats himself to a better job with cleaner air! Chalk mining has got to be one of the worst jobs EVER!! I think June raised her kids alright but I have a nagging feeling not one of those girls will EVER be employed gainfully so family save some money from this!
(am i the only person here who can't post from Safari on my iPad since the iOS 6 upgrade? WTF?) anyway...
ReplyDeleteYup - there's definitely been some shark-jumpin that would make Fonzie proud (that's where the term comes from, the infamous happy days episode!) I also think of Cousin Oliver in the last season of the Brady Bunch, but then again, I'm an old chick. lol.
I personally believe that Kody had a bug up his butt to move to Vegas anyway, and he used the show to get it done. I doubt it was the producer's idea. I do believe that you are right CJ about the surrogate offer being the shark-jumpin' moment.
The whole last season (such as it was) has had a really...contrived...reaching for substance feel to it. Like the producers really had to put their thinking caps on to figure out "what are we going to do now". So what did we have last season? a dating episode (which made me very angry as the way it was done, you could see who were the favored wives and who weren't - Robyn got the romantic dinner out, Meri got the ski trip, Christine got the "good buddy" helicopter tour (something you would do with a kid - not even a dinner before hand) and poor Janelle got the cheap ass "hiking" date. gag me. and in between we were favored (again) with the ad nauseum photos of the young Kody and his concubines and of course the hilarious white tux. omg. i still laugh thinking about that because it reminds me of Tom Hanks in "Big" at the christmas party. oi vey. Klass.
Then the non-suspenseful house search, the half-assed "what are we gonna do for money other than actually getting a real job" and "let's not mention the MARKETING JOB with the COMPANY CAR" hahahaha. I felt like slapping Kody in the face when he GUILTED Logan into staying in town and going to UNLV. I think his first choice was really the Utah college - I get the strong impression that he wants to really be on his own. Shame on Kody for forcing his son to do his bidding. and shame on Janelle for letting it happen.
of course the interview, AH YES the interview where we saw some of the true colors coming out. It really amazed me that their fans on FB chose to spin the interview as the Browns being tricked, or even that it was a positive interview. No way did anyone come out in a positive light, and it wasn't because of the interviewer, it was THEM. particularly Kody.
So what happens now? Incidentally I find it interesting that the FB post copied on Lourdes' ISTI post shows that Robyn is still going my just Robyn Sullivan instead of adding Brown. even if she hasn't changed it legally she can still use Brown in her FB posts. Obviously for some reason she isn't. hmmmm.
I bet the date is being pushed back from 11 November, and I'll bet not even the Browns know. TLC doesn't have to tell them anything, it's not the Browns' call when they are going to be aired. My guess is that 1) the producers got some film at the 5K and they want to add it or 2) something is happening on the real estate front that they are pushing back the date for or 3) they are trying to make a cohesive story out of hours of crappy boring video. good luck on that.
Incidentally I don't watch HBB because I'm not a big fan of toilet/raunchy humor especially involving bodily functions. Right now the HBB fam is on top, but no worries we will see this same arc with them eventually. I give them 2-3 years at best...like the Browns they are a freak show, even though they might be a "loving family that does things together" still the mother is choosing to exploit her child for $$$. IMO. DJ
The shark was jumped for me when Robin entered Kody's Big Top.
ReplyDeleteNo doubt TLC thought adding #4 would be a tantalizing addition that would fuel loyal and extended ratings. What TLC missed was that at that early stage, they hadn't yet fully developed individual storylines for the other 3 wives.
Their stories (if even true) had to wait 2 more years for the book.
So instead, with Robin entering the scene at that early stage, the show then had to take on the *KODY*-world identity, with every scene ultimately being about the ringmaster and his band of adoring *and* suffering wives. The wives and children were often nothing more than a vehicle to showcase Kody.
And lord knows, that guy lives for the limelight.
The Vegas move was fictional in cause and purpose from the get go. But it did guarantee a boatload of possible new scripts. But because every venture, trip, event, family dilemma had to somehow wind up revolving around Kody, there was little to learn or observe about their alleged blissful Plyg "family" beyond noticing what was so obviously missing and lacking for the wives and children.
There have been many scenes which have made me wish to change my blog name from Amused to Appalled.
One that stands out is where Janelle, obviously seriously overweight, had to endure being weighed during their Gym fling. That was quite painful to watch (and I don't have a weight problem ) but her shame was palpable. What man/husband and *so-called sisters* would want to see her humiliated like that.
And the infamous gifting of the low-rent watch to Christine...given to highlight Christine's insecurities and anxiety, and gifted with backhanded glee by Kody and Robin as a "now just shut-up and stop your whining" gesture.
I was offended for Christine on that one.
And speaking of Christine, the scene where it seemed that she *needed* to do the wedding needlepoint for Robin as an "I'm sorry" for not kissing your ass and being thrilled that while I was in labor, you just had to have attention and kisses. That was tough to watch.
Even the Vegas-bound, harried packing up of *all* those children, which clearly was done for the cameras and ratings, was a moment of clarity in seeing what kind of self-centered, thoughtless jerk Kody was and is.
Yes, SW has jumped the shark. Too bad the wives and children can't or won't.
Does anyone know which episode has the gifting of the watch? Somehow I missed it and would like to see! Thanks!
DeleteHi Plygaddict !
DeleteThe watch segment was filmed when the Browns and the elder teens traveled to Boston. Someone apparently decided that this segment would only be shown on TLC's Sister Wives website.
Once you watch the segment, you'll understand why. Let's just say someone did not look pleased about this gift at all.
Here's the url for the video here on SWB.
http://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/sister-wives-special-gift-for-christine.html
Thanks! Now I remember seeing that. That was ridiculous! I can see why they took it out. Kody is such an idiot!
DeleteI cringed just seeing Meri's expression...Personally, I would've taken that box and smacked that idiot in the head with it, lol! That would help my blues!
DeleteI honestly don't see how this lifestyle is supposed to bring anyone closer to God or be an example of Godly principles. It's like watching a bunch of high school kids whine and bitch about each other behind their backs.
Please, Janelle, Leave While You Still Can! Testimony or no, go back to where your friends and family are, and leave!
.....Take Christine, 'cause she really needs someone to look after her :)
I've always thought that the editing was going to be the demise of this show, amongst other things...but that is numero uno!
DeleteWhile I know the move to Vegas was contrived (*gasp* I saw a cop car today oh noes). I think the show really fell of the deep end when they tried to make us believe that this family any substantial living from jewelry making. They are not the celebrities they think they are that they can't get normal esp since that's what fans want to see. (Even Paris Hilton did it) PS How are they paying for 4 houses?
ReplyDeleteYou know even IF they get those four houses, there is no way they will be able to sustain them for any lentgh of time. These people are not thinking too far down the road at all. Their priorities are about as scrabbled as their brains seem to be.
DeleteAnd'oh yes'the shark was jumped quite awhile ago.Ido not see this trainwreck going too much further down the track. I think we are all onto the facade called 'Sister Wives'
I will miss this blog when it's all over and flushed down the pipes.
Anon 7:13 - CJ has stated a few times that even after the show is canx, the blog will still exist.
DeleteYou just KNOW that Kody, being the famewhore he is, won't stay out of the media spotlight for very long, he will thrust himself in it, just like Kato Kaelin does from time to time! and he will continue to tweet!
Yeah, I won't watch the show anymore; all these reality shows are just so fake and contrived.
DeleteNice blog, though, have always enjoyed the format and humor. Will come by to visit from time to time :)
Kody Brown is the Kato Kaelin of his era. Yes indeed. Freeloading, attempted surfer persona, attention hog and non-linear thinker.
DeleteWhat an apt analogy. Wish I'd thought of it myself.
I love watching Sister Wives because I like the Brown Family. I do not think the show has "jumped the shark" and am hoping another season will be on soon. The last one was way too short!
ReplyDeleteKiane59 are you sure you spelled your name right? It's not Meri or Robyn?
DeleteThe last season was way too long for the boring, Kody-centric shows we were "treated to".
Since there are many, many people who post on the TLC FB page who are very much diehard fans of the Brown Family, I don't assume that everyone posting in their favor is actually a family member. I think the odds of that are actually, very slim.
DeleteAs much as I am into the show for the trainwreck factor only, I do like seeing dissenting posts from the fans. to me they are welcome, and I won't disparage them directly, that would only scare them from posting. IMO. DJ
RE: Robyn's addition into the family.
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion, based on the book and what I saw and my (somewhat) educated guesses, is that Kody was, indeed, "courting" Robyn prior to the show being a possibility. I don't buy for a minute that there were other guys all salivating to have Robyn "marry" them. OK, she's skinnier than the other 3 Brown concubines, but that's about it, attractive? no. In fact I think Kody seeks out less attractive/heavy women for his wives so he can lord it over them with his good looks and apparent boyish charm. Trust me...I've been there. Heavy and thinking "this is the best I'm going to do".
AUB said Kody, no you can't have another wifey poo because you don't have the $$$ to be able to support a new one and her three kids besides. I wonder how much say Robyn actually had in this. it sounds more and more like the old Chinese way of marriage - the women being bartered by their fathers.
Kody didn't have a shot in hell with getting approval UNTIL...TLC came a-knockin'. Of course the browns had already been on you tube and I believe a documentary as well and I suppose that Kody with his hair and his beard and his aw-shucks attitude was a bit different that the traditional view of a polygamist old dude. He can be charming when he wants to be.
TLC - or F8F - saw how popular Big Love was and wanted to springboard off that. So off they go to look for plyg families to feature. I'm so betting that there was more than one family in contention, the Browns, probably the Dargers, maybe someone else that we don't even know about. To get the show and the "easy" paychecks, Kody gave his bargaining chip - that he would court and marry Robyn on the show. None of the other families being considered proposed that so VOILA!
Probably easy to get Robyn to agree. I've always thought she was a bit star-struck. She loves the attention, who wouldn't really. and probably felt she was marrying into a celebrity family. woo.
Summing up - had Kody not agreed to get "married" to Robyn on the show, we might have seen a completely different family. TLC wanted a marriage and they got it. then she got preggers (oooh that means they are having sex!) and they videotaped the birth (UGH Kody's hand stroking Robyn's thigh, was that REALLY necessary???) and after the birth...zzzzz nothing.
I doubt that Robyn will get preggers again anytime soon. Even Kody must know that the TLC gravy train is reaching the end of the rails. The whole surrogate thing was totally, utterly contrived. I don't even think Meri has EVER seemed that worked up about it.
Without Robyn, there would have been no Brown SW show. IMO. DJ
I really hadn't thought of Robyn's joining the family as being a plot device or a reason to get TLC to put these people on the air, but, by golly, I think you've got something there! In the book--and we've heard this on the show too--Meri states that Robyn caught her eye at a family function. Well, yeah. She was probably scouting for possible additions to audition for the new part in the reality show. After all, we know who calls the shots in the family.
DeleteI used to think that Meri roped Robyn in so she would have an ally. After all, Janelle and Christine had been pooling their resources and working together for years to make things better for the two of them (the two poor women who worked their arces off to provide financially and as a caretaker of all the kids), much to Meri's chagrin, I'll bet. She too wanted a bff sw. She made no effort to be nice to either of the other two, ever. I thought her wrangling in Robyn would serve multiple purposes--she'd get her bff sw AND she'd piss off Janelle and Christine. But your idea of Robyn being a plot device makes a lot of sense too.
I agree with those of you who think it won't last. Either Kody ends up with Meri and ditches all the rest or he ends up with Robyn.
Of course they jumped the shark! I am in total agreement with all who point to the half-baked fugitive run to Vegas. The only way I see them saving this trainwreck is if:
ReplyDeletea) Grody marries somebody from one of the Real Housewives franchises
b) the adults renounce polygamy and film the ensuing battle for child support
c) Grody dies
(not that I wish death on anyone, but the aftermath of that would be really dramatic)
After last tell all show that was it for me. Still I don't see how they can come back from that. The mask & gloves came off. Fans & non-fans know they are not a happy family, they are 4 separate families & not to happy.
ReplyDeleteTLC dumped American Gypsy Weddings saying they had taken it as far as they could. They need some drama in their series, but not too much. Gosselin got dumped when she got too dramatic and isn't coming back. The Roloffs come back with specials and with a new mini-series. They are decent people doing a decent job raising their kids and investing their money and making it pay. For plygs, the Dargers would have been so boring no one would have watched more than 2 shows. The Browns have some life to them. The segments about the kids are the best, however. I hated Christine's apology tour. I hate their 4 big houses dreams and the vacation segments. I might like to see the one to the Mormon place, though. I wonder if it will air. It's bound to be better than the bikini on the beach episodes; anything is. I had anticipated a cooperative multi-generational show. That's not what we got and I don't think, from other things I've seen and read, that it exists. Multi-generational, yes; cooperative, no. I believe it poisons their souls.
ReplyDeleteIf the entire past 3 seasons of the Brown story is compressed into one present reality....
ReplyDeleteThe Browns are comprised of one legal wife (Meri) living alone with her one child. There are three other women who are legally single mothers, and each one is living alone with her children. Kody simply floats at will between the homes, having no actual residence of his own.
No matter how many silly and contrived plots TLC can come up with, this is the reality. There really isn't any wow factor left in this show.
Here's my wishful thinking... TLC is secretly talking to Janelle (and possibly Christine) about the possibility of leaving polygamy and creating a show about her and her family getting back on their feet. They can delve more closely into each of the family members adjusting back to the main-stream, and they can even show Janelle helping other wives from polygamy leave and strike out on their own. You'd definitely still have drama, but there would be a lot more positive feelings coming out from it (than what exists currently).
ReplyDeleteDare to dream...!
I WISH! That would be a great show as it would seem many of us would love to see Christine and Janelle LEAVE and start anew. I would so totally watch that.
DeleteThey can call it "Breaking Kody" :)
DeleteFor the show to continue, there would have to be some interesting storyline with the teenagers being rebellious and acting out. I like the Brown family, but no one is going to watch the show if there's no drama going on.
ReplyDeleteThe season ending ‘tell all’ show with Natalie Morales summed it all up for me. We had been seeing all of the third season how they sister wives really didn’t seem to enjoy each other at all and didn’t really do any pitching in for the baby (anyone remembering a heavily pregnant Robyn putting together her pack and play by herself?). The relentless and mean-spirited treatment of Christine by all of the adults in that family played out as a textbook reason not to legalize polygamy. The treatment showed to Christine all season then capped off with a cruel summary of the nachos incident just pushed it too far for me. And how exactly is this making all the women ‘better’? Hogwash.
ReplyDeleteI think the show jumped the shark when they moved from UT to NV. That ‘drama’ was all so contrived and Kody conned the wives and the kids into thinking they HAD to leave when they really didn’t. The show stopped being about a plyg family living together and having a large brood of kids with several moms. All it is now is a “baby daddy” with 3 single moms and 1 real wife. They stopped showing us what was so special about their family and instead showed all of its dysfunctions and all the reasons that polygamy is bad for the wives and the kids.
I don’t know what they can really do next season. Even a new baby isn’t going to be enough to be interesting. We all know that Kody and Meri are off traveling and leaving every one behind. Not sure how they can spin that into a heart warming episode.
And the reason polygamy is not working rests solely on Kody Brown. He had his opportunity, his Plymouth Rock. And he blew it.
"He had his opportunity, his Plymouth Rock. And he blew it."
DeleteWell said and true !!!
Hi CPA Carol: I remember the cruel nachos remark about Christine, but I don't recall any other unkindness toward her last season. Could you give examples?
DeleteNot CPA Carol, but I just felt a huge amount of...indifference...from Kody towards Christine. He just doesn't give a crap about her. Remember the episode where Kody was spending his night with Christine endlessly texting on his phone or sleeping on the recliner ignoring her? ugh.
DeleteOk here are a few examples of Christine being treated badly: Kody cancelled the celebration of Joseph Smith's birthday (which was one of Christine's family traditions they had done for years and was important to her) and he said instead they would celebrate Hanukkah. TLC also showed clips of Kody napping on the recliner as Christine got the house and food ready for the large family. He also 'forced' her to go talk to Meri and get her advice as to how to make things better with Kody. Meri basically told her to suck it up and get over herself. He then made her go on what we now call "the apology tour" where she apologizes over and over and over again about how she was not as nice and as supportive to Robyn as she should have been and she could have ruined the family. Does anyone here believe for one minute that that apology tour was demanded by Kody? He probably said' you go make this right, it's all your fault". He also blew her off at the Christmas Mansion by dismissing her need to talk and he just kissed her on the top of the head like a child. Those are the examples I can think of off the top of my head.
DeleteHere's the thing, (and I am not a fan of Kody at all!), but Kody can never really win, yet Kody also ALWAYS wins. The first season with bringing in Robyn and Meri's struggles, we see him in later seasons giving those two preferential treatment. That left Christine and Janelle behind and not receiving the nice vacations, dates, etc. I imagine the family dynamic is like a pendulum where Kody will spend more time with one or two wives more than the others.
DeleteUnfortunately, this is a self-perpetuating cycle because the minute he "swings" away from one to give attention to the other(s), that one feels like they have done something wrong or bad to have him suddenly spend less attention/affection on them. Polygamy is inherently unfair this way and I don't give a damn how much these women say they are trying to be selfless, humble, modest . . . they are still HUMAN and deserve to have a husband totally devoted to each of them. I think Janelle puts the best "face" on it and shows the least amount of emotion, although it has been mentioned before how difficult she found it early in their marriage when Kody and Meri would be holding hands in front of her and taking off to do their own thing.
Yes, I do think Christine was treated poorly, but it's about time to be Robyn's turn here soon. I think Kody likes this cycle, because it gives him MANY opportunities to feel like the "savior" or "champion" when he turns his attention back to a wife. The video of him giving Christine the watch is a great example. He keeps giving himself little verbal pats on the back like: "well, I just did it because I thought you were blue! I thought of it! Me!! (Now STFU and stop being sad) *hairflip*"
The family dynamic creates all of the problems and he gets to play the white knight and rescue all of his wives all the time. I wish they would wake up and rescue themselves and their children from Kody's poisonous cycle of manipulation.
As cynical as this sounds, I think TLC is holding it for closer to the election when the Mormon fascination kicks up again. I don't think it's over. It was too popular and too cheap to make, and the lawsuit is only going to get more exciting.
ReplyDeleteCynical, Goji? lol That's the way the world runs now, isn't it. I hadn't thought of that aspect, but it could be true.
DeleteIt all comes down to ratings. I, personally, could not care less about our presidential candidates' religious beliefs. I see absolutely no Mormon "fascination" and the Browns as much state they aren't Mormon/LDS. Cheap as it might be to make, if TLC can put a show such as HBB in the same spot and get 2x as many viewers, they can command more ad dollars and therefore make more of a profit out of the back end, which is where it really counts.
Delete
DeleteIMO, the lawsuit is going to fizzle, just like the show will fizzle. it's all dependent on whether the Browns' pro bono attorney wishes to expend time and money (he has paralegals and staff to pay, after all) to pursue this. My guess is that as soon as attention stops being paid to them, he will also lose interest and that would be it for the lawsuit...and truth to tell, the public is NOT in the Browns' favor. There is far more support for same-sex marriage - polygamy is an entirely different matter altogether, because there is so much welfare fraud and so on tied into it.
Back to the term "jumping the shark". here's the clip from Happy Days from which the term was coined. I thought it was hilarious that CJ used the photo of Kody riding the dolphin, as it is SO similar to the shots of Fonzie waterskiing (WTF WATERSKIING? Fonzie???)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE
I don't believe the move to Vegas was when the shark jump occurred, nor Robyn joining the family. These two actions were, IMO, something that Kody wanted before the show ever was conceived. He used the show as a way of getting what he wanted (and to hell with what the rest of the family wanted!). The show DID exaggerate a lot of points, such as the "cruising cop cars" and fake sirens while Meri was frantically trying to pack the family's belongings into a rental truck. That was BS, but I don't think it was jumping the shark. I'm sure the cops WERE cruising around the Browns' home - remember the very first or second show of S2, where the Browns were peeping out their window at the paparazzi that were waiting outside to take photos.
The Browns more than likely called the police themselves to get rid of the photographers, and TLC filmed them for later use. I read somewhere (can't remember now) that Lehi has a LOT of polygamists, which makes sense since the Brown kids were going to a plyg school, and the wives talked about having to leave their church when they were preparing to move to Vegas. But jumping the shark? Not IMO - exaggeration is more like it.
The show wouldn't have happened without Robyn (or any other woman who agreed to become wife #4) being added. That was the premise of the show - here's Mr. Brown, his three wives, and about to add a fourth woooo hooooo! So Robyn joining wasn't the shark jump.
The shark jump would be contrived scenes/situations which were obviously thought up by the producers, possibly with Kody's and the wives' input, and it might be hard to limit it to just one:
1) Kody and Robyn at the Lamaze class where they announce WE ARE POLYGAMISTS - as if the folks in the room weren't well aware of exactly who they were, with cameras in the room and all. oi.
2) the surrogate offer made "privately" to Meri. (with cameras of course!)
I really think that the season of Robyn's pregnancy last year was when situations were SO OBVIOUSLY made up just for the camera, although I'm certain it happened prior to that time.
The last season, with the exception of the interview finale, was just one contrived, made up situation after the next. It was all so fakey-fake. They all lied, they made stuff up...the adults I mean. The kids for the most part, (except maybe Mariah) refused to cooperate - looking bored during "church", totally skeptical/bored during the Big House Announcement, one of the girls (forgot the name off hand) adamantly refusing to participate in the "church service" (ha i bet off camera Kody gave her an earful, good for her for putting her foot down!).
I think it's obvious the kids are SO done with this. except for perhaps Robyn's daughters, and Mariah.
Almost every house on the street where the Browns used to live in Lehi are plyg houses owned at one time or another by the AUB.
DeleteThe show went in the crapper when they put Robyn in the corner. We need more Robyn!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat is Robyn's perspective on Meri's charity run? Do the Bonus Kids help her with Sol the way they should?
Of all the jewelry designs, whose are the best selling?
Robyn is so articulate and compassionate. The whole world empathizes with her.
Bring back Robyn!
ROFL ROFL ROFL
DeleteWrong site, 'Anonymous', wrong site....
"The whole world empathizes with her."
Thanks for the laugh, though! ROFL
lol. i'm almost sure you're being sarcastic but i'm also a little bit scared you might be serious...
DeleteYeah, I wondered too about "Anonymous'" post. Like, seriously?
DeleteI do not prefer to see Kody prance around. I would much rather hear Robyn's insights and caring observations.
DeleteFace it, Robyn is the only one of the women who has any sense of subtlety and diplomacy. The rest of them are all in your face, passive aggressive types. Robyn comes across as the mature one most of the time, because she looks out for more than just herself. She cares about the group's dreams and future. She cares about Kody's needs and she understands polygamy better than her sisterwives. Think about it, Christine's mom divorced (!) her dad, and Janelle was not even brought up in plural marriage. Meri tries to be a good first wife, but the visible strife among the other wives shows her imperfections. But Robyn comes along and does all she can to support Meri in her role as first wife.
This past season also showed Robyn's humility as she stepped out of the spotlight and let others step forward. And there was almost nothing there!
We need more Robyn in this show again. Those days were when the show worked. And I thought Robyn's charm designs were the best of the jewelry. They reached out beyond just polygamy and they were creative and stylish!
To Totally Serious: I think you misunderstood what passive aggressive means because of all the wives, Robyn is the one who uses passive aggresiveness the most to get her way!
DeleteRobyn's so-called sense of subtlety and diplomacy is actually the manifestation of her passive behavior. Underneath, she holds a lot of grudges ( negative feelings towards Hunter because she felt he didn't accept her as a mother figure for ex.), a lot of resentment and jealousy (read her twitter whenever Kody takes another wife on a trip or entertain family without her. Shes always saying how lonely she is, or how she wishes she could be with her friends). She plays out her aggressions by trying to be that perfect wife for Kody (extending out the honeymoon), so that she will become the favorite in his eyes. She uses humility and calmness to CONTROL and get her way!
Don't be fooled. Robyn is a poster child for passive-aggressive behavior. She uses passivity to help drive that wedge between the original 3 wives so that she comes out on top with Kody, standing on the backs of her sister wives, smelling like a rose. Christine's got Robyn's shoe prints all over her back to prove it!
And her jewelry designs are just plain ugly, in my opinion.
please don't be unkind to 'totally serious'; we have so few dissenters here, it would be a shame to scare them away.
Deletei don't agree, really, but in the first two seasons (before the move), i was completely taken in by robyn's act. in retrospect, it became clear to me that she is just very good at manipulating people. in her lifestyle, she would need to be.
'totally serious', are you from a polygamous background yourself? you seem shocked christine's mother divorced her father, almost as if it reflects badly on her. how come? christine is still an allred, a descendant of the founder of the fundamentalists, surely that counts for something in the way of expertise. robyn is divorced herself and based on her short sleeves before her 'marriage' to kody, she had not taken her endowments, so i fail to see what makes her such a devoted believer and an expert.
i hope you share your thoughts with us.
Aren't Robyn's mom and biological father divorced? I was really bothered by the fact that Robyn's stepdad was at the foot of her bed when she was delivering the baby on national TV. Of course if her biological dad had done that it would have been just as disturbing.
DeletePaw Print, I too thought that was a little creepy. Of course maybe others disagree with me but I wouldn't want that for myself.
DeleteThe trend I see lately when watching shows about giving birth is the more the merrier. I don't get that attitude as I feel it's something special between the husband and wife.
I think one way to bring ratings up would be to change the focus off Kody and put it on the children and mothers. I liked the ice box slide episodes and seeing everyone get ready for Halloween.
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure the kids want to even BE on the show. And those shows were when they were still in Lehi, I believe, so that really says something. - like maybe the show would be better had they stayed there.
DeleteYes, the kids !!??
ReplyDeleteAre they willing *performers* ??
Can a toddler or a pre-schooler really be expected to endure cameras and sound crews and be expected to react and perform according to the script?
Do pubescent children really enjoy having their most awkward stage of life filmed for millions to see and critique?
Do older teenagers relish their privacy invaded in order for Dad and Mom to be reality stars?
Do these kids resent it?
And if they do should their resentment then be filmed for even more intrusion into their lives?
Should parents subject their children to any of this?
I have a feeling that Kody sat them all down in a room and let them know that they were going to do this and that it was going "to change their lives" and that they needed to "just go along with it". I bet he sugar coated it with the fact that it would bring in all kinds of money for the family so that all the girls could have manicures and every one a cell phone...yippeeee!! Once the cameras came in and their parents did a "personality change" on them for the show....the kids didn't like it. Drama, drama, drama!!! It pretty much showed us that the kids do not like what this show has done to their parents.
DeleteI bet moving out of Utah was not even discussed and obviously not part of the deal for them. So, that is when the bitter faces of the children began.
Look back on the episodes...it is so obvious.
The show's ratings would improve if we got to see more of Kody and how he leads his family on the righteous path. Kody is so selfless that he even took in his fourth wife's children! If some of his wives would stop being so concerned with jealousy and their personal needs like food for their children, they would be much happier.
ReplyDeleteHa, have to stop before I vomit!! I do believe that's how Kody thinks. His narcissism is what has derailed the show. It's been a steady downward decline therefore hard to pick a specific event. He and Meri are grifters, oh yes I agree! They clearly call the shots. Maybe Robynn had a little say while she was the new thing, but Meri rules.
For me, the point of no return or jumping the shark, was the Vegas move. That's where they no longer lived as one family and where I lost interest in the show's stated intention. While still entertained, I don't see anything resembling what that first episode was like. The women all started to get a taste of living in their own homes and the cracks in the dyke became too big to plug.
I am positively THRILLED to hear that Logan is living on his own (or probably with a roomie). and HAHA on Kody, since he was so wanting Logan to stay at home (Robyn too, she wanted his babysitting services). Hopefully this means we won't be seeing much of Logan on the show - this should demonstrate he wants as little to do with the show as possible, IMO. I also note that he has not shown up in the Disneyland photos, or if memory serves, the photos that were shown of the trip to Nauvoo...I think this smart young man is trying to distance himself as much as he possibly can. Too bad Hunter and the other kids can't do the same. Mariah obviously loves the limelight however.
DeleteAny Logan updates?
ReplyDeleteMaddie posted a link on her Twitter account to a FroginBrown who she referred to as her big brother. He hasn't tweeted anything but the description of himself says he is at UNLV living on campus.
DeleteI saw that Logan set up a twitter account but he has wisely not tweeted anything. I can't imagine going to college and having my entire dysfunctional family on tv for all of his new college friends to witness. Reality tv is horrible for the kids, they have no privacy, they didn't ask for this. Poor Logan. I am certain he would have gone to college in Utah had they been legal residents and he would have qualified for in-state tuition. He was kind of forced into UNLV with everyone guilting him into the decision. I hope for Logan that he can break away without worrying about taking care of the trainwreck.
DeleteSo glad to see Logan's living on campus! Looks like he won't have the Kody Brown 4 ring circus to distract him from his studies!
DeleteHad a great time reading all the previous posts. No news here - I totally agree.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I must admit, I am completely addicted to watching this train wreck, and will be so disappointed if they don't film the crash at the end, like Kate+8!
Its doomed, but something makes me want to watch!! No HBB for me
DITTO :)
DeleteThe you tube link of Fonzie waterskiing is hilarious! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI think SW jumped the shark w the move to Vegas. I stopped watching at the beg of last season other than the clips on the TLC site.
So I am a little confused about this blog. (but i love the recap) you all s(commenters) seem to be for 'poor' janelle and Christine but agianst meri and robin? 1. No one in this family is being held against their will and can leave whenever they want. They have a vast knowledge on the welfare/WIC/food stamp/gov assistance so no one would be out on the street. 2. Robin is the only one with a job now in her jewelry. She has horrible designs and the stuff is way to expensive but for now she is the breadwinner didn't the family. Meri is a horrible person who is full of spite, jealousy and is outright vindictive to the other wives BUT you can bet the other women are pretty nasty to one another off camera. When I first started watching the show I felt bad and was rooting for janelle and Christine but, I see how they are just as bad if not worse than the others. Janelle makes excuse after excuse for kody never
ReplyDeleteAlong him accountable for anything. The two have been popping out kids on an almost competitive cycle putting further burden on the gov system. I am all for people having as many kids as they want of they can afford them-- these 2 are WAY outside their budget and always have been.
Excusez moi? Robyn the BREADWINNER with that overpriced crappy stuff?? Hahahaha
DeleteSomehow, I don't see Robyn's little vanity business venture ever being in the 'breadwinner' category. It's more like one of those businesses bored 'trophy wives' beg their wealthy husbands to finance type of business. Only difference, Kody is not a wealthy husband - not with 4 separate households, 4 wives and 17 children. And, like you mentioned, her designs are horrible and way too expensive to be profitable. Her online store is more of a tax write-off in my opinion.
DeleteI would be VERY interested to know what the Brown's take of each jewelry purchase at retail is. (the retail price on the website - I'm betting that at those trade shows they sell it cheaper than online). My guess is that the jeweler who is actually manufacturing the items is getting at least 40% of the retail price. and I'd LOVE to know how many of each item they have actually sold. i can't imagine someone being that big a fan to buy that drek.
DeleteI think the jewelry business was nothing more than someone (an enterprising wholesaler or a creative fan?) pitching the idea to them at a time when they and the show needed an image boost and a new storyline. The episode of the 'show and tell' meeting of the wives with Robin proudly displaying her copybook of designs was obviously contrived and scripted.
DeleteAs has been discussed here, who really would want to wear plyg symbols around their necks as bling? Surely not non-plygs, and doubtful even for those living the lifestyle.
And certainly not pieces that look like they are made from leftover material from manufacturing rather than "jewelry."
And yeah, it could be a handy tax write-off assuming they even file/pay taxes. ??
yeah, that brand new copybook looked barely used. Real planning would never look so neat. I cracked up when I saw it!
DeleteAs long as there is a TLC contract...no one is going anywhere. Think about it.
DeleteJsnelle was (until the move to Vegas) the breadwinner of the family. SHE bought the house in Lehi, and then later put Kody and Meri on as co-owners.
DeleteRobin was not working when they got 'married', and in fact, was filmed asking Kody what to do with the bills that she got.
Oh...for sure, at first chance I am hoping that Janelle takes her Realtors license and hits the road with her kids. If she can find a good area to sell homes, she could make a living for herself...I have no doubts in her ability to be self effecient (she just may have a contract with TLC hanging over her head that she needs to fulfill). Christine and Robin...uhhhhh, well ....good luck! As far as Meri, she is legally married to Kody....sooooo, alimony maybe? or she just might stay on and deal with him.
DeleteHey! I saw that you had an old post about the Moroni Jessop family of individual polygamists (FLDS ancestry, but he is not FLDS) here:
ReplyDeletehttp://sisterwivesblog.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/polygamy-uncovered-whats-it-really-like.html
I don't know whether you saw, but he tweeted in September "Temple and I are ending our marriage. After 13 years, I am no longer a polygamist." He is now only with Martha, his first wife. There was a contender for a third wife in 2008, but she dumped Moroni.
http://moroni-family.blogspot.com/2012/09/reverse-honeymoon.html
I hope it's okay to post this here. I didn't see any "Open Threads".
I've followed Moroni Jessop's blog since the airing of Dawn Porter's (who's engaged to Bridemaid's Chris O'Dowd) polygamy special on TLC. His blog is interesting as he wrote about filming the reality special and what really goes on behind the scenes. Like, for example, how the film crew taped Porter going to sleep for the night in Jessop's trailer home, then when they turned the cameras off, Porter got up and left to spend the night in a motel.
DeleteHe even wrote about a 'close encounter' with Meri Brown! He's had a lot of serious health issues the past couple of years, life-threatening in fact. I was shocked when I read that he was down to one wife. Anyway, like I said, his blog is definitely an interesting read.
IMO :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I tuned into the first season of the Sister Wives I as whole-heartedly interested in how a family of polygamists functions. AS I have watched now for season after season I have found that the only portions of their lives that we will get to see are ones that seem to be set up, fake, or held back.
The things that viewers would be interested in are not shown.
The Brown's claim that they are normal just like very one else and if that is so why would they choose to not show the side of the family that is normal, even if it shows someone in a bad light?
I am sick of mushy crappy running from lot to lot with hair flipping in the wind. I gag on the surrogate offer and I laugh at the speedy consumption of TLC funds for excursions and such.
If they wish to ride the TLC gravy train for another spin around they really need to open up a bit more about themselves. They should show the world that they are grifters. Show fights over whose night is really is with the Kodster. Show the family sharing time alone with Kody on their respective nights. Honestly...it would not hurt the ratings if they opened up on how sex is managed in a polgamist marriage.
If the Brown's are out to make a buck and be d-list famous they really need to step up their game.
Besides...we all know about the grifting and such. I would respect them more if they were honest about how they support their family. If they are seeking acceptance they need to not be fake.
Kody's ego won't allow the truth to be shown. He really has pulled a bait and switch move on the viewing audience. We wanted to see about the lives of sister wives. So what did we get? The Kody Brown show and his screwed up view of the world. Taking his devout mormon brother to a cowboy bar. Telling Christine that family traditions don't fly in his household so they celebrate Hannukah instead. His preference of Sol over his other children especially Truely. His preference of Meri over the other 3 wives. Really, Kody should get a reward for making Las Vegas one of the most boring cities on the face of this planet.
DeleteI personally think the reason Honey Boo Boo has been so successful for TLC is that they ARE being real. They don't pretend they don't have problems, or that they have money to burn. June coupon's (maybe she could teach Christine). They have/had a pregnant teenager daughter, no excuses for it, just put it out there. Extravagance for them is a water park trip or a meal at the local diner. The Browns should take notice of how their honesty about their country life has paid off.
ReplyDeleteBut that's the way SW was in S1 and the first part of S2. The Browns had friends over for dinner, went to Kody's parent's ranch in "Yoming" to help round up cattle and paint the house (stating that the older boys visit each summer), took a trip to a pumpkin patch...and so on. It was just before they moved and after the LV move that we started seeing obviously contrived events taking place. (well except for the Robyn wedding/honeymoon...)
DeleteHBB is still a new show, and no matter what people say about them watching because they're "real", what it really is, is a freak show, just like the Browns only perhaps more so. Remember that HBB was discovered in Toddlers and Tiaras, which is in itself a freak show IMO. Wait until S2 and 3. I maintain that if June was such a "loving mother" she wouldn't put her kids through this and she'd be watching what they ate and want them to be healthy. Every move she makes is calculated, just like most "pageant moms". IMO. DJ
HBB is a freak show.
DeleteWhat else would you call a show where the family game is blowing their fetid breath into each other's blindfolded faces for "guess who?"
Or rolling on the floor giggling when even the 5 year old calls her vagina her " biscuit'...while the mother slyly explains to the camera the visual on why they all call it that.
Or they crack each other up when a pet pig uses the kitchen table as a litter box.
And for sure, when the cameras stayed on Alana when she sneezed out two humongous, hanging streams of snot, not cutting the scene until the child herself got up and left the scene. Where in the hell was the mother or father when *that* was being filmed?
Considering how over-the-top gross TLC engineered these scenes and several others, and obviously with no resistance at all from that family, it's hard to imagine how much further TLC can take this one into more seasons. Where do you go for future shock and freak after what has already been shown??
Shudder to think....
Where do you go for future shock and freak after what has already been shown
DeleteOMG Amused...the conjoined twins show...I absolutely refuse to watch that show again.
Yeah, CJ, I agree. The conjoined twins show is difficult to watch.
DeleteIt's not about being freaked at their physical plight, as much as being repulsed that TLC would market it and profit from it as a *show.*
Their life situation is definitely worthy of the occasional documentary and update about their progress in life.
I do remember seeing one or two earlier one hour documentaries about them when they were much younger.
But for TLC to put them out there with their physical oddness along with the ilk of HBB and Gypsy Weddings, and of course with all the mandatory trips and contrived scenarios, is just too much.
Kudos to both of those young women for their courage to live as normally as they choose to, but not as a show in TLC's ever-growing stable of freak shows. That just feels wrong.
Don't be fooled, bamaview. It won't be long before the show becomes the "Beverly Honey Boo Boo-billies" and the family moves into a much nicer, larger home. Every family that has been featured on this cable network has prospered, changing the original premise of the show completely.
DeleteConsider Jon & Kate: The first season we were given a window into their lives in how they juggled raising two sets of multiples in a modest home on a single paycheck. They went no place and did nothing but change diapers and feed kids all day, which is how it should be when you have that many kids and few resources. Then they moved into a larger house and then a third huge house in the country on acres of land.
We then got to see them take expensive trips to Hawaii and Florida and Colorado to go skiing. They got divorced and about every third word out of Kate's mouth became paparazzi--just like the rest of us, right? Kate transformed from a schlumpy average-looking mom to an orange-tanned and tummy-tucked woman with bleached-blonde hair extensions and fake nails who looked and acted nothing like the modest mom we tuned in to see in the first place.
I can see the Honey Boo Boos becoming another train wreck with money, and I can also see the dollar signs in the executives' eyes as this backward clan tries to fit in in higher society. People would probably love it, though. I wouldn't put anything past them.
As for the Browns, as one of you mentioned, it bothered me too (and made me think the producers had a hand in it) that the trips were plentiful, even when the family had few resources. It's hard enough for most families to raise two, three or four kids on two paychecks. How can they raise 16--wasn't it pre-Robin?--on just three paychecks? It was obvious they didn't manage their money well. And to now be thinking of buying four large homes? Silly. And unless they figure they'll get royalties from the show for years to come, just plain dangerous.
Okay, so first of all, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Honey Boo Boo and family. I think they're hilarious, and I think they know exactly WHY they're hilarious, and I think they're totally comfortable in their own skin and letting people laugh WITH them....as I truly believe they laugh at themselves as much as we do. I also believe they're laughing all the way to bank, so no sympathy for them along the lines of "Oh, the poor Thompsons/Shannons, being exploited by mean ol' TLC."
DeleteSecondly, the scene where Alana blew the two long strings of snot out of her nose and then just sat there with her hand over her nose trying to figure out what to do....I laughed so hard I woke up my husband. Don't ask me why, it was just hilarious to me. I mean, lighten up people...it's just a little snot. It's like the mother was beating her repeatedly with a cane or something. No child abuse...just showing something's that's happened to all of us, and how a 7 year old child dealt with it. It's all in good fun, in my opinion. (-:
Ugh, those are all reasons why I wouldn't watch HBB. I don't need to see that on my TV. And we're talking a little kid here - she has no clue of how this is going to affect her life down the road. I can see her being made fun of in the future - in high school or what have you. What are they going to do next, show the family sitting on the toilet doing their business? All for shock value...?
DeleteTLC will do what they can to get ratings as cheaply as possible. The blame is all on the mom, June. She's exploiting her daughter, her whole family, all in the name of $$$, without thinking for a single moment of the future of her kids. Just like the Gosselins and the Browns, I'm sure whatever money they make from their (more than likely) brief time on top of the garbage reality heap will be pissed away, not socked away. June is not that smart.
Anon 12:39,
DeleteTo each his own about loving HBB. Different strokes...!
But....would you be willing to let your child be filmed like that?
It may be hilarious because it isn't your child.
For me and my children.....no way.
UGH!!! HBB family is just like the Brown's. It is ALL FAKE. June's girls (like the preggo one and HBB) all live with their grandmother. Why has no one noticed that there are no real furniture like beds in that house? The only piece of furniture worth anything is the couch and the preggo girl peed on it. For cripes sake, they let a pig poop on the kitchen table and June had flies growing in her big toe! Who gives a diabetic man in the hospital a bouquet of candy bars??? They go to the city dump --- they don't even care about bedbugs or roaches they just laugh it off! They are some nasty nasty people.
DeleteAmused you hit it squarely on the head. I myself chose not to procreate, but I would most definitely not allow my child to be filmed like that.
DeletePerhaps the family is endorsing a line of "anti-bullying" T-shirts, but my question is...why COURT it? I can see that girl - along with Extra Thumb Baby - being the butt of a lot of bullying in the future after the show has run its course. At the very least, being embarrassed in future when it's brought up.
HBB reminds me quite a bit of that Johnny Knoxville show "Jackass". It was very popular for awhile...not my idea of humor, but basically they were willing to do whatever to shock. HBB is basically TLC's version of Jackass, IMO. Let's be gross and disgusting, as long as we get ratings and a TLC paycheck, we don't care and why think about the future of my children...show me the money now. A dollah makes me hollah. bleagh. Just like the Browns are using THEIR kids. Remember the fight between Janelle's two children that resulted ina bloody nose where both Janelle and KODY did absoultely NOTHING?? yup. but of course they allowed it to get on the show, because just like for the HBB family, a dollah makes the Browns hollah. so much for being religious. IMO. DJ
DJ,
DeleteYesss !! The not to be missed and glaring point is that these reality "family" shows exploit children.
I lost any empathy and sympathy for the oppressed wives once it was obvious that these wives were also the mothers who willingly let their kids be used as plot topics. They allowed scenarios to be developed involving their children which once aired were guaranteed to provoke public comment and criticisms aimed at the kids.
And yes, all for the almighty dollar. I guess that gig is easier than filling out the forms for welfare and food stamps.
Yep, the Hunter debacle of that kid not bowing down in phony adoration to his father's latest squeeze. And him not jumping for joy as child *#17* is born, joining the existing horde of hungry bellies.
Yes, the bloody nose fight when it was more important for Kody and Meri and Janelle to mug for the camera as they put the Christmas tree on the car than it was to be *parents.*
And early on, Mattie's refusal to take part in the "living room" church service, where she was basically saying, "Come on, Dad, who are you (we) kidding, this is a sham, and it is only for the cameras."
Goading Christine's daughter to pretend she wanted to live with Meri....and Christine playing her part in that too.
I could go on, we all could, but what is the point except to say that the wives (all of them) are willing hucksters with their own children. Just like June Brown.
IQ-wise, the father of Alana may be missing more than just teeth and clean clothes, but at least he works.
Kody can't even claim that.
Ooops !!! Meant to write June Shannon, not Brown.
DeleteHmmm.....Freudian slip ??? :))))
Never watched HBB but the decription of home & family almost made get sick. Sounds way worse then the Browns. TLC is really into trash.
DeleteCount me among those who think the show "jumped the shark" with the move to Vegas. They all looked so much happier when they lived in the big house. I could almost stand it that they brought Robyn in if they had made room for her in that big house. Marrying her was the beginning of the end, but it would have been so much more interesting to have seen the dynamics of having them ALL physically in one household!
ReplyDeleteAs for the shameful attack on Hunter when Sol was born, that wasn't "jumping the shark" but rather probably one of the most "real" moments. Their true colors showed when she actually said what she did to him and then that not one of his other "mothers" including Janelle stopped it. So shameful...
I hate to admit it but I lost interest in the show after they moved to Vegas (but love reading here..)..I seemed to have filled myself in on a lot of what I missed by reading here... I feel the shark jump moment was the move. I too, felt it was all for show and not because of any real threat. After reading the blog here, I am curious to watch the final "tell all" episode though.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started watching the show I expected much more insight to how a polygamous family lives. We saw a bit, but it wasn't long before I became saddened (and sickened) by how often the adults would say they needed another "break" or "distraction" as an excuse to blow money instead of tucking it away for their children. I was floored by the constant selfishness. I expected much more cooperation..Instead it seemed the adults were constantly whining on what THEY wanted....Let's throw a big ELABORATE party for Meri while Dayton/David gets a cake..(yes, I mentioned that one before but it still chaps my a$$..)... I expected more as to how they work out all of the regular day to day struggles. How does Kody split his time with his kids? How does their family interact with the other church families. How about bills, sharing of incomes, Kody, what does he do???....Maybe even some discussions on the religious aspects of this lifestyle? I don't know...It seemed like the show started slipping into lalaland rather quickly. These folks have never really given the impression they are one family moving together but instead splintered units competing for attention. It's obvious that Kody cannot (and will not) support this family now, how will he ever put all of those kids through any type of post secondary education? He can't even afford to feed them all without the women being on public assistance...which brings me to one last thought then I'll quit rambling...I really wonder how all of this plays out financially for this group of people. You have most likely Christine and Robyn on public assistance of some sort for food assistance before the show. Who's name is most likely on the TLC checks? I know we can't possibly know this but it does raise the question that if all of the money goes to Kody and Meri (then Janelle plays banker), then it does kind of make the women all feel trapped since they probably do not receive the $$ directly and if they do????...Well, then that would be welfare fraud..Maybe that is why they left Utah in the first place. Some of you here claimed to see food cards sitting on dressers or being used early on in the show and if that's the case, then they did so knowing they had access to other income monies...Also didn't Janelle work for some state entity and if so, if she had knowledge of misuse of state funds it may be frowned upon at her work...I'm just saying that I don't think Kody thought all of this through very much because he was too busy looking at a quick buck and he's not the one that would be in trouble anyway...Oi......Sorry..Kind of talking in circles but I have a million thoughts on this show..LOL..Ok, rambling done...
I wish there was a "like" button here because I like so many of your posts!!!!!
ITA! The thing that bothers me the most about Kody is that he is not finally or emotionally providing for his family. I am not condeming him for his religious convictions or for polygamy itself, I am condeming him because he has taken on 4 wives and 17 kids (I am kind of losing count) and has not shown to us, the viewers, that he is capable of providing the very basics for them. The wives are scrambling around to try to find something, anything to 'stick' so they can all get rich off it w/o working hard. It's hard raising a brood of little kids with no support, that is why I feel bad for the wives. Kody has dumped all the responsibilty of caring for the kids, in all ways, smack in the wives laps. If we saw him working hard and seriously trying to provide some stability for home life for them, I would not dislike him. He always claims religious persecution....I claim that we dislike him because he is not taking care of his family and that makes us sad/angry and as taxpayers, we feel taken advantage of.
DeleteFor me it was the stupid Valentines prank, so set up, so juvenile. Urgh. I'm kind of glad that the Browns may not be returning to our screens so I wont get so angry each time i see Kody empotionally abuse his "wives" But on the other hand i am going to miss the train wreck. I keep watching in the hope that someone, anyone will get some back bone and actually stand up to Kody and tell him to STOP IT!!!
ReplyDeleteIMHO they jumped the shark as a reality show about how a polygamist family works very early on, maybe even before they left Utah (I'm thinking around the time that Meri "paniced" at the police car going down the street in front of their joint home).
ReplyDeleteBut I don't watch it for polygamy-related issues, because they don't really explain polygamy or their religious beliefs, etc. I watch it because Sister Wives, to me, is a great example and education on how narcissists and narcissistic supply works in a family - the family dynamics are fascinating.
If you watch if from that perspective, then the show is just getting started.
yep.....
DeleteI thought the show jumped the shark when they frantically packed up and moved to Vegas. You are on television doing something you know is illegal. Stay put and face the music. Way more interesting than the McMansions. Just my thoughts
ReplyDeletethe point is really - there was no music to "face". They lived in a plyg town for god's sake, it's not like the police DIDN'T already know. I bet that there are a number of cops as well as city government members who are polygamists. Sure - technically what they are doing is illegal but Utah law enforcement has said time and time again that unless there are felonies such as underage marriage, out-and-out welfare fraud, etc. it's a matter of "don't ask don't tell". Polygamy is an incredibly low priority on the agenda for law enforcement. Kinda like smoking a joint, yup it's illegal but the most the police are going to tell you to do is put it out. Maybe... KC
DeleteThe show jumped the shark for me from day one. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the women are not all equal, that they do not all get over their jealousy, that they are being manipulated, and that they are irresponsible. As the show continued, I realized that the producers were making the family look bad probably hoping for a Jerry Springer moment. To see Christine get so upset about the stupid wedding dress was the straw. She gets upset about the wedding dress but does not care that the baby daddy cannot even provide her with undivided attention and support during her baby’s birth. His stupid smile after he announces that while one wife is in the hospital having a baby he is kissing the woman he is courting was the most brazen attempt to swing viewers to his being the man that I have ever seen. Yeah, you get by with that behavior, Kody, because your wives are all overweight, suffer from low self-esteem, and are not all playing with a full deck. You are the kind of creep that chased after my friend: you are ugly but not as ugly as the women; you are fat but not as fat as the women; and you are insecure and they struggle to secure you.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have hated the show since the first day and I watch it so that I can scream at the TV about how crazy the women are for putting up with an asswipe like Kody. Having said that, I doubt Janelle will ever leave him; I put my money on Christine getting fed up first and taking off. As far as Meri, I have said it before, she is a closeted lesbian and she falls in lust over the women she shoves into Kody’s arms. Then she quickly gets mad when they want his affection and not her affection. They are the most dysfunctional unit that I have ever seen. Hell, pimps have a healthier relationship with their whores than Kody with his cows. Just saying.
I don't think the show has "jumped the shark" since I am still watching it and looking forward to the next season. It must still be entertaining as all heck or there wouldn't be so many posts about these imperfect "characters". IMHO
ReplyDeletewell you know, even after Fonzie Jumped the Shark, people still watched Happy Days. Just not as many. LOL.
DeleteI saw that yesterday Meri Tweeted, "Hmm, decisions, decisions. Serious life changing ones, bigger than I've ever had to make in the past." I guess Team Brown is trying to build up some interest/suspense. This is getting old. *Yawn*
DeleteI still can't believe how less the Browns care about PR, relationship with their fans and keeping themselves interesting. They think all will come rolling to them, while they blow through the little money they have.
DeleteNow Meri is probably trying to make it seem she is still doubting about the sir-gate thingie? LOL
Meri has certainly learned the "hype" game.
DeleteBut then....so have the viewers.
Yep I saw the same Meri tweet & had the same Yawn reaction as ya'll too....Lol Once again, the decision probably has to do with purchasing something, since she seems to be super materialistic. Only watching & interested b/c of the trainwreck factor :D
DeleteMeri tweeted "Love, appreciate, forgive, & be patient. Start at home with those closest to you." I wanted to tweet back...Are you practicing what you preach? Do you Love and Appreciate Christine for cooking for Mariah...(she tweeted pick of Christine cooking for her saying something to the effect of benefit of being a polyig kid) Do you appreciate the fact that Janelle provided for you financially for years...Do you Love your sister wives, because you appear to despise them, can't even fake it for the camera. Start at home..Start at home indeed!!!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, 2 of the older girls tweet about having a job, kudo's to them, Now if only the adults would follow suit. It is beyond my understanding why these women do not have a job. Robyn, you could work at Walmart, Target, somewhere. There is certainly enough family to babysit, same for you Christine and Meri. Janelle, you have a degree in accounting, are you telling me that in a city that is all about money exchange and business, you can't find a job. You are all essentially single mothers. As am I, but I have a full time nursing job, attend college part time trying to get a higher Nursing degree, and have a 1000.00 mortgage that has to be paid every month so that my kid has a nice home. Get a job, Hell get 2 if you need too. Show us sister wives working together for the sake of their families. I want to you to show us how " It makes us better"
Exactly! How does Polygamy make them better? I have wondered why the gals are not going to the local community college to pick ups some job skills. An Associate's degree at the least would open more doors than what they have available to them now. If a benefit of Polygamy is that the family is large enough to have the little ones cared for in the absence of a working/schooling Mom, why do they not show us by taking advantage of it?
DeleteI had to finish school when my children started Jr. High because there were not enough people around my house to watch the kiddos.
Grifters! I say.
I have nothing against a stay at home Mom. I stayed at home with my kids until they were in the fifth grade...but I want to offer the kids more than what we had and that is why I choose to go back to school for not only the benefit of my children but to better myself. I work every day so that I can show my daughter that a woman needs to work hard for herself. I am happily married but I want to show my daughter that she must always make sure that she can take care of herself. There is nothing more harmful to women than to need men to take care of them because they have children and can not get decent jobs. A girl who is not taught to take care of herself is at risk of abuse.
So...how is the Polygamy making those women better? What model of female expectation and normalcy are they presenting to their girls?
I could get on a whole 'nother rant concerning Kody and his lack of initiative to provide for his brood and the model he is displaying for his boys, but...I really need to get back to work. Guilty break over :)
I think the whole premise is jumping the shark. The main reason that most of us watch is that this is so outside the norm, so weird, so so....everything, that it just draws a lot of viewers in. For me personally, I don't like that I am so drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, but I keep coming back, wanting to know what the Browns are up to next. But if I had to pick an actual shark episode, it would probably be the moving to Vegas arc. I mean, really, they weren't going to be prosecuted in Utah. Utah has turned a blind eye to polygamy for years and only investigated if other illegal acts were going on, like statutory rape or incest. Obviously the whole move, house hunting, job hunting, college hunting for the older kids, etc. was all done for ratings.
ReplyDeleteat least they are not alone and will never be lonely
ReplyDeleteyou hope...but 3 of Kody's wives are alone right now in their beds.
DeleteThese wives are the four of the most lonely people I've seen. So unhappy despite their protests.
DeleteJennifer: to me, that's a negative of polygamy. From what I've seen on this show, there's always chaos-- kids running around, Kody beating his chest, wives chattering. It seems that there's no opportunity to just be alone, with one's own thoughts.
DeleteMagic Undies- But that's not really a negative that only effects polygamy; it's a negative for any large family. My family is plural but I definitely get more alone time than Michelle Duggar or any monogamous parents with more than a handful of kids. The Browns all together seem to be full of chaos just because there are so many kids and five parents who don't actually parent. Whether you have two parents in a family or 3 or 4 or 5, the adults actually have to act like adults and be in charge. And none of the adults in the Brown family seem like they know how to take charge or show a desire to want to take charge.
DeleteI think not having enough alone time to just relax and think happens in every large family. But a benefit of being in a plural family that actually functions like a real family, is that when things are chaotic or you really need a minute break to recoupe, you can do so knowing that your kids and house are in good hands. And that can't happen in the Brown family considering no one trusts each other...
Jennifer A. I think those women actually ARE extremely lonely. Now that they are in their own houses I imagine they spend much of their time isolated (by choice) from their sister wives. And only having their husband home one in 4 days (at best) I could see myself getting very lonely indeed. Sure they have lots of kids around but know when my husband worked 4 days away/4 off the kids were not enough.
DeleteHaha, this is so interesting!
ReplyDeleteI just watched SW yesterday with a couple of friend who haven't had the opportunity to watch it before (being in Europe, the show's not really known here). I have almost awed at the family as they seem SO happy. I watched the last episode today, and even the oldest won't move from the family when going to college! Yeah, it seems like a paradise to me. (I have been waiting for at least ONE kid to go out and get drunk but no... ;) )
But my friends were more concerned about their life than me. And now I saw all of your comments, suggesting that they are not happy at all. Really? Are you sure?
They seem so happy happy..? And the twitters are suggesting that they live their life just like always.
Is there anyone who actually knows them and can give me the correct picture of their life?
The Brown's Happiness.....
DeleteI don't know them, but I guess we have to be talking about how happy Janelle was when Kody told her they weren't going to follow her dream of opening a fitness center? Or how happy Hunter was when his dad called him a monster? Or Christine when Kody told the nation how he thought she was disgusting eating nachos? Perhaps it was Meri's sense of contentment with the nurturing environment that her religion provides for women who are not the most fertile of the bunch? Is it all of Robyn's tears? I am not so much a Robyn fan, but I don't think any genuinely happy woman will cry as much as she did in prior seasons, nor can someone really fake the tears that easily unless there is something wrong.
Perhaps they are really happy though, and not just trying to convince themselves that they are happy. I don't know them, and I can only look at what I can see.
Well, no one is happy every hour of the day nor is anyone sad every hour of the day (one would hope).
DeleteI do not know the Browns personally. but one thing about tweets on Twitter (and posts on FB) is that just because one is posting something positive, doesn't make it so. particularly when one is in the public eye - of course the Browns want people to think everything is peachy-keen in their world. Robyn (among others) has tweeted about being lonely, missing her mom, or her best friend (so much for Meri being that best chum).
According to Twitter, too, Logan the oldest son is living at campus now, thank God.
I think you need to watch the shows again. They are SO far from being happy all the time. The only one who is probably happy all the time is Sol and he's just a baby of course. I still feel that UNLV was not Logan's first choice in a university - I think he wanted to be in Utah. Janelle suggested that he start associating with LDS and Kody just about bit her head off and she shut up.
The jealousy permeates the air. Christine especially, but she blames herself. Robyn confessed that she felt jealous - she constantly played Cee Lo Green's song "Forget You" (or "F**k You") often to express herself in that passive aggressive way they all have. Listen to the lyrics sometime - it's ALL about jealousy because the one Cee Lo wants to be with and loves wants to be with someone else. And they treat jealousy like it's a fault - when in reality they are only HUMAN. IMO, humans are meant to be monogamous - maybe not having the same partner all their lives but one partner at a time.
this is NOT a happy family. no way.
I seem to have missed some of the drama, as I didn't watch all episodes. But the smaller disputes, I have interpreted as a way of showing that they are mature enough to talk about their issues. Like when Meri said that she didn't find it fair that Kody spent as much time with Robyn before they got married as he did with the proper wives.
DeleteAs for Kody, he seems like a child to me. :) I am amazed that he manages to keep four wives and a whole lot of kids (at least on the surface) happy.
Maybe go back to page one of this blog and start reading?
ReplyDeleteI actually repected the Browns in the beginning of the series. I felt that they were living according to their religous convictions and the family seemed to support each other. All the kids had grown up togethr and there seemed to be a real bond among all of them. Of course there were issues but overall it was very interesting and entertaining. As soon as Kody married Robin everything went down hill. It really rocked the boat and pushed everyone beyond their limits. I hope Kody did not feel compelled to do that for the show! And why do they need such big fancy houses? Can't they find either one house or 2 houses and build something like they had in Utah? Way too materialistic. Especially Meri...So I do agree that yes the show has jumped the shark.
ReplyDeleteProbably better for the children anyway if the show goes off the air. It was fun while it lasted. I wish them good luck in the future.
Well written piece. The whole birthing was gross gross gross. It all seemed forced they came, and Meri was a bit... to excited. Robyn attacking, well that shows her true side. Let's just say, if you knew her... family, she's been taught well to be a B. The show is pathetic. It's showing us a normal polig family? I think not. This season. Houses. No surrogacy. Many a 1000 tears over a miscarriage. Over and over and over. No storyline. UGH!
ReplyDelete