United States of Bates Debut Excitement MERGED

[marmalade]

I thought it was established that Tori was her chaperone. And tell me, how many of you could bring in someone not in your class to be part of your class presentation?

Can't wait to see what have to be horrific ratings tomorrow. I'm not sure where Sharla got those actual numbers, but a 0.3 share in primetime is already just awful. They needed to add in the "special announcement" or whatever the hell they called it to bring in anything next week...a holiday. Yeah, that's going to work out really well. At least they're burying the chicken episode in the first slot, making the "announcement" the series cliffhanger (or, more likely, finis).

My husband think Princess Erin is "creepy." If the announcement is indeed her engagement to that Paine guy, can she really sell a wedding without 20 Duggars involved in it, shoving out her own family?

[Arete]

My husband think Princess Erin is "creepy."

I have thought that since the first episode where the Bates family was introduced. That 'Big Families Collide'(?) episode. She had the CREEPIEST giggle when asked if any of the duggar boys were courtship prospects.

[tabitha2]

I think Hillbilly Heidi AKA Tori needs to stop braying.God she is annoying.

[sassycupcake]

Kelly Bates just said they are moving away from using the term "courtship" and prefer to say "dating with a purpose.". Hmmmm....can't imagine why...

Poor Kelly doesn't realize that most people "date with a purpose." For some people, that "purpose" is to get laid.

[grateful1230]

Erin is also directing music (or whatever? she is supposedly doing) backwards in the scenes with her class. Backwards from her classmates, that is.

[marmalade]

I think Hillbilly Heidi AKA Tori needs to stop braying.God she is annoying.

IIRC, she was on the short list of Bates spawn who "yodel." Baby jeebus help us all.

[grateful1230]

I made it through both episodes. (pausing for applause..)

I do like the Bateseses much more than the Duggars. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other while being wacky Gothardy.

[NJMom]

Count me in as another one who prefers the Bates over the Duggars. They just seem to be a lot happier, relaxed, and natural compared to the Duggars. It seems like they know how to make little things fun, even cooking chicken fingers with their mom (have we ever seen Michelle cook anything with her daughers?) and it appears that Kelly knows how to teach her kids without having to reply on 8 computers to plop them in front of as soon as they are 5 years old. The fire safety lesson and wrestling were mildly amusing. If anything, I wish that the new season of the Duggars gets even lower rating than the Bates, and the Bates come back later on for another short season (was this one only 6 episodes?) Michelle and especially Jim Bob are so full of themselves, along with Smuggar, that they need to go on a very long break...and not come back until we see one of the older girl's actual wedding, not courtship, or one of the boys getting his very own house.

[marmalade]

8 episodes. The final 2 shows are next week.

Confirmation that Tori is accompanying Erin. From the Bateses' blog:

Kelly Bates

8/24/2012 11:51:16 AM

Alyssa & Tori are both seniors in high school. Tori is doing duel enrollment in college with Erin, beginning her music degree. Love, Kelly

Sounds like Clown College is bending some rules for Tori due to the local celebrity.

I also want to know exactly what "duel" enrollment entails. Sounds like fun. :lol:

Edited because Yoda-speak should only be used by Yoda.

[silverspoons]

Count me in as another one who prefers the Bates over the Duggars. They just seem to be a lot happier, relaxed, and natural compared to the Duggars. It seems like they know how to make little things fun, even cooking chicken fingers with their mom (have we ever seen Michelle cook anything with her daughers?) and it appears that Kelly knows how to teach her kids without having to reply on 8 computers to plop them in front of as soon as they are 5 years old. The fire safety lesson and wrestling were mildly amusing. If anything, I wish that the new season of the Duggars gets even lower rating than the Bates, and the Bates come back later on for another short season (was this one only 6 episodes?) Michelle and especially Jim Bob are so full of themselves, along with Smuggar, that they need to go on a very long break...and not come back until we see one of the older girl's actual wedding, not courtship, or one of the boys getting his very own house.

I liked how Kelly was ok with her daughter saying she wasn't into cooking and that she wanted to marry a fella that cooked for her. I bet JB would have lines like that editted out because it hurts the image and potential courtships.

It did seem like Kelly (with Micheala's help) was doing alot more homeschooling then Michelle. I didn't care for the cooking or wrestling being shown as part of homeschool. I'm sure if they showed normal home school day it be boring because so much of it looks like at of quiet work by themselves. I think what makes them more likeable is that I think that Michaela really likes kids and her role as Kelly #2 and the other older girls while Im sure they help buddies do not seemed forced into 24/7 childcare/cooking.teaching roles.

[singsingsing]

I honestly do think that the Bates family is much more 'real' and genuine than the Duggars, and that DOES make them more likable, at least in my view. You could really see the contrast in the last episode when they met up with the Duggars. I don't know, it's like Gil and Kelly speak like real human beings, and then you've got Jim Bob the talking head spouting off rehearsed lines, and Michelle the robot on valium. Doesn't mean I agree with the Bateses' theology or life philosophy. But even among ATI families you're going to have different levels of crazy, the contrast is definitely interesting.

[tabitha2]

I wonder how Tori thinks she is going to find a boy that her set would find suitable-Like dad,as they said-who would accept being forced to cook his own food? I imagine Kelly is humoring her and knows in the end, she pretty much has to be more domestic "to get a feller'' and actually Tori said as much earlier in the show herself.

[singsingsing]

The thing I noticed is that they seemed shocked by how long it took to prepare and cook the food, and said something like, "It would take us like three hours!" Which seems to indicate that not a lot of actual cooking goes on in their house. It probably is frozen stuff thrown in the oven to heat up most of the time. Again, there's this weird disconnect with fundies where they idolize a completely domestic mother/wife/daughter, but they can barely put a meal together.

[tabitha2]

Thing that i don't get...Tori and the preteens have grown up watching chicken and other basic southern food cooked.How can they not know how to cook? Have they never been asked to help?

[MrsKay]

One thing that bothers me is the comparison of Kelly and Michelle gallbladder removal.

They both had the surgery after baby 19. It could be editting? but putting them in similar situations you get two different vibes.

Michelle went to the hospital in pain and was there with just JB and asked for more pain meds. JB like Gil said this was awful pain for their spouse. Michelle had the surgery. We never see the kids visit the hospital and she goes home and needed a week to recover in her room while the girls did everything (well at least they admitted on the episodes the older girls roles). Michelle when returning home looked hunched over and retreated to her bedroom.

Kelly is in pain but doesn't like feeling grougy from the meds. She wants to be alert when the kids come and visit before surgery. She hugs all her kids and even has one of the younger girls sit up on the bed with her. Kelly keeps her baby with her(I realize the buddy was with the Jeb). Kelly comments afterwords on how quick the recovery was and she was excited to come home the night of the surgery. Kelly looked up and happy to be around her kids after surgery.

I have always wondered about Michelle and pain meds. Obviously Kelly was not used to them but Michelle seemed to need more. We know Michelle has back issues, I have always wondered if her lifeless personality is due to pain meds. My daughter has a friend who has 12 siblings. her mom has always complained of back issues at school. I recently found out she is on a number of prescription pain meds for her back issues related to her constant pregnancy. I have no clue how this women functions as a mom on that many meds. I guess the episode made me identify with Kelly. I have EDS which is very painful but I refuse meds except in extreme cases because I don't want to miss out on anything with my kids. I will take pain over loopy.

I also think it was telling that Kelly wanted to get right home to her kids and didn't hide out in her bedroom like Michelle. Obviously surgey can have different outcomes. Michelle and Kelly had pretty simliar situations, both post partum with #19, emergency laproscopic surgery, both stayed over the night before and came home the night of surgery, both made never had any type of surgery before(except pregnancy related).

Ugh, I can't believe I'm taking Michelle's side here... When I had Baby #1, I had a c-section. I had never been on heavy pain meds before, and I'd never had surgery on my torso. I was off the prescription meds by day 3 and walking around at a fair on day 6, bummed out that it probably wasn't the safest thing to go on any rides just yet.

By the time I had #3, I'd been through the wringer with abdominal surgeries and complications of endometriosis and scar tissue. I jokingly demanded to see the anesthesiologist as soon as I showed up on the morning of my scheduled c-section, took my painkillers on schedule even if the pain hadn't hit yet, and contemplated handcuffing myself to the hospital bed when it was time to go home. When I'd had endo surgery the year before, I was worried sick about the kids and left AMA way too early, and royally screwed myself over in the healing process. After my last birth, I missed my other kids like crazy, but when you're a pain veteran, you learn the hard way to put pain management first and to err on the side of caution.

[moreorlessnu]

Thing that i don't get...Tori and the preteens have grown up watching chicken and other basic southern food cooked.How can they not know how to cook? Have they never been asked to help?

We've seen Michaela and Alyssa cooking in the past. Maybe they have done all the cooking, and the other, younger girls did not move up in the ranks? During one Duggar episode, when the Duggars visited the Bates (I think it was the episode where there was only 1 bathroom, and it was on the bedroom where Josh and a pregnant Anna were sleeping), we saw Alyssa cooking (enchiladas?), and she seemed very irritated. We've never seen a Duggar girl like that.

I like the way the Bates girls are allowed to express a negative opinion, whether it be the "yucky color of paint" or the fact that they don't like to cook.

[pega127]

On Monday's episode, when the Bateses arrived at Big Sandy and went over to the Duggar campsite to eat, Gil said something to JimBob as they greeted one another that sounded kind of off-handed! Was anyone able to make out what he said? I'm going to re-watch it soon just to see if I can hear it better.

[sdongo]

I really liked how Gil and Kelly said, "dating with a purpose." I think that is a way better way to think. I was always taught dont ever give a man the goodies if you cant see yourself marrying him...LOL and my family is not religious at all! Needless to say the only man that has ever had my goodies is my hubby!

[formergothardite]

I really liked how Gil and Kelly said, "dating with a purpose." I think that is a way better way to think. I was always taught dont ever give a man the goodies if you cant see yourself marrying him...LOL and my family is not religious at all! Needless to say the only man that has ever had my goodies is my hubby!

They are only calling it this because they had a failed courtship and now they really can't explain how their methods are different than people who date.

I don't think this family is any better than the Duggars. They are racist, who hand off kids to older siblings to raise and they freaking starve their horses.

[FrancineFishpaw]

On Monday's episode, when the Bateses arrived at Big Sandy and went over to the Duggar campsite to eat, Gil said something to JimBob as they greeted one another that sounded kind of off-handed! Was anyone able to make out what he said? I'm going to re-watch it soon just to see if I can hear it better.

He said something to the effect of: "When I saw the primitive section I knew I was close." Guess he meant the camping section.

[bananacat]

I really liked how Gil and Kelly said, "dating with a purpose." I think that is a way better way to think. I was always taught dont ever give a man the goodies if you cant see yourself marrying him...LOL and my family is not religious at all! Needless to say the only man that has ever had my goodies is my hubby!

There is so much wrong with this I don't even know where to start, but I always get as much from sex as I give and it's sad that you see it as the woman giving something away. And what, exactly, is so b bad about having sex with a man I have no intention of marrying? I've done it plenty of times and continue to do it. I can't figure out why your parents thought this way without religion.

[singsingsing]

ffs, I personally don't want to have sex with any man I don't plan on marrying, either, but that's based on my own personal convictions, personal preferences, temperament, lifestyle, etc. It's none of my business what anyone else does, whether they're actually waiting until their wedding night, or whether they're having one night stands. I will not be 'giving my goodies' to my future sexual partner, like he's won a prize or something. Ridiculous.

[trplaxle]

I was kind of surprised to see the books on the planets. I guess I assumed they would skip over that part entirely, just to avoid talking about the big bang and all everything else that could lead to the creation vs evolution discussion...

[slickcat79]

I was kind of surprised to see the books on the planets. I guess I assumed they would skip over that part entirely, just to avoid talking about the big bang and all everything else that could lead to the creation vs evolution discussion...

I didn't see the books either, but maybe they have a fundie spin? Like, this is what the planets look like...because the LORD made them that way. Now let us pray.

[charizbarb]

ffs, I personally don't want to have sex with any man I don't plan on marrying, either, but that's based on my own personal convictions, personal preferences, temperament, lifestyle, etc. It's none of my business what anyone else does, whether they're actually waiting until their wedding night, or whether they're having one night stands. I will not be 'giving my goodies' to my future sexual partner, like he's won a prize or something. Ridiculous.

Right! My sexuality is not a prize for someone else, it's mine to enjoy as best suits me.