Jessa's Engagement Episode 11/4/14

[eh02]

OK, I tend to be critical of Jessa and Ben, and to be honest, the actual proposal was almost painful for me to watch (Ben looking like an awkward teenager asking a girl to prom, Jessa and her complete inability to look happy and emotional) I had the biggest, dumbest smile on my face when Michelle looked so panicked when they held hands (FOR PRAYER). And Jessa's stinkeye in response - like, "WATCH ME, BITCH!!" And she didn't move an inch. It was great.

I liked getting to see more of Jinger this episode! That was the best part to me. My heart was breaking for her that she is losing her best friend, though. I hope she is close to Jana and that they'll not have too hard a time. :( I hope whenever they do both find a partner, that it happens around the same time and one isn't left behind. Though poor Joy-anna would still be stuck.

I'm dying to know if Jessa and Ben will be staying in Tontitown. For their sake, I really hope they go farther away, maybe even out of Arkansas completely. As much as I'd hate if Ben became another conservative political pawn, if it meant them moving to DC and getting to have new experiences, it would still make me happy!

[nst]

And where were Derick and Jilly Bean??? Given that JB apparently has his hands full with "wild child" Jessa :cracking-up: (I'm reading that he begged TLC to edit the filming of Blessa's wedding because JB and J'chelle didn't know Benessa was going to pull the private kiss on the alter move until it happened, and JB wants it to APPEAR that they DID know).....so, as I was saying, you dont' suppose Blessa, showing some fire as of late, said she wouldn't do an engagement episode unless Jilly-B-Limelight was not in it to steal her thunder???

timeline wise - June 21 ? Derick and JIll got married

honeymoon from the 21-5 of July

July and August - Derick and Jill are having non stop sex

July - Jill is pregnant what a couple of weeks - probably only wants Derick around

Now if the proposal was really in August on a Thursday as stated (even Jessa said she saw the Seewalds on a weekday)

then they announce it on the Friday and the following week

announce Jill's pregnancy - August

my point is Jill and Derick pre-taped it - because obviously Ben would have proposed after the wedding to Jessa - yes two months later

[tylerite]

Dang, I didn't watch because I figured it was going to be stupid.

I will have to make sure to watch it when they replay it.

I'm glad B & J kept holding hands and did the frontal hug. Good for them.

[FreeHannie!]

OK, I tend to be critical of Jessa and Ben, and to be honest, the actual proposal was almost painful for me to watch (Ben looking like an awkward teenager asking a girl to prom, Jessa and her complete inability to look happy and emotional) I had the biggest, dumbest smile on my face when Michelle looked so panicked when they held hands (FOR PRAYER). And Jessa's stinkeye in response - like, "WATCH ME, BITCH!!" And she didn't move an inch. It was great.

Mr FreeHannie who watches once in a blue moon with me saw that and was like OMG YOU GO GIRL, she's so sick of her mama's shit, I love it.

[justmy2cents]

It's from a fake fundie blog that the media is reporting as truth. There's a topic on it in the Duggar forum. "Someone attended the wedding" or something like that.

That blog is a parody and completely hilarious. She's making fun of the Duggar naming scheme by creating her own by ending all her girls names with 'leigh'. She's Ashleigh and her girls are Nataleigh, Baileigh, and I think Kaileigh? She's pregnant with a Kymberleigh. What's next, Emileigh?

No way would she be discussing the wedding details on her blog if she was legit. Kirk Cameron said that he wasn't allowed to talk about anything specific yet. I highly doubt a legitimate guest would have posted what she did in her blog and not received heavy consequences from TLC.

It's amazing how many news sources (and I use that term lightly) are reporting this as true.

Oh, and I thought it was really funny how lost Michelle seemed when Ben and Jessa started holding hands for prayer. She was about to tell them not to do it but kept looking at her headship for his reaction. When he decided it was all right she submitted to him and said, daddy said it's OK. So sad that she can't have her own opinion. I think Ben's parents were bemused.

[SassyPants]

And where were Derick and Jilly Bean??? Given that JB apparently has his hands full with "wild child" Jessa :cracking-up: (I'm reading that he begged TLC to edit the filming of Blessa's wedding because JB and J'chelle didn't know Benessa was going to pull the private kiss on the alter move until it happened, and JB wants it to APPEAR that they DID know).....so, as I was saying, you dont' suppose Blessa, showing some fire as of late, said she wouldn't do an engagement episode unless Jilly-B-Limelight was not in it to steal her thunder???

Wasn't it mentioned during the episode that this all occurred during the middle of the week? Derrick was probably at work and the klingon might have felt it was her place to stay home too.

[karen77]

Wasn't it mentioned during the episode that this all occurred during the middle of the week? Derrick was probably at work and the klingon might have felt it was her place to stay home too.

OR she was dealing with morning sickness and wasnt' feeling up to running around...who knows.

[SassyPants]

OR she was dealing with morning sickness and wasn't feeling up to running around...who knows.

Dang, I wonder how most women manage to go to work while pregnant. I know that I did, in the ICU on my feet all day.

[karen77]

Dang, I wonder how most women manage to go to work while pregnant. I know that I did, in the ICU on my feet all day.

Very true...I'm just hypothesizing. Although would you want to be on camera feeling like that? I wouldn't have. (not that I got a lot of MS). Who knows, maybe she had a lot of laundry to catch up on. Or there is a feud! haha.

[stoleapieceofheart]

I don't post much, but I just had to put my two cents in.

I LOVED this engagement episode. I think it really showed all the people who have been saying Jessa is emotionless and Ben is dim-witted that they have more to them than it appears on the show.

I think Ben planned every little thing right down to the hand holding (pre-engagement) and frontal hug. I'm glad that Jim Bob "let" it happen too.

I actually found the engagement and wedding planning episodes for Jill quite boring. So i'm interested to see if it will be different for Ben and Jessa.

[OneFifthQuiverFull]

I think we are all falling for what we think the leghumpers fall for. It was staged, paid for, scripted, casted and choreographed. A big FU to the Freejingers of the world, from the fact that Ben asked Dad for his permission WHILE WORKING FOR DAD and Dad said yes AFTER A LECTURE ABOUT SUPPORTING A WIFE. (HELLO!? Isn't that just so very very very ironic?)

It reminded me of an episode of The Bachelor. I hope some of it was genuine but I guarantee that 85% of it was PURE script.

And I do think they love each other because otherwise they are phenomenal actors and we need to free them all! so they can go live in Jinger's NYC and get roles on Broadway.

It was a beautiful episode and I did tear up, because proposals (and weddings and births) always get to me.

I think the older sisters have become quite fond of Bin because he is a male sister-mom. The Howlers get to pogo-stick through life, snatching food from the counters and having their bags packed for them, while Bin is in the trenches with them. So I detect some real affection toward him by the girls, and I think they enjoy his company. I almost think that during the kitchen scene Bin rambled on to them about the scavenger hunt and then said, "And I don't care what your parents say, I'm holding her damned hand and when she says yes I am hugging the shit out of her." Maybe not like that exactly but same idea.

[indifferent]

Dammit...now I really want to see it! Hope someone will put it up on YT

[eh02]

It reminded me of an episode of The Bachelor. I hope some of it was genuine but I guarantee that 85% of it was PURE script.

100% agree. I am actually shocked that considering how much we all know about the Duggars vs. the "average" viewer that any FJer could think Ben sincerely planned all of this on his own...or that anything we see is a real, sincere, honest moment of their life anymore. I think Ben is obviously a nice guy who wanted to do something nice for Jessa, no doubt, but FFS. The show is practically Laguna Beach for fundies now. The production team probably just throws them some ideas and they say "yeah, we like this one" or "no, we'll change this bit" and they ad lib from there.

I mean, look at Josh's proposal. It was cheesy and awkward as hell, but it felt like it was real, and honestly when I watched it again recently - as much as I was cringing - I was thinking how nice it was that they used to actually catch important moments of their life relatively unfiltered. The show is never like that anymore.

[eh02]

Also, I was cracking up at the conversation with Jim Bob and Ben. Jim Bob recites his speech about how important it is to provide for his wife, the usual, blah blah blah. Then just says, yep, OK, it's a go. Get married.

When he did that speech with Derick, we actually got an answer about how he'd support Jill. He already had a job, and a real job! Like, one where he actually contributes a real skill and isn't being paid just to keep busy. Imagine that. Ben would probably be better off as a drug dealer or a tupperware salesman at this point. If his "job" with JB is adequate to "support" Jessa, what WOULD be a career dealbreaker with Jim Bob?!

[SassyPants]

I think most here want nothing but the best outcomes for all the Duggar kids. HOWEVER, we all live in the real world and in that real world, unskilled, uneducated and from what we know unemployed 19 and 21 year olds do not announce their engagement in such an elaborate fashion, let alone be actively supported in the endeavor. If these were our kids, in the real world, we would (at least our family) would not be applauding this union.

Wanting the best for kids means stopping them, if you can, before they make potentially horrible, life changing decisions, and not throwing gas on a fire.

More a disagreement with the parents rather than their young, adult kids.

[nst]

About the bachelor roses - I thought the same thing :D

But

:D

{L_MESSAGE_HIDDEN}:

On a COMPLETELY OT NOTE - my test results came back and I AM OK :) - still waiting for my mom's though -

On another note and GO AHEAD SNARK AWAY because I don't care :D I did send them the green kettle top and she just sent me another thank you note :D - when in life you are going through stuff - it's important to help people = and them I wanted to help - because they were making me feel better - insane I know but sometimes tv can do that -

so snark away :D I dare you

:cracking-up: :nenner:

[OneFifthQuiverFull]

I think most here want nothing but the best outcomes for all the Duggar kids. HOWEVER, we all live in the real world and in that real world, unskilled, uneducated and from what we know unemployed 19 and 21 year olds do not announce their engagement in such an elaborate fashion, let alone be actively supported in the endeavor. If these were our kids, in the real world, we would (at least our family) would not be applauding this union.

Wanting the best for kids means stopping them, if you can, before they make potentially horrible, life changing decisions, and not throwing gas on a fire.

More a disagreement with the parents rather than their young, adult kids.

I went on a big rant about this mid-year when Jill was getting married. I likened it to teen pregnancies and parenting in those situations. There are times when you kid gets themselves all entangled in a life-altering thing - such as a young pregnancy. And by and large, these teen parents and their children make it through relatively unscathed. The problem is that in this particular scenario these parents are creating, encouraging and underlining something that is just not yet appropriate. When lifespans were in the 50s and 60s, young marriage and early procreation just made sense. But people are living to be 70, 80 and beyond and for parents to "mate" their children SO early, applaud their romantic hoopla and not take into account that by encouraging this to happen at age 20, they are roping their children into what could be 60+ years of partnership. That is a LONG DAMNED TIME to be stuck with another person, especially someone you picked when you were young and inexperienced. How these grown ass adults who are a good 20 years older than their blessings can't think that through the way the rest of us can/do, I don't know. Except I think they are caught up in all the beauty and pageantry of the proposals and the weddings and the births and the 1st birthdays, etc. They can't even think for their children past the first decade when someone might get sick or hurt or maimed or have mental illness or gains a bunch of weight, or has a breakdown or has a house fire or any of that stuff. They think "She's pretty, he's cute, they both love Jesus - yep, they'll work!" And then they are STUCK together because divorce is not an option until they are DEAD.

I am re-enrolled in school in my 40s in a COMPLETELY different major than the one I picked out for myself at 18. 25 years later I KNOW I'd be miserable if I had stuck with that major because it wasn't really "me". It was who my parents thought I was (which is not an accusation - I was good at something and it was encouraged), the persona I'd picked for myself as a teenager and played to, and somewhat fantastical and unrealistic. The career path I am on now is who I know I am, what I know I can do well, and extraordinarily practical.

So it seriously makes my head explode that 4 experienced adult parents are CELEBRATING the union of 2 unemployed teenagers getting married and procreating. I just can't wrap my head around it. I can see the siblings thinking it is all kinds of awesome and sweet and romantic, but the reason God gives parents a 20+ year head start in life is so we can collect data about real life and guide our children with it.

[milwaukeemommy]

Lots of frontal hugging from the Seewalds. Apparently, they don't know the JimBoob/ATI rule!

I thought it was funny that Jessa was *barely* side hugging HER mother, but giving Ben's mom full on hugs.

[Callipygian]

I can't recall ever seeing Jessa be so vulnerable! It was refreshing. Everything that I dislike about them aside, that was really, really sweet. Ben is a sappy goof, but it just reflects how important making Jessa happy is to him. I really do think he sees her as less of a "helpmeet" and more of an equal partner, or at least I hope so.

Frontal hug, woo! Jinger was the perfect chaperone for that, letting the moment play out, probably one of the few genuine moments we've ever seen.

Guinn and Jessa seemed more like mother and daughter than Michelle and Jessa. I hope Benessa move to the Hot Springs area, because despite many of their convictions, the Seewalds would be a great influence and support system to Jessa.

[antwan]

Sounds right. However, still makes me wonder,then, why they wouldn't have offered up a video congrats like Josh/Anna did. Odd, coming from a family that is "so close" and "each other's best friends." :think: :roll: :think:

[nst]

serious question

JB or TLC won't make them take down such demonstrative pictures will they ?

I ask because if they are posting pj pictures - maybe they will post SOMETHING EVEN MORE :D

Ben's actual arms, or Jessa wearing shorts while making out :D

[antwan]

Paychecks for episode writing team, cameramen, location crew, etc., -thousands.

Cost of tablet, airplane fuel and landing fees, rented SUV, rented dinner train car, roses, and rented glass church, -even more thousands.

Dollar value of tender moment in the chapel (rehearsed but, I believe, unscripted), where Ben found his "eloguent voice", where Jessa softly cried, where they never broke their loving gaze with one another as he proposed and she accepted? ~PRICELESS! <3

Honestly, that scene played out like the Luke and Laura love/runaway days of General Hospital.

[nst]

Paychecks for episode writing team, cameramen, location crew, etc., -thousands.

Cost of tablet, airplane fuel and landing fees, rented SUV, rented dinner train car, roses, and rented glass church, -even more thousands.

Dollar value of tender moment in the chapel (rehearsed but, I believe, unscripted), where Ben found his "eloguent voice", where Jessa softly cried, where they never broke their loving gaze with one another as he proposed and she accepted? ~PRICELESS! <3

Honestly, that scene played out like the Luke and Laura love/runaway days of General Hospital.

Bo and Hope Days, Jack and Jennifer Days

Jessa and Ben the newest supercouple :D

:nenner:

[antwan]

He's nekked chested, and I think she might have his undershirt on. :D :O

instagram.com/p/vCLKdRDfm-/

[OneFifthQuiverFull]

I'm starting to think there is a bit of a rift going on, and I think it's because Jessa is "misbehaving". I definitely got the sense that Jana was a little irritated with her (my evidence: The way they interacted when Jana told Jessa to get changed on the train). Michelle seems to have a little bit a of "spark" when talking about Jessa and Ben (like she could relate from way-back-when: "Jessa was a little disappointed HER MAN wasn't on that train"). With Derick and Jill it was about how "sweet" they were but even Michelle seems to "get" that Jessa and Ben do not like to be apart. Sweet Jilly Muffin may not have wanted to expose her first arrow to all of this defrauding behavior, like frontal hugs and rebellious hand holding (and on a more serious note I HONESTLY suspect these two were caught on the compound fooling around).

I think the altar kiss was specifically so that they could avoid the "THEIR FIRST KISS" announcement because fundie or not, I think there is a special place in hell for those of us who believe in the reverence of church and would still tell a lie in there. So they had a dilemma: Lie and say this is their first kiss like the other televised fundie weddings, or just say "You may now kiss the bride" and start worldwide speculation on why they got the worldly kiss command, skip the kiss altogether or make a little scene that leads people to believe they are modest BEYOND modest which allows them to keep up their Special Snowflake status (because if they skipped the kiss at the altar 1000+ people would start Benessa 1st Kiss Watch, which they'd have to admit was a lie).

I grew up the "bad one" in the non-fundie-but-fundie-acting family where my Dad felt like he was my headship. My sister was the "good one" and OFTEN did not like me because my parents did not, because I had dome something they deemed wrong. In fact, she and I were not close at all until we were both in our 30s because her loyalty was steadfast with my parents and what they said was "wrong" or "right".

tl;dr: I think the breadcrumb trail is starting to point to a rebellious Jessa who needed to have this whole thing wrapped up and delivered before a 30-week preemie 9 pounder showed up in TTH.