Sister Wives: Kody the Idiot Divorces Meri to Marry Robyn

[socalrules]

The problem is that Kody does not have a job that provides health insurance. That marketing gig is nothing more than Kody being a "famous" face. TLC likely doesn't provide it because usually reality show people are seen more as independent contractors, they don't get the benefits as they would from a regular job. Look at actors, there is a special health insurance they get when they make a certain amount of money for the year, through Screen Actors Guild I believe. The Browns wouldn't be eligible because they are not considered actors. The studios aren't going to give benefits to the talent. Even the Duggars only have that scamaritan insurance. If TLC provided insurance to its reality show people, Jim Bob would have it because he wants to pay as little as possible. The Browns are likely responsible for their own insurance and single parents are going to find better deals that married people with dual incomes. Hell, tax wise Robin is better off not married to Kody.

[Grimalkin]

the biggest problem here is that all of you are trying to apply logic and reasoning to understand thier actions. You all are giving them too much credit to assume they are capeable of any logic.

The absolute only thing this show ever had going for them was the comments on TWOP. People watched just to participate in the fabulous snark. I don't know if those guys moved over to PreviouslyTV or not.

[BrownieMomma]

Grimalkin I think you are quite right that we are beating our heads against the wall trying to apply normal logic and reasoning to the Browns thinking and choices.

I doubt Kody has insurance through an employer, mainly because Kody doesn't seem to have a traditional type employer. I feel pretty certain that he gets a 1099 not a W2.

I don't understand why Kody even marries at all. I could see, way back when he and Meri were so young, they just assumed it as a matter of normal course of action, even if they were already understanding they'd live a plyg lifestyle. Then the next marriages are spiritual, because the law of the land is that you can only have one legal spouse.

I can't help but think it gives the legal wife a status boost and that pisses me off to no end. But I could easily be wrong about that and just seeing it through the lens of my experience as serial marriage, non-plyg, average American.

I kind of hate Kody lately. I used to just be annoyed with him and feel tolerable toward him, mainly I was interested in the show to see how the women got along, how they deal with kids, etc. But now I feel that somehow he has done the first three wives dirty and I just flat out don't like him anymore.

[gilora]

If there was a really good reason for the wife swap, Kody would be blaring it from the rooftops. The fact that they kept it secret reeks of a financial motive.

[Grimalkin]

I never had a strong opinion against plural marriage before this show. As far as I was concearned what happened between consenting adults was fine with me.

The selling point for all of it is a big happy family that works cooperatively. I can see the lure. Hypothetically, You have sister wives that love your kids as much as you do, women can have careers and know that a family member is watching the kids which would also help income ect. Kids all growing up together.

It's all false and an allusion. The abuse these women inflict on one another the pain of Being discarded for another. This show is doing a great service for potential victums. As much as Kody seems to care about the kids, and the moms seem to do a good job not involving them in the drama, I think it has to be awful to watch your mom be discarded for another. If they don't see it now it's going to be one of those things you grow up and think WTF!?

[Coconut Flan]

Exactly. While the first few episodes may have snowed me that this could work and be a good thing and all the children were really their children to all of them, the truth has come out and it's ugly. They definitely are not doing a good job of selling polygamy. For me, none of the couples who have gone on TV have shown it's a good thing.

[acheronbeach]

When polygamous Mormons first settled in Canada, Sir John A. Macdonald (our first PM) told them they were free to settle here, but could only keep one wife in Canada.

Visitors to Cardston (the first Canadian Mormon settlement) in the 1890's noted that all the men who settled there took with them their youngest wife, abandoning the older ones in Utah, and often never seeing their other wives again.

Polygamy has always been this way. Kody just tries - and somewhat succeeds - at putting an acceptable gloss over the misogyny.

[Pretzel]

I think they had somewhat functioning family dynamics when the older kids were little and Janelle had Logan, Meri had Mariah and Christine had Aspyn, and they were all kind of growing together through their firstborns and the ones that followed. They also showed how positive Polygamy could look like when in the first episode Janelle stated that she enjoyed coming home (from the job that she loves) to her family that's been taken care of by Christine during the day. I think those three had adapted to the lifestyle and found a rhythm that worked for them.

Then, Robyn came along and everything went downhill. I think the 3 different rentals were the coupe de grâce to their family. Once they had to leave Lehi and include other people as family members, the older kids saw what it did to their mothers, how much heartache it brought them and how much resentment they must've encountered by Kody.

It's really no mystery where the older kids' opposing of plural marriage stems from. :shifty:

[nelliebelle1197]

I think they had somewhat functioning family dynamics when the older kids were little and Janelle had Logan, Meri had Mariah and Christine had Aspyn, and they were all kind of growing together through their firstborns and the ones that followed. They also showed how positive Polygamy could look like when in the first episode Janelle stated that she enjoyed coming home (from the job that she loves) to her family that's been taken care of by Christine during the day. I think those three had adapted to the lifestyle and found a rhythm that worked for them.

Then, Robyn came along and everything went downhill. I think the 3 different rentals were the coupe de grâce to their family. Once they had to leave Lehi and include other people as family members, the older kids saw what it did to their mothers, how much heartache it brought them and how much resentment they must've encountered by Kody.

It's really no mystery where the older kids' opposing of plural marriage stems from. :shifty:

The worst thing they ever did was bring Robyn along. I think the show would have done just fine if they had stayed in Utah and showed the family as it used to be. They had issues in the past but the three apartment house really seemed to have created a little village that was working. I think Robyn was brought in by Meri to give Kody the kids she could not - she was mourning the ending of her chances of having another child around that time. But it backfired. While I think Robyn looks like a WPA photo of dustbowl farmwife, she is the only thin wife Kody has and I think that makes a difference to him. Janelle and Christine and 1000x prettier but they are chubby. I can see Kody liking the skinny chick best. Plus, she plays the grateful victim sooooooo well.

I also think they sold their show based on the new wife hook when it would have been just fine to showcase the stability of the family. I also think they meant to use the show as a way to shine a light on the happy happy joy joys of ploygamy and how they are just like everyone else - I think the fleeing to Nevada from Utah to avoid charges was an intentional move to make a political statement from people who are not exactly sophisticated. I would not be surprised if the divorce doesn't have some sort of stupid "political" statement attached. Like, if polygamy was legal we wouldn't have to destroy our family to preserve it. They are dumb enough to think that has legitimacy. I have not watched in a season or two and don't care to start again but I am really curious about what reason they are going to give. Thanks to whomever will take the hit and watch for me :lol:

[gustava]

The worst thing they ever did was bring Robyn along. I think the show would have done just fine if they had stayed in Utah and showed the family as it used to be. They had issues in the past but the three apartment house really seemed to have created a little village that was working. I think Robyn was brought in by Meri to give Kody the kids she could not - she was mourning the ending of her chances of having another child around that time. But it backfired. While I think Robyn looks like a WPA photo of dustbowl farmwife, she is the only thin wife Kody has and I think that makes a difference to him. Janelle and Christine and 1000x prettier but they are chubby. I can see Kody liking the skinny chick best. Plus, she plays the grateful victim sooooooo well.

I also think they sold their show based on the new wife hook when it would have been just fine to showcase the stability of the family. I also think they meant to use the show as a way to shine a light on the happy happy joy joys of ploygamy and how they are just like everyone else - I think the fleeing to Nevada from Utah to avoid charges was an intentional move to make a political statement from people who are not exactly sophisticated. I would not be surprised if the divorce doesn't have some sort of stupid "political" statement attached. Like, if polygamy was legal we wouldn't have to destroy our family to preserve it. They are dumb enough to think that has legitimacy. I have not watched in a season or two and don't care to start again but I am really curious about what reason they are going to give. Thanks to whomever will take the hit and watch for me :lol:

I agree with much of what you say, and the bolded is brilliant!

[Maggie Mae]

The worst thing they ever did was bring Robyn along. I think the show would have done just fine if they had stayed in Utah and showed the family as it used to be. They had issues in the past but the three apartment house really seemed to have created a little village that was working. I think Robyn was brought in by Meri to give Kody the kids she could not - she was mourning the ending of her chances of having another child around that time. But it backfired. While I think Robyn looks like a WPA photo of dustbowl farmwife, she is the only thin wife Kody has and I think that makes a difference to him. Janelle and Christine and 1000x prettier but they are chubby. I can see Kody liking the skinny chick best. Plus, she plays the grateful victim sooooooo well.

I disagree with this assessment of the women's looks and appearance. But I agree that Robin changed the dynamic, and I don't think Kody was thinking of anyone but Kody when he married her.

[Georgiana]

I disagree with this assessment of the women's looks and appearance. But I agree that Robin changed the dynamic, and I don't think Kody was thinking of anyone but Kody when he married her.

I'm not going to weigh in on my own personal opinion on their looks, but I think it's important to note that when Robyn was joining the family, the original 3 wives did refer to her as being a sort of "Trophy Wife", and actually discussed that in one of the talking heads.

So whatever we think aside, the WIVES view Robyn as the prettiest wife. And since they called her the Trophy Wife, I'm willing to bet Kody shares that view.

[Cleopatra7]

I'm not going to weigh in on my own personal opinion on their looks, but I think it's important to note that when Robyn was joining the family, the original 3 wives did refer to her as being a sort of "Trophy Wife", and actually discussed that in one of the talking heads.

So whatever we think aside, the WIVES view Robyn as the prettiest wife. And since they called her the Trophy Wife, I'm willing to bet Kody shares that view.

Speaking of looks, all of the Brown adults bear a strong resemblance to each other, at least to me, probably because of the wreath - like nature of their respective family trees. These Mormon fundamentalists seems to be operating within a very narrow gene pool.

[acheronbeach]

I also think that Robyn is, to put it diplomatically, not conventionally attractive in her facial features. But the other women seem to really equate thinness with beauty, so even though Janelle and Christine both have (IMO) much more conventionally beautiful facial features, they see Robyn as way, way more attractive than themselves.

I wonder which came first... Meri/the other wives viewing Robyn as a hottie, or Kody finding her hot and the other wives agreeing?

[Georgiana]

I also think that Robyn is, to put it diplomatically, not conventionally attractive in her facial features. But the other women seem to really equate thinness with beauty, so even though Janelle and Christine both have (IMO) much more conventionally beautiful facial features, they see Robyn as way, way more attractive than themselves.

I wonder which came first... Meri/the other wives viewing Robyn as a hottie, or Kody finding her hot and the other wives agreeing?

I've always felt it went:

--Meri thinks she's pretty. Wants to be the one responsible for adding the "hot" wife, talks to Kody

--Kody finds her to be a hottie/hottest potential wife

--She is introduced to Janelle/Christine as the "hot wife" and eventually they come to think of her as such

[Cleopatra7]

I rolled my eyes when Robyn was going on about how she didn't want the kids to know that the anthropologists were living together because it might give them ideas. In the eyes of the law, Kody is living with one legal wife and cohabiting with three baby mamas. To most people, the Browns' living situation is far more lurid than that of the anthropologists. Then again, now that Robyn is the legal wife, maybe she feels like she's in a special place to judge.

[acheronbeach]

Totally OT, but boy does Janelle make pretty children! The other wives' kids all have an unfortunate resemblance to the Kodester. :/

Robyn is always doing and saying eye-rollingly dumb things. The cohabitation comment was low on the Robyn scale of stupidity (IMO).

[Mama Mia]

They are doing an extra Sister's Wives show right now. It's all clips and discussions of Robyn's joining the family. I can't tell if it will end with talking about the divorce/ marriage this episode, but it looks like it might.

[JHeathen]

They are doing an extra Sister's Wives show right now. It's all clips and discussions of Robyn's joining the family. I can't tell if it will end with talking about the divorce/ marriage this episode, but it looks like it might.

I agree; thinking the same thing. She talked about being the only one in the "marriages" whose kids would not stay in the same situation if their mom died...her kids would go back to her ex, David.

[JHeathen]

It's really interesting to see just how far Janelle's weight loss has come. She was much, much heavier when the show started. So was Christine.

Meri has gained a whole bunch of pounds, and Robyn's jaw has gotten much wider somehow.

[Grimalkin]

I think I recall somewhere that it was Meri's idea to go plig. I think it went down as Kody making constant comments, then Meri, desperate to keep Kody saying "hey, why don't we add another wife!" I think the divorce situation is more or less the same.

[YourGodIsNotMine]

I agree; thinking the same thing. She talked about being the only one in the "marriages" whose kids would not stay in the same situation if their mom died...her kids would go back to her ex, David.

Her legal marriage to Kody does not give him rights over another man's biological children.

[Mama Mia]

Her legal marriage to Kody does not give him rights over another man's biological children.

No, of course not. But if the father is flaky or abusive, it gives them a much stronger case. Or if they think the father wouldn't be interested in being a full- time parent if Robin died, but his parents might - Cody being legal step-parent and biological parent to the kids sibling would help keep the kids in the family.

Or, as has been mentioned, it's possible that the bio dad has dropped out of the picture and is willing to terminate his rights so that Cody can adopt.and if that happened Cody would, of course, be the parent who has the children.

At the end of the episode, in the previews for next week, they had Meri coming in saying she talked to a lawyer about something that will effect the family. .....

[Eternalbluepearl]

I watched last night...I thought the anthropology student story line was very contrived and one of the stranger episode ideas we have seen. I thought the second episode that was all about Robyn was a complete waste of time. Nothing we had not seen or did not already know. It was more of the same...Meri and Robyn are bffs, soul mates, knew each other in another life. Robyn and Kody are the same. Christine and Janelle each gave birth to 6 of Kody's kids and are also allowed to live on the Brown cul-de-sac.

[Georgiana]

Every week I think that I could not possibly like Cody any LESS than I already do. Then another episode of Sister Wives comes out.

Why ANYONE would agree to be married to that man, I have no idea. But there's no accounting for taste, I suppose.