Jill & Jessa Counting On, Regular Season 1

[Jucifer]

3 hours ago, hollywood said:

OOoh girl. Anna overdid the foundation in the talking head and didn't blend well around her mouth. 

I noticed that too. 

It also looked like she had gray roots in her hair. My husband thought it was the contrast between the bronzer and the color of her scalp. Plus the strong lighting from overhead. 

[OodOnTheLoo]

1 hour ago, anotherone said:

I think she seemed so at ease because she was so totally the center of it all.  Just like in those ads where they're dancing around, she is waving the baby in front of the camera all the time.  Try to imagine if it was just her and Ben, no baby, she would not be so pleased with herself.

She is probably getting enough calories for the first time in her life.  Couple that with those awesome baby hormones, a paycheck, a break from sex with Bin...she is in the best spot she has ever been in.

[iweartanktops]

29 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

The comment Jana made about Hannah being transitioned from a child playing outside to a young woman in the house makes me think that Jana is going to be the next one to court. Michelle and JimBob are too lazy to clean their own house and cook their own food, and they're too sexist to make the boys pitch in and help, so that leaves forcing Hannah to be the newest J'Slave. 

I don't necessarily think so. They said/did the same thing to Joy, and presumably the rest of the girls. They hit a certain age, and are no longer allowed to play with their brothers and be kids. It's time to prepare them for their futures as helpmeets. It's disgusting. 

[O Latin]

Was I the only one who, when Jessa was talking about Spurgeon's arms sticking straight out in his snowsuit, immediately thought of Ralphie's little brother from "A Christmas Story" shouting "I can't put my arms down!"

[Snarkylark]

1 minute ago, iweartanktops said:

I don't necessarily think so. They said/did the same thing to Joy, and presumably the rest of the girls. They hit a certain age, and are no longer allowed to play with their brothers and be kids. It's time to prepare them for their future as helpmeets. It's disgusting. 

Except they said that Johanna was the one that was showing interest in doing more things inside instead of playing outside with the boys. 

[Jucifer]

2 hours ago, nickelodeon said:

I hate how the mancubs in this family treat their sisters like the help (c.f. JD's stupid laundry comment yesterday.)

Wish I could 'like' this more than once.

[iweartanktops]

3 minutes ago, Snarkylark said:

Except they said that Johanna was the one that was showing interest in doing more things inside instead of playing outside with the boys. 

I didn't watch it, I'm going off of the recaps. But it sounds like they're convincing her that's what she wants. They did the same thing to Joy Anna. Go back and watch. 

If you Google there are likely YouTube links. 

ETA - Remember, we're not talking about a mainstream family, here. They are fundamentalists. 

[RoseWilder]

8 minutes ago, iweartanktops said:

I don't necessarily think so. They said/did the same thing to Joy, and presumably the rest of the girls. They hit a certain age, and are no longer allowed to play with their brothers and be kids. It's time to prepare them for their future as helpmeets. It's disgusting. 

Yeah, they did that to Joy right around the time when Jill and Jessa started courting. They had to move someone new up to fill the empty J'Slave spot. And now they have to start moving a few more girls up because otherwise *gasp* JimBob and Michelle might have to cook their own meals and do their own laundry. 

The older girls were forced into a life of servitude at the age of 6-7 (I looked up the ages when they all acquired their buddies) and Hannah was allowed to be a kid until the age of 10. Why the longer wait? Because JimBob and Michelle had enough slaves already, so they didn't need Hannah to shoulder the workload. 

I agree that it's disgusting and sad. It even more horrifying to think of how much younger the older girls were when they had their childhoods ripped away from them. Jill was 7 years old when she was given her first buddy. Then at the age of 10, she was given her second buddy. A freakin 10-year-old was in charge of raising a 3-year-old and a baby - and all so JimBob and Michelle could be lazy and shirk their parenting responsibilities. It's absolutely sickening. 

[iweartanktops]

Yep, exactly @RoseWilder. And of course it's possible that courtships are a factor, but I believe they would be doing this either way. 

[RoseWilder]

Just now, iweartanktops said:

Yep, exactly @RoseWilder. And of course it's possible that courtships are a factor, but I believe they would be doing this either way. 

I agree that this would happen either way. They weren't going to let Hannah be an independent tomboy forever.

I just think the timing of when this actually happened is because Jana is leaving soon. They seem very inconsistent with the timing of when they try to force independent-minded girls to act ladylike (I could barely type that word without gagging.) Jana was 7 (that's when Michelle had her laundry room meltdown.) JoyAnna seemed a lot older than that when they started trying to mold her into a J'Slave. I think she was about 13/14 (right around the time when JimBo started trying to marry his daughters off). And now they're starting in on Hannah at 10-years-old. 

The only consistent pattern I see here is that their childhood always seems to end right at the time when JimBob and Michelle are in danger of actually have to get off their lazy butts and cook their own food, do their own laundry and raise their own children. 

That's what makes me assume that a J'Slave vacancy is about to open up. 

[winterdice]

They are still one down, even if Joy did 'step up properly'. I suspect you're right, they will loose another J'slave shortly, but surely one of the older boys will marry soon. 

[Dandruff]

AFAIC, Josh was all over that show.  We just didn't see him.  Hope this backfires on TLC big time...though there's no telling with leghumpers.

I don't think there's any reason to believe that there's an impending courtship.  It seems like just the usual dangling of bait.

Michelle's shirt, OMG.

[ClaraOswin]

My random thoughts after watching....

In the beginning when Jessa is talking about being a matchmaker and joking around she sounds so...normal. Like a completely different person. 

I don't really get what John meant when he said to Jessa "there are more girls in the world than you know."  What exactly was he implying?

Spurge sleeping on their bed with all the sheets and a pillow and whatnot. Ugh.

I can't tell if Jessa was joking or serious about butter not being bad for you at all.

When did the twins get so old?!

Sad that Hannie can't run and play with the boys anymore. 

Annoyed that JB and Michelle made an appearance.

Oh yeah....at the grocery store talking about pies and stuff...I heard Joy say something that about how if they ate all of those they'd look like "heffalumps." Did I hear that correctly? A heffalump is a character from a Winnie the Pooh movie. Are they allowed to watch that sort of thing?

[CyborgKin]

4 hours ago, Buzzard said:

The toilet has glade vanilla air freshening spray on it.

Vanilla is the best air freshener scent.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

4 hours ago, nickelodeon said:

Are they not allowed to say the word "thanksgiving" due to copyright restrictions, or what?

Wasn't Anna's visit to Josh closer to Christmas than thanksgiving? It could just be that they already did the thanksgiving thing and did the "fall feast" as a storyline.

3 hours ago, nst said:

And what was more apparent - are a couple of things 

Jessa has become the new Matriarch mother 

TLC needs to be accountable for the fact that they enable these people 

Derick was smart to run away and take Jill with him 

Ben needs to stop yawning in the TH's - man up you signed up for this !!!!!

I don't think this can go on past a year 

Anna just needs to go away - her spiel just went to far imo 

JD - so everyone maybe talked to Josh 

I honestly don't agree with the statement of Derick. I'm certain that he would be more than happy to be part of that "fold," and that they're truly on the mission trip because they are THAT fundie. I think he wants to inspire others to be as fundie as the Duggars. 

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

1 hour ago, iweartanktops said:

I don't necessarily think so. They said/did the same thing to Joy, and presumably the rest of the girls. They hit a certain age, and are no longer allowed to play with their brothers and be kids. It's time to prepare them for their futures as helpmeets. It's disgusting. 

This exactly. They started transitioning Joy at the same age. And, if Michelle is to be believed, Hannie is a clone of Jana in personality as children. We see how that changed....

1 hour ago, Snarkylark said:

Except they said that Johanna was the one that was showing interest in doing more things inside instead of playing outside with the boys. 

Just like "the kids make their own choices about courtship rules" and other Duggar-isms. It's a meaningless phrase. They say someone is interested or makes a choice after using some kind of emotional manipulation against them to make sure they comply.

32 minutes ago, ClaraOswin said:

My random thoughts after watching....

In the beginning when Jessa is talking about being a matchmaker and joking around she sounds so...normal. Like a completely different person. 

I don't really get what John meant when he said to Jessa "there are more girls in the world than you know."  What exactly was he implying?

Spurge sleeping on their bed with all the sheets and a pillow and whatnot. Ugh.

I can't tell if Jessa was joking or serious about butter not being bad for you at all.

When did the twins get so old?!

Sad that Hannie can't run and play with the boys anymore. 

Annoyed that JB and Michelle made an appearance.

Oh yeah....at the grocery store talking about pies and stuff...I heard Joy say something that about how if they ate all of those they'd look like "heffalumps." Did I hear that correctly? A heffalump is a character from a Winnie the Pooh movie. Are they allowed to watch that sort of thing?

They've been known to watch some Disney classics, like Michelle wrote about them having a Dumbo movie night before. 

I think John means that he's not interested in the girls that his family knows. It doesn't necessarily mean he's looking for outside the cult, just that he doesn't like who he has to choose from presently. 

Butter is good for you. And it's definitely better for you than the fake alternatives or vegetable oils (with the exception of olive oil). Animal fats are necessary components to the human diet and, when eaten properly (as with any other healthy food -- after all, healthy is only true to a certain extent), can help manage weight, aid in repair and growth in the brain and body, and provide a good source of vital nutrients. One of the best sources of healthy animal fats is actually one most people avoid (largely because of campaigns against it during the war) -- lard. 

[iweartanktops]

Cookies for anyone whoever will post Michelle's shirt! 

@DuggarsTheEndIsNear, totally agree with your whole post! 

[OodOnTheLoo]

1 hour ago, winterdice said:

They are still one down, even if Joy did 'step up properly'. I suspect you're right, they will loose another J'slave shortly, but surely one of the older boys will marry soon. 

They have had single fundie women in to help with schooling and probably everything else unmarried women are to do while waiting to be transferred from their father to their new master....I mean, husband.

i must admit.  I have been a little surprised by the girls' lack of cooking abilities.  This is one of the lies they pushed early on, that these girls have been schooled with so many real life skills.  Turns out it's laundry and keeping babies out of mom and dads bed so they can make more babies is really all they know.

[DuggarsTheEndIsNear]

28 minutes ago, OodOnTheLoo said:

They have had single fundie women in to help with schooling and probably everything else unmarried women are to do while waiting to be transferred from their father to their new master....I mean, husband.

i must admit.  I have been a little surprised by the girls' lack of cooking abilities.  This is one of the lies they pushed early on, that these girls have been schooled with so many real life skills.  Turns out it's laundry and keeping babies out of mom and dads bed so they can make more babies is really all they know.

I'm not surprised at their lack of skills. As I said in the cooking from scratch/gardening threads:

Michelle and JB got married when she was 17. They waited 4 years before popping out babies. Most 21 year olds are pretty limited in their cooking skills or ability to gather necessary ingredients because of costs. Married at 17 and 19 with neither pursuing any kind of degree or worthwhile industry (they didn't get into real estate until after they were in the cult; and they didnt seem to do very well at that, anyways, based on how they were living before the show), Michelle likely didn't pick up any good cooking skills. Then, they jumped in the cult feet first and started popping out kid after kid. The first 16 years of life as parents was extremely limited in the funds department; and they kept creating more mouths to feed. Cheap, easy, and able to produce while juggling a gaggle of children caused them to resort to the meals like TTC and "poor mans pizza." 

Once TLC came around and they had money, they were already stuck in their routines. And, with 16+ (depending on the special/season) mouths to feed, experimentation with food probably didn't happen often because improperly cooking the food or otherwise producing a meal people didn't like would cost a fortune. 

During all this time, Jim Bob and Michelle's involvement in daily activities waned as the oldest children took on more responsibilities. But, not in a way that allowed the oldest kids to perfect the skills in a worthwhile manner. 

It wasn't until the girls started courting and Jana, Jill, Jessa, and Anna got Pinterest accounts that we started to see changes in their cooking choices. But, none of them have a strong foundation in culinary skills or someone in their lives who can help them achieve that foundation. So, they can make foods from new recipes, but it is a gamble as to whether it'll turn out well or not. 

Trial and error will likely serve them (and, later, their children) well, but not for at least a couple years. 

[Mothership]

How is a Fall Feast/Thanksgiving meal for 20 a plot line?  I had 25 at my house last Thanksgiving and we baked real pies and real rolls and made food that didn't start with "open can of..." or "defrost family size bag of.."How is this a thing?  Come on  TLC--this is the same plot device that you've used since the very first special when we were introduced to tater tot casserole (which the much younger J'slaves pulled off without a hitch).

boring...boring...boring

Run, Anna, run.....the whole "it gets better" campaign doesn't apply to you.

 

[winterdice]

I'd still be surprised if Michelle couldn't cook at 17. I'm in Australia, so maybe it's different here, but I'm used to kids helping in the kitchen from around 12. I remember cooking full meals at 12, although I'll accept that may not be 'normal' (although it's definitely possible). I found a cookbook, liked the look of a cheese souflee, and a friend and I cooked that for lunch for our families + salad (and maybe chocolate mousse? it was pretty egg heavy). 

Your point about 'trying something new' on a large group having lots of room for things to go wrong was a good one, and something I hadn't considered before. 

[nastyhobbitses]

3 hours ago, Snarkylark said:

Except they said that Johanna was the one that was showing interest in doing more things inside instead of playing outside with the boys. 

I have a sneaking suspicion that they mean that she's "interested" in doing stuff inside like how the girls "like" washing JD's underpants and the older kids "choose" their courtship rules.

[colors_outside15]

FUCK TLC - I CAN'T EVEN SNARK ON THIS SHIT ANYMORE! GET THIS DAMN SHOW WITH THE ABUSIVE PARENTS, ABUSED CHILDREN, MOLESTED YOUNG WOMEN, AND CHILD MOLESTER'S WIFE OFF THE AIR!

also, i can't blame the girls for not knowing how to cook. i just can't. blanket training is for when you're what ... six months old? i highly doubt it gets better for them from there. and who would want to call attention to themselves after what they've "walked through" this past year? only someone hoping to go to jesus rehab ...

"growing up" (wtf is growing up when you're a full-on mom at seven ...), i wasn't allowed to go into the kitchen without permission. EVER. (also, there was an entire room that the "children" were never allowed to enter. ever. to this day, i still don't even know what's in that fucking room). i imagine the duggar girls are instructed as to when to go to the kitchen, what to collect, and what to make. it's probably to jim boob's liking. why learn more when first you cook for your dad and then your husband? that would only be depressing, and they must keep sweet. they're not cooking to please themselves. JOY!

it took me THREE years of intense deprogramming therapy and gradual exposure to the "outside world" to be able to even OPEN any food on my own. back in "that" house, the punishments were so severe for opening food without permission that i was terrified even once i was finally on my own. so, to eat, i literally had to find someone who was hungry and would thus open a box without asking me why the hell i didn't initiate eating out of the containers of food products that, trust me, i worked hard as fuck to be able to buy. sure, they don't know how to cook. then again, i was told which pieces of bread in a loaf were my favorite, and believed it whole-hardheartedly for over twenty years. 

this all makes me so lividly angry - it feels like my insides are boiling.

/end rant. for now. between trump and this ... it's all just god damn disgusting. 

[samurai_sarah]

Smart move, TLC! If I were a heartless, soulless executive, I would have brought the Duggars back as well. How does the family cope in the aftermath of it all? Will Josh reappear or won't he? Keeping the scandals in everyone's minds is sure to bring in ratings. I'd drag it out as long as I could, and then do an extra special episode in which Josh reveals it all repents with a lot of talk about his flavour of faith, Satan and temptation. While Anna adoringly simpers.

[JenniferJuniper]

17 minutes ago, samurai_sarah said:

Smart move, TLC! If I were a heartless, soulless executive, I would have brought the Duggars back as well. How does the family cope in the aftermath of it all? Will Josh reappear or won't he? Keeping the scandals in everyone's minds is sure to bring in ratings. I'd drag it out as long as I could, and then do an extra special episode in which Josh reveals it all repents with a lot of talk about his flavour of faith, Satan and temptation. While Anna adoringly simpers.

Let's face it; TLC's bullshit would not be complete without an eventual appearance from Josh.  I have not watched the show, but it sounds even more boring than 19 Kids was.  I can't see it being sustained unless someone has a health drama or other tragedy that can be exploited.  With the original show, TLC got "lucky" with Josie's birth and scary early months and a few other real dramas.  Eventually they resorted to the Duggars Do the World.   Looking back, I think I may have watched in later years because I enjoyed seeing smug Josh in DC, sensing like most that he'd eventually be exposed for the total idiot that we knew he was. (not that I had any idea how far that idiocy really went).

Young women with babies and and big defrosted meals in the little house on the highway can't be a long term theme.  Anna can only be exploited so far now that we know she's back with that (invisible) pig.   Unless someone falls down a mine shaft or a pregnancy goes badly, Josh almost has to show, if not on the planned, canned episodes for this series but in a Very Special Redemption Episode.  I almost can't see it not happening.