Jill & Jessa Counting On, Regular Season 1 - Part 2

[Trynn]

Jessa and Sierra front hugged. What are the rules on hugging non family members? When they were praying before they went to CA, and JB kept saying how dangerous it was, Jackson looked like he was crying. Way to terrify your kids JB. And how many times did they have to mention the danger? We got it, TLC. This was so boring.

Afaik hugs between women and girls are ok. It's when opposite sexes are concerned that people freak out. At least, that's how it was in my cult.

[doubleT]

8 minutes ago, Trynn said:

Afaik hugs between women and girls are ok. It's when opposite sexes are concerned that people freak out. At least, that's how it was in my cult.

Doesn't Michelle always side hug her daughters?  And Anna too? 

[anotherone]

I did want to ask about something.  I know you're not "supposed" to watch the show to avoid TLC getting the ratings.  I had the show on for about 5 min. before I couldn't really take it anymore (right about when they were driving to the eye doctor.  I just couldn't sit through that.)  Anyway, does that count as me watching the show?  How long do you have to have it on for ratings to be counted?  What if you're just flipping through channels, do they all get counted?

I much more enjoyed the snarky blow by blow descriptions here, BTW...

[Snarkylark]

"CA is so danJerous" is the new phrase for the drinking game!

[EmCatlyn]

5 hours ago, Playagirl said:

I thought it was funny too. I don't carry a purse but man, I know a lot of women who could survive quite well on the stuff they manage to cram in their purses. I work with someone who comes in every day with a huge purse, a stuffed backpack, a small gym bag and a large handbag. No clue what-all she's got in there as I've never had the guts to ask. 

Woman with a well-stocked purse here. And no shame about it, only pity for men who, in their jealousy, snark at women like me.

I only carry a purse, by the way. And I wouldn't characterize it as "huge" -- more medium size.  It is about 10 by 8 inches.   It holds keys, phone, wallet, make up bag (lipgloss, sunscreen, concealer, emery board, neosporin, band aids, pill box small hair brush), a light-weight cotton scarf, small sticky-note pad, pen, individually wrapped wipes, Kleenex, fruit strips and a granola bar.  Sometimes I add an iPad mini and/or a water bottle.  

I challenge a man to fit all that in his pockets.

I have a couple of female friends who joke about my purse, but they have been grateful for its contents in the past.  And my husband knows that I can be counted on to stock up on snacks and water when we may need it.

[sndral]

What struck me was that previously the Duggar daughter story lines focused on gender appropriate activities like sewing, midwife/doula - ing, cooking. I recall the EMT training in dresses from a previous season, but don't recall any other non fundie female appropriate activities by the girls. Yet this season we have the two oldest unmarried daughters doing 'male' activities. Jana with the construction jobs and Jinger flipping cars to earn money. It seems to me that TLC is trying to make them look more 'normal' probably to broaden their appeal.

Jessa's arrogant self absorption is shinning through, she reminds me of Josh - bossy, convinced she's always right, choosing a star struck spouse. She's better looking and sounds a tad less pompous than Josh, but I'm starting to notice similarities between the two.

Who's this Peter guy (JD's friend) and did I spot him on the preview for next week's treehouse building episode? If so, and he's single I'm calling Jana courtship.

Oh and please please make Sierra disappear, something about her reminds me of Jill Rodriguez.

[somanybooks]

Random thoughts regarding items posted earlier:

About the KJV...When they were on their European trip, who could forget JB announcing "Kids, this is where King James wrote the Bible." There is so much wrong with that I can't even begin.....

Anna's talking in the third person about what a person in her situation might be feeling.....Because with Gothard it's keeping sweet 24/7 so she would never express those horrible feelings as actually being how SHE felt. It's beyond pitiful that she can't own her feelings.  She'll never work through them if she can't even admit she feels them.

I agree with the observation that the girls sans Jill seem much more relaxed and chatty. Of course, when Jill was on camera no one else could ever get a word in edgewise.

I love reading everyone's comments because there's no one around here I can talk with about the Duggars without them thinking I'm completely crazy.

 

 

[Bethella]

30 minutes ago, EmCatlyn said:

Woman with a well-stocked purse here. And no shame about it, only pity for men who, in their jealousy, snark at women like me.

I only carry a purse, by the way. And I wouldn't characterize it as "huge" -- more medium size.  It is about 10 by 8 inches.   It holds keys, phone, wallet, make up bag (lipgloss, sunscreen, concealer, emery board, neosporin, band aids, pill box small hair brush), a light-weight cotton scarf, small sticky-note pad, pen, individually wrapped wipes, Kleenex, fruit strips and a granola bar.  Sometimes I add an iPad mini and/or a water bottle.  

I challenge a man to fit all that in his pockets.

I have a couple of female friends who joke about my purse, but they have been grateful for its contents in the past.  And my husband knows that I can be counted on to stock up on snacks and water when we may need it.

My purse is also well stocked. I figure I could probably survive 3-5 days on the contents of my purse; if we add in the emergency kit in my car I could probably stretch in 1-2 weeks, longer if I'm lucky with foraging/fishing/hunting.

[AnnaRuk09]

A little off topic: Anyone else heard about the rumors of JB-Michelle divorce? I seriously doubt this and I know tabloids are tabloids, especially when it comes to reporting about the Duggars, but I've seen this rumor for quite a while now and I gues there has been a recent wave of this rumor in the news. 

http://www.inquisitr.com/2920769/jim-bob-michelle-duggar-divorce-rumor-tension-over-joshs-return-from-rehab-tearing-couple-apart-leading-to-major-fights/

I don't know the source and hiw accurate it is. 

[foreign fundie]

I take them to prefer a passive agressive marriage for the rest of their lives above admitting even the slightest disagreement in public. 

Whatever may not be perfect in their family, their marriage is. And that shining example of morality in the midst of a deprived society is what their brand is built on. There will never be a Duggar sr divorce so long a penny can be made (or saved) by them remaining married.

[Bad Wolf]

Probably not true, but it just shows the negative impact of having your life on television.If they weren't on tv, the molestation scandal would not have been publicized, Josh wouldn't have got the job in D.C. and probably would not have been able to afford Ashley Madison. He'd probably still be looking at porn st the car lot, but he might not have been sent to RU. Fame has its drawbacks.

[ClaraOswin]

They will never divorce.

[notfundy]

Even though InTouch has been somewhat accurate in the past (re: Josh's original scandal/s,etc.)  I do not consider this article to be credible at all.  Even though it references a Duggar "insider" - Amy  again??? - - anyone with a little knowledge of the events of the past year or so could have easily written this article and just made stuff up.  Of course there's tension in the household.  Of course there's one or more family meetings (always are!) 

Bottom line is that Michelle can't put Josh's "sins" behind her; JimBoob says she must do so and move on.   The kids take sides... girls vs. boys more or less.   

Nope.  It doesn't ring true.    While I don't think they have a very happy marriage I doubt if divorce has ever been seriously on the table.  

[EmCatlyn]

59 minutes ago, somanybooks said:

Random thoughts regarding items posted earlier:

About the KJV...When they were on their European trip, who could forget JB announcing "Kids, this is where King James wrote the Bible." There is so much wrong with that I can't even begin.....

Anna's talking in the third person about what a person in her situation might be feeling.....Because with Gothard it's keeping sweet 24/7 so she would never express those horrible feelings as actually being how SHE felt. It's beyond pitiful that she can't own her feelings.  She'll never work through them if she can't even admit she feels them.

I agree with the observation that the girls sans Jill seem much more relaxed and chatty. Of course, when Jill was on camera no one else could ever get a word in edgewise.

I love reading everyone's comments because there's no one around here I can talk with about the Duggars without them thinking I'm completely crazy.

King James wrote the King James Bible?  If it were anyone but JB, I would think that was a joke. (Tell me they were, at least, in England -- not France or Germany??)

As for Anna, I think her use of what I think of as "the impersonal you" is not just a way of "keeping sweet," by not speaking in the first person or owning her own emotions.  I think she may also be reaching out, framing her devastating experience as something that is not unique to her.  ("You feel thirsty after working in the sun," is a generalization about human experience.  "I feel thirsty after working in the sun," is a claim to unique personal experience.)   Though there is a strong element of self-effacement, there is also, I think, a need to think she is not alone.  ("When your whole world falls apart..." -- the speaker is not the only person whose world has fallen apart. As opposed to "When my whole world fell apart..." where the experience is not only personal and unique but isolating.)  So maybe Anna's impersonal language is more than denial of her feelings.  I hope so, because as you suggest, denial won't help her in the end.

4 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

This entire show seems to be about damage control. I feel like the producers sat down and made a list of all the things they've been criticized for on the Internet and they're systematically working their way through the list this season. 

So do you think after we snark enough about it, they will start making their beds?

[Julifornia]

35 minutes ago, ClaraOswin said:

They will never divorce.

Nope.  However, if she predeceases him by a significant amount (any time in the next 15 years, I'd guess), he'll marry another young fundie and add to his quiver. 

[EmCatlyn]

37 minutes ago, notfundy said:

Even though InTouch has been somewhat accurate in the past (re: Josh's original scandal/s,etc.)  I do not consider this article to be credible at all.  Even though it references a Duggar "insider" - Amy  again??? - - anyone with a little knowledge of the events of the past year or so could have easily written this article and just made stuff up.  Of course there's tension in the household.  Of course there's one or more family meetings (always are!) 

Bottom line is that Michelle can't put Josh's "sins" behind her; JimBoob says she must do so and move on.   The kids take sides... girls vs. boys more or less.   

Nope.  It doesn't ring true.    While I don't think they have a very happy marriage I doubt if divorce has ever been seriously on the table.  

Agree completely.  And if you look at the article's own report of the earlier alleged disagreement between Michelle and JBob over sending Josh away to RU, you will see that Michelle is portrayed as thinking JB was too harsh to Josh before, but now it is JB who is saying they have to forgive and move on.  Something is missing, something doesn't match, something was surely made up.

I am wondering though about the suggestion that the family no longer trusts Josh around the younger kids.  Is it made up or does it have a basis in reality?  Are the Duggars reconsidering their confidence that Josh wouldn't molest anyone because they see the AM scandal as "more of the same"?  Or is it possible that the AM scandal prompted some child younger than Joy Anna to speak up and report an unpleasant incident with big brother Josh after he was supposed to be cured?  I hope not!

[Stoned Fundie]

7 hours ago, ClaraOswin said:

I can't stand Sierra. I hope she's not on anymore.

She is rather annoying, however I do appreciate her simply because she makes me feel like I look so young for my age. She's going to look terrible after her quiver is full.

[YourGodIsNotMine]

4 hours ago, anotherone said:

I did want to ask about something.  I know you're not "supposed" to watch the show to avoid TLC getting the ratings.  I had the show on for about 5 min. before I couldn't really take it anymore (right about when they were driving to the eye doctor.  I just couldn't sit through that.)  Anyway, does that count as me watching the show?  How long do you have to have it on for ratings to be counted?  What if you're just flipping through channels, do they all get counted?

I much more enjoyed the snarky blow by blow descriptions here, BTW...

Ratings come from Nielsen viewers who have a special box tracking what they watch. Ratings are calculated from that viewership. 

[CoveredInBees]

3 hours ago, notfundy said:

Bottom line is that Michelle can't put Josh's "sins" behind her; JimBoob says she must do so and move on.   The kids take sides... girls vs. boys more or less.    

Yes, I see it now....... a few of the boys go with JB, the rest stay with Jana

They'll never divorce. Even if things were really awful between them they'd live separately on the compound but keep the façade of a good Christian marriage.

[Fundie Bunny]

9 hours ago, Lillybee said:

Jessa was the leader of Jordyn's buddy group. I have never seen a child who looked so neglected.

Aside from dressing Jordyn and doing some basic care, we have never seen Jordyn interacting with Jessa. It seemed like Jessa didn't feed Jordyn. Once Justin made the poor child some cold iinstant oatmeal from tap water. Jessa allowed Jordyn to roam all over the TTH all by herself even on that giant staircase. So I doubt that Jessa invested very much time or energy raising poor Jordyn.

Sorry, but it war her mother neglecting her. Jessa has no responability for the result of her parents being greedy. 

[Rescinded and Mended]

I keep wondering why Jessa feels the need to bring up a possible adoption on a regular basis. At first, I thought she was just saying it to shut people up because she hadn't gotten pregnant yet, but now she's done it. She's successfully reproduced. And there's no reason at this point to think that more blessings won't come to her and Ben in the future. 

If Jessa's even half as irritable with her husband, siblings, and everyone in general as everyone here has claimed, based on last night's episode, then why would she want to add more people to her household in a hurry?

 

[DuggarWatch]

The viewing numbers are in for Tuesday's episode.  Viewership plunged to 1,551,000.  This is lower than any 19 Kids and Counting episode for all of 2014 and 2015, with the one exception of "Amy's Nashville Dreams", which bombed.

That's a loss of 19% and counting, from Episode I. 

[Hera]

You can't really sell "wholesome" after all of this. You can sell "trainwreck," but you have to show the actual trainwreck. No one wants to watch these people change lightbulbs and eat tacos. 

[jas]

They really did overdo the danger references, didn't they?

Jinger's comment "any time you leave the States there's always that thought of the danger that you might face" makes her look so naive and sheltered. Would it ever occur to them that people from many countries would feel a sense of danger entering the states? Especially with the likes of them open carrying guns while surrounded by children.

Jennifer is the same age as my son and I am always amazed at how different she is from him and the children in his class in terms of her energy level. She seems so dejected and tired, her body language is like a much older person who is worn out and jaded with life.

Coincidentally I brought my son to collect his new glasses yesterday. He was excited about how the new ones looked on him and how they improved his vision compared to his old ones (his prescription had changed slightly). He insisted I take a picture immediately to send to his Dad, he loved posing for this. The contrast between his enthusiasm and Jenny, who clearly hates her glasses for whatever reason, is huge.

[DuggarWatch]

5 minutes ago, jas said:

Coincidentally I brought my son to collect his new glasses yesterday. He was excited about how the new ones looked on him and how they improved his vision compared to his old ones (his prescription had changed slightly). He insisted I take a picture immediately to send to his Dad, he loved posing for this. The contrast between his enthusiasm and Jenny, who clearly hates her glasses for whatever reason, is huge.

If Jennifer attended a real school, she would see that many kids her age wear glasses and she would have fun conversations with other girls about what kind of glasses are fashionable, etc.  It's because she is raised in isolation that she has problems adjusting as a normal kid.  The Duggars do not raise normal kids and the kids grow up to be abnormal adults.