Counting On - Season 4, part 4 - Where Time Isn't Linear and Everyone Is a Relative

[Buzzard]

Current Show Status:

Joy and Austin are married but not pregnant

Jill is still pregnant

Joe and Kendra are engaged

No mention of Anna's status

Jinger, Jessa, and Michelle are not pregnant

 

Reality is optional in Duggarville, enter if you dare!

Last thread here:

 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

The time line has always been shaky with these shows, it is just with so many BIG events, like marriages and babies being born, it is very obvious how off it is now, where as before when it was one DQ breeding and then Anna it was a little easier to not really notice the lag because of how mundane their lives are.  But now that we have Anna, Jill, Jessa, Jinger Joy & Kendra all at prime breading years it is impossible not to notice how far behind or off they are.

[Carm_88]

If I remember correctly Jill and Jessa's wedding specials were pretty far behind too. It's just more obvious now! 

[Scottie]

I don't have a problem with the timeline being behind, that's pretty standard in 'reality' tv. I just find the obvious back tracking frustrating - though in all honesty its my own fault for deciding to watch the show anyway...

[VelociRapture]

1 hour ago, Carm_88 said:

If I remember correctly Jill and Jessa's wedding specials were pretty far behind too. It's just more obvious now! 

Jill’s was aired right around Jessa’s wedding and birthday if I remember correctly - it might have actually aired on her birthday. Which is kind of a dick move on TLC’s part to be honest. So that’s a little over 4 months. 

I think Benessa’s wedding aired at the very end of March 2015. Which would be a difference of almost five months.  

Compare that to Michael and Brandon Keilen’s wedding, the only one for a child shown on Bringing Up Bates (so far - Tori and Bobby marry this December and their’s will likely air next year.) They married August of 2015 and their wedding aired very early in February 2016 - just under six months later. The only differences are:

- I believe they aired the wedding only once, not multiple times with various degrees of editing.

- When their wedding was held the show was already airing wedding planning episodes. On Tuesday August 18th, Kelly specifically mentioned on Instagram that the dress hunting episode was that Thursday - a mere five days after Michael was married. 

[Carm_88]

25 minutes ago, Scottie said:

I don't have a problem with the timeline being behind, that's pretty standard in 'reality' tv. I just find the obvious back tracking frustrating - though in all honesty its my own fault for deciding to watch the show anyway...

I believe that's the biggest problem as well. I feel like maybe TLC got some backlash with the amount of time it took to show the weddings. Now they're showing them twice. Plus, they're not getting any more interesting. If anything it's the same ole, same ole. 

[front hugs > duggs]

Does anyone else feel like they have enough weddings happening in their real lives that they can barely muster excitement over, let alone remotely try and get interested in these fundie-cookie-cutter weddings that get shown multiple times, many months after the actual wedding?

Or is that just me 

[VelociRapture]

5 minutes ago, front hugs > duggs said:

Does anyone else feel like they have enough weddings happening in their real lives that they can barely muster excitement over, let alone remotely try and get interested in these fundie-cookie-cutter weddings that get shown multiple times, many months after the actual wedding?

Or is that just me 

 No weddings for me. Which is sad because I really like cake. 

[Lurky]

It's not the delays that bother me, it's how they do them - so badly. 

A ton of reality shows have to deal with the fact that things happened that everyone knows about, but they get around it by showing aspects that make fans want to watch.  The big thing about Counting On is that because they've already shown the wedding, everything else becomes pointless.  It would be a far bigger deal to see the dress shopping, church decoration etc etc if it hadn't already been on TV.  And if there was *any* kind of drama at all!   Manufactured "I've run out of petrol" stuff doesn't cut it!

And the stupid thing is, there IS drama going on.  The next series could include the whole story about putting the court case together, how they responded to Josh coming in on it, and when his case got kicked out.  What's it like for Jinger & Jeremy to have all the constant questions about pregnancy.  The public reaction to Derick's hate-tweeting, and why he chose to do all that stuff (not to mention Samuel's birth).  What life is like for Jana as the only older sister sharing a bedroom with the little ones and how she's adapting to it.

Hell, a serious set of questions about what it was like for Jinger to go from Duggar-enmeshment to living so far away - why JinJer had the 6 month ban on family visits could have been a really interesting topic in this season.

But ultimately, the producers just don't care, so they'll ignore the things that could make interesting TV, even with a the most pro-Duggar spin, and next series will the same rinse-and-repeat of dress shopping, hen-party, church decoration, wedding and whichever courtship has been announced in the mean-time, maybe with Joy's pregnancy played up. 

[Carm_88]

31 minutes ago, front hugs > duggs said:

Does anyone else feel like they have enough weddings happening in their real lives that they can barely muster excitement over, let alone remotely try and get interested in these fundie-cookie-cutter weddings that get shown multiple times, many months after the actual wedding?

Or is that just me 

I'm completely over weddings for the most part! Except the ones of really close friends. 

[SapphireSlytherin]

24 minutes ago, Lurky said:

why JinJer had the 6 month ban

Was this "ban" a real thing, or was it just something Jinger said in an off-hand/joking manner during a TH? I can't recall if there was any truth to this or not?

[Beermeet]

I watched today, besides getting distracted often due to boredom,  I have this to say from my observations:

1. Jenny being so distraught thoughout the entire wedding, including on stage, was awful to witness. She clearly lost her mom who she slept with nightly.

2. If you show a clip of Jill at 14 and compare it to one from now, nothing has changed.  Despite the fact she is a married mother who has lived " abroad".   Zero change.  It's weird.

3. The dress lady is nuts, I can't take the time to outline all the ways she makes me stabby.  Please dear Rufus, let me never have to meet this person IRL.  Or on my TV, ever again.  Amen.

4.  Michelle is on TV lockdown, for a good reason.  

5. I really liked the theme of Joy's wedding alter.  It just needed more.  It's a huge area.  The outcome looked more like people partied there, didn't clean up, still had a wedding.  Ok, I'm exaggerating.   It looked much better than that!  Still needed more to make that huge space pop. IMHO.

[candygirl200413]

I mentioned how my cousins had back-to-back weekend weddings over the summer, and I thought that would wedding-me out but it actually didn't!

These damn weddings, yes, I'm exhausted. I might ask a guy I went to school with who has slowly been a tiny producer on a few reality tv shows here and there about how he would feel about doing the same.damn.thing. Do we know if there's a reunion or did that happen already? Like you guys have said, it's been mushed together. I remember joy and austin candooling but can't remember if that's post-marriage or during the engagement phase?

 

[clueliss]

My issue with the wedding up front then going through all the wedding details and doing the wedding again is - well - bad storytelling.  I lack the ability to care about someone's wedding dress selection when I have seen the wedding dress.  I'd rather deal with the delay in seeing said wedding.  

That said it makes me wonder if TLC/figure 8 is doing in this way because they're secretly afraid they'll have to pull the plug again so they shove the next big event at the audience to try to keep them interested.  

[sunshine]

It is good that the Duggar's have family friends to help set up their weddings. I can't think of anyone I trust to setup my wedding, if that time happens.

[purple_summer]

2 hours ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Was this "ban" a real thing, or was it just something Jinger said in an off-hand/joking manner during a TH? I can't recall if there was any truth to this or not?

I think they stuck to it for the most part, but someone who follows them more closely might have more insight.

[SassyPants]

5 hours ago, Carm_88 said:

If I remember correctly Jill and Jessa's wedding specials were pretty far behind too. It's just more obvious now! 

They aired Jill's wedding the week of Jessa's actual wedding. Jill was already Duggar style PG by then- so stupid.

[Analytica49]

Just a few things about the most recent episode:

It is interesting to see Joy actually expressing some sexual interest in her future spouse. I'm thinking of her saying to Austin, shortly before the ceremony, "Then we can kiss"; the fact that in footage since the wedding, she's shown trying to kiss him; and that photo of her sitting on his crotch as he was lying down. I've never understood how the Duggar kidults manage to rein in their sexuality so severely that they don't even kiss the person they're attracted to. Then, suddenly, at marriage, they're allowed and even entitled to be sexual beings. I would think this process of brainwashing could be damaging, so it's good that Joy can actually show she's attracted to Austin.

Jennifer crying at the dress fitting and again at the wedding was heart-breaking. What I noticed was that both times, Joy hugged her in a very maternal way, and Jenny leaned up against Joy. Meanwhile, good ol' MEEEchelle, Mother of the year, was standing ineffectually behind Jenny and rubbing her arm. What a useless parent. And it's absolutely obvious that Jenny (and I assume also Jordyn) would never go to their bio-mother for any real comfort.

I was surprised that there was a huge airport welcome for Jill and D-Wreck and Israel, and absolutely none for Jinger and Jeremy. I understand that the story line is that Jill and family are coming from a ***dangerous*** place, and it's ***amazing*** they survived. Still, as many people on FJ have observed, the Duggars are pretty dull people, AND they apparently don't have much to do all day after they get up at 10:00 am or whatever it is. So why did NO ONE greet Jinger and Jeremy at the airport? I would have thought at least a couple of siblings could have gotten their act together enough to go and say Welcome back. It made me wonder whether, in fact, Jill is one of the ***good*** Duggar offspring, but Jinger has been relegated to some not-so-good category because of her failure to procreate asap.

[SapphireSlytherin]

8 minutes ago, Analytica49 said:

Jinger has been relegated to some not-so-good category because of her failure to procreate asap she wears shorts, jeans, and sleeveless shirts.

FTFY

[backyard sylph]

I'm thinking about how they've changed. Back when this was a regularly-locked discussion on TWoP (RiP,) there were 14 kids and counting, and they were weird and novel and funny to point at or...inexplicably admire.

Now they're...some of them kinda normal. Maybe most of them? Who can actually tell? There is no sta...(except this bit. The editor did not save this bit when I accidentally closed the tab.)

And we all know the young ones lives are in no way regimented the way their older siblings were.

Imagine you're one of the directors and there's all this scope for new and interesting storylines, but you're told you must stick to the 2005 for whatever, I've lost track, script.

And so. I could go on, but you can pick up what I'm laying down, to quote several Melissa McCarthy characters.

WOW PREVIOUS CONTENT RESTORED. Awesome, because I was not actually going to retype that.

[SapphireSlytherin]

1 hour ago, backyard sylph said:

TWoP (RiP,

Gah. I miss TWoP. But when I was there it was just for Gilmore Girls. I had no idea zillion-kids was a subform. lol

[HurricaneBells]

Far out, we (aus) havent even seen Joy and Austin get engaged yet! The new promo is full of energy, smiles and the promise if new adventures which is so not what you get from the most.boring.show.ever. TLC, you can put lipstick on a pig but its still a pig!

[backyard sylph]

1 hour ago, SapphireSlytherin said:

Gah. I miss TWoP. But when I was there it was just for Gilmore Girls. I had no idea zillion-kids was a subform. lol

I was mainly a lurker in that one, but chaos would break out now and then and it'd be locked down for awhile. And you know, they were so much more boring then than they would be now if only some reality was taped.

[MarblesMom]

7 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

Which is sad because I really like cake.

Give me a loaf of good garlic bread over cake and I might RSVP....

[calimojo]

3 hours ago, Analytica49 said:

J

I was surprised that there was a huge airport welcome for Jill and D-Wreck and Israel, and absolutely none for Jinger and Jeremy. I understand that the story line is that Jill and family are coming from a ***dangerous*** place, and it's ***amazing*** they survived. Still, as many people on FJ have observed, the Duggars are pretty dull people, AND they apparently don't have much to do all day after they get up at 10:00 am or whatever it is. So why did NO ONE greet Jinger and Jeremy at the airport? I would have thought at least a couple of siblings could have gotten their act together enough to go and say Welcome back. It made me wonder whether, in fact, Jill is one of the ***good*** Duggar offspring, but Jinger has been relegated to some not-so-good category because of her failure to procreate asap.

I thought it was interesting that no one was at the airport for Jinger and Jeremy as well.  And when they arrived at the TTH, the welcome was pretty underwhelming.  Jinger just walks in and says high and there is a stiff side hug between she and Jessa. 

It all seemed pretty low key compared to Jill's return and especially since Jill hadn't really even been gone all that long. 

It makes me wonder if Jinger and Jeremy visit the TTH more often, so it just isn't a big deal to them or anyone when they return, or if perhaps Jinger and Jeremy have separated more from the family than we realize.  Jeremy seemed to be forcing his cheerfulness when they were talking to everyone in the TTH about wedding plans.  I haven't watched the full episode yet, so I may have more thoughts on it later.  My impression is that Jinger is very bonded to Jeremy, and I don't think she keenly misses her family as much as we seem to feel Jill does.