Plathville 2: The Whole Family Needs Therapy

[nelliebelle1197]

And it is not just because Kim is friends with JRod.

 

[PurpleCats]

Ethan and Olivia are a classic example of why young marriages have higher divorce rates.  People grow and change a lot in their early 20’s - and that’s a good thing!  Those changes aren’t always in the same direction though.  
 

I’ve wondered about politics - Olivia has alluded to be fairly liberal (or at least moderate) on Instagram.   With Ethan’s upbringing and location, I doubt he leans in a similar direction.  Between a highly contentious election and Covid/vaccine politicization, I can’t imagine they saw eye to eye on much. 

[nelliebelle1197]

On 10/6/2021 at 1:22 PM, PurpleCats said:

Ethan and Olivia are a classic example of why young marriages have higher divorce rates.  People grow and change a lot in their early 20’s - and that’s a good thing!  Those changes aren’t always in the same direction though.  
 

I’ve wondered about politics - Olivia has alluded to be fairly liberal (or at least moderate) on Instagram.   With Ethan’s upbringing and location, I doubt he leans in a similar direction.  Between a highly contentious election and Covid/vaccine politicization, I can’t imagine they saw eye to eye on much. 

WAIT, are they getting divorced??? I would be surprised if Olivia had moved that far away from her upbringing this quickly, especially married to Ethan.

[Jackie3]

6 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

WAIT, are they getting divorced??? I would be surprised if Olivia had moved that far away from her upbringing this quickly, especially married to Ethan.

No, they are separated. She's spoken of divorce but has said she hopes not to go there.

My goodness, people don't just automatically follow the path of their "upbringing." They're capable of thinking on their own. In my experience, young adults often veer pretty far away from many things they've been taught as kids. They're not clones of their parents. Olivia, in particular, seems like she thinks for herself and doesn't just accept things blindly.

[PurpleCats]

Sorry if my post was unclear.  I think Olivia has moved fairly far away from her upbringing, which is the source of a lot the conflict in their marriage.  

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 8, “A Tiny Pair of Shorts.” 

Moriah goes out to dinner with Max’s mom, Gay. She has a southern accent and she homeschooled her kids. She also has purple hair with pink streaks. She tells Moriah about the time Max wore a sombrero to school on hat day. Moriah says she’s been spending more time with her family. Moriah appreciates that Gay is open and accepting, and she’s trying to be that way with her parents. 

Ethan is back in town and he and Olivia are meeting at the rose garden again. Olivia’s nervous. He’s had time to think things through. The main thing he wants is to have a family with someone he loves. He doesn’t want to do that with anyone else. He wants to sell the house and go to counseling, for himself and the marriage. She says he didn’t want to work on the marriage two weeks ago. He says “you can buy a house but not a home.” Olivia loves him but she doesn’t want to live together for now, and wants to be just friends for a while. She thinks Ethan needs to live alone for a while. He has to be okay with her changing. He wants to see her more often, so that the relationship doesn’t slip away. She wants a solid friendship as a foundation. She cries (despite her massive amount of mascara). He realizes that his house and vehicles aren’t as important as he thought, and he’s going to sell them and put time into relationships instead. They agree that there’s still hope.

Finally, the long-teased lecture from Micah’s agent. Moriah drives him to Atlanta because he lost his license. She doesn’t know how to drive in the city. The agent praises Micah’s hotness, but he has to get better about returning emails and phone calls. She tells him to set up an alert on his phone for the emails. He says he’s not used to email (because he’s young). He blames his parents for his tech-free upbringing. He promises to do better. 

Moriah is going shopping with Kim and Gay. In the car, Kim tells us that Moriah’s style is revealing (she uses the title phrase), and Gay has colored hair. She also mentions that Gay divorced and remarried. The moms accidentally wear the same outfit, a black top and leopard-print bottoms. There’s a lot of giggling. The last time Kim and Moriah went shopping, there was a lot of conflict. This time Moriah’s walls are down. Moriah takes longer than necessary to change, so that they can talk, before she realizes that Gay might tell Kim about the gig. Moriah doesn’t want to deal with the Kim/Olivia situation. 

Ethan meets with his realtor. He wants to get out of Cairo. Wherever he went during his ten-day trip, it made him realize that he wants to see more of the world. It’s awkward that Olivia isn’t there and he’s trying not to tell the realtor they’re separated. He’s sad when it’s time to sign the papers. Flashbacks to happier times. 

Next time: Moriah finally tells her parents that they can’t come to the gig, but they do anyway. Olivia and Ethan are both upset about it.

[fundiewatch]

Thank you for the summaries! I want to know what’s going on and can’t stomach the show. 

[nelliebelle1197]

I am so confused again. Are they are still in Georgia?

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

I used to think maybe Olivia was overreacting with the level of repulsion directed to Ethans’ parents,  until she explained they accused her of being demon possessed.  I was also accused of this, the difference being I didn’t give a crap what they said but it obviously hurt Olivia deeply.

What a horrible soul killing thing to say about Olivia.  She’s so smart, thoughtful and kind, I would love her so much if she were my DIL.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Don'tlikekoolaid
Difference not deference.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

On 10/12/2021 at 1:52 PM, nelliebelle1197 said:

I am so confused again. Are they are still in Georgia?

In the show (not current real life), Olivia and Ethan just separated and it’s not clear where either of them will be living. Everyone else still lives in Georgia, but very close to the Florida line, so quite a bit of the show takes place in Florida.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

“This is Your Only First Concert,” a weirdly unnumbered episode. 

Moriah meets Lydia for coffee and explains about the gig drama. Lydia says it’s her only first concert and their parents will want to be there. 

Ethan and Olivia are fixing their house up before selling it by spackling cracks in a wall. (Symbolism!) They’re spending time together once a week as “intentional” time. She asks if it’s bittersweet and he says “just bitter.” They agree it’s a cute house. She asks him to rate their current relationship 1-10 and he says 1. She says 4. She says she just needs space. He says they need counseling (which he hasn’t scheduled yet). She says that’s progress that has moved them beyond a 1. He says he’s worked all the time since he was 15, and he should enjoy life more. It seems like it’s dawned on him that he actually has some freedom now. They agree that they had good times in their first home. She wishes they could take the house somewhere else. He points out that they don’t even know they’re going to stay together. She says in the TH that at least the wall is spackled and they laugh. It’s good to laugh together again.

Oh, God, back to the gig. Moriah tells Barry and Kim that they can’t come because of Olivia. Drama! Kim vetoes Lydia and Mercy going without her. Kim says “You won’t see us.” Barry’s sad, Kim’s mad.

It’s the day of the gig. Max is on crutches. Moriah asks him to paint her nails (they’re blue and she wants them black). Micah wants him to shave the back of his neck. Micah tries on Moriah’s bikini top; his very well-developed pecs are too big for it.

Barry tries to talk some sense into Kim, who isn’t having it. Barry doesn’t want to repeat the disaster that happened the last time he talked to Ethan. Olivia TH - she offered not to play so that the Plaths could come, and Moriah said no.

The Plaths are off to Tallahassee for “errands” and maybe the concert. Ethan arrives early. (The venue is Hurricane Grill & Wings.) The Plaths are hoping to listen from the vehicle of a friend who they had arrive early and park close (so it’s not recognizable as their vehicle). Issac goes first, in a mask (oh, right, there’s a pandemic!) and a hat. Ethan spots his parents immediately. Max tells him that maybe as long as Olivia doesn’t know they’re here, it’s cool? Ethan tells Moriah, who is freaking out. Olivia justifies her boundaries in a TH. She says that Barry and Kim told her she was filled with evil spirits. 

Ethan and Micah head off to confront their controlling parents. The friends’ car trick is effective at first...oh, crap, now they’re teasing next week’s episode. There’s more of this shit. Aside from the predictable drama, Olivia and Ethan have sex, or at least consider it.

[GuineaPigCourtship]

This family sounds exhausting to belong to.

[nelliebelle1197]

@QuiverFullofBooks thanks! I tried to watch some episodes and your summaries are so much BETTER than listening to these people!

[QuiverFullofBooks]

I watched the first half of the pilot episode after TLC aired it again. If I’ve said that Hosannah has never been on the show, that’s not correct. When they introduced us to all of the kids, they said that Hosannah had recently married and moved to Ohio. Hosannah sat in a TH with Lydia, but they didn’t air anything she said. Kim said that Hosannah doesn’t need college because she’s a musician and she already knows how to play. 🙄

Kim has gained quite a bit of weight since the show began. Possibly just aging, or maybe she’s not as active since they left the farm. They’ve never said why they left the farm; it’s possible that she wasn’t able to keep up with the housework and farm work without the older kids. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 10, “Wanna Get a Room?” 

We return to the scene of Moriah’s concert. Ethan and Micah are stalking around the parking lot looking for Kim. Kim says in a TH that she gets annoyed when Ethan is stubborn. The producer says “Where could he get that from? and Kim laughs. In Max’s TH, he says that nothing will get better until someone decides that they are the problem and also the solution. The drama is still going on two minutes before the show. In dueling THs, Olivia says she doesn’t want to perform in front of her in-laws, who think she’s possessed by demons. Kim says that they think bitterness comes from Satan, so when they observed that Olivia had become bitter, she would have gotten the idea that they were saying Satan was possessing her, but that wasn’t really what they meant. Barry is sad that Olivia feels hurt.

Ethan introduces the band with their relationships to him, not their names. In a TH, Moriah is glad Max is supportive. Ethan returns to stalking the parking lot. Kim doesn’t know why he can’t just sit down and listen. Lydia thinks it’s insane. Ethan finds them. He tells Kim to get out of the car and she refuses. Issac takes Kim’s side and Ethan walks away. In a TH, Ethan says he doesn’t believe that Kim is all that excited about Moriah singing at a bar, because two years ago she made Moriah turn down her grandparents’ offer to pay for her to record a secular album. Ethan says it meant a lot to him that his father respected his boundaries. The music is...okay, I guess. In a TH, Kim says that she intends to be right up front at all of Moriah’s concerts.

Ethan and Olivia go to a hotel bar for drinks, and the producers are on Olivia for commentary while she’s standing at the bar with her mask on. They sit at a fire pit; the scene alternates with a later TH, which looks like it was filmed at the same time as last week’s spackling scene. Olivia wants to get far, far away from Kim, and admits that Tallahassee is too close. Ethan thanks her for her honesty, and admits that he was always afraid that they would have to move again. Ethan finally tells us where he went on his trip - the West Coast - and it was so beautiful that he doesn’t want to stay in “this ugly place.” [Again, Tallahassee and Thomasville are lovely.] He wants to wait five years or so to have kids, and spend it traveling and living in a few different places. Olivia doesn’t really believe him, but he swears he’s changed. Olivia missed him and she is DTF! They head upstairs.

At the Plath house, Barry teaches Issac how to shave. He and Kim are proud of how Issac is maturing. They really appreciate him standing up to Ethan in two confrontations. In a TH, Issac wishes he didn’t have to be the middleman. He also reveals that he’s been shaving for a while, and he was just humoring his dad. 

A few days after the concert, Max and Moriah go out to the lake where they broke up. He finally gives her the pinky promise ring and she’s very touched. He’s not ready to get married yet, but his intention is marriage. This is the first time Moriah has felt like she belongs. She was really surprised. 

Lydia is cleaning the farmhouse. Her parents have several rental properties, and they pay her to clean between renters. (It sounds like an AirBNB situation.) She uses the alone time to text her guy. She lets this be filmed, so obviously her parents will know she broke her promise soon. 

Moriah visits her family and tells them about the ring. Kim is super relieved that this isn’t post-concert drama, and also that Moriah did things her own way and ended up with a great guy. Moriah asks Kim to explain her point of view on the concert. Kim loved it when her mother came to see her perform. She was frustrated by the concert restrictions, and she tried hard not to be seen. Moriah is torn, but she’s happy they were there. Kim isn’t going to hide any more. 

Next time: Ethan and Olivia go camping in Maine and have the inevitable argument while putting up the tent. Lydia asks Barry to invite her guy to visit.

[JDuggs]

I was pissed at Moriah for telling Kim she was glad she was there making Kim believe she was right. Moriah should have told Kim that she made a promise to Olivia that she wanted Olivia in the band more than she wanted Kim at the concert and Moriah betrayed that promise.

I liked how Ethan acknowledged that Barry respected their boundaries and that he appreciated it. 

I wish Ethan would think about going to college. He seems like a bright kid.

[MamaJunebug]

Ok, just dropping by, but this is the Kim who appeared in The Rodrigues Family’s Home a year or so ago??? 

[So-Virgin-It-Hurts]

2 hours ago, MamaJunebug said:

Ok, just dropping by, but this is the Kim who appeared in The Rodrigues Family’s Home a year or so ago??? 

Indeed it is.  Hosanna's mother.

[MamaJunebug]

1 hour ago, So-Virgin-It-Hurts said:

Indeed it is.  Hosanna's mother.

Yikes! As messed-up as Jill, if in a slightly different way. 
Thank you for the info. I won’t even try to look at this one!  

[waltraute]

Kim coming to the concert after Moriah asked her not to is a classic control move. It doesn't matter that she stayed in the parking lot; she was there flexing and getting a dig in at Olivia just by her presence. It's no wonder Ethan and Olivia are rigid about boundaries. All I see are Kim and Barry constantly trying to find ways to sneak a toe over the requested boundary lines like it's some kind of sport for dominance. Yes, Ethan and Olivia aren't always acting mature or reasonable either, but Kim and Barry are the parents and this is the behavior they are choosing to model. I think Kim is more interested in control than in a real relationship with her kids.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Episode 11, “I wanna be a pirate”

Ethan and Olivia are packing to go camping with Micah and Moriah. (Olivia has a job in Maine.) She doesn’t want to share a tent with Ethan. In a TH (the same interview that they’ve been showing for at least three episodes now), Olivia says she knows that Ethan doesn’t understand why sometime she’s willing to spend the night with him and sometimes she’s not. He looks unhappy about it. He passive-aggressively throws sleeping bags down from the attic. 

The Plaths are going to Wakulla Springs, where Kim and Barry got married. It’s what passes for winter in Florida, so Kim doesn’t swim. The others jump off the high platform dive. Lydia and Barry have some alone time, and she asks him to reach out to her “friend.” He says he’ll talk to Kim about it. (Disturbingly, Barry looks kinda hot in his muscle shirt.) Lydia is excited. 

At Micah and Moriah’s, Moriah is packing. She’s not bringing Max along, mostly because of Ethan and Olivia’s drama. Her fake eyelashes are like spiders. She’s hoping to see a bear. 

Kim tells Barry that Lydia’s phone went off and she picked it up, and saw that Lydia’s been texting her guy. She sent 168 texts yesterday. Barry understands how she feels, but it’s not like her to be dishonest. He tells her to stop texting for a while. Kim wants to talk about the possible visit, but Lydia has to go to work. 

The campers arrive in Acadia National Park. Olivia looks totally different without makeup. Ethan’s annoyed that it’s raining. They stop at a general store. Live lobsters! Olivia says Ethan is fixated on getting a tarp. Moriah wants a hat, because everyone was teasing her about her sparkly hat. The clerk tells her to shine on.

Lydia’s praying while on a barefoot walk. She sings a Christian song. She’s waking up to what the Holy Spirit has been trying to tell her. 

At the campsite, Olivia is being bossy and clashes with Ethan. The girls and boys are competing to get the tents up. The girls win. Ethan is trying to hang up his tarp, and Olivia mocks him for leaving his sleeping bag out in the rain. Olivia tells him that the park has a rule against hanging stuff in the trees, and he takes it down. He stays behind while the others go for a walk, and gets the tarp up. He runs to catch up, and they walk to the seashore. It’s a happier moment. Olivia apologizes to everyone for the argument. Moriah and Ethan want to leave Cairo. Moriah wants to be a pirate. They head back to the campsite. 

Two-hour season finale next week: Olivia has last-minute regrets about selling the house. Lydia is dancing (with her guy?). Moriah has purple hair. Moriah tells her parents that she’s moving to Tampa with Ethan and Olivia, and Max will join them later. She’s going to have to set boundaries for their visits. Moriah finds that Micah and his belongings are gone from the house.  Ethan and Olivia drive to the Plaths’ house. She’s nervous; he says, “if you’re possessed by evil spirits, they should be afraid of you.” 

[NonSOTDRT Teacher]

23 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

Episode 11, “I wanna be a pirate”

Ethan and Olivia are packing to go camping with Micah and Moriah. (Olivia has a job in Maine.) She doesn’t want to share a tent with Ethan. In a TH (the same interview that they’ve been showing for at least three episodes now), Olivia says she knows that Ethan doesn’t understand why sometime she’s willing to spend the night with him and sometimes she’s not. He looks unhappy about it. He passive-aggressively throws sleeping bags down from the attic. 

The Plaths are going to Wakulla Springs, where Kim and Barry got married. It’s what passes for winter in Florida, so Kim doesn’t swim. The others jump off the high platform dive. Lydia and Barry have some alone time, and she asks him to reach out to her “friend.” He says he’ll talk to Kim about it. (Disturbingly, Barry looks kinda hot in his muscle shirt.) Lydia is excited. 

At Micah and Moriah’s, Moriah is packing. She’s not bringing Max along, mostly because of Ethan and Olivia’s drama. Her fake eyelashes are like spiders. She’s hoping to see a bear. 

Kim tells Barry that Lydia’s phone went off and she picked it up, and saw that Lydia’s been texting her guy. She sent 168 texts yesterday. Barry understands how she feels, but it’s not like her to be dishonest. He tells her to stop texting for a while. Kim wants to talk about the possible visit, but Lydia has to go to work. 

The campers arrive in Acadia National Park. Olivia looks totally different without makeup. Ethan’s annoyed that it’s raining. They stop at a general store. Live lobsters! Olivia says Ethan is fixated on getting a tarp. Moriah wants a hat, because everyone was teasing her about her sparkly hat. The clerk tells her to shine on.

Lydia’s praying while on a barefoot walk. She sings a Christian song. She’s waking up to what the Holy Spirit has been trying to tell her. 

At the campsite, Olivia is being bossy and clashes with Ethan. The girls and boys are competing to get the tents up. The girls win. Ethan is trying to hang up his tarp, and Olivia mocks him for leaving his sleeping bag out in the rain. Olivia tells him that the park has a rule against hanging stuff in the trees, and he takes it down. He stays behind while the others go for a walk, and gets the tarp up. He runs to catch up, and they walk to the seashore. It’s a happier moment. Olivia apologizes to everyone for the argument. Moriah and Ethan want to leave Cairo. Moriah wants to be a pirate. They head back to the campsite. 

Two-hour season finale next week: Olivia has last-minute regrets about selling the house. Lydia is dancing (with her guy?). Moriah has purple hair. Moriah tells her parents that she’s moving to Tampa with Ethan and Olivia, and Max will join them later. She’s going to have to set boundaries for their visits. Moriah finds that Micah and his belongings are gone from the house.  Ethan and Olivia drive to the Plaths’ house. She’s nervous; he says, “if you’re possessed by evil spirits, they should be afraid of you.” 

Based on the preview for next week’s episode, at least it appears she’s not dancing with a Rodrigues boy…

[freethemall]

So they're living in Tampa now?

Is it just me or does Moriah look identical to Ashlee Simpson in her Pieces of Me phase...

[front hugs > duggs]

11 hours ago, freethemall said:

Is it just me or does Moriah look identical to Ashlee Simpson in her Pieces of Me phase...

YES! THANK YOU! I've been looking at her and finding her familiar looking, but couldn't place it!

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Plathville season finale recap! Sorry, it’s two hours long and I procrastinated.

Ethan and Olivia take a love language quiz. They only have one overlap in their love languages, but understanding the concept is really helpful. The separation helped their relationship. 

Ethan and Olivia go out for his birthday dinner with Moriah and Micah. Max is pranking Ethan on his birthday by dressing in drag. Max is their “waitress.” Ethan thinks she’s hitting on him. Max says the potatoes are “maxed out” and Ethan gets it. Ethan says in a TH that he’s not going to retaliate, but he smirks. Moriah is thinking about moving to Tampa; she thought it was beautiful on a trip with Max. Everyone says that maybe they should all move. Welcome, kids! [I’m from there.]

Lydia comes over to help Ethan renovate the house. They like Max. Lydia says that the Holy Spirit asked her “do you want it your way or my way?” She told the guy that she can only be friends right now, and she feels peace about it. Ethan asks how she knows it’s God’s will. She says that’s the Holy Spirit. Ethan says in his TH that he doesn’t want Lydia to confuse God’s will with her mom’s will. Lydia has finished homeschool, and she wants Ethan to come to her party at the farm the next day. She’s happy that they’ve reconnected.

Over breakfast at Ethan and Olivia’s house, they talk with Max and Moriah about the move. It’s a little weird that Ethan and Olivia are currently separated, but they’re ready to live together again. They talk ground rules and agree to clean up after themselves. Micah arrives, and tells them that he has no interest in living with two couples as a single guy. 

At the farm, the Plaths are getting ready for Lydia’s party. It’s the first Plath graduation party, which perhaps says something about the older kids’ issues. We’re introduced to their friend Phillip, who is a youth pastor and extremely Christian. It’s implied that he’s a love interest for Lydia. Lydia tells a friend that she’s been working at the mechanics’ shop, doing some house sitting, and she babysits at a church service on Wednesday nights. I had to rewind to get the first job she mentioned - she’s working at a “handmaiden house.” It appears to be a thrift store in Cairo. 

Moriah’s almost done with her GED. Micah gets his car stuck (it’s an Infiniti - guess that underwear modeling is lucrative - and the only car in the program whose brand isn’t blurred). He has his license back and is going to drive more carefully. There’s a rainbow. They have music and a dance floor, and a contra dance caller. Moriah has a surprise for Lydia - Ethan and Olivia came! They only say congratulations privately and then leave. In a TH, Olivia feels like she’s coping better with the situation thanks to therapy. Phillip asks Lydia to waltz. Kim’s happy. Time will tell if they get together. (Since he was on camera and we never learned the other guy’s name, my money’s on Phillip.)

Moriah has had the same hair extensions for seven months, so she needs to get her hair done, and she wants to dye her hair too. It’s bright purple! She visits her family and they’re fine with her hair. She also announces the move, and tells them that they can visit Tampa, but not come to the house because of Ethan and Olivia. They’re leaving in two days. Max will follow later. Barry also made a big move as a young man, so he gets it. Kim’s happy that Moriah wants the family to visit. Moriah awkwardly apologizes for what a difficult child she was, and Barry tells her she’s awesome, and Kim tells her she’s proud of her. Moriah tells her little sisters to help Lydia with the housework, and everyone explains that Lydia’s been working outside the home and not doing chores beyond her own laundry. Moriah feels good about how she’s leaving things with her family. Lydia and Moriah say a sweet goodbye. 

Ethan and Olivia have sold their house and gotten a temporary rental in Tampa. Olivia wants to say something to the Plaths to get closure. Ethan does not like the idea. 

Micah is carpeting a boat he’s been fixing up. He’s thinking about seeing the world.  

Ethan and Olivia head to the Plaths’ house. She’s nervous. He says, “If you’re possessed by evil spirits, they should be afraid of you.” She rings the bell and asks Kim and Barry to come outside. She says that they meant to hurt her but she forgives them and she’s not bitter. Kim says they didn’t mean to hurt her, Barry says they forgive her, and they’re not bitter. In the house, a younger sister tells Lydia not to cry like she did last time; it was embarrassing. Olivia asks to see the kids alone and Kim and Barry agree. Ethan comes over and speaks to them briefly. Ethan and Olivia refuse to hug Kim and Barry, who go inside. The kids come outside for a happy reunion. They take a picture. Kim and Barry peer through the window. It’s a first step. In a TH, Ethan feels good about the past year, and he thinks Olivia isn’t the neck that turns his head anymore.

It’s moving day. Moriah and Olivia have an extremely staged conversation explaining that Micah has moved to LA. The producer says to Ethan, “Uh, could you FaceTime him?” He’s in Hollywood and hoping to break into acting. 

Ethan plays his old piano for the last time, and he and Olivia look around the empty house. They hug and say that they love each other. Ethan says “Let’s get the fuck out of Cairo!” and they get in the U-Haul and drive away.