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Sister Wives 8: And Another One Down, Another One Bites the Dust?


Coconut Flan

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2 hours ago, eeyore_chick said:

Unrelated to the rest of the Brown-drama, I was pleased to see that the network make-up artists fixed the Horrid eyebrows of Robyn's

Down the Rabbit Hole at Bedtime made a hilarious Robyn shirt with two big eyebrows on the chest and a stick person pic of Robyn kicking the dog one 1 side of the bottom.

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On 12/18/2022 at 2:27 AM, Natalie22 said:

So I think the challenge is you are looking at it from a non-polygamous view point.  Remember, it is very typical in their culture to not have a legal marriage. That Meri legally divorced Kody doesn't impact the sealing they had done - they were still as married as they were before in the eyes of their religion. Even in the LDS faith, a divorce does not cancel your sealing to your spouse; you need to submit a separate petition to the church to be unsealed. I am guessing the AUB has something similar and neither Kody nor Meri have ever asked for them to be unsealed. So when they talk about getting divorced, they really mean unsealed in the temple. 

With regards to no kids liking Meri, I think we haven't necessarily seen a ton of evidence for that. The only one who seems to really dislike her vocally is Maddie, but Gwen didn't given the impression that none of the kids liked Meri. I think the older boys got along better with Meri than maybe some of the older girls, but remember that Ysabel stayed at Meri's for a bit and Gwen said in a tick tock video she liked Meri. 

I am definitely looking at this family from a non-polygamous viewpoint! Polygamy fascinates me, especially this type. The Browns lives an outwardly typical American lifestyle. They live among monogamous families, dress like typical people-no pastel prairie dresses, they are educated and can go to university, they had normal jobs. However, they CHOSE polygamy; they weren’t in an extremely controlling and isolated cult like the FLDS. I know some of them were raised in the AUB, but they still had a choice. Some extended family members have left their church, none of the Brown kids (so far) are choosing polygamy, and Janelle decided she wanted it for herself when she married Kody. Even Kody himself was raised LDS and chose polygamy. They all had a choice and decided to go with polygamy. That anyone, especially a woman, would do this is baffling to me. 
So if their marriages are “sealed” for eternity, will Kody be any happier in the afterlife with his discarded wives? Will the wives be happy with him?  Does the AUB have temples similar to the LDS? What will Kody‘s status be now that he’s down to one wife? If the church kicked them out, what happens to these “spiritual marriages” now?

i remember Ysabel staying with Meri in the past, but I don’t recall the other kids making a point to visit her when they’re in town. I don’t know that her own child visits too often. Gwen likes Meri, and Robyn’s kids seem to also, but I haven’t noticed any of the others seeming to be close to her. Do Janelle’s boys who live locally have much of a relationship with her?
Meri kind of intrigues me because she appears nice on the show yet she has had problems with the other wives. Meri has a wide circle of friends but there have been numerous mentions of her poor treatment of others. So she’s interesting to me; who is the real Meri? And will the real Meri end up staying with Kody or hightail it out of Flagstaff?

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1 hour ago, Letgo said:

 That anyone, especially a woman, would do this is baffling to me. 
 

The only thing I can figure is that if you were a super independent woman and didn’t want to spend much time with a man and yet wanted a bunch of kids…

But the downsides. Ooof.

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@Letgo they’re actually far more entwined with polygamy than that. Janelle was the only one NOT raised with polygamy, but her mom later became one of Kody’s dad’s wives. Kody’s dad may not have practiced polygamy earlier, but he clearly had ideas in mind if he could make the change later.

Meri, Robyn, and Christine all came from polygamist families. Janelle’s mother came to polygamy later, and Janelle of course was originally married to Meri’s brother. 
One common theme amongst Mormons is a love for original texts. The debates about polygamy and Joseph Smith’s revelations continue and many somehow feel that Smith was correct about multiple wives. 
Mitt Romney’s grandpa was down in Mexico with many wives, too. I know the official LDS tries to distance itself from its past, but plenty of individuals question that part of the faith.

The most recent literary example I can think of is in Westover’s Educated, where she and another BYU student (male) have an extended conversation about the truth of those earlier revelations and whether or not polygamy is a requirement of the faith. That would have been a fairly recent event, and I suspect such conversations occur with some frequency.

In terms of education, I’m unsure there, as well. Meri had wanted to return to finish her college degree, and Robyn shut that down (she couldn’t have another baby and handle the success of my sister wives closet with Meri thinking of college, obviously). They present themselves well, and the kids are doing quite well educationally, but I’m not sure how many degrees the adults have between them. The OG three married him at fairly early ages and the focus seems to have been on baby-making and supporting. 
Outward appearances can be deceiving. They aren’t FLDS, but they are certainly fundamentalist in their beliefs...or at least they used to be. 

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13 minutes ago, apandaaries said:

In terms of education, I’m unsure there, as well. Meri had wanted to return to finish her college degree, and Robyn shut that down (she couldn’t have another baby and handle the success of my sister wives closet with Meri thinking of college, obviously). They present themselves well, and the kids are doing quite well educationally, but I’m not sure how many degrees the adults have between them. The OG three married him at fairly early ages and the focus seems to have been on baby-making and supporting. 

I can't find anything to support my memory (based on a very quick search), but I believe Janelle had an associate degree in accounting. I remember Meri talking about going to college and I thought she might pursue it after Mariah left for college, but I don't think that ever happened. 

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28 minutes ago, apandaaries said:

@Letgo they’re actually far more entwined with polygamy than that. Janelle was the only one NOT raised with polygamy, but her mom later became one of Kody’s dad’s wives. Kody’s dad may not have practiced polygamy earlier, but he clearly had ideas in mind if he could make the change later.

Meri, Robyn, and Christine all came from polygamist families. Janelle’s mother came to polygamy later, and Janelle of course was originally married to Meri’s brother. 
One common theme amongst Mormons is a love for original texts. The debates about polygamy and Joseph Smith’s revelations continue and many somehow feel that Smith was correct about multiple wives. 
Mitt Romney’s grandpa was down in Mexico with many wives, too. I know the official LDS tries to distance itself from its past, but plenty of individuals question that part of the faith.

The most recent literary example I can think of is in Westover’s Educated, where she and another BYU student (male) have an extended conversation about the truth of those earlier revelations and whether or not polygamy is a requirement of the faith. That would have been a fairly recent event, and I suspect such conversations occur with some frequency.

In terms of education, I’m unsure there, as well. Meri had wanted to return to finish her college degree, and Robyn shut that down (she couldn’t have another baby and handle the success of my sister wives closet with Meri thinking of college, obviously). They present themselves well, and the kids are doing quite well educationally, but I’m not sure how many degrees the adults have between them. The OG three married him at fairly early ages and the focus seems to have been on baby-making and supporting. 
Outward appearances can be deceiving. They aren’t FLDS, but they are certainly fundamentalist in their beliefs...or at least they used to be. 

It makes sense to me that their motivations are (or were) religious. And especially religious ideas drummed into them as children. There’s just too many down sides.

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16 minutes ago, ifosterkittens said:

I can't find anything to support my memory (based on a very quick search), but I believe Janelle had an associate degree in accounting. I remember Meri talking about going to college and I thought she might pursue it after Mariah left for college, but I don't think that ever happened. 

Meri wanted to continue her studies, but Robyn shot that down. Meri first broached the subject with Robyn (knowing that’s the way to get Kody’s approval), and Robyn, once again, looked tortured. Then Robyn told Kody she couldn’t handle the online business and a pregnancy without help (Janelle and Christine had basically stepped away by that point). 
One of Robyn’s many controlling moments, and one of the sadder ones. 

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16 minutes ago, waltraute said:

Meri is the wet bar. Un-needed excess as a way to control.

Kody loves luxury, too. Meri and Robyn both have spending issues, but Kody seems fine with that. Only some wives are required to be frugal; favored wives spend freely. Since their finances are shared, this makes all of it more obvious and painful.

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2 hours ago, Letgo said:

I am definitely looking at this family from a non-polygamous viewpoint! Polygamy fascinates me, especially this type. The Browns lives an outwardly typical American lifestyle. They live among monogamous families, dress like typical people-no pastel prairie dresses, they are educated and can go to university, they had normal jobs. However, they CHOSE polygamy; they weren’t in an extremely controlling and isolated cult like the FLDS. I know some of them were raised in the AUB, but they still had a choice. Some extended family members have left their church, none of the Brown kids (so far) are choosing polygamy, and Janelle decided she wanted it for herself when she married Kody. Even Kody himself was raised LDS and chose polygamy. They all had a choice and decided to go with polygamy. That anyone, especially a woman, would do this is baffling to me. 
So if their marriages are “sealed” for eternity, will Kody be any happier in the afterlife with his discarded wives? Will the wives be happy with him?  Does the AUB have temples similar to the LDS? What will Kody‘s status be now that he’s down to one wife? If the church kicked them out, what happens to these “spiritual marriages” now?

i remember Ysabel staying with Meri in the past, but I don’t recall the other kids making a point to visit her when they’re in town. I don’t know that her own child visits too often. Gwen likes Meri, and Robyn’s kids seem to also, but I haven’t noticed any of the others seeming to be close to her. Do Janelle’s boys who live locally have much of a relationship with her?
Meri kind of intrigues me because she appears nice on the show yet she has had problems with the other wives. Meri has a wide circle of friends but there have been numerous mentions of her poor treatment of others. So she’s interesting to me; who is the real Meri? And will the real Meri end up staying with Kody or hightail it out of Flagstaff?

I totally agree with @apandaaries response, so I won't answer that part of your post. 

The AUB is definitely not as restrictive as the FLDS, but that doesn't mean they're not fundamentalists. For example, they still believe that people of colour cannot hold the priesthood keys (this sounds like a lot, but literally every LDS boy gets access to the first keys at the age of 12), still do not seem to support birth control use, etc. I think it might be worth trying to watch the episodes of my 5 wives, which was another tlc show about a polygamous family who originated from the AUB but had left before the show. They do a better job discussing some of the less nice parts of the AUB. Some people may kick their kids out if they chose to leave the church as well. 

I think the spiritual beliefs of the Browns is pretty complicated now that the AUB kicked them out. It seems though from the way Kody, Robyn, and Meri talk that they still hold on to a number of the same beliefs even if they aren't members of the AUB. The way Christine talks it's clear she is no longer AUB or even LDS. Janelle seems to be somewhere in between. It isn't uncommon for families to break away from other fundamentalist mormon groups and go with their own version of mormonism. It happens all the time.

As to who Meri is, I think she's a complicated person who was born into a culture that was a bad fit for her. Meri seems to have her own strong opinions about things. This would probably be much easier to manage in a monogamous relationship  where their are only two equal parties instead of one head person and several subservient ones. Meri also had the misfortune of struggling with fertility in a group that prioritizes the role of women as mothers.  This is still a huge emphasis in the mainstream LDS and even more so for fundamentalists. Meri not being able to have more than one child would be devastating. I think she may also have seen it as a sign from God when she was able to have a baby after Janelle and Christine had had their first babies. Mormons believe in personal revelation and so I can see Meri as taking this as God rewarding her for living polygamy and forcing herself to conform to something that may not have been a great fit. I would imagine though that her pain would grow as she saw Janelle and Christine continue to be able to have children and her unable to. She could also see this as a punishment from God for her feelings of jealousy, which would most likely lead her to try to suppress her feelings, but those feelings would have to be released at some point, probably in an unhealthy way. Another thing is that there just seems to have been a narrative in the show that all the problems are with Meri when it comes to relationships. I believe in their book Meri and Christine were actually closer than Christine and Janelle for a number of years, but then Christine was upset with the way Meri disciplined one of their kids. I think this shift in relationships may have happened before the show, which would make it easier to have this narrative that Meri never got along with anyone, which isn't true. Janelle and Kody also did some really messed up things in their courtship that doesn't seem to ever be discussed even while discussing Meri's bad behaviour around the same time. Apparently Janelle and Kody were courting somewhat in secret from Meri (which would have been weird given that she's Meri's ex sister-in-law) and they tried to get married on Meri's birthday, which only intervention from Kody's mom prevented. It would be messed up to do that in any case, but my understanding is that with plural wives, the rotation is often interrupted for wives' anniversaries and birthdays. This would mean Kody and Janelle would be introducing unnecessary conflict before they were even married by making both Janelle and Meri have what would typically be a special night for them on the same day.  I'm sure that did not lead to a great start to Meri and Janelle's relationship as sister wives and each of them grew more entrenched in their dislike of the other by seeing the worst case scenario with each other's behaviour. My guess is that Meri would have been a much better person if allowed to live monogamy, but sadly that ship has sailed. 

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We knew this story would not end well when Robyn entered the list of characters.  Might they have stayed together as some sort of family unit if Robyn had not come on the scene….or would Kodouche have just found another female for his harem?

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I'm fairly sure Janelle has a four year degree, but it's from something like University of Phoenix.

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On 12/15/2022 at 8:26 PM, AussieKrissy said:

Well that leaves the Douchcanoe extraordinaire exactly where I think everyone knew he wanted to be... 

With the only wife he is attracted to and wants to be with...

Sobbin Robyn 

Good luck to them 

he is such a catch..... 

Somehow, I think poor old Sobbin' Robyn has a screw loose. She envisioned that somehow, in the poly family, without making a call or otherwise reaching out to anybody, while simultaneously isolating Kody and their kids, she would have been enveloped in a a community to help with her business and kids. She really does not seem to understand normal social give and take. Plus, what she lacks in social skills, she makes up for in manipulative double dealing.

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On 12/20/2022 at 6:24 AM, gustava said:

We knew this story would not end well when Robyn entered the list of characters.  Might they have stayed together as some sort of family unit if Robyn had not come on the scene….or would Kodouche have just found another female for his harem?

It would have helped preserve the existing family if the other female Kody chose had been more of a team player than Robyn. She separated Kody from the herd, polished his fragile ego on several fronts, including supporting his false beliefs and making him feel empowered by her appalling helplessness (really, why can't Robyn and Kody make a 5-year-old go to bed?), adeptly turning him against the other wives. 

All the wives remark Kody is so likable. Has something changed? I ponder the hours they all spent in counseling. That made me wonder are there counselors who specialize in family therapy for people in polygamy? Therapy didn't seem to mend the fence for Meri and Janell, Kody and Christine or Kody and Meri.

Wasn't the therapist Nancy? Did Nancy think, "who-hoo, this is a gold mine. These people will need years of therapy?" Did Nancy notice Kody is a malignant narcissist? Or has he deteriorated in the way he presents himself?

My last question is what will Robyn do post-Kody? Look at the way Christine and Janell glow post-Kody. Look at Robyn. Does she appear to have aged to you? Living with Kody is hard. He has been able to go from household to household without accountability, getting little done and disappointing everybody, but blaming polygamy. Now he is at one household and it is glaringly apparent he accomplishes little. Nevermind he is miserable to be around as he is so angry at Christine and Janelle.

My advice to Robyn is learn how to generate your own income. Your life with Kody is about to become more miserable as you are the only person left for Kody to blame for his problems.

 

 

 

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I think any wife Kody married for love/infatuation would have had a similar effect on the family, just based on his personality. From what we've seen/read in their book, the only wife Kody was probably "in love" with was Meri, and by the time he met Robyn their relationship was on the rocks. So falling in love with anyone new after 20 years while he had three other relationships that never had or hadn't had in a while the butterfly-in-the-stomach looooveeee IMO would have had Kody acting the same towards the others, especially if the new wife was also in love with him (the concept seems mind-boggling to me, but he did convince 4 women to marry him). It's very hard for me to imagine what kind of woman coming in as a 4th beloved wife could have done to counteract his behaviour while still remaining in his good graces.

Christine would have seen him actively in love with someone else and realised that he never felt that with her and never will. Meri would still have a rocky relationship, because he would have been focused on the new one and not on repairing the old.  

I do think that Robyn was an enabler for Kody which led to the demise of his other relationships, but still I believe that he is the key for that demise. 

If he had married just for the number and not for love, then yeah, probably the family would still be intact (but still highly disfunctional).

 

/Please excuse my grammar, I am not a native speaker and my brain is also a bit fuzzy today, so I feel like I butchered some tenses

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SW S17 E12 Life After Polygamy

STH- solo talking head

Mykelti found Christine a rental. As they are loading up Christine’s moving truck she learns the offer on her house fell through; the house is back on the market. Tony, Mykelti and Mitchn (Aspyn’s husband) are helping pack up the vehicles. Kody in a STH said the goodbye Mykelti arranged last episode was awkward; Robyn said awkward and horrible. Christine in a STH said Truely is nervous and stressed with the move, but they are moving toward better. Robyn in a STH feels Christine doesn’t want to see her or her kids again and feels their lives have been blown up by Christine leaving. Meri in a STH said as the public learned about Christine’s leaving, people are attacking her asking why she won’t leave Kody, why she isn’t strong like Christine. Janelle brings coffee while the crowd is finishing up packing. In a STH Christine said she’ll always be grateful for Janelle’s support of her leaving. They toast the coffee to new beginnings. Janelle choked up when she said Christine is leaving. The producer asks Christine how she’s doing while cleaning up the kitchen before leaving, and Christine said it's difficult to leave. Kody in a STH said wants to know why Christine betrayed him because he loved her and worked for their relationship. Flashbacks of Christine over the years. Aspyn meets them at the rental. Aspyn said she’s nervous about the change in family dynamics. Christine is excited to make the primary room hers.

Janelle is still hauling water to her RV and fills up at Christine’s house. Savannah in a STH said she doesn’t think they appreciated the work involved with living in the RV, but it’s a fact of life. Kody tells Janelle she should buy Christine’s house. Janelle is not a fan of the idea and wants her own house. Janelle in a STH said she can’t afford to have the mortgage on Christine’s house and build on Coyote Pass. Janelle called their finance person, and the person said they would have to rent the house for two years before the rental income would not count toward debt to income (I don’t understand the logistics, but this doesn’t help the Browns). Kody tells Janelle she isn’t being open minded; Janelle said she talked to Kelly and got the facts. Poor Savanah is standing there while her parents are having this conversation. Janelle said she can be built in a year, if she bought Christine’s house, she’d have to rent it for two years, and after that then qualify for a construction loan. Kody tells Janelle they lack creativity. Janelle said the money needed for down payment on Christine’s house could almost pay off the land, and Kody feels they could do both. Kody in a STH said Janelle has not discussed paying off Coyote Pass with Meri and Robyn and says they don’t have the money. Janelle in a STH said Kody never proposed Christine’s house as a good solution for Janelle. Janelle in the STH said Kody was sad to lose Christine’s house because he loved the house and wanted Janelle to use her resources to keep the house he loves. Janelle is renting in town for six months.  Kody in a STH said if Janelle won’t work with him to solve her problems, she can solve them on her own. He called Janelle buying the RV a charade.

Christine is back in Flagstaff (20 days after she moved to Utah); she needs to get more stuff from her garage. Truely is spending the night at the RV with Janelle and Savannah. Janelle is a star gazer. They make hotdogs and smores over a little fire. Janelle is trying to make the RV experience fun for Truely. There were electrical problems with Christine’s house that are now fixed, and she has another offer on the house. Christine said Robyn and her kids drove by and waved and is hopeful things will be ok. Christine and Janelle are dear friends and Christine sees Janelle when she comes into town. Christine in a STH said she thinks when she sees Meri and Robyn at family events, they’ll be friendly, but that’s it. Christine doesn’t enjoy being back in Flagstaff.

Janelle got a drawing for her house made. There will be a three bay garage and the house on top of the garage. The house will be 1200 square feet, two bedrooms. Janelle said she can build with the current lot lines, and it will still be in the lot lines for what they plan to subdivide. Kody said no they need to subdivide first. Janelle in a STH said typical Kody things are tough between them and he acts like all her choices are to inconvenience him. Kody still wants five lots, Janelle said fine she wants to move forward with her piece. Janelle, Meri and Robyn in a STH all agreed the family worked together on all purchases. Janelle in a STH said in the past seven years they are now thinking more individually about their estates. Kody in a STH said for a long time it was our children, everyone was one family, and now it is more Robyn’s children, Janelle’s children etc and most of the wives are empty nest or almost empty nest except Robyn. Kody in the STH said Janelle chooses to spend holidays with her older kids, not him. Kody in the STH said he feels alone and not supported by his wives. Janelle asks Kody have other wives discuss building. Kody in a STH said Meri is non-committal on the topic and he rarely discusses it with her. Kody and Janelle agree the adults need to gather and discuss the property and building. Meri in a STH said for a while she wondered if she wanted to be in the trees or not and has rented so they had the funds to build. Kody in a STH said he feels disrespected and won’t break his back to work with a wife on something if he feels disrespected. Kody in the STH said Janelle needs someone to do that, and it isn’t him. Kody in a STH said men don’t feel love for women who don’t respect them.

Christine got a trailer to move the rest of her stuff out of the garage. She needs Kody’s help to move the snow blower. They disagree where is needs to go in the trailer, and Christine only needs his help with that one item, and asks if they put it where he wants he’ll help load all the other stuff? Kody tells Christine they didn’t have a snow blower in UT and she said she knows but she loves it. Kody in a STH feels Christine is trying to prove her independence by telling him how to pack the trailer, and it bothered him. He slams the snow blower around while throwing it into the trailer. Christine in a STH said she is empowered by being independent. Kody in a STH said in the past in arguments he was in charge, and feels now that she has reversed the roles he doesn’t have to help her. Kody in a STH acknowledges his divorced with Christine is poisoning his relationship with Janelle and Robyn. Kody in a STH doesn’t know his role, his purpose anymore and is off course spiritually. Kody in a STH said Christine called him a coward and he wonders should he have told her he didn’t like her. Kody in the STH said he doesn’t want to experience heartbreak once the anger passes.

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SW S17 E13 Coronapocalypse

STH- solo talking head

Moment of snark before I begin recapping, if Christine had moved without telling Robyn, Kody and Meri how long until they would have noticed?

Kody in a STH said it is tough navigating Truely being settled and comfortable while she visits him at Robyn’s. Kody asked if she brought PJs, she said no, he thought she was spending the night and Truely said Christine said it was up to her (Truely) to decide. Kody in a STH said he’s nervous. Christine in a STH said she wants a good close relationship for Truely and Kody.  Robyn in a STH said she’s glad for the normalcy that comes with Truely’s visits. Janelle in a STH said it was a rocky summer with Kody, and she wants some stability.

Janelle in the STH said last Thanksgiving (2020) was separated from Kody and she isn’t sure what they will do this year with the divide between Kody and her boys (Gabe and Garrison). Janelle and Kody are eating outside at a restaurant (I estimate it is ~Sept, Oct, Nov 2021). Janelle said Maddie and Caleb may come out for Thanksgiving, or she goes to their place (NC) for Thanksgiving and is in Flagstaff for Christmas. Janelle hasn’t celebrated Thanksgiving with Maddie since 2018. Janelle in a STH said she took the easy way out and went to Maddie’s for Thanksgiving. Kody said if kids come to visit there is a lot to work out first, stuff he won’t ignore. Kody tells Janelle he won’t just pretend everything is ok. Kody tells Janelle Garrison should reach out to him (Kody) and make amends. Kody won’t have kids visit his (Robyn’s) house if they have animosity toward him or anyone else (Robyn is the implication). Janelle in a STH said Kody feels he and Robyn were disrespected and offended and wants the boys to apologize and grovel, and her boys won’t do it. Kody in a STH said he’s not asking for an apology, just wants to clear the air. Robyn in a STH said during covid she received texts and phone calls blaming her for the covid protocols and problems in the family. Kody in a STH feels some of the kids are jealous that Robyn came into the family and she and her kids got some of his attention. Kody tells Janelle he has a wife (Robyn) who is fundamentally loyal to him and respects him as the head of the family, and Janelle gets that (not sure what) if she is loyal to him. Janelle in a STH said she can’t believe what Kody is saying, said she suspected it but now he is clearly stating it, and she won’t become Robyn. Janelle tells Kody he only sees one side. Janelle in a STH said Kody sees Robyn as a saint, the loyal wife who entered the family and has been treated poorly and everyone needs to apologize to her and act like her. Janelle in the STH said she views things differently and when Robyn entered the family she kept a bit separate and they all had to learn the new normal.

Janelle asks Kody is the situation was reverse would he defend her? Kody smirks, leans in and says they haven’t acted like a married couple most of their marriage. Kody said she lives and has lived like a single woman for years. Janelle said she always felt she had to be independent and make decisions for her and that was a part of plural marriage.  Janelle in a STH said she had to be independent, or her needs would be ignored. Kody in a STH said Janelle is misinterpreting their entire marriage. Janelle tells Kody she enjoys independence and feels along the way they lost something. Kody says yeah. Kody in a STH said it is about a lack of respect for him during COVID. Kody tells Janelle he is inviting her to be where they have loyalty and work things out together. Janelle is bewildered he doesn’t feel she’s been loyal. Kody tells Janelle maybe they aren’t a good fit and don’t work. Janelle tells Kody she feels the rules have changed for her, she’s clearly struggling what to say or not say next. Janelle said to Kody he acted like she was a good wife, she made her own decisions, they were good and he was ok with things. Kody in a STH said it feels they are unraveling. Janelle in a STH said she’s wondered for a few years if they are compatible.

Lunch with Kody and Janelle continues. Kody tells Janelle emotionally the ship is sinking. Janelle in a STH asks how do you suddenly change a 30-year relationship? Janelle in a STH wonders if they can overcome the gulf because she can’t give Kody what he wants. Kody in a STH wonders if their relationship is working for either of them. Kody tells Janelle they don’t know how to be real with each other. Janelle tells him he’s her best friend, the one she wants to share things with, and they’ve had a functional marriage for 30 years. Kody stutters. Kody in a STH said it would not be accurate to say he is close with Janelle. Kody tells Janelle there is something fundamentally wrong. Kody in a STH wonders why Janelle thinks he’s singing a breakup song. Janelle said to Kody Savannah is nearly 17, almost empty nesters and need to reset. Kody said yeah. Janelle in a STH said she has affection for Kody, not sure if it is love. Kody tells Janelle he wants to eat before the food gets cold. Kody in a STH said it is not safe enough with Janelle to ask him to heal from his divorce with Christine. He wonders if Janelle is strong enough to help him heal. Kody doesn’t know how the family is defined in the reset, and Janelle wonders can’t they redefine them, and he said yes as a married couple and life partner. Janelle tells Kody she saw them as a married couple, life partners and having a functional relationship. Kody gives examples of her single woman decisions including buying the RV and traveling to see the kids for holidays. Janelle in a STH said now she’s made. She doesn’t want to spend holidays with only Robyn and Robyn’s kids. Kody didn’t offer to help her find a rental instead of the RV. Kody in a STH said he encouraged Janelle to rent or buy, she got mad and got the RV. Kody feels the dogs in the bed/bedroom are a hot button in addition to the RV. Janelle tells Kody she doesn’t want to give up her independence but will factor Kody in to her decisions more. Janelle asks Kody if he still wants a plural family. He said he questions it all the time, and she agrees she has. Janelle tells Kody he’s her best friend, lover, and she wants to stay. Janelle in a STH doesn’t know if they will figure it out.

Kody asks Janelle why it’s easier for Janelle to have a relationship with Christine than Robyn. Janelle said she and Christine have a shared history, and she’s had little opportunity to interact with Robyn like she did with Christine. Circumstances forced Janelle and Christine to interact daily for years. Kody said Christine is running away from a shit storm she created, and Janelle said they all played a part. Kody in a STH is enraged saying he wasn’t a coward, and he didn’t want to quit and didn’t want a divorce on his record. Kody in a STH feels Janelle doesn’t care he is going through a divorce, but she cares about Christine and that breaks his heart. Janelle in a STH doesn’t want to enter into the troubles of Christine’s troubles with Kody, she didn’t experience their struggles including lack of intimacy. Christine in a STH said Janelle was always secure even when she has struggles and said that’s part of marriage. Christine and Janelle in STH acknowledge their marriages had different dynamics. Janelle tells Kody she thinks they are at a logical place and she wants a better relationship with Kody, and he agrees. Kody in a STH feels he’s fighting for his marriage with Janelle.

Kody says it is 20 months since covid started (~October 2021, FYI vaccines became available to all adults in May 2021, so plenty of time to have been vaccinated, Robyn’s vaccination status is not discussed), Breanna and Robyn have symptoms, Breanna tested positive, Robyn tested negative. Kody guesses they contracted it from school. Robyn in a STH was surprised Breanna contracted it saying Breanna wore a mask and social distanced at school. Robyn has a fever, body ache, chills, sore throat, cough. Dayton then had symptoms, Sol and Ari got a fever. Kody show the camera the thermometer that reads 99.8 and says he feels crummy, day six of covid in the house. Kody doesn’t feel well and said he was out of his mind. Gabe in a STH said he got covid in January 2021, he only lost sense of smell, no fever. Gabe in a STH said October 11, his birthday, his dad calls him to ask about his symptoms. Gabe in the STH said he didn’t remind Kody it was his birthday, and Kody didn’t remember, and Gabe started to cry. Gabe in the STH took a minute to compose himself, said Kody called a few hours later to wish him a happy birthday, and that is the last time Gabe talked to him.

Kody complains of his body aches. Aurora is the only one who didn’t contract it and quarantined from the family. Aurora said quarantining from the family was isolating and lonely. Based on a STH of Kody’s it sounds like Aurora was still attending school which in quarantine from the family. Janelle said Meri and Christine didn’t get covid, at least not that they noticed. Meri said she sends texts to check in because she can’t go over to help. A week later Robyn wasn’t improving so she went to the hospital. They were all scared. Kody couldn’t join Robyn in the hospital. Kody wonders should he have admitted himself and gotten a chest x-ray. Robyn had an EKG and chest x-ray which both looked good per Robyn, doctor said her lungs sounded like she had covid. (It isn’t clear to me if Robyn spent a night in the hospital or not, maybe several hours one day). Aurora and Breanna were happy she was released, but still worried about Robyn. Kody said Robyn is a bit better after getting released from the hospital and he’s gotten worse, and his sleep is terrible. Janelle in a STH said Kody is in a bad place emotionally and mentally, and he's anxious. Breanna said Kody sounded depressed when he had covid, and wasn’t his happy energetic self. Robyn in a STH said Kody having covid removed his rose-colored glasses, his optimism is gone. Kody in a STH said he fought and beat covid even though it kicked his butt, he doesn’t want to continue to socially distance. Kody in a STH said he reflected on his relationships, he hasn’t handled Christine leaving well, feels rejected by Janelle. He is worried he’ll lose his family, feels the division. For Halloween Kody is King Tut and Robyn is Cleopatra, Ari and Sol trick or treat in their house, going to the different doors of the house.

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Thanks for the recap.. Poor Gabe broke my heart that episode… 

ahhhh the latest tell all is the worst..  Kody refuses to answer questions. The stupid host doesn’t ask any tough questions of Kody, like when he says Christine’s kids. I wanted to punch his face so vax and scream, they are your children too.. They are watching you talk about their mothers like dogs and you wonder why they don’t talk to you. .. Robin is lying. It is jumping all around from One person to the other, very hard to follow. 

 

I want the honest version from the older kids, like Maddie, Hunter, garrison, gabe,  

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5 minutes ago, sleepygirl1 said:

Thank you so much for the recaps! Just a quick question what does STH stand for?

Solo talking head, when they are on the couch talking to the camera 

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3 minutes ago, Jrodseyeliner said:

Solo talking head, when they are on the couch talking to the camera 

Oh, thank you so much! All I could find was that stood for something or still talking head, and I said to myself that it makes sense. Thank you.

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Solo couch interview would have made more sense, but I initially came up with STH and it stuck in my head. Gabe crying broke my heart in episode 13. I admire Gabe for being so vulnerable on TV. Gabe and Garrison had a problem with Robyn and took it to Robyn. Kody sits on a couch and complains but isn't making any attempt to reach out and solve the issue. Gabe and Garrison are acting more mature than Kody and Robyn. 

I haven't watched past episode 13 yet, and as I watch each episode, I get more frustrated with Kody. It truly is all about him. He wants everyone to love, adore, obey and praise him. That mentality is one of a cult leader; it should not be the mentality of a husband and father. 

I don't think Kody allows interviewers that hold him accountable. He's had end of season interviewers in the past that have tried, and they weren't around for the next season.  

I suspect Kody is worried the TLC money train is almost over, and financially he isn't where he wanted to be. Perhaps he secured another season with Janelle and Meri leaving. Christine was smart enough to get out while there is some money. Hopefully Janelle and Meri do the same. Once the TLC income ends, they won't be able to afford the mortgage on Robyn's house and Coyote Pass. The real estate market is still pretty good they should sell Coyote Pass before the market crashes, and they are saddled with mortgages they can't afford. 

I would love to hear from any of the older kids. The family culture Robyn allegedly admired- living in one house, everyone (Christine and Janelle) working together to raise the kids dramatically changed when they moved to Vegas. They went from one household of three families, to four separate households. TLC came along and Janelle quit her full-time job, Meri claimed to lose her part time job because of the show, not sure if Christine was working part time, and lord knows what Robyn was doing before the show. The moms (Christine and Janelle) no longer had to depend on each other like they did prior to the income from TLC. Yes, the move to Vegas dramatically changed their family dynamics, but so did having money, and the money piece is never acknowledged.

The Browns had to know before going public that they were putting themselves under the legal microscope. They had to have a plan if the state of Utah, or child protective services decide to get involved. They didn't appear to immediately rent, buy, or plan to build a larger home that accommodated four families (allowing Robyn to be part of the one house experience), so maybe they assumed/planned they would have to leave the state of UT knowing living together wasn't going to happen. 

 

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@Cheetahthank you for sharing the link above. I want James to host the next interview! James is right we are finally seeing the real Kody, and it ain't pretty. 

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On 1/1/2023 at 6:28 PM, Jrodseyeliner said:

Thanks for the recap.. Poor Gabe broke my heart that episode… 

ahhhh the latest tell all is the worst..  Kody refuses to answer questions. The stupid host doesn’t ask any tough questions of Kody, like when he says Christine’s kids. I wanted to punch his face so vax and scream, they are your children too..  

I wanted to pop Kody in the chops everytime he said "respect". Also invent a drinking game, where everytime he whines about not being respecte mph we smack him and take a drink. But that will be too many drinks! So, excess being counter-productive, alternately smack and drink. Moderation in all things!

I also wanted to smack Suduynak (sp?). I realize she is only asking what the producers tell her to ask. Her questions make her look like she ate paint chips for breakfast, which can't help her career. I can't be the only person who wanted to pop her, especially when she was asking Christine why she didn't ask Kody to enumerate, in the midst of his scary "knife in the kidney" rant, how she had not befriended her sisterwives (i.e. Robyn) when they were already divorced and she wss leaving town.

Additionally, I wish to address Kody's tragical narcissistic injury, incurred by being shit-canned by Christine. We have previously discussed the mix of religion and polygamous culture affecting the Browns. Further, we have noted Kody's affection for the "man-o-sphere". When Kody says, "It's all about the ego, baby", he ain't kidding. Can't you just imagine Kody with his noxious, polygamist, man-o-sphere buds? He may have been able to beat Meri into emotional mush, toss her a few crumbs of hope to reconcile, keep her on the line and make her promise to keep their split hush-hush? Oh, the joy of being a polygamist, man-i-sphere homey!

Imagine his humiliation at being publicly divorced by Christine!  He will never stop complaining about Christine and blaming her for his problems. Because he will truly never recover!

Finally, thank you @ifosterkittens for again falling on the sword and recapping these torturous SW episodes! I had missed you so this season and enjoyed your recaps.

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