I’m just going to say it: Kody Brown is something else.
We’re approaching the halfway point of Sister Wives Season 19, and the vibe is…slow
That’s the problem with shows like this, which are filmed and only air literally years later.
Fans already know where Kody and company are now. They know where they’re living, they know who they’re loving, and they know who hasn’t spoken in a LONG TIME.
But in episode 5, we get a glimpse into Kody’s final days married to his first wife and his last ex-wife.
And despite insisting that he wanted to end things, he also refuses to take responsibility for the failure of the marriage.
Picking up from last week…
In the last episode of Sister Wiveswe left Robyn crying on Christmas Eve, lamenting the fact that this would be her first holiday as Kody’s only wife.
She pulled herself together, for the kids’ sake, and to be honest, she seems to be the only one unhappy with the arrangement.
Christine is in her element on Christmas morning, surrounded by her children in Mykelti’s home. Janelle spends the holiday in North Carolinawith his daughter Maddie and her family. And Meri has chocolate with her friends on Christmas Day.
As Janelle says, “It’s the new normal and that’s okay.”
Clearly, everyone is moving on, although some are happier than others.
In December 2022, when this episode happens, Christine is just starting to date her now-husband David Wooley.
Okay, there are mixed reactions from the family about this.
Christine’s children interrogate her about David
As all the children are together on vacation, Christine takes the opportunity to talk to them about her new boyfriend.
Everyone seems to generally agree; Mykelti let him hold the babies when they met!
But the conscious is that they are moving too fast, having said the “L” word after just two dates!
But Christine admits, both in her confessional and to her children’s faces, that their opinions are important, but it won’t stop her from taking David seriously.
We know how this works…
As for Kody’s other exes, while Janelle is open to meeting someone “organically,” she’s not ready to dive into dating apps. As for Meri?
“The idea of dating is so strange,” she says. “Then add the fact that I was in a plural family for 30-something years. They just think that’s what I’m interested in because I’ve been doing this for a long time.”
But even though neither of them are dating, Meir and Janelle are getting their act together — literally and figuratively.
For Janelle, that means continuing to talk to Maddie and her husband Caleb about buying a home together. At this point, all she needs is Kody will buy it from Coyote Passand she is ready.
As for Meri, since she no longer lives in Flagstaff, she expects the same from Kody.
But she needs to confront him to do that.
Meri and Kody face off
In a confrontation that seems to deserve no purpose, Meri and Kody meet at her home on the Flagstaff estate for the first time since their separation.
Kody says it’s to clear the air, but it actually seems more Kody is waiting for Meri will clear your own conscience.
See, all at once, he accuses Meri of “gaslighting” him for years, insisting she would say one thing about their relationship, but the “vibe” was totally different.
When her response is that he was the one who stopped loving her, he places the blame squarely on Meri.
“Don’t blame me for not loving you. I was doing my duty. Blame yourself if I don’t love you. When I’m in love with a woman, it’s her fault.”
“I’m not placing blame,” Meri responds. “All I did was acknowledge the fact that he told me he wasn’t interested in working on a relationship.”
The confrontation is stark and very forced, with Meri trying to keep things civil, while Kody tries to regain the dignity he thinks he has lost. They call it “responsibility talk,” but the real question is: who needs it.
Clearly, the answer is Kody.
“You’re trying to make me own this,” Kody tells Meri, wanting to confess to being the reason they broke up.
However, Meri is more than willing to embrace her role in ending the marriage. She also knows that Kody isn’t willing to do the same.
“I don’t think he likes to see that he failed, but if you didn’t want to fail, maybe you should have married the wrong person once, twice or three times.”
Play, Meri!
Then the elephant in the room appears: Robyn. After all, she is the only person in the family who misses the way things were. But Meri remains firm.
“There is no way we can move forward together,” she says, which means she will no longer come on vacation or be part of the family.
In the end, Kody seems to give in – a little.
I don’t know why I’m still holding back a little because I know damn well I don’t want to be in this relationship and I know damn well I don’t want to be in a relationship with Janelle.
And I know Christine did me a favor by being brave enough to leave.
“I feel very calm about our situation. He doesn’t want to,” Meri admits.