‘Sister Wives’ Recap: Kody Brown Praises Robyn’s Kids And Slams His Other Children

‘Sister Wives’ Recap: Kody Brown Praises Robyn’s Kids And Slams His Other Children

The November 6 episode of Sister Wives featured Christine Brown dropping off Ysabel in North Carolina, Christine informing her sister wives that her house is under contract and she’s moving to Utah in a week. Also, Kody Brown reveals that he no longer considers himself married to Meri, and reveals he’s closer to Robyn’s kids than his other children. 

Christine Arrives At Maddie’s 

The episode starts with Christine’s road trip to North Carolina with her daughters. The adventure spanned over six days and ends at Maddie and Caleb’s home in North Carolina, where Ysabel will attend college, and live with the couple.

Ysabel comments how happy she is to be around a healthy relationship — this is new to her considering what she’s witnessed in parent’s marriage.

Ysabel has been Christine’s support system in the years leading up to her parents divorce. Ysabel shared insight to her mother’s struggles the year before Christine decided to divorce Kody.

“I think the last year has been really hard emotionally, and so she’s [Christine Brown] been going through a hard time.” Ysabel says in a talking head confessional.

She continues, “And I think that, well, I also have, obviously, however…that she depends on me, not that it’s a bad thing, but I think that she depended on me, so I think it got quite heavy in the house and it got very emotional.” Ysabel adds, “When she was going through it, she sought out me. I think it’s hard for a young kid to see their mom…in such a sad state because the last year was really hard. It was really hard living at home last year.”

Christine and her girls rest at a hotel and while laying in bed, talk about their upcoming move. Truely has not quite accepted the idea of moving and changing everything in her life. Truely says she will miss her dad and family in Flagstaff, while Christine is steadfast in her decision to leave the family and move to Utah. 

They arrive in North Carolina at Maddie’s house and sit down for a family meal. Hunter is also visiting from Baltimore and everyone is all smiles. Caleb asks Christine, “How are you doing?” She responds, “I’m really excited that Ysabel’s having this adventure and I’m gonna miss her really bad. And you guys, thank you for giving her a safe place to start her adventure here.”

Meri’s BFF Jenn Visits

Meri Brown’s best friend, Jenn Sullivan, from Orogen is visiting her in Utah at her bed & breakfast. Jenn’s staying in Utah for the summer with her kids and managing the inn while Meri travels back and forth to Flagstaff. Jenn is Meri’s ride or die, who supported her throughout her catfish ordeal and her rocky relationship with Kody.

Kody comments that Meri needs a friendship outside of the family because she doesn’t have close bonds with her sister wives. Meri explains how Jenn was there for her during the time her mother passed. Jenn dropped everything to be by Meri’s side and Meri comments that it felt good to be someone’s priority (because she doesn’t have that with Kody). 

In a talking head confessional, Meri comments that she still considers herself married to Kody although they don’t have an intimate relationship anymore. Kody on the other hand comments that he doesn’t see himself married to Meri anymore and she’s welcome to find another man, he would not oppose it. Ouch!

Christine’s Leaving & Kody’s Angry

Kody, Meri, Robyn and Janelle are all coming over to Christine’s so she can break some big news to them. Christine is feeling a little nervous and admits that she has “a lot of emotions about this whole situation.” She doesn’t know how they’ll receive the news that she ‘s sold her house and moving to Utah next week. 

Meri comments that he’s angry in a talking head confessional, “I feel angry and I feel a little betrayed, and I feel like I understand where she’s coming from,” Meri says of her ex sister wife. “I also know that anger is a secondary emotion. I’m hurt. I’m hurt that she doesn’t see value enough in our family.”

Christine shares that her house is under contract, inviting a supportive “yay!!” from Janelle. I was tickled at Janelle’s “yay,” and chuckled.

“Why is Janelle saying ‘yay’? I don’t get her thinking,” Kody ponders in a confessional spot.

“I found a house and I am moving next week,” Christine tells the group. “I know it’s all fast. It all happened yesterday. We’ve been looking for about three days.”

“It felt like I just got pushed out of an airplane and I wasn’t ready,” Robyn comments in a talking head.

Kody adds, “It’s just one of those things where it’s like there’s nothing I can do here. I’m not going to express my undying love for her like, ‘Please come back.’ I don’t even like her right now.”

Meri sarcastically remarks, “There’s really just nothing for me to say. What am I supposed to say? Congratulations, you’re leaving the family?”

Meri, who shares only a platonic relationship with Kody, assures viewers that she is not jealous of Christine’s newfound freedom.

“I don’t feel jealous of Christine that she’s leaving and I can’t because I can,” she says. “I can do whatever I want. My strength is sticking around and seeing if Kody would be willing to work on a relationship so I leave that door open but I’m not pining away for it.”

Christine Needs Approval To Divorce

Kody reveals that his daughter, Truely, told him that Christine considers them divorced and he’s pissed that Christine would fill their daughter’s head with that.

“I was sitting there talking with Truely and she’s like, ‘Well, you and Mom are divorced,'” Kody recalls. “It was a little bit news to me.”

Kody is pissed off by the label and says, “We never made an official agreement. We never signed a paper. We never agreed. We never went to our church leaders and said, ‘Hey, we’re divorced’ or ‘We want a divorce.'”

Robyn agrees with Kody and says the church would need to approve the divorce.

“Usually our church would say you’re divorced, you have to go ask for a divorce. You have to get paperwork, you have to get approval. You have to approve that the marriage is broken,” Robyn says.

“Christine saying ‘I’m divorced’ is sort of invalidating our beliefs. We’re spiritually married to Kody by our church,” Janelle says.

Janelle explains church procedures regarding separation involves  Christine and Kody working on their relationship further before they can split.

“If we want a divorce, then we have to go get their approval. Usually, they require counseling. Usually, they require lots and lots of meetings. Technically, from my understanding, until Christine is physical with another man, she’s not divorced. But I don’t know,” Janelle shares.

According to Christine, she’s divorced because their marriage was never legally binding. Additionally, she no longer follows the practices of the AUB church, so approval from the institution is not required.

“Since I don’t have any legal contract that binds me with Kody, there was no legal process that we had to go through,” Christine explains. “Neither of us are a part of that religion anymore. So, me just saying I’m divorced? I don’t see the problem in that at all.”

Kody Loves Robyn’s Kids More

A frustrated Kody comments that “in some ways I’m sorry” Christine dragged out leaving for so long and Janelle chimes in to say, the biggest thing they’ve produced is “this cohesive group of kids.” To which Kody disagrees, and reveals that Leon (formerly known as Mariah), Paedon, Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna…all don’t fit in well with the rest of the family.

“Three of Janelle’s kids are close to three of Christine’s…and that’s really it.” Kody explains in a talking head confessional.

Janelle disagrees, and says Kody is “myopic” and only sees everything from the perspective of Robyn and her kids — he feels they’ve been shunned and slighted, and Janelle’s confused why he feels that way.

Kody believes that Robyn, himself and their children, “are all connecting constantly,” as opposed to the relationship he shares with his other kids by Meri, Janelle and Christine.

Kody describes his relationship with Robyn’s kids as “an energy of connection, perpetually.”

Kody adds in a talking head confessional. “With Janelle and Christine, I’m only getting feedback from them about what’s going on with the kids. The kids themselves are not bringing this to me. It’s more nuanced than just to say, ‘Kody favors Robyn,’ that’s not even a cool statement.”

He continues his rant, “It’s that she [Robyn] communicates, and her children communicate. THEY INVOLVE ME!”

Janelle is hopeful that in time they can all cohesively co-parent despite Christine’s departure.

Robyn Challenges Christine

Christine says her children noticed a shift in the relationship between her and Kody, and questioned why is their mother would stay in a  “loveless marriage.”

Kody says that Janelle’s daughter, Maddie, told him that Christine was contemplating her exit for a very long time. 

“When you hear things through the grapevine there’s a whole other conversation you don’t get. You should maybe address the source,” Christine says, claiming that some of their children asked her, “Why are you staying? Why don’t you just leave?”

“They saw how separate we’ve been in Flagstaff. They also saw that Kody and I have been struggling for a long time,” Christine says. “The kids were like, ‘It looked like in Vegas that you and dad weren’t very close anymore.’”

Robyn pushed back on Christine’s timeline and challenged her narrative about the relationship.

“In Vegas? That’s a lie,” Robyn counters. “I remember the conversations. I remember what was going on. I remember you guys having fun dates and hearing about that and seeing your guys’ relationship. So, either you guys were faking it in front of me … I don’t know.”

In a talking head confessional, Christine blasts Robyn, “Exactly why she’s [Robyn] saying that I’m lying,” and that she and Kody “did struggle in Vegas” and their kids “did say it.”

Robyn doubles down on her bold assertions about the dynamics of Kody and Christine’s relationship, praising herself for sticking up for her man in a talking head confessional.

Janelle backs up Christine in a talking head confessional and says she’s been aware of Christine and Kody’s issues for a long time and says Robyn and Kody are trying to rewrite history and gaslight Christine.

Kody’s concerned that the couple’s divorce will “delegitimize” their original goal to portray polygamy in a positive way to the public.

“We’ve worked so hard begging the public to accept our marriage, our family. And in a moment, (Christine) decides we’re divorced. And it feels like it delegitimizes everything I’ve worked for, for so long,” Kody says in a confessional spot. 

Sister Wives airs Sundays, at 10 p.m. ET, on TLC.  

 

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