Are the polygamous lives on 'Sister Wives' creepy or convincing?
TLC puts an emphasis on polite expression over reality TV madness
"Sister Wives"
Credit: TLC
Watching "Sister Wives" (Sundays at 9 p.m. ET) can be a deeply unnerving experience. Like a lot of people, I've never exactly cottoned to the idea of polygamy. I'm happy to share lots of things -- sandwiches, sweaters, tabloid gossip -- but husbands I prefer to keep to myself. Selfish, I know. It doesn't help, of course, that in my mind the word polygamy is inextricably tied to the sordid and deeply creepy trial of Warren Jeffs and the less creepy but no less chaotic HBO series "Big Love." On some level, polygamy just gives me the willies. So why, at the end of most episodes, do I (very briefly) find myself thinking, well, maybe having a few spouses isn't such a bad thing after all (though personally I'd prefer polyandry, as I suspect that if I had three or four husbands at least one of them would know how to fix a damn faucet)?
The credit (or discredit, depending on your point of view) goes to the Browns, specifically the sister wives. Though at times patriarch Kody seems like a bouncy, hyperactive kid who needs four or more wives just to keep his ADD in check, he seems to have chosen pretty well in the marriage department. Meri, Christine, Janelle and Robyn, while not above human emotions like jealousy and yearning, are able to articulate their feelings with surprising ease when cameras are rolling. They don't ask us to believe that they don't sometimes want more time with their husband or feel slighted when Kody lavishes more attention on one wife over the others, but they are able to explain how they cope with those emotions (prayer, talking it out) and behave themselves. There's not as much drama as we've come to expect from reality TV, but maybe the stars of "The Real Housewives" franchise could learn a few things from these gals about playing nice.
A sincere bond connecting the wives is evident as well -- instead of competing with one another, they seem to value what each wife brings to the table (to say nothing of the joys of having three back-up babysitters). Surprisingly, on this show, the conflict isn't internal but comes largely from the outside world, which in this case is more than enough to keep things interesting.
Last season ended with the family fleeing Utah after officials in Lehi, Utah began investigating whether or not to file charges of bigamy against the Browns (which could have resulted in a 20 year prison sentence for Kody and up to five years in the clink for each wife), and the clan has settled in the relative safety of Sin City, Las Vegas. Inevitably, this season is about adjusting to change -- and lots of it. The older kids are miserable and counting the minutes until they can get back to Utah, each wife is settled in a separate home instead of a sprawling connected compound, and the parents are collectively worried about their kids meeting other kids who share the "same moral values" (I'm sure there are plenty of men in Las Vegas living with multiple women, but I'm guessing these would not be church going types).
While we do see moments in which the Browns discuss religion and hold at-home church services (not having found a congregation to their liking in Las Vegas), for the most part the show tries to focus on the everyday, familiar elements of raising a family rather than the otherness of this particular family. We watch the Browns struggle with finances (Kody and Janelle had to quit their jobs in Utah and haven't found similar opportunities in Las Vegas), have pool parties and go out to dinner. If anything, TLC has found a way to make polygamy, yes, boring.
In a world of "Dance Moms" and "Jersey Shore," "Sister Wives" is a jarring anomaly -- a show with a prurient hook that retains viewers by being downright wholesome. Heck, if you can get past the whole husband-swapping angle, this is family-friendly programming. I told you that watching "Sister Wives" could be a deeply unnerving experience.
Liane Bonin Starr is an author, screenwriter and former writer for EW.com. Her byline has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety and a lot of other places. Her last book was called "a scandalously catty, guilty pleasure" by Jane magazine. Expect the same from Starr Raving.
News From Our Partners
-
What to Watch Tonight: The Season Finales of SVU, The Middle, Modern Family, Chicago Fire, Nashville, and Criminal Minds
The Weirdest, Grossest, Bestest Moments from Netflix's Hemlock Grove, in Pictures and GIFs
What to Watch Tonight: SYTYCD, Awkward., and the Finales of Grimm, The Game, and DWTS
-
Xbox One Games Can Be Played By Multiple Users on One Console
'American Horror Story: Coven' Adds Emma Roberts
'Fast 6′ vs. 'Hangover 3′: Who Will Win the Memorial Day Weekend Box Office?
-
New 'Man of Steel' Trailer: Watch Now!
'The Hangover': Retracing The Success Of A Few Crazy Nights
'Fast & Furious 6': How Michelle Rodriguez Came Back From The Dead
-
The Telefile - Critics' Choice Television Awards 2013: Nominees Announced
The Telefile - TV on DVD: Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Telefile - Veep: The Episode's Best Insults
-
Cannes Film Festival: Cannes, Day Seven: J.C. Chandor makes good, Nicolas Winding Refn goes bad, and Claire Denis gets ugly
Interview: Katie Aselton on going from mumblecore to thriller—and directing her own nude scenes
TV Roundtable: Boobies, pee-pees, codependence, and grounding the shenanigans with heart
-
'Before Midnight' L.A. Premiere: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy Celebrate 18 Years Together (PHOTOS)
Josh Hutcherson in 'Ape': 'Hunger Games' Star Lines Up Role in Psychological Thriller
'Man of Steel' Trailer: Kneel Before General Zod
-
In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious
Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock
Discover the Best-Reviewed Films in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013
-
Please Watch New 'Arrested Development' In Order & Not At Once
From 'Idol' Contestants To Judges?
From 'Unfabulous' To 'American Horror Story'
Latest Posts
-
The Guam resident may be too large to have weight loss surgeryWednesday, May 22, 2013
-
'The Haunting Of...' comes back for season two, tooWednesday, May 22, 2013
-
After getting dropped by NBC, the show finds new life on basic cableWednesday, May 22, 2013
-
The competitors get their craziest task yetWednesday, May 22, 2013
Recent Activity on Facebook
Most Popular on Facebook
Top Stories From Around the Web
Comments
Option 1
Comment instantly as a guest GuestOption 2
Option 3
Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupJancis M. Andrews
October 13, 2011 at 7:48AM EST Reply to CommentPolygamy entrenches the hateful ancient double standard, whereby men have lots of sex partners, but women have to remain faithful to only one man. In Kody's case, the women have to ration themselves and take their turn in his bedroom while he enjoys a sex fest. And these women are teaching this double srtandard to their children, which is destructive, cruel, and downright Victorian in outlook. As well, only the first (legal) wife and her children are entitled to share in Kody's life insurance, health, vision and dental insurance, tax benefits and pensions. The remaining women and their children are on their own, and God help them if any one of them has a serious health problem. They face poverty. This is why polygamy is condemned by the UN Tribunal on Human Rights, and also in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, both of which state that polygamy contravenes women's equality rights, impoverishes them and harms their children.(Available on the Internet) It's a hateful ancient practice that should have been kicked into the garbage can of history eons ago. These exceedingly ignorant women should realize the year is 2011 AD, not 2011 BC. As for Kody, it's way past time that that immature, self-centered man grew up and stopped looking on women as sexual collectibles, i.e,, concubines for his harem.
bkgirl I am not in a polygamist marriage or relationship, and I never will be. I love my husband and I guess I am selfish as well in that I want him all to myself. But my non polygamist marriage is not based on sex alone. It is also based on trust, understanding, companionship and just the joy of being around this man that I love. Why, Jancis, you would think that the Brown's family marriage is based only on sex, is beyond my understanding. When I watch this show I see caring people who are doing their best to life their lives with their own beliefs within a world that shames them for it. There is no sexual abuse that I have seen within the home, either of the children or the wives. Each, are adult women, and have decided to live this life on their own. Nobody forced them. And as for the children, while I can understand that their parents would be disappointed if they don't live a life according to the beliefs that they were raised on, I seriously doubt that this family would be ripped apart if any of them decided that when they grow up they don't want a polygamist marriage. While I agree that there are certain aspects of polygamy that have been darkened by truly hateful people, not everybody that practices a certain way of life is wrong. You are condemning them for putting their lives out there, that they are going to influence the whole world to live their way, then going back and saying that the whole world should live your way. I’m getting off track here, sorry. As I was saying before, the fact that you are reducing a marriage to pure sexual intentions is insulting. It insults me as a non-polygamist wife. To say that their marriage is based on only sexual premises, is the same as saying my marriage is based on only sexual premises, and me as a wife an being used by my husband. I wish the Brown’s well, and hope they are able to live their lives with pure intentions and pure hearts.
October 13, 2011 at 8:51AM ESTpolygrrl I am a modern, successful career woman who has chosen a polygamous relationship with one man and 3 other women. It works well for me, and there are a lot of benefits to the women. I think that some people get really fixated on the sexual aspect of it, when the relationship and intimacy parts of it are what is most important to me. I want intimacy of this type with other women.
October 18, 2011 at 8:02PM ESTIf you are interested in my attempts to articulate why I would do this, check out my blog: www.polygrrl.com.
Krs
October 13, 2011 at 11:05AM EST Reply to CommentI think these people are HUGE hypocrites! They want their "marriages" recognized and respected, and constanltley yap about their "high moral" please! They are sure ok not having to claim the whole family's income when they get food stamps and welfare, or when they file bk. They are crooks!
Rex
October 14, 2011 at 9:34AM EST Reply to CommentIt is a whole lot more moral and logical than Gay marriage!
Eric Rex, I'm not sure how you can compare the two. So in your opion it's OK for a man to have a harem of wives; however, if two people of the same sex want to spend the rest of their lives together it wrong and illogical. I really hope you don't spout your hate and bigotry to your children (all 20 of them).
November 25, 2011 at 1:52PM ESTkimberly
October 15, 2011 at 12:05PM EST Reply to CommentFor the record the Browns collect absolutely no governmental assistance; their nummber of tax deductions are their only perk. I'm a midwestern Lutheran, but you know a loving, well-adjusted family when you see one. I'll be praying for them all. kp
psychologist
October 17, 2011 at 12:31AM EST Reply to CommentThe show should be called, " I get to cheat on my wife and use "religon" as my excuse to have my cake and eat it to" Polygamy religon was started by a man who wanted to cheat on his wife and used religion to convince his wife that he isn't really cheating but following the word of GOD. His wife fell for the manipulation and hene a new "religon" was born. @bkgirl, you can't be that naive to believe that Cody Brown and his wife are living their lives with pure intentions and pure hearts.