Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Teen Mom 2: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

We got to share a national holiday with the moms and their families this week. As fireworks exploded over unwed mothers everywhere, I diligently took notes so that I could present you with The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from this week's episode. And while you're reading, don't forget to hover over the pictures for a good time.

The Good:
  • Chelsea's dad, Randy. This man is a saint -- a saint with a wallet full of hundred-dollar bills! What does this man do for a living, and is he hiring? Maybe Randy's financial support of Chelsea is a little over-the-top, but there's no question of how much he loves his daughter and granddaughter. If he wants to show it by handing out hundreds like they're Kleenex, who am I to criticize?
  • Leah & Corey's new beginning. Leah and Corey are what I'd imagine Catelynn and Tyler would have been like had they not given Carly up for adoption. Sure, their "defining the relationship" discussion wasn't in the most mature terms ("You call me your girlfriend and I call you my boyfriend?") and their bowling skills leave much to be desired, but these two are wise beyond their years. Leah, you might not think that your belly was big enough for Ali, but your heart and your mind have more than enough room to give those twins a wonderful life.
  • The part of Chelsea that thinks she "shouldn't take Adam back or even talk to him." The kid called your daughter a mistake and you a stretch-mark bitch. I know you want your child to have two parents, but is it really worth opening the door to that kind of abuse again? Listen to that little angel on your shoulder!
The Bad:
  • Jenelle's voice-overs. Who writes this crap? It's obvious that the girls are reading a script when they do narrations, but when she said, "Finding a job is gonna be really hard, and, on top of that, I have to get ready for college and babysit Jace," I almost fell off the couch. I'm pretty sure it's not called babysitting when it's your own child. Here's another gem: "With everything I want to do with my life right now, I'm starting to realize my mom might be in a better position to take care of Jace." What, pray tell, does Jenelle want to do with her life other than smoke marijuana and go on Wal-Mart shopping sprees?
  • Barbara. At first I thought Jenelle's mom was doing the right thing by taking custody of Jace. Then I realized that this is probably all part of Barbara's grand plan to trick her teen daughter into getting pregnant, steal the baby from her, raise him as her own and...take over the world? Whatever the case, Barbara is just a little too happy to assume the mothering duties from Jenelle. And the fact that she won't let Jenelle take him anywhere seems strange, too. As much as I don't sympathize with Jenelle's horrible parenting, after seeing her wacky mom and then hearing about how her father essentially abandoned her when she was young, I can understand why she may not be the most stable person out there.
  • Janet & Eddie's ultimatum. I find it hard to believe that super-mom-in-law's requirement that Kailyn not date while living under her roof is actually a rule that stems from having her grandson's best interest at heart. Rather, it seems like a mama bear not wanting her baby bear to be scorned. Hey, it's Janet's house, and she has been more than gracious to Kailyn so far, but forcing her to move out just because she's dating someone other than Jo seems counterproductive. Instead, maybe she should focus her energy on getting Jo to take the cigarette out from behind his ear, stop talking out of only one side of his mouth and help out with the daddy duties a bit more.
The Ugly:
  • Jo. You know where I'm going with this. Jo, playing arcade basketball with his brother, having a profanity-laden conversation about how Kailyn doesn't deserve to live in "his" house. Apparently, she "don't pay for shit, don't do nuttin'" and is "completely disrespectful." Hmm...can we say pot calling the kettle black?
Miscellaneous Tidbits:
  • When Leah pondered what Ali's problem was, all I could think was, "Girl, don't you have the Internet?" I would have Googled that stuff six ways from Sunday, beginning with "baby's leg looks like a frog leg."
Quotable quotes:
  • "The meal of people who move out" - Randy, referring to Chelsea's habit of eating Ramen Noodles

4 comments:

Lindsay Dudzick said...

YES. I agree with all of this.

Chelsea: Okay, Randy makes me crazy. I know he's trying to do right by his daughter, but omg enabler. And how can Chelsea not get it together to finish her GED or high school diploma??? She doesn't have a job, she doesn't have to pay bills, and she has a built in babysitter. Two things: 1) I read somewhere that Randy is a dentist. 2) I also read that Chelsea's roommate, Megan, also gets pregnant. SIGH. I thought she had a better head on her shoulders.

Jenelle: ARGH! I, too, died when she talked about "babysitting." Also these:
http://www.okmagazine.com/2011/01/janelle-evans-lights-up-at-the-gas-pump-in-n-c/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1345104/Teen-Mom-2-star-Jenelle-Evanss-police-mugshot-arrest-marijuana-possession.html

Kailyn: I don't love Kailyn, but Jo literally makes my blood boil. He just seems like such a d-bag. In the second-to-last episode, he seemed positively gleeful at the prospect of Kailyn getting kicked out (during the confrontation in the kitchen). I'm not expecting his parents to continue supporting her/housing her indefinitely, but they should at least encourage their son to be a human being.

I like reading your blog, keep it up! :)

Caity said...

Lindsay, I agree that Randy enables her. You can tell that he thinks he's doing what's best for her, but it will probably come back to haunt her if she ever has to learn how to truly support herself, not just play house. That makes me sad that Megan gets pregnant, too. Birth control is NOT that hard -- there are many ways of preventing pregnancy...why can't these girls figure it out? I wouldn't be surprised, though, if Megan sees the situation as sort of romanticized because of living w/Chelsea, so maybe it wasn't totally an "accident"?

Jenelle: Just plain sad.

Glad you like it so far. I need a catchy name and a new layout, but other than that, I'm hoping to keep blogging about the various shows I watch. If you know anybody else you think would enjoy reading it, please pass it along!

Annonymous Teacher said...

Some people on the mommy message board I read were commenting on how in most of Leah's shots, she's holding Aleah but not Ali and implying she favors the 'healthy' twin. I couldn't believe people were saying that! I see such genuine concern and love with her.

I disagree a bit with what you said about Jo's parents. I think maybe they recognized Kailyn's new relationship for what it was, a teenage fling, as proven by their choice to go public on facebook and that guy's reaction when she said she couldn't date him anymore. I like to give them enough credit to think that if she came to them and said she met someone she really cared about who she thought was going to be around for a LONG time, they would be more lenient. But she was just acting like the immature teenager that she is. My heart breaks for her and her situation, but she needs to do a lot of growing up. Jo might as well not even exist for all the good parenting he does though.

Annonymous Teacher said...

Ok, didn't realize the google acct I have is from when I was doing an online blogging thing with my class, but this is Jess Kulzer.