After the first episode of TLC’s Sister Wives, I joined the ranks of regular viewers. Like many who tuned in to view the workings of the polygamist family, one of my main motivations was finding out how Kody Brown and his four wives created a family centered on eternal togetherness and their so-called celestial destination. By the season 3 finale, I was really disappointed with the series.
Celestial What?
I am not a Mormon or a member of a Mormon splinter group. I did, however, pick up bits and pieces of the Browns’ conversation during the first three seasons suggesting that they share a belief that the adults are all in a permanent marriage and part of a permanent family.
What I had hoped to find out was how they viewed the Mormon concept of “celestial heaven” and how polygamy determined their place in it. It was disappointing that viewers didn’t hear more about the specifics of their beliefs, given that they are apparently not part of the LDS church. However, it certainly is their right to decide which personal details they opt to reveal on or off camera.
The “E” Word
As I watched all the episodes of the series, I changed from a fan into a very annoyed viewer. It all boiled down to one word: entitlement.
Over the three seasons, we watched the Browns wonder if Utah authorities were going to charge them with a crime, pack up and suddenly exit to Las Vegas, and move into four separate Nevada rental homes.
Whoa–Since when can a family of 5 adults and 17 children expect to live in 4 detached, single-family houses?
Like many viewers, I presume the funding for a lifestyle that monogamous parents with fewer than half as many children might envy must come from payments from TLC. However, where they come from isn’t my business, nor is it the cause of my beef with the series. It simply never revealed any other major source of income after the move.
As episode after episode enfolds, we see more and more of a sense of entitlement in this family. Take, for example, what appear to be pricey getaways and a family trek across country to Nauvoo, Illinois, to take a peek at Mormon roots.
I’m sure any big family would appreciate getting away. My problem with the Browns is that they appear to expect these getaways.
At the close of season 3, we see pictures of the four new homes, already under construction, that the Browns are trying to buy. Following a lot of screen time devoted to credit woe issues and getting preapprovals for the required mortgages, we learn that even though the adults put down a significant amount of money, they still don’t know whether they’ll all qualify. The show suggests that’s because of notations on their preapprovals of credit issues that must first be resolved.
Since when does a family of 22 expect to buy new homes without being independently wealthy?
One of the most revealing scenes when it comes to the theme of entitlement was the online launch of the wives’ new business venture, My Sisterwife’s Closet. The viewer sees the adults huddled around a laptop as the site (selling jewelry and eventually clothing and accessories) goes live.
The adults’ initial reaction is disappointment–and a bit of worry–over the number of hits on the site and comments about pricing of the merchandise. Since when does anybody launch a new business and expect it to be an instant success? Apparently, the adults in the Brown family felt they were entitled to more hits and definitely more sales than what they initially got.
What Have Viewers Learned?
Has this series provided a lot of entertainment? Yes.
Has it taught viewers anything about polygamy, good or bad? Uh-huh.
Has it shown a family that seems to feel entitled to more material things than most Americans would ever expect? You betcha.
