Sister Wives star Meri Brown has changed over the last few seasons of the series, but her behavior in the most recent season has changed, proving to me that she is a true villain. All over Sister Wives In season 19, Meri has shown a new side to her personality as she discovers her independence for the first time in her adult life. Meri, who spent most of her adult life married to Brown family patriarch and villain Kody Brown, has been dealing with the fallout of getting her life back on track after a difficult and prolonged plural marriage.
Throughout the race Sister Wives, viewers saw Meri change and change as her life changed in ways she never imagined. Marrying Kody in 1990, Meri spent several years welcoming his other wives, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown, into the family. As the first wife, Meri felt like she was in charge of the family in some ways, but things changed as the other wives welcomed their children and Kody moved away from his first marriage. When Kody met Robyn Brown in 2010, he was ready for something new. Robyn's entry into the family changed Meri's life for the worse.
Meri was loyal to Kody throughout their marriage
She remained by his side despite the problems
Throughout Meri's marriage to Kody, which lasted over 32 years, there was a sense of loyalty from Meri that Kody apparently didn't deserve. Meri shared thirty years of her life with Kody, and while neither of them were perfect throughout their time together, things weren't easy as the couple navigated plural marriage. With Meri struggling with fertility in the early years of her marriage, I'm sure she felt enormous pressure to be as “helpful” as the other wives in the Brown family. When she only had one child, Meri turned her focus to being close to Kody.
Meri's behavior during her marriage to Kody was always something I understood but didn't want for her. Although things were going well for a while at the start of the race Sister Wives, It was clear that Kody and Robyn's pressure for Meri to legally divorce Kody was not something she was happy with. Regardless, due to her sense of loyalty, Meri complied. Although she found herself in an emotional extramarital affair at one point, Meri was typically steadfast, even until the end of her marriage. Finding his worth in standing by Kody's side, Meri was fiercely loyal.
Meri has been open about her issues with Kody and Robyn
She never shied away from her problems
Although Meri has been loyal, that doesn't mean she's been silent about the problems in her marriage or her relationships with other wives. Throughout the race Sister Wives, we've seen Meri talk about all sorts of problems in the family, making it clear that while she's around, she watches everyone else to the best of her abilities. Meri was always vocal when it came to issues with Kody and Robyndespite having difficulty speaking to Kody at times because of his domineering personality and dismissive attitude towards his first wife.
Kody's inability to listen to Meri became something she wasn't comfortable with in their marriage. She tried hard to get Kody to listen to her, especially when they were on camera. Although Meri always shared that she was able to have productive conversations with Kody off-camera, the second she Sister Wives the crew was around, he didn't respond and tried to maintain the persona he thought best suited him on screen. Although Kody may not be listening, Meri found her voice in the series' most recent seasons and began to speak for herself consistently.
Meri chose to stay with her ex instead of supporting Janelle and Christine
She's Choosing the Villain Over Her Colleagues
As Meri went through this period in her life, I found it fascinating that she was creating space for Kody and Robyn the way she did. While Kody has become someone Meri can talk to now that their marriage isn't an issue between them, his relationship with Robyn has taken a backseat. With Meri following in Janelle and Christine's footsteps by choosing to leave, her ability to get along with Kody and Robyn seemed even stranger. Meri's difficulty in maintaining relationships with her ex-sister wives has been a recurring feature throughout the series.
Even though Meri's relationships with Christine and Janelle haven't been solid throughout the series, I would have imagined that the three of them choosing to leave Kody behind would have solidified their tenuous bond. Although Christine and Janelle are close, they share more difficult relationships with Meri. Still, seeing Meri choose to pledge her allegiance to Kody, and in turn Robyn, rather than the women with whom she has shared a difficult fate over the past three decades, felt strange. Meri's need to be accepted by Kody and to show him that even though she is gone, she is still on his side, implicated her as a villain.
Is Meri's independence making her a villain?
She's sticking her neck out for the wrong people
As Meri passed Sister Wives In season 19, it becomes clear that her perception of her family's situation has made her value some former family members over others. Meri's inability to let go of Kody and Robyn proves that as much as she swears she's getting over her difficult past, she hasn't let things go yet. Meri has been unable to shake off the difficulties of her thirty-year marriage to Kody, nor has she been able to abandon the need she feels to be loyal to the patriarch. Even so, Meri's behavior has been strange.
Although I want to see better for Meri, I can't help but feel like this season of the show has made her more of a villain than ever. before. By moving away from Kody and leaving her marriage, Meri was able to be open about the problems she faced in the relationship. Still, she's gravitating more toward Kody and Robyn, sharing her fierce sense of loyalty to the people who wronged her rather than Christine or Janelle, or even herself. Meri is still choosing Kody over others Sister Wives cast members, making her a villain.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10pm EST on TLC.
Source: Meri Brown/Instagram