Michelle Tomblin's cold behavior towards her new husband, David Trimble, is making her the villain of Married at first sight season 18. Michelle immediately judged David upon learning that he lives in his parents' basement, news that made her hide in the bathroom crying during the wedding. While the other couples got to know their new spouses and worked on building relationships, Michelle shut down and pushed David away.
Viewers immediately turned against Michelle after seeing her poor treatment of David. Michelle refused to interact with David and was disgusted when he approached her with simple questions to try to get to know her. She told him she wasn't attracted to himwhich opened up even more of a barrier between them. Michelle insisted she needed space to process the big changes she'd been through, but her inflexibility raised questions about why she signed up to Married at first sight in the first place.
David's living situation reminds Michelle of her childhood financial struggles
Michelle's experiences have caused her to place great emphasis on financial security
Michelle explained in Married at first sight after party that her strong reaction to David's living situation was due to experiences she had during her childhood. Michelle's parents divorced when she was young and didn't have much money.
Learning that David lived at home with his parents immediately triggered Michelle's feelings about her experience with financial insecurity.
This insight provides some context for Michelle's cruel behavior (via Access Hollywood.)
Growing up broke encouraged Michelle to prioritize her own financial security. As Michelle and David got to know each other, she admitted that she was disappointed to find a spouse who didn't share the same goals as her. Michelle barely knew David, but his story made her form a harsh judgment against him.
Michelle compares David's house to a lack of motivation
She was very quick to judge her decision to live with her parents
Michelle made a lot of assumptions about David because of his living situation. She assumed he was bad with money and didn't have the money to buy his own house. When David explained that he lived with his parents not because he had to, but because he wanted to, that hardly improved the situation. Michelle then labeled him “Mommy's little boy” who depended on his mother to take care of him.
Michelle and David's strained marriage only got worse when she saw his basement apartment in person. The basement was exactly as she expected, with no living room, a kegerator, and shared laundry room. Michelle's disgust was visible on her face when she suggested that the apartment seemed more suited to a frat boy than a man in his thirties.
Michelle's judgment of David caused her to fail to see his full potential.
Although his apartment was unimpressive, David saw his living situation as temporary accommodation until he found a wife to start his life with. His financial motives weren't much different from Michelle's, but because she was so closed to himshe never had the opportunity to find out.
Michelle needs to stop shutting out David if she wants to save her marriage
She has shown signs that she is willing to work on her relationship
Michelle admitted that she didn't tell David about her childhood and how it shaped her opinion of his living situation. She also confessed that she didn't ask David about his reasons for living at home or his long-term plan. Although Michelle assumed that David was forced to live with his parents because he was irresponsible with money, the opposite was true. David chose to live at home because of the financial security it provided. If Michelle had known that David was prioritizing saving money, she would have realized that they actually have very similar goals.
Since returning from her honeymoon, Michelle has shown small signs that she is willing to make an effort in marriage. She came up with a list of activities she and David could do together that would help them establish a connection. This was a new side of Michelle, but it disappeared after she saw David's apartment. She hung up again, which stopped her and David from moving on.
Michelle has the ability to prove viewers wrong if she starts opening up to David. The couple needs to discuss their experiences and judgments, and they need to learn more about each other. If Michelle continues to kick David out, she will never escape being labeled the villain of Married at first sight season 18. But if she lets David understand where she's coming from and allows herself to be vulnerable, Michelle can repair her image and possibly her marriage.
Married at first sight airs Tuesdays at 8pm EST on Lifetime.
Source: Access Hollywood/YouTube