I’m Still Not Over The Shift In Meri Brown’s Behavior In Sister Wives Season 19 (Has Her Independence Made Her A Villain?)

Sister Wives star Meri Brown has been changing throughout the last few seasons of the series, but her behavior in the most recent season has been shifting, proving to me that she’s a true villain. Throughout Sister Wives season 19, Meri has been showing off a new side of her personality as she’s discovered her independence for one of the first times in her adult life. Meri, who spent the majority of her adult life married to Brown family patriarch & villain Kody Brown, has been dealing with the fallout of taking her life back after a difficult, elongated plural marriage.

Throughout the run of Sister Wives, viewers have seen Meri shift and change as her life has moved in ways she’d 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 she was in charge of the family in some ways, but things changed as the other wives welcomed children, and Kody drew 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’s Been Loyal To Kody For Their Entire Marriage

She’s Stayed By His Side Despite Issues

Throughout Meri’s marriage to Kody, which lasted over 32 years, there was a sense of loyalty from Meri that Kody outwardly didn’t deserve. Meri shared thirty years of her life with Kody, and while neither of them was 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 their marriage, I’m sure she felt a huge sense of pressure to be as “useful” as the other wives in the Brown family. When she only had one child, Meri turned her focus on being close to Kody.

Meri’s behavior throughout her marriage to Kody was always something I understood but didn’t want for her. While things were going well for a time early on in the run of Sister Wives, it was clear that Kody and Robyn’s push for Meri to legally divorce Kody wasn’t something that sat well with her. Regardless, because of her sense of loyalty, Meri complied. Though she did find herself in an extramarital emotional affair at one point, Meri was typically steadfast otherwise, even to the end of her marriage. Finding her worth in standing by Kody’s side, Meri was fiercely loyal.

Meri’s Been Vocal About Her Issues With Kody & Robyn

She’s Never Shied Away From Her Problems

Although Meri has been loyal, that doesn’t mean she’s been quiet about the problems in her marriage or her relationships with her fellow sister wives. Throughout the run of Sister Wives, we’ve seen Meri speak up about all sorts of issues in the family, making it clear that while she’s sticking around, she has been observing everyone else to the best of her abilities. Meri was always vocal when it came to issues with Kody and Robyn, despite having a hard time speaking up to Kody in moments because of his domineering personality and dismissive attitude towards his first wife.

Kody’s inability to listen to Meri became something that she didn’t feel comfortable with in her marriage. She struggled to get Kody to hear her out, especially when they were on camera. While Meri often shared that she was able to have productive conversations with Kody off camera, the second the Sister Wives crew was around, he became unresponsive and tried to keep up the persona he felt fit him best on screen. While Kody may not have been listening, Meri found her voice in the most recent seasons of the series and has started speaking up for herself consistently.

Meri Chose To Stick With Her Ex Instead Of Supporting Janelle & Christine

She’s Choosing The Villain Over Her Peers

As Meri has moved through this time of her life, I’ve found it fascinating that she’s been creating space for Kody and Robyn in the way she has. While Kody has become someone Meri can talk to now that their marriage isn’t an issue between them, her relationship with Robyn has faded into the background. With Meri following in the footsteps of Janelle and Christine by choosing to leave, her ability to get along with Kody and Robyn has seemed even more strange. Meri’s difficulty holding relationships with her former sister wives has been something that’s run throughout the series.

Even though Meri’s relationships with Christine and Janelle haven’t been solid throughout the series, I would’ve imagined the three of them choosing to leave Kody behind would’ve solidified their tenuous bond. While Christine and Janelle are close, they share tougher relationships with Meri. Still, seeing Meri choose to pledge her loyalty to Kody, and in turn Robyn, over the women she’s shared a difficult fate with throughout the last three decades felt odd. Meri’s need to be accepted by Kody and to show him that even though she left, she’s still on his side, has 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 has moved through Sister Wives season 19, it’s clear that her perception of the family’s situation has caused her to 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 moving on from her tough past, she hasn’t let go of things just yet. Meri hasn’t been able to release the difficulties of her thirty-year marriage to Kody, nor has she been able to let go of the need she feels to be loyal to the patriarch. Even so, Meri’s behavior has been odd.

While I want to see better for Meri, I can’t help but feel like this season of the series has made her into more of a villain than she’s ever been before. By moving away from Kody and leaving her marriage, Meri has been able to be blunt about what issues she’s faced in the relationship. Still, she’s been gravitating more toward Kody and Robyn, sharing her fierce sense of loyalty with the people who wronged her rather than Christine or Janelle, or even herself. Meri is still choosing Kody over other Sister Wives cast members, making her a villain.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.

Source: Meri Brown/Instagram