90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After? is phrased as a question for a reason.
Not every couple ends up very happy.
Problems from before the marriage persist. New problems emerge.
And for many Season 6 couples, COVID-19 threw a wrench into a lot of their plans.
More than one couple is also coping with our recent political hellscape.
Julia’s toxic jealousy issues take a back seat to anger when she is confronted by Brandon’s friends.
Angela wakes up and begins her slow road to recovery — but something seems wrong.
Andrei finds out that no matter how much he clashes with Libby’s family, he can’t quit right now.
Jovi has to deliver bad news to Yara, breaking her heart.
Low tries to patch things up between Kalani and Asuelu.
Natalie and Mike go to see Trish in Oklahoma.
And Tiffany is afraid to tell Ronald something in case it makes him relapse.
Brandon Gibbs and Julia Trubkina
Brandon and Julia are set to meet up with Brandon’s friend, Melanie, and her boyfriend, TJ. As you can see, Julia was not exactly overwhelmed with enthusiasm. She’s clearly playing it up for the cameras, but at her core, she is a jealous person. That’s something to work on.
But Julia isn’t wrong about her complaints
Brandon picked the place and assumed that having a bar meant that they would have actual drinks (cocktails) instead of beer. Julia very relatably does not like beer and is annoyed.
First impressions …
Julia, again still very clearly playing things up for the cameras, teases to Brandon that Melanie had clearly styled herself to look good “for Brandon.” Right, because surely appearing on TV to millions of viewers would never be the reason that someone puts in a few extra minutes on their hair.
Julia, her boyfriend is right there with her
Julia doesn’t see Melanie and TJ’s relationship as being as committed as all of that (actually she’s just being catty for the cameras, very clearly), but Melanie and TJ have been dating for five years. Julia and Brandon have been together for, what, two years? Also, it is no insult to Brandon whatsoever to say that TJ is ridiculously good-looking.
Melanie and TJ have their own thoughts
Melanie notes that Julia is totally Brandon’s type — very slender brunettes with sort of “goth” looks. Julia DOES look a little like a vampire even if she doesn’t style herself in that fashion.
Brandon and Melanie speak about good times
Julia is not interested in stories about Brandon’s life that don’t include her. This isn’t a harmless quirk; it’s a serious jealousy issue that she should talk about with a therapist.
Julia needs to accept that Brandon is his own person
That said, it is polite to include everyone in a conversation.
Then “Melanie” asks the tough questions
Production is notorious for prompting friends and family to question the non-American’s motives, and that is clearly what has happened here. Melanie was gracious enough to do this favor for Brandon and Julia and their storyline, asking if the two moved too quickly (marrying after just two years when she and TJ have been together for five and are still learning things about each other) and insinuating that maybe Julia wasn’t after Brandon.
Julia played it cool
At first, she responded by pointing out the obvious, the problem that always exists with these heavy-handed production pushes — if she were tricking Brandon into marrying her because she just wanted to come to America, she wouldn’t say it. It is a pointless question.
Then she gets MAD mad
Brandon didn’t really bother to defend her, even for the sake of the cameras, against Melanie’s insinuations. That pissed her off for real.
“I’m normal!”
Brandon did have to chase after her after she stormed out of the restaurant.
Julia was stunned by how angry she felt
Even if she was fully aware that production had asked Melanie to stir the pot, sometimes you just get mad about something even when it’s not the real deal. Feelings can get hurt sometimes.
Angela Deem and Michael Ilesanmi
Angela fights waking up from surgery, though her surgeon explains that it’s no surprise, since she fought against falling asleep when they put her under. It’s fine.
Jojo was worried
It would have been on her shoulders to carry out the family notification if Angela had died on the table during her operations. That’s not easy to contemplate.
Fortunately, things are okay, and they head to the hotel
Angela is groggy and out of it, as she should be, so Jojo notifies Michael that they’re headed to the hotel and that Angela is doing well.
Jojo helps a LOT
Seriously, she not only flew to Nigeria to be there as Angela’s witness to her marriage, but she’s helping her through her recovery. It’s not clear if she’s even being paid (and if it is, 90 Day Fiance pays infamously low amounts to stars), but it’s clear that she’s a great friend.
Jojo is nervous about the dietary requirements
Angela’s body is in a delicate place, and Angela has to stick to a strict recovery plan. Jojo is aware of how assertive Angela is, and doubts her ability to refuse Angela’s demands if she should make them.
But wait …
Angela worries that they have made her breasts “too small,” while her surgeon assures her that she is still a “triple D” and that this will be more apparent as she loses weight following her surgery.
Angela calls Michael
The time difference is really hell on their lives, clearly, but presumably whatever Michael is doing for work these days keeps him awake during the day. Otherwise, it would make more sense to just keep a schedule where you can talk to your wife. Anyway, Michael is concerned.
He’s a boob guy
Angela’s surgeon speaks about how women in Africa will sometimes avoid life-saving mastectomies out of fear that their husbands will leave them. Unfortunately, this is not unique to Africa. There are horror stories out of many nations, including the United States, of mastectomy patients being ghosted during their procedures by their husbands, or being told that a mastectomy will end in divorce. Boobs are great, but if you’re marrying someone for their boobs, you don’t love them.
Michael needs to learn to love “Angela, the personality”
Obviously, those of us who are 90 Day Fiance viewers know that this is sort of a problem, because her personality is abrasive and toxic.
Angela cannot help herself
She asks the surgeon if, should Michael divorce her for not having the megaboobs that he seems to crave, he would marry her. If Michael asked a woman that question, Angela would put him in a blender. Anyway, her question is rebuffed handily but … please don’t sexually harass your surgeon.
Elizabeth Potthast and Andrei Castravet
Andrei relates how things went with him starting work, sharing his confrontation with Charlie in his typical Andrei fashion.
Libby feels betrayed
Becky, she had thought, was running errands, but instead she just went to the house and inserted herself into Andrei’s first day of work to assert her continuing role in the company.
It’s so “unfair”
Libby continues to believe that Andrei deserves better treatment than he is getting from her family.
Andrei feels betrayed
Even Becky seems to be against him now, when she was the closest thing to an ally that he had among Libby’s siblings.
According to him, they’re all “jealous”
Apparently they’re “jealous” that he’s “building something” for himself, and are therefore desperate to tear him down. Andrei also says that if they’re going to treat him like this, he’ll just quit.
Meanwhile, working while parenting is a struggle for Libby
She wants to get a nanny, they can definitely afford it, but Andrei is having issues trusting an outsider with their little girl. (Honestly, he seems really protective of their daughter, which is endearing despite … you know, everything else). That’s a fair concern but doesn’t help with Libby’s struggle between working and being a mom.
Andrei and Libby meet with an attorney
Their immigration attorney, Emel Ersan, will help them apply for a full green card, since Andrei has had a temporary two-year green card in the past.
Things just got a whole lot harder
They are shown a massive stack of paper (look at the right side of the screen) as an example of what they may have to put together to show evidence that they are married.
Things are hard
As Emel Ersan explains to the camera, right now — under the now-former Trump administration — legal immigration nearly ground to a halt because the approach changed from “how can we help this family be together and make sure that they have the right documentation” to “let’s find every legal option that there is to destroy this family.” It was a horror, and not every part of those policies has been repealed yet.
Elizabeth doesn’t like hearing any of this
She correctly observes that it’s ridiculous that anyone should have to prove their own existence and relationship to that kind of extent. Additionally, she is personally offended that her child might have to take a DNA test to prove that she and Andrei are the parents.
This is not happy news for Andrei
Andrei realizes that he cannot quit or even threaten to quit his new job for Chuck, because his recent lack of employment has already been a paperwork setback for him and he’ll need that letter of employment from Chuck.
There is also Andrei’s past
He had some complicated experiences in Moldova that caused him to need to leave his job in the police force. It doesn’t sound like he committed any actual crimes in the process, but it could look weird on a thorough background check. The attorney is concerned that Andrei is so dismissive of his history, as it could come back to haunt him.
If Andrei is turned down, he could be deported
This overacted look of shock on Elizabeth’s face is a great reminder that 90 Day Fiance is not scripted, because very few of the stars are good enough actors for that to work.
Jovi Dufren and Yara Zaya
Jovi and Yara are spending time with their baby, Mylah, and Yara is very conscious of the fact that Jovi will be leaving for work in a few weeks. So they are going on a date night while they still can.
Yara has been reluctant to leave Mylah for any period of time
Part of that is common sense, part of it is hormones, and part of that is likely an echo of the trauma of her miscarriage back in Ukraine. Still, they have a babysitter whom they can trust — Gwen Eymard, Jovi’s mom.
Grandma Gwen is there
They tell her and Mylah goodbye and head off on their date.
But no funny business
Such a short time after giving birth, Yara is not able to have sex yet safely. Mylah will be four to six weeks old before it is recommended that she have sex again. This leads into a charming tangent about how they think that they may have induced labor by having sex the day before Mylah was born. Hey, it’s possible.
But Jovi has bad news to share
His trip has been moved up. COVID-19 has made his out-of-the-country trips longer and shaken things up, and he has to leave in just a few days — not a few weeks.
Yara is crushed
The two seemed so incompatible when she first showed up in New Orleans, but they really do care about each other. This is so hard for them. (Also, parental leave should be lengthy and universally guaranteed)
Yara isn’t just thinking of herself
She is clearly worried about Jovi missing their daughter’s milestones. It’s a real concern.
If Yara needs help, she can go to Gwen’s
But Yara notes that her good relationship with Jovi’s mom isn’t the same thing as being with him, obviously. Meanwhile, Jovi is worried that his absence is going to make her want to go to Ukraine to be with her family, something that the pandemic made impossible to do for many months.
Kalani Faagata and Asuelu Pulaa
Low very unsubtly asks Kalani to go get coffee with him. His plan is to talk to her about her marriage problems with Asuelu.
Kalani has been considering divorce
In a flashback, we are reminded that Low — though a better man in every conceivable way — comes from the same culture as Asuelu and does not really consider divorce to be an option.
Kalani is wearing an amazing shirt
Low encourages her to consider making changes rather than a divorce, but Kalani points out how much more Asuelu needs to change. This isn’t a story of incompatible people, it’s a story of one man behaving very poorly, again and again and again, and thinking that he can just do this forever. Low thinks that divorce is for “quitters,” but … so? Literally why stay married if it’s not making you happy.
Low also spends time with Asuelu
He invites Asuelu to play golf with him, having previously taught him how to play. Asuelu is not very good at it.
Right now, Asuelu is actively trying to be nice
However, as we have seen, he’s not very good at it. He offers compliments and kind gestures to Kalani at times, but those aren’t a substitute for real change.
Low tells Asuelu how bad things are
He tells Asuelu that Kalani is considering divorce because nothing else has worked.
Asuelu is stunned
Even though Kalani has brought this up with him, he has dismissed it, and didn’t really understand (for cultural reasons) that divorce is something that people do over much less than Asuelu’s behavior.
Low thinks that Asuelu can and should make changes
“Happy wife, happy life,” Low quotes.
Mike Youngquist and Natalie Mordovtseva
As they prepare to go see Mike’s mom Trish for Thanksgiving, Natalie admits that she doesn’t know anything about Oklahoma. She then notes that “Ellie” from The Wizard of Oz was from there. Maybe Dorothy’s name was changed to Ellie in a Russian translation, but she was definitely from Kansas.
But Natalie has real concerns
She and Trish didn’t have actual conflict during Trish’s visit, but … Trish tried twice to sabotage Natalie and Mike’s wedding. One of those times, she succeeded. How is Natalie supposed to feel about that?
Hey Natalie, can you summarize 50% of your relationship in five words?
“He simply ignores my feelings,” Natalie accurately says of Mike dismissing her worries and telling her that it will be “fine” when they visit his mom.
Trish is waiting for them
Outwardly, she is very welcoming, though things are a bit awkward.
WHAT
Trish’s home is decorated with what appear to be literally hundreds of piggy banks. She has been collecting them for 34 years and it is so much to take in.
Natalie cannot resist commenting
I mean, she’s not wrong
On camera, she is more diplomatic
She calls it “cool” instead of noting that it’s like something out of a horror film.
Trish drops hints that she wants a grandbaby
Natalie laughs to the camera about the antique crib, noting that Trish apparently decided that she wants grandbabies, “even” if they’re Natalie’s.
Birthday cake time!
Mike’s birthday dinner in Seattle was, well, ruined, but he can have a little cake with his mom and his wife.
Well, almost
Natalie takes a tiny taste and decides that it’s not for her. Natalie’s disordered eating habits are so extreme that she cannot allow herself to eat french toast, so obviously a cake is out of the question. That is … so alarming to see.
Natalie worries over her career
She can’t really work as a model, journalist, or actress in Sequim, so she has to start over. Trish’s suggestion of her doing translation is shot down, because Natalie worries that this would be a miserable job.
Mike and Natalie go to bed
With so many horrible little pig eyes to watch them sleep. Oh boy.
Tiffany Franco and Ronald Smith
Daniel, Tiffany’s preteen son who is a major fan favorite, speaks to his dad — Ronald Smith. Unlike Ronald, Daniel has very realistic ideas about the odds of the family moving to South Africa.
The real plan is for Ronald’s visa application to be approved
If not, he thinks that the family can just move to be with him, but Daniel correctly points out that this is not happening.
That’s hard for Ronald to hear
He tells the camera that he’s not willing to keep this marriage long-distance. It’s hard for him.
So a lot is riding on the visa application
Tiffany and Ronald are married, but their future hinges upon its approval. As was noted by the immigration attorney working for Libby and Andrei, it’s extra hard at the moment.
Tiffany chats with her sister
Her sister is supportive of her marriage in ways that her mother is not, but Tiffany tells her that there’s just no way that she’s moving to South Africa. She was afraid for her family’s the entire time that she was in Ronald’s area. The internet situation sucks. She and her kids would be away from the rest of her family.
But Tiffany is afraid to tell Ronald this
She’s afraid to give him a hard “no” on moving to South Africa because she is worried that he will relapse. He is a gambling addict, and about a year before this was filmed, he blew all of his money while relapsing. It’s hard to be honest in your marriage when you are concerned that bad news will send your partner into a self-destructive spiral.
Next time …
Andrei is demolishing a kitchen, leading to a confrontation with Charlie, who doesn’t care that Andrei is doing what Chuck told him to do because, well, Charlie just wants a fight.
Julia receives a package
It’s obviously green card related, but is it good news? Probably, but we won’t find out until next week.
Angela is still Angela, unfortunately
Her inability to care about other people also extends to herself, because she is smoking after her surgery even when everyone who cares about her is begging her not to. It’s deranged, but that fits her behavior pattern.
Natalie flees
Mike and Trish go to a butcher’s shop, likely in preparation for Thanksgiving, and Natalie excuses herself. It seems clear that the intention, whether it was production’s idea or Mike’s, was to get a reaction out of her. Don’t be s–ty to your wife, dude.
Kalani and Low get awkward news
Current immigration policies mean that Low could be on the hook for Asuelu’s financial well-being for life if he and Kalani divorce. It’s probably more complicated than it sounds, and Asuelu is from Samoa (an American territory) so there are probably differences there, too. Still, it’s not good news.
Speaking of co-signers
Tiffany wants her dad to co-sign Ronald’s visa application, but this means coming clean to him about Ronald’s troubled history, including his gambling addiction.