Even though we saw a lot of tears on the 90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 2 premiere, family is still a big part of the equation.
A lot of people are balancing their pursuit of love with their families and their expectations in situations we can largely relate to.
More than one of the couples have a major age gap, and families brought up this uncomfortable topic on this week’s episode.
There are some religious differences that are coming into play.
Most significantly of all, some people are avoiding or just straight up lying to their partners about really important things.
Can their relationships survive? Let’s break it down.
Deavan Clegg and Jihoon Lee: Lies
This couple is of course very familiar to us. On the show’s first season, Deavan moved in with Jihoon … and his parents … in South Korea.
She had her baby
Taeyang joins their family, and Deavan already had Drascilla from a previous relationship.
Unfortunately …
Love and (accidentally) starting a family together isn’t enough, and Jihoon doesn’t have a job. In fact, he’s actually in debt by about $15,000.
Deavan has real concerns
She’s back in Salt Lake City and gearing up for a move back to South Korea, but she’s leaving behind the life that she has built for herself … for what?
Jihoon tells her that he finally got a job
He says that his new job is “tile” and begins, over a livestream, to make guesses at what what kind of pay he will be making. Always encouraging.
But …
He still hasn’t found them a place to live, despite assurances that he would do so. Deavan has had to find a place for them to stay for one month before heading out there, and then it will be Jihoon’s turn to find them a more permanent home.
Deavan’s mom is coming with
In her opinion, Jihoon should have his own house by now — he’s only 30, so either this is Deavan’s mom’s generational bias speaking or she’s talking specifically about South Korea. Her aim is to help Deavan get Jihoon to be responsible. He is a father now, after all.
But here’s where the lie comes in …
Jihoon has lied to Deavan about having a job. He does not have one, but Deavan is flying out and doesn’t know that yet.
Brittany Banks and Yazan Abo Horira: Lies and More
So, Brittany is psyching herself up for her trip to Jordan to be with Yazan. She has been there before, of course, as that is where Yazan proposed to her. This time, her intention is to move there.
Yazan is excited to see her
But he wonders how she will fit in, given that she is prone to wearing tight, revealing clothing.
He is also worried about what his family will think
Brittany is not Jordanian. She is also not a Muslim and has no intention of converting. And … she’s not related to him?
Yes, you heard him correctly
Yazan says that his parents are related, and would prefer that he marry a relative. While the rest of us are wondering what Game of Thrones spinoff this is, Yazan has real concerns about getting disowned by his family.
Meanwhile, Brittany is lying
She’s stressed enough about the move to Jordan and changing her lifestyle … to the point where she is letting Yazan and his family believe that her divorce is over with.
In reality …
Brittany had forgotten that she was married to her ex, who is deliberately making this divorce drawn out and difficult for her even though they have not seen each other in years.
How will this work out?
Brittany’s family has real concerns about how Brittany will mesh with such a different culture.
Ariela and Biniyam: Different Faiths
Ariela opens up to her family about her upcoming move to Ethiopia, because though she is getting prenatal care in the US, she intends to give birth in Ethiopia despite real concerns about hospital supplies.
But …
Ariela discloses that Biniyam has another child with his ex-wife … another American woman who got knocked up early in their relationship. She acknowledges that there are some parallels.
Yeah, we can see how that happened
That child is now two and Biniyam and his previous baby mama are not on speaking terms.
There are other concerns
Ariela is Jewish, as is her family. Biniyam is Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. But Ariela is adamant that her child will grow up in her faith.
That’s an important topic
Ariela’s parents hope that her son will be circumcised. (Notably, there are many Jewish intactivist families who oppose genital mutilation on babies, but it seems that Ariela’s family feels differently). Honestly, fans in general feel like Ariela is not being realistic when it comes to Biniyam’s faith and allowing room for compromise.
Then again …
90 Day Fiance blogger John Yates has said that Ariela and Biniyam’s storyline has been hyped up for drama, apparently to boost Biniyam’s career, so maybe we shouldn’t be too worried about their apparent drama.
Jenny Slatten and Sumit: Mind the (Age) Gap
Jenny is gearing up for a return to India … even though she has yet to see divorce papers from Sumit.
Her family is worried
They hope that she is making a smart choice and that it will pay off. Her daughter and her daughter’s wife drop her off at the airport.
Meanwhile …
Sumit is having a difficult talk with family. HIs brother points out how much older Jenny is than Sumit, saying that she is older than their mother.
Shame?
Sumit’s brother says that this is the biggest obstacle to Sumit’s desire to marry Jenny — worry that this will bring shame to their family.
Sumit’s not having it
“Jenny stood up for me,” Sumit expresses through tears. After all, his family let him suffer through years of an arranged marriage to a woman he does not love.
Can’t they just be happy for him?
“I’m happy,” Sumit expresses. “I want [my parents] to be happy because I’m happy.”
Kenneth Niedermeier and Armando Rubio: Age Again
The age gap here is easy to overlook. Armando is 31, so nobody’s robbing the cradle. And Kenneth looks, what, 10 or 15 years older than he is at the most? In reality, Kenneth is 57.
Kenneth hadn’t actually told his family about this
They knew that Armando was in his 30s. But 39 would be in his 30s. Armando is 31. Kenneth says that his son is dating someone the same age.
Kenneth Niedermeier, Madison Niedermeier, Cooper
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 2 star Kenneth Niedermeier poses with his daughter, Madison Niedermeier, and her son, his grandson, Cooper.
Kenneth Niedermeier and Armando Rubio on Instagram
90 Day Fiance: The Other Way Season 2 star Kenneth Niedermeier poses beside Armando Rubio, the new love of his life.
Also …
Kenneth reveals to them that he is going to propose, which has them excited but vocally concerned. They love their dad and they don’t want to see his heart broken.
It’s about Armando’s family
Armando’s folks have not accepted him for who he is, as we have already seen for ourselves when his sister accuses him of playing mind games by, as so many closeted gay men do, entering a relationship with a woman. That’s not mind games, that’s a desperate attempt to pretend to be someone you’re not to please others.
Kenneth is optimistic
He hopes that Armando’s family will accept Armando and also him and their relationship. We know a lot about how this couple ends up but we don’t know much about how Armando’s family feels about it. This couple is an instant fan-favorite this season, so we all have our fingers crossed for things to work out.