Brittany’s awful confrontation with Yazan’s toxic parents left her shaking and crying and having a full-on meltdown.
She wasn’t just experiencing culture shock. She was in shock, wailing in despair about her life and her future … until Yazan found a way to cheer her up.
For the first time, we met Melyza. She and her dad seem to be the only people in her life looking forward to Tim’s arrival in Columbia.
Jenny learns exactly how many hurdles she and Sumit must jump in order to be together. There’s more to it than a challenging divorce.
Jihoon fully weeps as he confesses how he has totally screwed up his life and done even worse to Deavan’s.
Finally, Kenneth and Armando are reunited at last … but everyone’s favorite couple from this season are dropping hints at possible struggles to come.
Brittany is reeling (TLC) Brittany Banks just met Yazan Abo Horira’s parents, and it was a disaster. Yazan’s previous obscenity-laden freakout was just a preview for the main event, and Brittany doesn’t even know all that was said about her — she just heard yelling.
She doesn’t understand! Brittany covered up thoroughly, wearing a hijab even though she herself is not Muslim. She was, by American standards, polite and respectful.
Yazan says that it’s all her fault He “explains” to her why his parents flipped out, blaming it on Brittany’s behavior rather than on Yazan’s inability to communicate their expectations to her, or upon the lies that he has told them about her — claiming that she will convert to Islam when she had ruled that out.
It’s not helping How, Brittany understandably wonders, could the way that she TALKS be offensive to his parents? Remember, she has been to Jordan before — she just hadn’t met Yazan’s parents.
Yazan describes it as “insolence” In the US, it is normal for engagements to last many months, and often at least one year. Yazan explains that her request to push the wedding date back — which he knew about, though he did not know the reason — was the source of his parents’ outrage. Well, one source of it.
Also, Brittany’s assertiveness was an issue Brittany had repeatedly asked Yazan before they went there to stop calling her his “baby.” She doesn’t like it, and no one should be called something that they don’t like. However, Yazan insisted on calling her “baby” again in front of his parents, prompting her to remind him to not call her that. This, he says, was a factor in his mom’s explosive freakout. Yazan apparently doesn’t see this as 100% his fault.
Brittany begins to despair Like so many 90 Day Fiance stars, she realizes that she is basically all alone. The only person she has to talk to about this is Yazan, who is not exactly a neutral party.
It’s just too much Brittany begins to tell herself that she should just go home. She is probably right. She could certainly find happiness in Jordan, but given this incident, no one would blame her for concluding that she can’t find happiness with Yazan in particular, because he is so beholden to his family.
Yazan feels bad He may not understand that he was the primary architect of the conflict that just occurred, because he didn’t prepare Brittany for his parents’ BS but he also didn’t honestly tell his parents who Brittany was, but he does want her to be happy.
SO He shows her their new residence together, which looks genuinely nice. Between that and what feels like it was a lengthy drive, Brittany seems cheered up by it.
And look! Yazan had also scattered rose petals for Brittany’s arrival.
Awwww! No amount of dying plant parts in the world could make most people overlook what had just happened or what had happened the night before with Yazan’s own freakout, but Brittany seems at least pleased that he made this effort.
Tim Clarkson heads out Tim goes to the airport, cat in hand, to fly to Columbia. So far, we have only really seen his side of things. This week, we got to see things from Melyza’s side as she anticipates his arrival.
Meet Melyza! Melyza Zeta may have met Tim while she was an au pair in the US, but she now has a white collar job in Columbia … but warns that she’s not overly warm or friendly to those whom she has only just met.
In fact … She admits that she can kind of come across as “bitchy.” We look forward to seeing this play out as the season continues.
Melyza goes through their history We already know how they met, and how Tim had totally screwed things up by cheating on her when she was planning to move to the US to live with him, which is why they’re doing things The Other Way for the moment. Almost everyone in Melyza’s life knows, this, too.
Especially her mom Like a number of her friends, Melyza’s mom knows that Tim cheated on her. This is, for the record, and extremely normal thing to share with your mom if you have even a mildly close relationship.
Melyza’s mom is against the marriage She doesn’t want Melyza spending the rest of her life with a man who cheated on her. In Tim’s case, it sounds like it was a self-sabotage type of cheating instead of an “I have a cheating heart and this is who I am” sort of affair, but let’s be honest — we more than understand why that doesn’t make a difference to Mama Zeta.
But Melyza is giving him a second chance She really loves him and he has been making a real effort to make this up to her. Her dad’s looking forward to Tim’s arrival … because her dad is just about the only one who doesn’t know that Tim cheated on her.
On to Jenny Slatten and Sumit The two of them hitch a ride because, as much as Jenny is happy to be there with Sumit, she needs to see for herself that he is going through the divorce process.
And … Jenny also needs to hear for herself how difficult and agonizingly lengthy the divorce process can be. Part of this may be so that Jenny will believe it (Sumit’s track record with honesty is Not Great), and part of it may be just so that fans will believe it.
Sumit wants it all out in the open It is easy for Americans, Jenny included, to imagine that divorce processes are pretty similar in other countries to how they are here. That is not always the case.
Meet Sumit’s attorney He’s Sumit’s divorce lawyer, and he knows that he does not have an easy case ahead of him — and that Jenny and Sumit have even more challenges ahead of them after that.
For one thing? The time frame He explains that the divorce process lasts anywhere from 2 to 5 years, in part because of mandatory waiting periods between stages of filing.
Jenny has some questions (TLC) In addition to being stunned by what he has said, she wants to understand why Sumit doesn’t have any paperwork along those lines. In the US, any time that you fill out official paperwork, you’re going to get some sort of form, whether it’s a simple copy or a certificate acknowledging the paperwork that you have filed. This is both for your reference and so that you can later prove that you initiated the paperwork process, if necessary.
That is not the case in India According to Sumit’s attorney, it is written in the Marriage Act that divorce filings must be kept private without any documentation shared — even with the person getting a divorce — after the initial filing.
And they may face another hurdle Sumit’s parents will be notified when the two try to marry. If his family objects — within certain established “valid” objections — then they will be unable to marry. Jenny is stunned, as she notes that she has done nothing wrong to Sumit … joking that she did take his virginity, but that there is nothing illegal about that.
They go to meet Sumit’s “friends” Some of Sumit’s friends have been more welcoming of Jenny than others. Here, we see one friend make fun of their age difference. Notably, his wife is not there, and she is not the only one.
Why the missing wives? One opted out, the other was “sick.” Translation — they refused to meet Jenny out of principle, either because she was Sumit’s unwitting mistress or because Sumit is divorcing his current wife for Jenny.
Sumit’s friends are frank They admit to the camera that it will be a challenge for Sumit and Jenny to survive as a couple in this culture and legal system.
Jihoon Lee talks to his mom He tells his mom that Deavan and her mom and the kids are at a hotel because his substandard apartment was bad but mostly because Deavan found out about his lies.
He’d brought here there under false pretenses Assuring Deavan that he was ready for her arrival, he did not actually have that much money … leaving Deavan wondering what in the world their family was supposed to do.
Jihoon has many regrets He spent his money on drinking and going out and living his life. Honestly, that’s totally fine … up until you become a parent. The moment that this happened, Jihoon should have shifted his priorities entirely.
His mom tries to be sympathetic She suggests ways that he could talk to Deavan and convince her that his wrongdoing wasn’t that big of a deal. This is sort of sweet of her, as she wants her son and his wife to be together, and doesn’t see the “little white lies” as being that harmful. At the same time … blaming Jihoon’s actions on the recklessness of youth isn’t going to fly with Deavan, who has worked long days to support herself and her kids.
Jihoon, however, takes responsibility He tells his mom that this is more serious — that Deavan may simply leave for Utah in a few days so that she can go back to work and support the kids. It’s more responsible than relying upon Jihoon, since he is unreliable.
His mom doesn’t like that The two came together for love, so how, she wonders, can Deavan throw that away? The answer, of course, is that love isn’t enough for a marriage to work — not by itself. Also, Jihoon very correctly notes that Deavan saw his lies to her as proof that he doesn’t really love her.
Jihoon breaks down sobbing (TLC) This is where Jihoon’s mom loses us with the “men shouldn’t cry” BS. We’re glad that Jihoon is able to express his emotions honestly because it’s a sign that his emotional health is better than his financial decision-making.
He resolves to be better Jihoon is adamant about how he needs to be a better husband to Deavan … if she will give him the chance at all.
Meanwhile, in Mexico Armando Rubio is preparing a meal in what he considers to be a spacious kitchen as he aways Kenneth Niedermeier’s arrival. It has been so long since they were together, and Armando has been fixing up their condo.
Kenneth pulls up in the parking lot He says something about thinking that this is the right place, as if he didn’t see the cameras filming him pull in. It’s a cute touch.
It’s happening! Honestly, this story of Kenneth and Armando’s is making us Feel things, an emotion usually reserved for cats or our friend’s selfies.
Reunited at LAST! Kenneth and Armando embrace and they are just so SWEET.
This season kept us waiting, but it was worth it Armando and Kenneth have missed each other so much. They are both nervous — about their new home, about their new lives, and more — but they wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Look!!! Armando had a custom poster made, where you can see very stylized images of him and Kenneth and his daughter, Hannah.
They have a lot of catching up to do (TLC) Armando does share that his dad did not show up to say goodbye to him, which is not a great sign. Kenneth will be nervous to meet them as they pick up Hannah. Kenneth also notes that there are some differences in the home — no central heating and (an absolute dealbreaker for me) no air conditioning. There are ways to remedy these things but it’s just … very different.
It’s their first night in their new home They’re very sweet and then they have bedroom eyes and then Kenneth declares “you people need to leave” and it is, quite frankly, adorable.
The next day … (TLC) Kenneth tries to give a “clean version” of the night’s events, which just means that he slept very well. Remember, he’s a father and a grandfather. People whom he knows will absolutely be watching this. Not everyone is as willing to boast about their sex life as Jay Smith, but suffice it to say that Kenneth and Armando are really enjoying their new life together.
Time to explore the town Kenneth notes that stopsigns are not uniform at all in Mexico which makes them difficult to spot, but they drive to a place that Kenneth admits that he would avoid if he were in America. Here, it’s just a place where they can find restaurants and good.
Kenneth asks what kind of food a restaurant serves An English-speaking patron mocks Kenneth for asking, noting that in Mexico, he’s going to be eating Mexican food. Most people from Western nations are accustomed to an assortment of food options from dozens if not hundreds of styles, save for in very small rural towns. It’s an adjustment for Kenneth
Time for lunch! As they eat, Kenneth (who is … a little fussy about food and a bit of a germophobe) recognizes how dependent he is on Armando to translate and to figure out how much money needs to be paid whenever they go out to eat. He’s not on vacation — this is his new life and he has a lot to learn.