90 Day Fiance The Other Way: Sumit's Parents Will NEVER Accept Jenny!

Jenny Slatten and Sumit

Sumit has gone to speak to his parents, and though they are allowing themselves to be filmed for the first time, Jenny is very much not invited. She sits and waits nervously.

Sumit makes his case

He speaks to his parents about how much he loves Jenny and wants to be with her. Remember, they’ve been a couple since, what, 2013? This was filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic hit and possibly even in late 2019. That’s six years of a relationship.

They can’t ignore her

Sumit explains to them that simply wishing that she were out of the picture is not going to work. She’s not an outsider or an interloper. She is the love of his life.

Unfortunately . . .

“I will never accept Jenny,” Sumit’s mother insists. They agreed to his divorce and are paying for it, but they cannot get past the age gap.

Society won’t let them be together

Sumit very correctly asks why society’s ideas about young men (relatively young; he’s in his 30s) marrying older women should rob him of his happiness. He’s right.

This is deeply depressing

His father fatalistically says that they cannot change society. That kind of attitude is a recipe for misery — accepting society’s judgments without pushing back. Plus, societies change all of the time. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, often for both at the same time in different areas. A key part of that is people being brave enough to live their lives.

This is a beautiful analogy

But some fruiting plants can bear other fruits, if someone successfully grafts a cutting from another tree to it. Also, people aren’t mango trees.

Sumit won’t stop

At times growing very heated, he does promise that he’s not going to give up on Jenny, but that he also wants his parents in his life no matter what.

It’s a difficult talk

Sumit at one point holds his crying mother. On the one hand, it’s hard to watch somebody’s mom cry. On the other, she’s tearful because she doesn’t like her grown adult son’s girlfriend, so you have to put it into perspective. It’s like if I cried because a friend of mine ordered a type of pizza that I don’t like. I don’t have to eat it and it’s not my business.

Sumit meets up with Jenny

He tells her about how emotional it got, and how society has his parents wrapped around its finger. He also defends social consciousness to Jenny, saying that there are upsides. He’s not wrong. The US may have an absurd amount of cultural reinforcement of ideas like community and family over all else, but we’re much more individualistic when compared to the rest of the world. There are many upsides to that. Unfortunately, it also means that some people think that their right to be a contrarian during a pandemic is more important than someone else’s right to not be exposed to a deadly virus. (Though, to be clear, individualism is just one small piece of that puzzle)

Sumit will never stop fighting

He wants his parents to accept Jenny. He’s never going to choose one over the other, even though his parents want him to.

Jenny still has her fears

Ever since that time that Sumit’s family showed up and whisked him away during Season 1, she has this worry that they will go even further to keep them apart.

Kenneth Niedermeier and Armando Rubio

These two are driving anxiously to see Armando’s family. Their main goal is to pick up Hannah, Armando’s young daughter, who has been staying with his sister while Armando set things up at the new home in anticipation of Kenneth’s arrival. But while Kenneth has already met Hannah, this is his first time meeting the rest of Armando’s family.

They’re not alone

Truffles is so precious and cute and we’re just including this screenshot because it’s adorable.

Armando has a lot of fears

He has only just come out to his family (admittedly, not for the first time, but the first time didn’t go so well), and has no idea how they will react to Kenneth. They also do not know that he is engaged. Armando also explains to viewers that the reason that he has not moved to the US with Kenny, which would in many ways be easier (Armando knows English very well while Kenneth does not know much Spanish at all), is because of Hannah. She doesn’t know English. Additionally, she only recently lost her mother, so he wants to remain close to family.

Meeting the family is … awkward

Different people fulfill different social niches when they meet their families. But between the inherent awkwardness of the cameras being there and them meeting Kenneth for the first time, it’s a little uncomfortable because no one knows what to say after the initial greetings.

Also

Kenneth not knowing Spanish does make it hard to chat with his family. He’s the first to admit that he wishes that he knew more. He obviously never expected to fall in love with a man in Mexico and move there. He’s also, well, a good deal older. It’s hard to learn a new language on the fly when you’re well into your fifties.

They try to meet Armando’s dad

His mom is the one to do the heavy lifting here, insisting that his dad come out. His “tired” excuse was, well, tired. It was also transparent.

YIKES

They can clearly hear “I don’t want to go out.” Kenny may not be able to understand him, but Armando can certainly hear what his father is saying about him.

He does come outside

Armando Sr. greets his son … but acted as if Kenneth did not exist. Kenny later remarks that he felt like Armando’s dad was looking right through him.

And that’s it

He pops out and then goes back inside. We can acknowledge that he’s an older man who may be living in a more conservative community. We also also affirm that this explanation is not an excuse.

Armando announces the engagement

He shares the news with his family, clearly working up the courage to share it with them and blurting it out before he loses his nerve. His mother begins to cry, which is … not great.

His family’s reaction is … complicated

His aunt states that she likes Kenny, but she’s putting herself in Armando’s mother’s shoes and feels sorry for her, and thinks that the whole family will take time to adjust.

Armando’s mother wishes that he’d told her one-on-one

Armando wanted his whole family to know that they’re invited to the wedding of course. However, his mom may not be considering how hard it was for him to say. Armando is such a sweet, shy person afraid of rejection, and he spent decades of his life forced to live a lie. He was afraid that if he didn’t tell them all then and there, they’d find out that he’s engaged when the season aired.

Brittany Banks without Yazan Abo Horira

Brittany arrives in Chicago and is picked up by her mother at the airport.

In case you need a reminder

Brittany has told Yazan that she’s returned to the US to see her sister’s baby. But actually, that’s not the truth — she’s there because an email summoned her to court over her divorce. She’s hoping to handle this quickly and finally be legally divorced.

She updates her mother on things

“Life is for living, and it’s very gloomy these days,” is a hell of a line, like something out of an old-timey black and white movie where everyone’s waistlines are up to their ribs.

She tells her mom almost everything

This includes the way that Yazan’s parents treated her, and the sudden barrage of ultimatums and expectations that Yazan had not warned her about before.

Her mom responds

Brittany’s mother acknowledges that her daughter is not likely to convert, and that Yazan shouldn’t want her to change if he actually wants to be with her. She does note that Brittany owes him the truth — and she promises that she will do that … eventually.

Brittany goes to court …

She hopes to emerge from court divorced. Instead, she walks out of the building learning that some of her paperwork was not properly submitted by the clerk, so she’s back to square one. This is a nightmare.

Tim Clarkson and Melyza Zeta

Tim goes in for an interview with a prospective employer. He and Melyza are truly not ready to marry, so he will need to find a company willing to sponsor him on a work visa in order for him to be able to work in Columbia.

Melyza, in the meantime, has something to share

She sits down with her brother, Miguel (yes, he is a model) and his friend, David (if he’s not a model, he should be) to talk about how to break some uncomfortable news to Tim. (It’s not clear if Miguel and David are a couple but David is introduced as Melyza’s friend, so let’s not start pairing off every pair of attractive people we meet … that’s apparently Carmen Nys’ job)

Miguel breaks the ice

Melyza’s entire family knows that he cheated on her (her father was the last to know, and that did not go especially well), but it seems like her brother is more open to Melyza’s relationship than their parents are.

Melyza needs to tell Tim something

She explains to Miguel and David that she’s not sure how to broach the subject of having dated people other than Tim after she found out that they had cheated. The two of them didn’t talk about some things for a while after Melyza found out about that, but she doesn’t want to leave him in the dark.

David asks the most important question

What was her status with Tim then?

They! Were! On! A! Break!

But the nuance of this still gives Melyza pause because she never officially announced to Tim that she was going to go bone some other dudes.

Oh, and these were not romantic flings

Melyza, who is becoming DANGEROUSLY close to becoming one of my favorite 90 Day Fiance stars (frosty demeanor + slightly mean?), does acknowledge to the camera that these were mostly just sexual hookups rather than romantic relationships. Even after he cheated, it sounds like Tim and Melyza still had a hold on each other’s hearts. She does spare Miguel and David these details.

Miguel gives her good advice

He tells her that he doesn’t think that she should feel guilty, which is good advice for most people. Very few people who SHOULD feel guilt actually do, and many people who’ve done nothing wrong feel baseless guilt. What she may want to feel is apprehension.

Melyza wants to be honest

She didn’t cheat, but she’s worried that Tim will feel like she did, but she needs him to know this before they move forward. This could be messy.

Ariela Weinberg and Biniyam Shibre

The two of them are moving into a new apartment … one that has basic amenities that every single human being deserves, but sadly not everyone gets. We see a refrigerator (in the living room) and very little space, but it’s miles ahead of either of the places that Biniyam had lined up for them. Ariela does admit that she is paying for everything.

It’s not ideal

Ariela notes that the couch is hideous. True, but as Biniyam notes, it can be covered, and it’s better than having to buy a couch yourself when you’re about to have a baby.

Biniyam is still working two jobs

Ariela is concerned about him being away so much, and especially about him being gone at odd hours. She’s alone and she will need help with the baby.

Biniyam doesn’t know what to make of that

He has some cultural gender roles that are entrenched in his mind, so the idea of both parents taking care of a baby is outside of his wheelhouse. That’s a little odd, since this is not his first baby with an American woman.

He knows that Ariela is different

She’s spending time here in Ethiopia and having the baby here for him, so that he can be there for his son’s birth, but that doesn’t mean that she’s assimilating into the culture.

There are more supplies that they need

Ariela has had to explain to Biniyam what a bassinet is, and explains that she will add it to the list of things that she will ask her mother to bring. She is relying on her mom for a lot of baby supplies.

They also need a car

Ariela is astounded at how expensive some of these older model cars are. Ethiopia is landlocked, so importing vehicles is difficult, but the markups are huge. Life in the US is very expensive compared to much of the world, but many individual items that can be purchased are relatively cheap. If you’ve ever been visited by European friends who bring an empty suitcase to fill up with jeans for their return home, you know that. Ariela is learning that about cars in Ethiopia.

Ariela has a troubling doctor’s appointment

Her baby is in breech, which most of us don’t think of as that uncommon, but Ariela’s level of visible discomfort is apparent, and this could quickly become worse even though her due date is nearly a week away.

There’s no time to lose

Ariela will have a C-section that same day, she learns. This is a total shock. Her mother isn’t there. Her dad isn’t. Her friends aren’t. She’s going to have a traumatic, major surgery.

This is jarring

Biniyam is the first to admit that neither of them were prepared for this. And it looks like, next week, their drama is far from over.

Kenneth and Armando start to become a family unit with Hannah, Yazan is in danger, Tim and Melyza have to make peace about their pasts. Jihoon and Deavan need to answer some questions before the pursue a second wedding, this time in Korea. And Ariela, still recovering from her C-section, has to rescue her newborn.