A lot of people get embarrassed by their moms. Most people don’t have it quite so bad as Brandon Gibbs.
His mother, Betty, is the primary antagonist of his storyline with Julia Trubkina — and perhaps of all of Season 8.
In this sneak peek clip of Episode 7, she drags him over to the hot tub to scold him, in front of cameras and his fiancee.
Betty has rules for everything, from where Julia sleeps to the hot tub. And she accuses Brandon of breaking one of them.
As this sneak peek clip begins, Betty is leading Brandon and Julia behind her.
Having watched the entire cringeworthy clip, we have yet to see a single good reason for Julia to have been there, unless production asked for it.
It takes the “being at your friend’s house while he gets lectured by his parents” to a whole new level … and it’s all on camera.
Betty points to the state of the hot tub.
Now, I’m not an expert on hot tubs, but it appears that the cover is slightly uneven, like a not-quite-smooth bedsheet.
Apparently, to Betty, this is a big deal that has her “disappointed,” and when Brandon suggests that the wind is at fault, she rejects his explanation.
Then, Betty opens the lid to the hot tub and accuses the water of being “cloudy,” though Brandon does not seem to agree with her assessment.
What is really interesting here is that Betty isn’t accusing them of having sexytimes in the water.
Instead, she’s furious that she suspects that Brandon and Julia may have worn clothing into the hot tub.
Apparently, she has an all-nude rule for the hot tub, and accuses Brandon of having violated it.
That’s weird, coming from the woman who mandated that Brandon and Julia keep separate rooms … even though they are grown adults and engaged to be married.
Julia extremely politely asks if they can discuss the mixed signals that she’s getting from Betty.
“We use this for therapy, not for entertainment,” Betty adamantly says.
Julia isn’t sure what to make of that, and Brandon laughs.
“Stop!” Betty insists, apparently taking her extreme control issues to micromanaging her son’s emotional reactions.
Betty also refers to an “other thing” they “shouldn’t do in the water.”
Presumably, she is referring to sex — whether it is to having sex at all or to ejaculation, but she doesn’t say.
Speaking in the confessional, Betty complains about having had to drain the hot tub numerous times over the years after Brandon hooked up in it.
When Betty walks away, Julia confronts Brandon about the way that he just … nods like a f–king bobblehead (our words, not hers) when his mother speaks.
He doesn’t stand up to his mother. He doesn’t stand up for himself. He doesn’t stand up for Julia. He lets his mom chastize them both on camera for the world to see and then he apologizes to her for laughing.
Julia wants Brandon to be strong and assertive so that they can live their lives together. Honestly, we want that too, for Brandon’s own well-being. Betty needs to be weaned off of control.
