Warning! The following contains spoilers for the 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way episode, "10 Things I Hate About Moving." Stream with a Max subscription, and read at your own risk!
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way has been an entertaining ride thus far, and we haven't even seen all the reunited couples reunited in their respective countries. While I've been laser-focused whether Statler and Dempsey Wilkinson stay together after all the confusion about the cost of the van and surrounding drama, I was blindsided by another couple's storyline delivering what I think is a first for this spinoff. Or at least an extreme rarity if not.
James and Meitalia already threw enough surprises our way with the wild reveal that he doesn't want kids and hadn't told her that detail, but their storyline has provided yet another shocker. So often, we see couples struggle with whether or not to remain in a country, but it's rare we see the family members chiming in quite like they did here.
Meitalia's Sister Told Her Not To Return To Indonesia, Which Shocked Me
Meitalia had already been in Indonesia for five weeks without James, and she felt great. As well, she finally felt comfortable enough to let her family know that she intended to stay and that she and her American husband would be living with her parents. She told her sister first to get a read on how her parents may feel about that and was hit with a reaction that caught her off guard.
Her sister was not on board with them moving to Indonesia permanently, and let Meitalia know it seemed like a mistake, as she couldn't understand why someone would leave a life in the United States to return, especially with the lack of financial security in doing so. As a foreigner, James had low prospects of finding a job, and the pay for jobs he could likely get was not great.
It was the first time I can ever recall a cast member's family member actively discouraging them from returning to their home country. Oftentimes, the issue with this show comes from the person from the United States wanting to return home, with their spouse's family pushing against it. It's kind of refreshing to see someone doling out logical advice in this situation, even if Meitalia isn't in a position to receive it.
Will Meitalia And James Stay In Indonesia?
One of the first things mentioned was that James will need to find work in Indonesia, and that he may struggle to do so considering he doesn't know the language. Even so, he'd make substantially less money than he is used to in the United States, so it would be difficult to adjust to.
At the same time, Numbeo.com puts the cost of living in Indonesia vs. the United States at about 62.4% less on average. This, in addition to the fact they're living with Meitalia's parents, means they'll be paying a lot less than they usually would month to month to sustain themselves. Even if Meitalia's family isn't paying him for work, they're still coming out ahead in my mind, not paying for their room and food. If James put any money away ahead of this move, they should be able to life comfortably in the country for quite a while.
The real question is whether James put away any money, considering he has the most annoying problem of withholding information from others. While he's saying he's prepared for the move right now, we could find out later that he never saved money like he was supposed to and was hoping to make a sustainable living once they moved to Indonesia.
At the same time, 90 Day Fiancé has been accused of faking storylines in the past. There's a part of me wondering if James and Meitalia are actually moving to Indonesia, or this storyline was crafted in a way to where we'll end up seeing them return back to the United States by the end of the season. I guess I'd prefer that outcome than them being yet another married 90 Day couple to split, which I'm not fully ruling out given how much Meitalia misses Indonesia.
90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way airs on TLC on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET. It's airing alongside other entertaining summer programs on the 2024 Summer TV schedule, so be sure to see what else is on tap to watch when it's too hot to do anything else.
