‘Welcome To Plathville’: Moriah Reveals Shocking News To Her Family
Fans of TLC’s hit series Welcome to Plathville know that each of the Plath children is a little different from the rest. Moriah Plath, who is 16 at the time, could be described as the rebel child, forging her own path and testing her family’s limits.
In season 1 she started venturing out more, and she even takes a trip with Olivia Plath, Ethan Plath’s wife, to San Francisco to assist her in her photography job for a wedding.
As her parents struggle to keep Moriah close, in the season finale of the first season, she reveals something that catches a lot of her family off guard, especially her parents.
Moriah Plath struggles for independence
On the Plath family farm of 55 acres, there are a total of nine children, along with parents Barry and Kim, who have raised their children Christian and with strict rules. The kids have all been home-schooled in a rural area in the south of Georgia without a ton of screen time like most kids have in today’s technological age. They don’t watch television, and instead they spend a lot of time on the farm in bare feet.
“I’ve always been really different than the rest of my family,” Moriah explains. “Nothing against my parents, like I love my parents, but I don’t, you know, I don’t agree with everything they say and think.”
She also admits that she loves “freedom,” which can clearly be a struggle in her current circumstances. “I love freedom, and I like being crazy. I love having fun,” Moriah says.
Moriah is the second oldest daughter, and her father says she “can be opinionated.” He also says “she’s wired differently.”
During season 1, Moriah tries to get more freedom where she can, including accompanying Olivia to San Francisco to work for her. It’s her first taste of real freedom, and not something she wants to give up lightly.
Moriah admits that she’s thinking about college, and she tells her brother, Micah, that she wants to go “for the parties.” Later on in the season, she decides to start looking at colleges, although she isn’t sure what she will study. She even goes to tour a college in season 1 with her mother, so she’s really considering the prospect.
Moriah reveals shocking news to her family
Olivia and Ethan plan a surprise early birthday dinner for Moriah, and the whole family comes to join them at a restaurant. However, there’s an ulterior motive, as Moriah has something that she needs to tell her family. She admits it’s something she’s “been thinking about for a long time.”
She goes on to reveal that she’s going to Minnesota, and she doesn’t know when she’ll be back. “So guys,” Moriah begins. “Um, I think some of you know, but obviously Olivia knows because she booked my tickets. I’m leaving for Minnesota.”
Her mother wants more information, and says, “OK. For?”
“Olivia and I are flying out there for a wedding,” she answers. “I’m going to stay with Grandma and Papa.”
Next, her mother asks how long she’ll be there, and Moriah admits she doesn’t know. Her parents weren’t expecting this news, and Barry describes it as an “ambush.” “I was just like, ‘Wow,’” Barry admits to the cameras. “You’re walking down the path, and all of sudden, you’re ambushed. It’s kind of like an ambush. And with Olivia buying the tickets and enabling Moriah to do what she does, you know, Olivia’s an accomplice to ambush.”
Kim says Olivia has “enabled” Moriah, and she clearly has her own opinions about the situation. “And Olivia has enabled Moriah to have a level of freedom that she wouldn’t have otherwise because she’s traveling with her to do photography,” Kim explains. “And it’s almost like at this point that we really can’t say anything otherwise. I mean she’s going to do what she’s going to do.”
Moriah says she needs to “put physical distance” between herself and her parents. It’s going to be a major change for her, but one that she clearly needs. She is unsure when she will return, and things seem to be up in the air.
“I still don’t know whether or not I’m going to go to college,” Moriah tells producers. “All the different options out there is it’s overwhelming. I really feel like I need to put physical distance between me and my parents to be able to figure out what I think, my opinions on things. And I didn’t know how my parents would take it because I was just kind of like, I can’t ask. Just kind of have to like say, ‘Hey this is what I’m doing.’”
It will be interesting to see what’s changed since we last saw the Plath family when the new season premieres. Season 2 will return on Tuesday, November 10 at 10 p.m. E.S.T.
