Amber Portwood has won the Teen Mom villain title fair and square, but someone's finally giving her a run for her money in the "who can throw herself the biggest pity party" category. Ryan Reynolds, Maci Bookout's loser ex-boyfriend, has been building himself up into something of a real dad all through Season 3. But it took just one episode to prove he's still a baby on the inside.
It was October on this week's episode -- which means baby Bentley's ready to turn 2 just in time for Halloween. Maci convinced Ryan weeks ago that a joint birthday party was the way to go, and Ryan is still on board. He's being so agreeable that he agrees to trick or treat together as a mother/father/baby unit, and he's fine with Maci keeping Bentley ON his birthday with the plan that he'll get to hang with his son that night.
It sounds almost like two adult parents talking about their custody arrangements. Almost.
Until Bentley's actual birthday, when the old Ryan creeps back out. He shoots Maci a text, asking if he can hang with his son. Maci's got plans to take Bentley to the aquarium to celebrate his big day, but she invites Ryan along via text message. And when he shoots her a quick "thanks but no thanks," she even calls him to extend an extra invitation.
Funny how Ryan forgets to mention any of that when he's sitting with his parents in their backyard bellyaching about how Maci refused to allow him to see his son on his birthday. Playing fast and loose with the truth, Ryan convinces his parents that he's being majorly wronged as a dad. He puts his mom in tears, pushes his dad to suggest he go to court, and essentially ruins Bentley's birthday party as the whole Reynolds clan refuses to join in the festivities just to spite Maci for what they think she's done.
But misery loves company, and Amber made sure to provide plenty of it. In trouble with the law for beating boyfriend Gary on national television, and under investigation by child protective services, Amber's shacking up with a friend. Baby Leah, on the other hand, is with Gary, a fact that Amber bemoans . . . constantly.
She whines while she's getting friends to drive her to restaurants. She whines while real estate agents escort her around town to find a house (supposedly for her and Leah) that will be off the beaten path so she won't be found by angry townspeople who know about her court case. She whines when her cousin shows up and calls her on the fact that she hasn't gotten off her duff and actually gone to see Leah herself.
And then she pulls a Ryan (or is it really just pulling an Amber?), convincing first her cousin and later her mother that she's the aggrieved party here because people out on the street are MEAN to her. She even tells her mom that she can't possibly go trick or treat with her daughter because someone might call her a bad mom. Like Ryan, who consistently puts himself in the position of being the outsider in his son's life because of his lack of planning, Amber opts out on trick or treating with her daughter, once again giving herself something to complain about.
It's sad to see parents who don't get to spend time with their kids, but until these two take responsibility for their own actions, not much is going to change. Do you see either of them righting the sinking ship?
Image via MTV