Meri has poor listening skills

Poor therapist. But then again therapists are probably used to people not wanting to hear what they have to say.

That stuck out for me too - the "I just don't get it." Wonder if Meri "gets" her role in the cat fishing as well? She did not have to participate. Also, it was a revelation to me that the girl she went to see in Atlanta tried to warn her that Sam was not real during the time it was happening. So she had people warning her (others online as well and her own daughter) but she chose to continue the relationship. Has she ever owned up to that in a believable way?

Yes to all of this! Another example of Meri's unbelievably poor listening skills- when she went to Robyn for advice on how to deal with Mariahs announcement that she's gay, Robyn specifically told her EXACTLY what to say, and more importantly, what NOT to say. Then Meri marches straight over to Mariah and says the EXACT things that Robyn explicitly told her not to say. Then Meri goes crying and whining back to Robyn about how horrible their conversation was. You could see Robyns sheer frustration with Meri.

Meri reminds me of several women I know IRL. They married young, started a family young, and reached a point where they reverted back to how they were prior to getting married. I think Meri doesn't know who she is as an individual and she is clearly floundering. Her daughter is gone. Her husband is preoccupied with his other wives and children. Meri is left to her own devices which has gotten her into trouble. Seems she has a great amount of maturing to do. I hope she will grow up bc she has a lot to offer and people who want her with them.