Barry Plath rubbed Welcome to Plathville fans the wrong way during his picnic with his daughter, Lydia Plath, leading fans to call the whole outing creepy and hard to watch. Since Barry and Kim Plath started having marital issues (they have since separated), Barry has been the one spending more time with the five kids who are still living at home. Plathville fans have been freaked out by Barry in the past, even accusing him of being a cult leader.
Barry has always seemed unaffected by his surroundings, even when his oldest child Ethan Plath nearly got into a physical fight with him during an episode of Welcome to Plathville. Fans are used to his trademark smirk in every situation. While Ethan, Moriah, and Micah Plath have all grown and changed over the course of the show, as they pursue their new lives in different states, Barry's personality has stayed the same.
On Welcome to Plathville season 4, Kim seems to be a brand new woman, as she has started wearing makeup and dressing less conservatively. Barry thinks she might be having a mid-life crisis, as she bought a dance studio on a whim, and has been spending less time at home raising her children. Plathville fans think Barry and Kim may divorce, as Kim talked about crying all the time, and being unhappy in the marriage.
Kim has become more vulnerable on this season of Welcome to Plathville, and so has Barry. The pair shocked fans when they officially separated, with Kim leaving Barry to work and hold the rest of the family together while she enjoyed "me" time. For the first time on the series, Barry looked visibly upset when he told Lydia, Isaac, Amber, Cassia and Mercy Plath that he and Kim were separated. As the oldest child living at the Plath home, Lydia continues to be treated more like a second mom than one of the kids, and is often put in difficult positions.
Usually, Lydia and Isaac are mediators in the family, and it seems like Lydia is now caught in the middle of Kim and Barry's separation. Barry took Lydia on a picnic, and that event confused Welcome to Plathville fans. r/boxercrew4 said that the moment was unsettling because "it looked like they were on a romantic date when they were sitting and talking on the blanket," even though it was supposed to be a heartfelt moment between a father and daughter. Lydia has divided fans over the course of the show, but most empathized with her because of the tough dynamic that she's dealing with now.
Welcome to Plathville fans know that Lydia is the obedient Plath child, and she has been taking on even more motherly responsibilities this season, even saying that she has been the one homeschooling her siblings to make up for Kim's absence. R/Exact_Stretch6988 said, "Ok so Barry talking to his daughter like she's a friend...DUDE!" and added, "What a horrible position to be in." Fans think that she is beginning to act more like the "new" Kim, and this uncomfortable picnic, where Barry told her about his marriage problems, seemed to cross a boundary.
Sources: r/boxercrew4/Reddit, r/Exact_Stretch6988/Reddit
On Welcome to Plathville, Barry Plath and his daughter Lydia Plath confused fans with their picnic, and an uncomfortable talk about his marriage.Mackenzie Long