Before there were 19 kids, there were just Gil, Kelly Jo, and a whole lot of decisions that got them here.

In today's episode, we rewind to the beginning and unpack how the Bates family went from two people falling in love to a family of 21. Was having 19 kids always the plan? How did it all happen? And what does Gina make of this origin story?

Let's get into it, with a few sidecar conversations along the way, because apparently we can't tell one story without telling three others.

Welcome to the first episode of Petty Little Catch Up — the podcast born out of two friends (Liz and Gina) realizing that starting a podcast was a perfectly reasonable way to actually see each other.

In Season 1, Liz introduces Gina to the Bates family, aka the Dollar Tree Duggars. We’ll revisit several episodes of 19 Kids and Counting featuring the Bates family before diving into their own show, United Bates of America. For Liz, it’s a rewatch; for Gina, it’s all brand-new territory.

In this first episode, we get Gina’s take on TLC programming and start working our way through the Bates family tree: parents, kids, spouses, and grandkids. Gina attempts to learn everyone’s name. Will any of them actually stick? Unclear.

Join us for a crash course in Bates family chaos, Gina’s increasingly bewildered reactions, and a few sidecar conversations because, naturally, we can’t just stay on topic.

Welcome to Petty Little Catch Up — the podcast where we rewatch old Bates family television with the benefit of hindsight.

We’re going back to the beginning to revisit the Bates family, the episodes we watched the first time around, and all the things that look a little different now that we know what happened next.

We’ll recap, investigate, question, and occasionally be very petty while keeping up with the Bates and whatever is happening now.

New episodes coming soon. Start watching. We have a lot to catch up on.