If you thought the drama was cooling off for The Real Housewives of New Jersey, think again. On last week’s episode things spiraled into total disarray. Everyone was at each other’s throats. However, at the end of the day this group always finds a way to move on and move forward. No matter how low the blows (looking at you Teresa Giudice), there’s always a sense of unity at the end of the day.
Even though they eventually move on and patch things up, inevitably something always comes between them again. This time it’s Jennifer Aydin going to war with Margaret Josephs. These two have never seen eye to eye, but this time feels different. There are some lines you don’t cross. Saying it’s sloppy to sleep with your boss after that person told you they were a victim to someone in a position of power is reprehensible. They might not be able to move on this time.
There’s a general vibe amongst the group that something else might go down at dinner. Jennifer & Margaret are fresh off their lunchtime battle, so the tensions are still red hot. Margaret thinks Jennifer has diarrhea of the mouth, and she’s never seen anyone start trouble the way she does.
Margaret does have a point. Jennifer tends to open her mouth at the worst times, and put her foot in it. Maybe they’re a bit too similar in some aspects. Margaret warns though that she will finish the drama if it picks back up.
The men are sitting at a seperate table from the women at dinner, and that’s probably for the best. They don’t want to get involved in the petty squabbles that these women often find themselves in. Although to be honest, there are so many times where some of the men like Joe Gorga are smackdab in the middle of it.
The celebration for Teresa & Joe’s father Nonno Gorga is coming up, and they’re expecting it to be emotional. It’s a good thing Teresa & Joe were able to move past their issue from the night before because of the memorial. Nobody wants to let a dark cloud of family drama ruin what’s supposed to be a day of remembrance.
Joe is still talking about the prank Teresa & Melissa Gorga pulled on him. Why is he still bringing it up? Are there actual issues at home that we don’t know about? Why is he so insecure? For someone who is supposed to be the HE-MAN Tarzan gifter of poison, he’s VERY high maintenance.
Margaret & Jennifer dive back into their issue from the night before. Being told that Bill Aydin is Jennifer’s meal ticket clearly cut deep to the core. Jackie Goldschneider sticks up for Jennifer because she knows how difficult it is to stay at home with the children all of the time.
Margaret defends herself in regards to sleeping with her boss. She thinks Jennifer has a perception problem when it comes to thinking she WANTED to sleep with her boss. In the current climate we’re in, it’s absolutely unacceptable to use something like that as a weapon. There’s no room for that kind of ignorance. On the flip side though, Margaret should stop shaming Jennifer for the way she lives her life. It affects her in zero capacity, so she should back off.
After dinner Joe loses his cool because Melissa doesn’t wait up for him. He slams the vehicle door, and he isn’t making any sense. What is his issue? Melissa having some semblance of success is obviously intimidating to him.
The success of Envy and Melissa as a businesswoman is causing a newfound rift in their marriage. He wants her to sit at home and do nothing. I’m so sick of the ass backwards mentality of this man.
How weak is their marriage that Melissa walking in front of him feels like it could lead to a divorce? He’s overreacting on a new level we’ve never seen before. Joe tells Joe Benigno and Evan Goldschneider that Melissa has changed, and it bothers him. It has to stem from jealousy. She is the bigger household name out of the two, and I don’t think his fragile ego can handle it.
Melissa won’t apologize for becoming a successful woman, but Joe is acting like the marriage is over. He believes that in the last year, Melissa has let fame go entirely to her head. They’ve been on the show for like eight seasons. This isn’t anything new.
My first reaction was that this is another made up Gorga storyline to keep their place on the show. However, knowing Joe, this might be very real. This genuinely feels like his caveman mentality at play.
The last thing Joe wants to do is fight with Melissa, but this isn’t what he signed up for. This isn’t the white picket fence cookie cutter marriage his parents displayed all of his life. S**t happens. Things change. Joe needs to set his fragile male ego aside or walk away from the marriage. I don’t think Melissa ever plans on giving all of this up, so all of this parading around is falling on deaf ears.
The celebration of life for Joe’s father is the next day. Does he really want to head into that emotional event with an issue with his wife lingering? That’s a disrespect to his father and the family as a whole.
Teresa is already over the trip because of how much arguing has gone down. For almost the entire duration of the trip, someone has been at odds. Whether it was Teresa & Jackie or Margaret & Jennifer, and now Melissa & Joe. Moments of peace have been very few and far between.
Melissa & Joe still haven’t spoken since their fight the night before which isn’t healthy. On a day meant to celebrate his father, having an unresolved issue with Melissa isn’t doing anyone any favors. I hope they can find a way to move forward before the rest of the family arrives.
Melissa tells Margaret that it’s not easy. Marriage isn’t easy. You have to put in the work to make things operate smoothly. Joe enters the room and apologizes if he ruined the night, but she says his head plays with him. What needs to happen is Joe should stop equating Melissa’s growing success with her love for him. Those two things don’t have to go hand in hand.
Things are still somewhat unresolved, but they are setting things aside for the sake of honoring Nonno. With all of the kids coming to pay tribute to home, that’s for the best. They don’t need to see their parents at odds over something so trivial.
Joe says he supports Melissa working a lot, but he’d like them to hire an au pair. Does Joe even work as much as Melissa? Why do I feel like she’s been the primary breadwinner in recent years. God forbid, Joe actually put in the work and parent his own children.
It’s time for lunch which means it’s time for more drama! Almost every meal in the Housewives stratosphere devolves into chaos at some point. It’s inevitable.
Teresa thinks Melissa should appreciate how much Joe loves her. Leave it to Teresa to find a way to make something seem more black and white than it is. Not shocking. Jackie fills in Teresa about what happened between Joe & Melissa the night before. Jackie says it’s hard for Joe to accept that Melissa isn’t the same woman that he married.
Joe’s phone won’t stop ringing off the hook, and it’s some random female realtor. Yeah, that can’t be good. Maybe JOE is the one projecting all of his own issues. Perhaps he’s the one with someone on the side. Hmm.
Dolores Catania gets involved in Melissa & Joe’s marriage troubles and goes to bat for Melissa. No matter what she says though, it’s not worth the exertion of her breath. Joe is convinced that Melissa working more in the last year is a detriment to the quality of their marriage. That’s all there is to it. He won’t hear anything else.
The mystery phone calls were actually just Joe playing a prank back on Melissa. He had to get some revenge for what they did to him. He wasn’t able to keep up the charade for very long though because she uncovered it.
What did Joe learn at the end of all of this? That Melissa was slightly jealous because she called the number back. None of this feels like healthy ways to operate in a marriage, but what do I know?
Everyone is all decked out in white clothing for the celebration for Nonno. Everything looks beautiful, and it’s a touching way to celebrate the man who LIVED for his family. My heart is really with Joe, Teresa, and the kids because I know how heartbreaking something like this is to go through.
Say what you want about Jennifer, but she has a HUGE heart. I know this from personal experience because she jumped at the chance to help with with a charity event I was hosting. She was battling COVID-19 at the time, and she still made the effort. She and Bill had a canvas painting made of Nonna & Nonno, and I AM NOT CRYING. Such a beautiful gesture.
Teresa thanks everyone for attending, and she struggles to make it through without crying. The way this family loves and lives for one another is always so touching. This event is doing him justice, and I love seeing them all come together.
Gia Giudice gives a speech dedicated to her grandfather, and by the end of it, she’s crying. The video package of all of the kids’ moments with Nonno is sending me into the most emotional overdrive ever. Why are they doing this to me? STOP IT.
TELL IS – ARE JOE AND MELISSA’S MARRIAGE TROUBLES REAL OR FAKE? TEAM MARGARET OR TEAM JENNIFER? ARE YOU ENJOYING THIS SEASON OF THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW JERSEY?
[Photo Credit: Bravo]
