Readers (if you exist), sorry for the delay, but for the second week in a row, we're still trying to keep up with Bravo's switcheroo that put the Jersey girls on Sunday. Anyways, the extra day gave us even more time to prepare for not one, but two, Gorga–on–Gorga confrontations this week. Before either one of those takes place, though, we have to waste more time hearing about Caroline’s radio show. Her friend Dolores comes over and does some mock call–ins to help the Manzo matriarch prepare. Somehow, though, talk quickly shifts to Teresa, her family feud and her bankruptcy. Shocking.
The main event begins with Joe preparing for his dinner with his sister, and he mourns their previously “unseparable” relationship. Joe arrives at Portofino’s (because they had to meet at a restaurant named after an Italian locale), and he sees Teresa in full Elvira garb. Both sides seem to try to pin the blame on each other’s spouse, but they remain surprisingly calm until Joe pulls the “fake” card on Teresa. Fireworks erupt, sort of, but the whole meeting is a little bit of a letdown.
Honestly, the best part is seeing the vintage picture of Kathy with some serious 80's hair. Teresa complains that Joe didn’t come to her Fabulicious book signing, and Joe says that Teresa ignores baby Gino, but it’s all back and forth nonsense, and neither party budges, leaving things at a sort of stalemate. Things finally get a little warmer when Teresa brings up their ailing father, and Joe says that if she works things out with Melissa, everything can go back to normal. We can only hope.
We’re treated to more filler as Melissa, Kathy, and their respective spouses head to a friend’s home for a lame dinner party. Kathy seems to think that Teresa has wronged her in some way too, but it seems like more of an attempt to steal some of the spotlight than salvage any sort of relationship. It has only been six episodes, but it’s obvious that this sort of weaseling is precisely Kathy’s M.O.
Caroline’s nervous about reading the weather. Caroline’s nervous about introducing commercials. Honestly, who really cares? This whole radio storyline needs to end immediately. Jacqueline makes her first appearance of the episode when she brings books over for Teresa to autograph as Christmas presents. I think it’s safe to assume these are going to people pretty far down on the Laurita family list. Feeling left out of the drama with Ashley otherwise occupied, Jacqueline offers her house as the site of the Teresa/Melissa rendezvous, a generous offer that no doubt ensures a few minutes more of screen time.
Caroline’s first show begins, and she really does look and sound terrified, as each of the other housewives allegedly listens along. Once the calls begin, she starts to find her groove, and the show morphs into a generic advice forum, and Caroline basically gives the most common sense answers to every question.
Melissa gets ready for her meeting with Teresa, and she welcomes in Kathy, who’s dressed like a detective going on safari, the perfect outfit for December in Jersey, and Caroline, who is also at Jacqueline’s house for some reason, preps Teresa. They talk about some upcoming trip to the Catskills, but it’s obvious that the producers are just wasting time to delay the best part of this confrontation until next week. And that’s exactly what they do. The women exchange pleasantries, but right as they start to disagree, the “to be continued” sign flashes on screen.
Next week, the sister–in–laws continue to hash it out, the housewives take the Catskills, and Sherlock Kathy talks about opening a restaurant. It might seem like an unusual slate, but in Jersey it’s pretty much typical.
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