In real life, Teresa and Joe Giudice are facing some serious legal problems.
On TV Sunday night, in scenes filmed months ago, they’re having a mostly sweet make-up dinner with her brother and sister-in-law — and a bumpy reconciliation with Jacqueline and Chris Laurita.
Am I the only “RHONJ” viewer who finds this discrepancy jarring?
It’s hard to get worked up about anything that happens on the show anymore, knowing what’s going on behind the scenes.
That said, here are some revelations and quotes that stood out in Sunday night’s episode:
Rosie Pierri has not had sex in six years. Her sister and brother-in-law, Kathy and Rich Wakile — along with the Gorgas — accompany Rosie to a SoHo lesbian bar, where 45-year-old Rosie acts like an overgrown kid. And she wonders why romantic partners are not knocking at her door.
We learned that Al Manzo does not like living in the Hoboken apartment. “I kind of feel like ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ in this place,” Al tells Caroline, who later gets a talking-to from Al for chiding their son Albie for concentrating too much on his work life. (Wasn’t this the same woman who seemed to tell her son just the opposite when he was dating that cheerleader a while back?)
Joe Gorga did a billboard for Sizzle Tan — the same company for which sister Teresa once did some commercials. Gorga’s son, Gino, is hardly impressed, telling his dad as they pass the billboard, “Congratulations, stupid.”
The Toy Box in Franklin Lakes made it into the episode, with Jacqueline taking older son C.J. there for some one-on-one time.
The Giudice-Laurita reunion at The Brick House in Wyckoff did not go well, at least for the ladies. Best moment was when Jac told Teresa that she’s a sociopath. “What the [expletive] is a sociopath?” asks Tre, who later tells Jacqueline, “I feel that there are evil people out there. I just feel that you’re one of them.”
Reality briefly intervened during Sunday night’s “Watch What Happens Live,” when host Andy Cohen asked Caroline if she’d been in touch with Teresa since the indictments news.
“I texted her the day of the indictment, I did,” Caroline said. “I sent a message that I’ll keep to myself, and she did respond back, which I’m going to keep to myself as well.”
More from Caroline: “I can’t even wrap my head around it. It’s unexpected. This is a big deal. I think for us, the ‘Housewives,’ we always comment on trivial things, and I think for me, the Manzos, our position is going to stay quiet. It’s just too big and too serious for the peanut gallery. I’m just going to leave it at that.”
Brava to Caroline for recognizing that the indictments are in a whole different category from the “trivial things.”
No mazels to Cohen for not talking more about last week’s big news himself, except for referring to the fact that “Kim G. [Granatell] came out with some vile tweets” last week. She certainly did.
And boos to the callers who phoned in ridiculous questions about aforementioned trivial things instead of the serious issue of how the federal indictments will affect the future of “RHONJ.” (Someone I know tried to get through with that question, but the line was always busy.) One caller who did get through asked guest Anna Clumsky if she’s “Team Teresa or Team Jacqueline?” Here are two questions for that caller and those of her ilk:
Do you ever turn on the news?
Have you, like “RHONJ,” completely lost touch with reality?
Till next week’s silliness…