On this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Cynthia and Peter celebrate their anniversary. Kandi’s musical hits a sour note. Kenya announces she’s going to have a baby. Cynthia’s friend makes a bad impression on the ladies. And the girls take a trip to wine country.
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The Glass is Half Empty
Peter and Cynthia take a timeout from their bickering to celebrate their third wedding anniversary. It’s not an especially romantic outing since the twosome head to Peter’s lounge, Bar One. Something tells me the excursion is more about free advertising than romance. While there, they hook up with longtime friends Christopher and Natalie.
In awe of the couple’s 18 years together, Peter asks about the early years, the ones he and Cynthia are currently trudging through, and finds Christopher and Natalie’s experience very different from him and his bride. Much to Cynthia’s chagrin, the two were incredibly simpatico in the boudoir and not ashamed to say it. Take a hint, Cynthia!
Cynthia is anxious to bring Natalie into the fold (watch out, Mynique), and she shares some gossip that secures her a spot or get her shut out. She admits to knowing Todd because he broke the heart of one of her close girlfriends. Natalie claims that Todd traded up on multiple occasions to better his situation. This isn’t news to Cynthia and Peter since Momma Joyce has been voicing her suspicions about him all season. Now, Todd might be getting a bad rap, and Cynthia sings his praises to Natalie, so she has her reservations about these allegations.
Peter manages to prove he can step up his game when he surprises Cynthia with a romantic dinner at the building he/they own across the street. Christoper even serenades the couple as a special treat.
No Business in Show Business
Kandi meets with her manager and choreographer about her ill-conceived musical extravaganza. Kandi breaks the news that Todd quit due to the fact that basically nobody involved has their act together. Kandi’s latest project is sinking faster than the Titanic now that the only one with remotely any experience, namely Todd, has jumped ship. Her manager, Don Juan, is trying to signal to his boss that an iceberg lies straight ahead, but she seems confident this project is no different than any of her other successful business ventures.
Welcome Wagon
Since Porsha’s currently a pathetic crybaby, NeNe has decided to retract her claws, let bygones be bygones and pay the girl a visit in her new home. Like Phaedra and Kandi, NeNe questions Porsha’s decision to live in such an extravagant home. But unlike the other girls, she decides to keep her opinions to herself, except for when it comes to the decor left by the previous owners and Porsha’s love life. She questions if Porsha’s ready to get back out there. Some potential suitors have been sniffing around, but she admits she’s kind of in a man-hating mode right now. I mean, the divorce papers aren’t even signed. I’d say, what’s the rush, but I’m not sure how she can support herself with a man. Sad but true.
Baby Talk
Kenya cooks dinner for her extended family, having caught the bonding bug after her father’s visit. Kenya drops the bomb that she has decided to have a baby and plans to visit a fertility specialist. The big question is who is going to sire Kenya’s offspring, and either she’s not saying or she doesn’t have a qualified candidate. Her mysterious, Bentley-buying African prince isn’t even necessarily in the running. That could make continuing their relationship, if he indeed exists, just a bit awkward.
Her family isn’t overjoyed and seems to question her ability to make such a commitment. Kenya admits that she’s having a baby because her own mom sucked. Not the best excuse. Knowing Kenya doesn’t exactly ooze maternal instinct, one of her aunts challenges her to build stronger ties with her existing family members first. Let’s stick one of those ashy toes in the icy water before leaping in.
The Show Will Go On
Even though he’s supposedly quit, Todd accompanies Kandi to scout a possible venue for her musical. He also says that he’s no longer feeling the other job offer and wants back on Kandi’s payroll. Even though she knows she needs his expertise, she makes him work for it. Kandi says he better be sure this time around because if they’re going to work as a team, he cannot quit again. Todd decides he’s back on board.
Grapes of Wrath
The girls decide to take a trip to a local vineyard. It’s the usual crew, plus the gold-digging Marlo, another friend of NeNe and Natalie. Marlo is less than thrilled to see Kenya after their dust-up last week at the trunk show. While Phaedra, Porsha and Kandi talk about Phaedra’s breast milk in one bus, the conversation on the other bus is a bit more salacious. Cynthia is drunk on gossip because she can’t wait to tell the others about Todd’s sordid romantic past.
It’s inevitable that when you mix these ladies and booze, things are going to get shady. Nobody’s even lit, but eyes are rolling: Marlo calls Phaedra and Kandi fat, Kenya questions the status of Christopher and Natalie’s so-called “marriage” (she knows Christopher from an acting job), Kandi is displeased to see Marlo on the outing, and NeNe is vexed when Porsha, Kandi and Phaedra show up late.
When talk turns to Kandi’s wedding plans, Natalie reveals that she and Christopher eloped. Kenya, never one to let anything slide, says that’s not the story she got. She says that Christopher always referred to Natalie as a girlfriend or common law wife. Cynthia gets a bit riled that Kenya is putting her friend’s personal life on blast. Hey, you have to be tough to hang with this crew. Natalie disputes Kenya’s claim, and Cynthia says there are other witnesses, but she’s just going to stay out of it. Oh sure, now that you’ve started a mess, you’re going to step back and let someone else clean it up.
Maybe to take the heat off of herself, Natalie brings up to Kandi that she knows Todd. Cynthia is realizing the error of her ways in inviting Natalie because she knows you don’t come for Kandi’s mom, man or food. If Natalie is trying to shock Kandi, she fails miserably because Kandi already knows about Natalie’s poor, pathetic, heartbroken pal.
Kenya tries to have Kandi’s back and it results in a shouting match between herself and Natalie. Natalie warns Kenya not to come for other people’s marriages when she’s not married. NeNe calls out Kenya for what she is: a troublemaker.
Natalie really draws blood when she announces that Christopher has told her things about Kenya that the pot stirrer probably would not like repeated. Kenya shoots back that she’s got the goods on Christopher, and two can play that game.
If you’re going to come for Kenya, you better have some big guns. Not satisfied with the damage she’s already done, Kenya lets Kandi know that Natalie told Cynthia that Todd was an opportunist. Try as she might to keep a low profile, Cynthia’s in the thick of it now, especially when Natalie tries to deny her allegations about Todd. Cynthia clarifies that Natalie called Todd a hustler, which, let’s face it, has the same negative connotation as opportunist.
I can’t keep up with the slang, so when Natalie tells Kandi that Todd has always had a way of “swerving,” I had to look it up. It’s used in multiple ways, but the only one that seems it could apply to Todd, according to Natalie, is someone who will do whatever necessary to get what they want. She says he was always bettering his situation, which she actually has no problem with.
While Kandi does a pretty good job of keeping her cool, all of a sudden she’s dragged Peter into the mix, insinuating he’s got a shady past. It’s ironic because her point is that she could sell him out to Cynthia but doesn’t. All these ladies are deflecting, which probably means there’s more than just a little truth in all the mud-slinging.
Kandi tells Natalie nobody cares about her friend or a relationship that occurred over a decade ago. She says she’ll take the fact that her man “came up” speaks highly of her and not lowly of him.
If you think the ladies are bad, wait until next week when the men get involved. The grapes on this trip were most definitely sour.
The Real Housewives of Atlanta airs Sundays at 8pm on Bravo.
(Image courtesy of Bravo)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Jennifer has worked as a freelance writer in the entertainment field since 2012. In addition to currently writing feature articles for Screen Rant, Jennifer has contributed content ranging from recaps to listicles to reviews for BuddyTV, PopMatters, TVRage, TVOvermind, and Tell-Tale TV. Links to some of Jennifer’s reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
