On this week’s episode of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the girls’ bonding trip gets tripped up by everything from tardiness to hotel accommodations. The women get a history lesson and are shocked at Porsha’s ignorance about an important aspect of African-American history. Phaedra and Kandi find out they have the same taste in men. And things get nasty between Porsha and Mynique.
It’s tough to get into the Christmas spirit when the housewives of the ATL are on their obligatory getaway. Especially when the setting of this season’s inevitably tempestuous trip has the ladies touring the steamy, picturesque southern city of Savannah. After a lengthy delay in departure time, bad moods and bickering, the women finally manage to leave the big city for their “relaxing” excursion.
The Ex-Factor
At some point during the bus ride, Kandi realizes that NeNe’s friend Mynique is the wife of a former boyfriend. On an unrelated note, how can anyone justify pronouncing that spelling as MO-nique? The relationship between Kandi and Mynique’s husband, Chuck Price, took place 20 years prior, so Kandi sees no reason to take any walks down memory lane if it can be avoided.
Room Service
The ladies arrive at their lodgings, a house with the moniker “The Wedding Cake Mansion.” They’re greeted by owner Tammy Jo. Kandi’s anxious to find out more about Savannah’s reputation as one of, if not the, most haunted cities in the United States. Tammy Jo says her guests have left notes about friendly ghosts, news that doesn’t thrill Porsha. When relegated to a basement room, she’s even more unhappy. It’s not as if she’s staying in a dank room with a dirt floor next to the hot water heater and washer/dryer. The room is beautiful, but she’s got it in her very tiny head that her well-being is in peril. She decides to bunk with Mynique instead.
Other room drama includes Kandi claiming the Master Suite when etiquette would dictate that the room should go to the hostess. NeNe, feeling unappreciated and generally fed up, retreats to her room. Kenya, unable to resist sticking her spoon in the pot and giving things a stir, serves as a shoulder for NeNe to cry on. This is a whole new NeNe. She’s willing to not sweat the small stuff in order to make sure the goal of the trip remains intact, for all the women to bond. Kenya really doesn’t want Kandi to walk away with that Master Suite, and she does her best to set NeNe off.
Setting Things Straight
After some prodding from Kenya, NeNe tries to lay down some ground rules regarding behavior for the rest of the trip. Kandi knows the seed was planted by Kenya. Phaedra, who missed the lecture due to motherly duties, returns to the group just in time to be checked by Mynique. The newbie housewife-wannabe tells Phaedra she probably needs to hear the rules more than anybody. Phaedra makes it clear that if she’s late, it’s because she’s a mama first, and she works. She makes sure that Mynique doesn’t forget her place in this group: at the bottom. While the other girls insist that Mynique got “read” by Miss Phaedra, she swears that’s not the case.
Train Wreck
The ladies get a history lesson when they head to The First African Baptist Church, a part of the underground railroad. Porsha is all about educating the youth and honoring her grandfather’s work in the area of civil rights, but the poor girl doesn’t realize that the underground railroad did not literally consist of a train. She’ll pay for that on the reunion show, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and everywhere else. Kenya claims Porsha’s stupidity is almost painful to endure.
Unhappy Hour
Summer in a city that allows open containers means a cocktail pit stop for the housewives. Plus, for the umpteenth time, it’s pointed out to viewers that Phaedra has to pump and dump. Mynique decides to bring up the fact that at NeNe and Gregg’s wedding, Kandi’s mom was only too happy to see her husband, Chuck.
While Mynique thinks she’s in the know about her hubby’s romantic past, turns out good ole’ Chuck may have left out some details. Not only did Kandi date him once in her late teens, but again in her early 20s. This is news to Mynique. Kandi grows more irritated as Mynique continues to mess up the facts, going so far as to correct Kandi, who was actually one of the two parties involved. Poor Mynique is just trying to save some face.
Kendra looks like the cat who ate the canary and just can’t wait to make an uncomfortable situation even more so. She says that it has to be uncomfortable for Mynique to know that Kandi has been intimate with her husband. Mynique denies it, but I don’t buy it. The fact she brought it up at all demonstrates insecurity on her part. Kenya even has the b***s to ask how the sex was, which prompts Mynique to tell her to dial back the cray-cray. Kandi says that it’s obvious Charles has his reasons for downplaying their relationship, so she’s okay with that.
Kandi, trying to take some of the heat off herself, throws Phaedra under the bus. Mission accomplished. According to Mynique, their alleged relationship never happened. And that info is straight from her husband’s mouth. Phaedra sets the record straight that she has known Chuck for years, but the only dating they did was as kids in middle school. Nothing remotely juicy about that. Oh, wait one sec. Phaedra comes clean that they dated again while in college. In Kenya’s words, “He hit it and quit it.”
Porsha, who isn’t currently pro-marriage, tells Mynique she needs to get the full 411 when it comes to her husband’s very active dating history. Mynique gets offended by Porsha’s insinuation that her husband might be holding back. These two start going at each other like a couple of house cats. Mynique proves she can hold her own when she throws Porsha’s divorce in her face. Thank goodness NeNe steps in and plays peacemaker. Things cool down, but it looks like Porsha will have to find a new roommate.
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.
