On this week’s Real Housewives of New Jersey, Teresa feels the truth is on her side, but Melissa and Joe have lingering doubts about her role in rumors surrounding their marriage. Jacqueline is wary of giving Teresa a second chance. The group heads to a spa in Arizona to celebrate Melissa’s birthday, but things hit a snag. And Kathy and Richie benefit emotionally from an unexpected source.
RHONJ: Teresa and Joe Giudice Plead Not Guilty >>>
Redemption?
Teresa does a cooking demonstration, but more important, she’s no longer stewing over the fact that her brother and Melissa hold her accountable for the accusations of infidelity in their marriage. She may feel vindicated, but we know Joe and Melissa aren’t completely convinced.
Kathy stops by to get the gossip on Melissa’s showdown with Penny and Jan. Kathy says these women are lucky they didn’t get a “knockdown.” Teresa says she’s not sure the situation between the three is resolved. She hasn’t spoken with her sister-in-law to verify that Melissa feels satisfied with the outcome. Teresa’s primary concern is maintaining her own innocence.
As Melissa and Joe pack up for Arizona, Melissa admits that with all the rumors circulating about her marriage, she doesn’t have a lot of trust in Teresa. She does hope to turn that around during their getaway. If it didn’t work during a therapeutic retreat with trained professionals, I’m not sure what a masseuse can accomplish. Joe Gorga is also still wary of spending time with Teresa because he feels she had some involvement with Penny. It seems that both Melissa and Joe think Teresa “doth protest too much.”
Fool Me Once
Jacqueline, still recovering from her plastic surgery, is leaving her two boys again so she and Chris can go to the spa. She tells her husband that she didn’t really want to let Teresa back into her life, but now that they’ve been spending time together, Jacqueline is enjoying her again. She must have gotten a lobotomy when they did her tummy tuck. Chris questions whether his wife thinks her old friend is being sincere, and Jacqueline admits she thinks Teresa is being genuine. Yet she remembers their (supposed) reconciliation during the California vacation and can’t help but be dubious.
Sick and Tired
While the Lauritas and Manzos are stuck in airport hell, the Gorgas, Wakiles and Giudices are greeted at the spa with smoothies. They’re told this particular spa experience is about finding balance in your life. I’m guessing that means no manicures or pedicures.
Poor Melissa feels like she’s coming down with some illness, but she puts on a bikini and tries to make the best of it. Rich is less than impressed with the lodgings. He’s annoyed that Joe’s room has a terrace and his a mere gorgeous view of the desert. He’s also not happy that he has to speak in more quiet, dulcet tones. Joe Gorga can’t believe Rich is complaining since he didn’t even dole out a dime for the trip.
Closure
After a jovial group dinner, Tina, an “Energist” or a medium, arrives. She tells them she hears voices from people in another dimension who are dead but aren’t. I’m sure this will really fly with this group. If Rich was low on tolerance before, he’s now hit rock bottom. Who knows if Tina is a fan of the show, did her homework beforehand or is genuine? but she does start to hone in on some issues. She says people are coming together to heal. She singles out Melissa, saying she’s hearing that Melissa really wants to forgive but is having a hard time. It’s hard to believe any spirit in another dimension cares that there’s been miscommunication between Melissa and Teresa, but apparently that’s the case. Now Teresa even feels the dead are on her side.
Richie the cynic is brought to tears when Tina brings up his father. Rich’s dad also passes along props from the great beyond to Kathy for taking good care of Rich. Joe Giudice manages to temporarily lighten the mood, but Tina gets right back to business. She brings up health issues that plagued Kathy and Rosie’s dad while he was living. This has a profound emotional effect on the sisters. Kathy feels he died while they still had issues unresolved between them. Tina tells her that he’s dancing, he hears her and “she’s” my girl. Talk about sibling rivalry; which daughter is the infamous “she”?
After Tina leaves, Kathy clarifies the significance of some of Tina’s comments. She tells Teresa and her sister that when Tina said “he hears her,” she was referring to Kathy. She reveals that when their father’s health was in swift decline, Kathy took the time to attribute the type of person she was to him because of him and her mother, and she thanked him and told him she loved him. Kathy was expecting some validation that she didn’t receive, and when he passed, she felt angry. It turns out Rosie experienced a more loving and intimate relationship with their father than Kathy.
After 10 years and a questionable source, Kathy feels she finally got closure. Kathy advises Teresa, based on her own experiences, to let Teresa’s dad see her and her brother together and working things out.
Balance, Reflection and BS
Melissa’s physical condition continues to deteriorate. Since it’s obvious “Tarzan” won’t be seeing any action, Joe decides to head out with the others on a hike he organized. Teresa claims to be outdoorsy, citing hiking and laying out in the sun as examples. But if memory serves, she was up for surfing in season 4. This rag tag bunch of city folk do a lot of complaining, with Rosie even stating, “The sun is very shiny.”
The hike includes a session with “Traditional Healer” Pamela, who conducts a cleansing and purifying ceremony. Seriously, there’s no mud baths, hot stone massages, even a sauna? Each person is given a pad to write down what he/she is letting go of while Pamela burns sage.
Albert admits that this is not his thing, and he won’t be participating. Caroline offers to go first. Pamela asks her one thing she’s going to let go from a relationship, and Caroline says she’ll let go of worrying, and then burns the paper. She admits Albert has a vulnerable side he doesn’t like to reveal, and she says that’s why she went first and wrote down what she did. Caroline wants to see Albert break down the wall and live a little bit. Joe Gorga lets go of anger and hate. Did I mention there were gongs involved?
Kathy releases putting everybody else’s needs before her own. Jacqueline can’t make up her mind between reacting to negativity or letting go of negative feelings towards people who have hurt her. She means you, Teresa. Surprisingly, the group seems to be embracing this emotional exercise more than the hike.
Teresa can’t do anything like everyone else, so she calls Jacqueline, her brother, Kathy, Chris, Richie and Caroline up to stand with her and hold hands. She says she’s in a good place with all of them and wants to keep it that way. Joe Gorga wishes Melissa could be present to see how much Teresa has changed.
Teresa and Jacqueline step away from the group, and Jacqueline admits that she’s missed Teresa and she likes where they are. They agree to keep things positive and see how it goes. That pact lasts seconds before Teresa ruins the moment. Teresa says she never wants to do anything to hurt anyone because karma might come back to her daughters. This remark does not sit well with Jacqueline.
Stay tuned for next week when what Teresa actually meant is explored in nauseating detail.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Mondays at 8pm on Bravo.
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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.
