Melissa starts to feel better, and as opposed to getting in touch with herself, she begs Joe for some downtime by the pool. Joe admits he had no idea there would be so much self-exploration at this spa. Joe is primarily interested in exploring his wife in depth (I’m sure you get my meaning).
Over breakfast, Jacqueline tells Chris about Teresa’s comment regarding her fear of Kharma coming back and negatively affecting her kids. With Teresa, it’s hard to tell if this was a calculated statement referring to Jacqueline and her son Nicholas in some way, or just Jacqueline overthinking it. Chris feels it could be an intentional dig. He points out that Teresa says a lot of hurtful things, and it can be hard to distinguish what’s intentional and what isn’t. Teresa arrives in the middle of their conversation all perky and ready for another day of painstaking revelations. Joe shows up to rally the troops for yet another therapeutic session, this one involving horses.
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More Than a Horse of Course
The group meets with Wyatt Webb, an Equine Therapist. Chris volunteers to go first, and part of the experience involves something with the horse’s feet. Teresa, not exactly an animal lover, isn’t pleased, worried that the massive beast could turn on her. Melissa is dying for a cocktail, and the rest of the group looks just as dubious about this activity.
Wyatt explains the horse only responds to authenticity and won’t lift its leg for anything less. Chris completes the task readily, and the therapist explains the reason why is because Chris wasn’t guarded. Caroline is a fan of the exercise because it’s about being honest and recognizing the positive and negative within oneself.
Richie makes a smart a** comment about how the whole thing is a scam but is called out Wyatt who states Richie creates jokes, so he doesn’t have to deal with his real feelings.
Rosie is next up and admits to Wyatt that she feels anxious. She’s concerned she won’t be successful in getting the horse to respond. This turns into an analysis of Rosie’s self-esteem which results in more tears. Poor Rosie admits that she hasn’t felt worthwhile for most of her life. Wyatt reassures her that because of her honesty, “Mr. Ed” will probably cooperate with her. Rosie being the anomaly in a large, traditional Italian family makes her feel very alone and not worthy of happiness. Of course, the horse lifts his leg after this moment of raw emotion.
Melissa is up next, and she is definitely not as open as the previous participants. But, Wyatt is a housewife whisperer because he gets her to open up and admit that she’s a people pleaser. He asks her if she ever gets resentful when people don’t appreciate the effort she puts in to being nice to them. Melissa feels she’s been nothing but nice to Teresa and given her numerous fresh starts only to be rebuffed. Wyatt claims there’s a difference between being nice and being manipulative which makes Joe Giudice chuckle. Wyatt says anytime he does something for someone with a hope for an outcome “he’s running a game.” From the look on Melissa’s face, it’s clear she’s not thrilled with his assessment.
Melissa continues to struggle to get the horse to respond. Joe Gorga offers some words of encouragement, and the spotlight shifts to him. Wyatt says it’s not always a good thing to try and intervene with someone who is struggling because it cheats the person out of learning how to handle uncomfortable situations on their own. Melissa is not buying into any of what Wyatt has to say citing the fact that he’s only known her and her husband for a few minutes. He is hitting awfully close to home.
Melissa, Joe and Teresa all bomb the test and quickly remove themselves from the situation. Caroline was amazed how neither Melissa nor Teresa failed to grasp the meaning of the exercise. She says they are incapable of challenging themselves in front of other people, and to her, that’s very telling.
Jacqueline is successful and even garners support from Teresa. A nervous Joe Giudice goes next and admits that he’s got fears regarding his legal woes. Joe Gorga is blown away that his brother-in-law bringing up his legal issues and believes reality is finally setting in. Joe Giudice also reveals he has fears of losing what he’s built and winding up alone. Albert Manzo drops the biggest bomb by telling Wyatt he was emotionally abused as a child. Chris is happy to see Albert, who hasn’t been a fan of all this spiritual stuff, open up.
The Elephant in the Room
Later that evening, Joe and Teresa, mostly Joe, discuss his legal problems. Things have gotten worse for both since filming, with a whole new truckload of charges recently brought against them both. Joe’s fears about being an absentee father have more than likely been heightened. Teresa’s steadfast belief that her husband is truthful beyond reproach is even harder for viewers to believe now. Especially, since her own ethics are being called into question.
Nobody Puts Kathy in the Corner
After participating in a drum circle, Rosie calls out the group, particularly Joe and Teresa, for not giving Kathy the support she deserves. The couple left to make a phone call during Kathy’s Oprah moment. Kathy appreciates her sister’s good intentions but feels capable of asserting herself. Kathy says she approaches everything with an open heart, and she wants to hear what all of them have to say whether she likes it or not, she’s ready to be there for them. She expresses the desire that they all reciprocate. Teresa writes it off as a “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha” moment.
Frenemies Forever
Teresa pulls Jacqueline aside for another heart to heart because she senses Jacqueline is still harboring some issues. Teresa wants to clear the air completely once and for all and move forward. Jacqueline brings up the Karma comment. Teresa swears Jacqueline took her comment the wrong way. Teresa tells Jacqueline she wants to be there for her more, and she puts Jacqueline’s fears of disappointing her at ease. Jacqueline tells Teresa she wants to connect with her. Teresa feels they’re both on the same page and can rebuild their friendship.
The Real Housewives of New Jerseys airs Sundays at 8 p.m. 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.
