Renee tells Karen about Junior's "text messages"
We start off at Carla’s house. She is getting ready to take the kids to go pick up Joe, after he has spent the last 6 years in prison. She expects him to be different, he needs to adjust and to get to know the kids. Carla wants Joe to sit them down and tell them where he has been and why. She doesn’t know how they will take it.
Renee meets Tiffany Osborn, her former boss, from when she was doing wardrobe for 50 Cent and G Unit. They catch up on things, like Junior’s arrest in January. She gave up being a celebrity wardrobe stylist the last time Junior got out of jail, now she is ready to get back to work. Tiffany feels Renee makes Junior’s problems her problems, she is a drama Queen and it interferes with her work. But, it looks like she may be getting Renee some styling jobs in wardrobe soon.
At Drita’s house, Drita calls Carla to talk about Joe while she is driving home from the halfway house. Drita is more excited than Carla about Joe’s release. Carla says Joe looked good. Drita says they don’t age in prison. Drita wants to know if Joe put the moves on Carla. Drita is getting flashbacks of when she went to pick up Lee from prison last time. Carla says her son woke up at 6 am so excited about going to get Joe. Aleeya is happy for Carla’s kids and so is Drita. Drita feels sad for Aleeya because Lee isn’t coming home any time soon.
At Renee’s house, Karen arrives, and they have wine. Karen asks about Junior. Renee says that Junior said he was going to work on “us” and was going to get rid of all the other women. Renee tells Karen, then Junior went away for two days and, when he comes back, his phone rings twice during the night with texts from 2 women. He said he had to get up and make two calls. Renee is angry that he is making a fool out of her again and she doesn’t need that. Karen says he won’t change, it’s a pattern with him, she tells Renee that she is the one who has to change.
Carla is driving back home from the halfway house and the kids are crying because Joe isn’t coming home with them. They took the news about his being in jail good. It broke Carla’s heart to see her son cry. It’s a big adjustment on the kids, but they want Joe home and want to be a family and that’s not happening.
Drita and Karen meet for drinks. They talk and realize they have a long history as friends. Drita even lived with Karen at one time. They only really had that one fight a couple of weeks ago and that was about Lee.
At the therapist, Renee says she found a text message from another woman on Junior’s phone. The therapist answers, “and yet you can’t move on.” She tells her that she dates men who are chaotic and neglect her. Renee says she was a happy-go-lucky person and now she is disgusted and disappointed because she allowed this to happen. Renee wonders is she so afraid and insecure that she allows a man to walk in and out of her life anytime he wants? Now she says she is really done. The therapist says she doesn’t need him.
Carla and Drita meet at the gym. Drita almost seems happier than Carla that Joe is home. Drita explains how weird it was when Lee first came home and how difficult it was getting used to being home. Joe told the kids he was in a place where people get punished for doing bad things--jail. Jojo says he wants to go to jail, his impression of jail is that it is like a camp. They tell him he never wants to go there. Joe has to get used to being a father now that the kids are older. If Joe goes to prison again, Carla says she would be devastated for her kids.
Renee and AJ go to her favorite restaurant, Il Cortile, to talk. Renee had wanted AJ to follow in her father’s footsteps at one time, but no more. She wants AJ to go to college and get away from this “life” and the bad stuff that goes on. She wants him to live a good life. Jail is not an option for AJ. AJ tells her that he never had the mindset to go into that “life” and that he is going to college and be legit and have a family.
Drita and Karen meet at a restaurant. The book is coming together, Karen says. Karen tells Drita the first chapter is finished and she gives it to her to read. She wants to see if Drita has any questions and is comfortable with what Karen wrote. Drita says she freaked out when Karen handed her the chapter and it brought back to mind their issues about Lee and the book. Drita seems stunned not knowing how to respond. Karen tells her they settled on a title, “Shadow Of The Bull.” Karen tells Drita to be honest about chapter one.
Renee is excited about getting back to work as a wardrobe stylist. GhostFace, the rapper calls and he has a video coming out. He wants Renee to do the wardrobe for next week‘s shoot. The first day of the video, Renee is driving when Nikole calls. Nikole is on the same page as everyone else about Junior. Renee is getting the same input from all her friends. Renee gets to work and looks like she has never taken a break from her career. She gets Ghost a little thank you gift. Styling is something she loves to do, coming up with a great look…and she it keeps her distracted from Junior’s BS.
At Drita’s house Aleeya is doing math, Drita hates it. Lee calls and Drita hands the phone over to Aleeya so he can help her with her homework. But, Aleeya wants to know if Lee was upset when his friend ratted on him. Lee answers that he was more upset with himself for not seeing it coming. She also wants to know when he is coming home. He had told her at the end of fifth grade and she is in fourth grade. Lee hesitates, then he says he has no idea, then he says he’ll be home soon. Aleeya answers soon isn’t good enough.
Back at Renee’s house there is a little spring cleaning going on. Renee is taking all of Junior’s clothes out of the closet and dumping them in a suitcase. He has been playing her for a sucker and she is no sucker. The girls were right, she knows what she needs to do. She packs all his things and takes them downstairs to the door. Then she leave Junior a message to come and get all his things. She says she is setting a good example for her son that she is strong and doing what is right.
At Karen’s apartment, Karen is sitting around wondering why Drita is avoiding her calls and not getting back to her about the book. Karen is confused. She says if Drita has a problem she hopes she will call and discuss it.
Carla and Drita meet for coffee and to discuss Karen’s meeting with Drita. Drita tells Carla that Karen gave her the first chapter of her book and she didn’t read it. She is afraid she will see something she doesn’t like in it. “Why didn’t she give it to Renee?” Drita wants to know, “she’s her girl.” Carla and Drita discuss whether or not Drita should read the chapter. Drita doesn’t want to know anything about what happened 20 years ago or have it come back to hurt her children. She wants to protect her children and her husband’s name. Drita feels “attack mode” coming on and she is ready for a war. Drita does not want Aleeya to know everything about Lee.
Drita is now riled up and says she doesn’t trust Karen and so she can’t trust the book. Carla adds fuel to the fire! She tells Drita, you let her in and then she turned on you. Drita is getting that “Hulk” look in her eyes and then says, “I will smash her head in and then say this is how I feel.”
Well, that was an interesting episode and here‘s my two cents. Let me start with Carla. She is the mother of the twins and I think she should have told them about Joe’s prison time instead of lying for 6 years. Instead, she makes Joe tell them in the car on the way home? I don’t get it. Also, why didn’t she wait until Joe came out of the halfway house to get the kids involved. She could have picked him up herself. Two or four more weeks would not have made that big a difference, and then they could have spent real quality time with their father instead of a short time in the car. This was a bit traumatic in my opinion. Another thing, Carla is a trouble maker. She doesn’t even know what’s in Karen’s book, but she is getting Drita more and more upset about it. Why?
Drita is bent out of shape because Karen wants to write about Lee in her book. That’s too bad. Lee was part of Karen’s life for seven years. What is she supposed to do about that? It’s a book about her life and Lee was part of it. If Lee has things to hide, that’s on him. He’s the one who did the bad things that Drita doesn’t want her daughter to know about. It’s not like Karen is making up lies about Lee to sell her book. And, from what Karen revealed in earlier episodes, Lee was not that good to her. She owes him nothing. Karen has to do what is best for her and Karina right now. She can show her daughter how she turned her life around and is earning a living and being successful despite her past. That’s her priority as a mother, to provide for her daughter’s future. From what I saw of the finale clips, this isn’t going to end well at all between Drita and Karen.
Renee, what can I say about a woman who can’t get over her first love? And it’s not her fault. Junior knows her well and he knows what to say to manipulate her feelings for him. I hope this is the last time she gives him the opportunity to take advantage of her. However, I can’t help but be skeptical of this whole “move-in, move-out” drama. I think there is a good chance that the “move-in” was scripted because that certainly got everyone’s attention. Then, when that blows over, we have the opportunity to script a “move-out” scene. I can’t help but think that the time between the two events was brief since Junior got arrested in January and didn’t move right in and then taping ended in April. Of course, the “move-out” scenario could have been much more dramatic then it was. Let me ask you this. If your significant other went away for 2 days and came back and got two calls during the night from women, would you not throw them out right then and there? Especially since you were being mislead yet again about the relationship. Why the wait? Why discuss it with the therapist? Just kick his ass to the curb right there and then, in the middle of the night. That would have made a great scene, like the one where Carmela throws Tony’s stuff out the window. Sigh. Enough is enough!
