Mob Wives: Recap Reunion Show Season Four, Ep 413

A view of the set

“Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in.” Great quote to start off the show, especially when the sneak peek that was released gave us the impression Drita was going to attack Renee and flip tables. That really didn’t happen.

The New Blood Reunion Show, is hosted by Sherri Shepherd, who says tonight we are breaking bread rather than breaking faces. They did neither. All the ladies are seated around a dinner table with Sherri at the head of the table, asking the questions. They had to get a comedian to host the show because season four was a joke. The whole season is a flip-flopping tennis match! They say one thing one minute and the next the opposite!

Sherri asks Alicia about court and the sentencing. She is being sentenced, she isn’t being sentenced. Alicia says she cannot be sentenced until the restitution issue is settled, but she says there is no date. It’s been reported it was postponed till March. How convenient is that…right between seasons! And what about the big “to be continued…” at the end of the finale? That was very misleading when they already had some answers about what went on in court in January. They tried to make it look like she was sentenced to five years and a million dollar fine the way everyone was “acting.” The New York Post is on it, we will find out as soon as anything happens with regard to this issue.

Moving on to Natalie. Sherri points out that, at first, Renee liked Natalie and called her a mini-me. Renee said she called her a mini-me because Natalie is outspoken and then they have to go and rehash the “delicious” issue yet again! I feel that word has burned a hole in all our brains. Renee gets pissed all over again about it like it just happened. But wait a minute, didn’t she just laugh about it in the finale when Natalie sang the song at her book party, and they hugged afterwards? Which is it, is she over it or not? Sherri wants to know what’s the big deal about that word. Renee says it was rude. Renee says she doesn’t think Natalie was hitting on her man, but it was disrespectful. Natalie still doesn’t feel she did anything wrong and Renee says she is done with Natalie and the "delicious" conversation. Thank you God. Amen.

Renee confronts Natalie

Next topic is the ladies trip to sin city, Las Vegas, for a vacation. Sherri asks why Renee was acting out like that. Renee says she relapsed in her addiction with alcohol and anti-depressants. Sherri says that’s not the best place to take someone who has addiction issues (ya think?) and wants to know who takes responsibility for that. Naturally, no one does because this trip was probably cooked up by the production team as part of the script. The fact they allowed this to go on for three episodes was really overkill! But, where else can Renee get unlimited liquor and go crazy for the camera? Didn’t anyone have a clue something wasn’t right with Renee? Anyway, Natalie questions Renee’s recovery and Renee immediately gets pissed. She doesn’t want Natalie to talk about her recovery. Renee yells and screams at Natalie because she doesn’t believe Natalie ever cared about her or her recovery. I thought I heard Renee say Natalie even gave her cocaine, but I have to confirm this because things were being bleeped out. I check with @Tweetpolice to see if I am hearing things, she says no and sends me the video tape! Renee says, “You don’t give a f*ck about my recovery, if you did why would you get high with me?…don’t pretend to care about me and then give me the f*ckin’ cocaine or the pills!”

Sherri looks like “what the hell did I get myself into?” Renee says she is done with Natalie. Renee says she is embarrassed by her own behavior, she never picks her hands up, but she just snapped after being antagonized for 45 minutes. She is not proud of it and it’s out of character for her. That wasn’t her, she is 100% sorry that she put her hands on Natalie, but she was under the influence. Natalie was surprised by the headlock. Alicia hasn’t said a word so far, hmmmm. Natalie says, on the contrary, Renee was antagonizing her, she was in her face. Renee starts crying. Renee feels humiliated. Drita says while Renee was wrong, she has an illness. Renee says the girls were laughing and joking about her issues. Renee found it hurtful. Drita says it was hurtful to the rest of them too. Ang says they are over it, Renee has been great ever since.

"What the hell did I get myself into?

So far Sherri has survived. Moving on to happy Drita. Sherri brings up the way Lee talks to her in such a disrespectful way, and Drita says we only hear one side of the conversation. Drita defends the way Lee talks to her by saying she talks to him that way too. Isn’t that sweet? I think we have been hearing both sides of the conversation and Lee is definitely verbally abusive. In any case, I hope they don’t carry on this way in front of the girls. Drita says she bonded with Alicia. Drita gave Lee and second chance. Drita is doing a rap song with Method Man. Her house is renovated and she opened a second store…everything is coming up roses. Notice how no one asked her about the “stalker” or Aleeya’s “bully,” the two “real issues” in her life? If that was me, those things would concern me most, but I’m not a Mob Wife.

On to Ang and her baby storyline. Can I get a big eye roll? First she is having a baby, then she isn’t. Of course the baby thing isn’t happening. It was never happening! Ang lists all the events in the family. Two grandchildren coming, a wedding, an engagement. Ang says she is going through “the change” and a baby is more or less the last thing on her mind. You know what? The “change” is usually a 7 year process and I’m sure it just didn’t happen this season since she is 54. That just adds to the absurdity of this storyline, if that is even possible! I can’t believe viewers are buying into these things.

The famous "coke whore" tweet

On to Natalie’s disrespectful TWEETS. Natalie called Renee a “f*ckin’ coke whore.” Renee is pissed. Yeah, we just saw the tape where Renee says Natalie gave her coke and got high with her.” Alicia finally speaks up and says Natalie was defending her in the tweets. Like that makes it okay? Natalie says anyone can tweet anything they want. She says Renee has tweeted bad things too. Renee answers nothing as bad as Natalie. Renee is upset and says she doesn’t care about if for herself, but she says these things hurt her son. Renee wants her to apologize to her AJ. Natalie says no, she didn’t do anything to him. Renee says Alicia has her own big mouth and can defend herself. Natalie says she knows she was wrong and is sorry.

Boss B*tch is back. Renee has been seeing a therapist and getting back to her old self, and in the process she wrote a “sex” book, “Playing With Fire.” Renee says she got another letter from Junior, after the one we saw on the show. She says he wasn’t exactly out of prison, but he was being transferred to Brooklyn for another case. She is upset and afraid and she just wants to live and have peace. They just want him to go away. Now for the sex book, Sherri wants to know if it’s about her life. Renee says some of it is, but there’s a lot of fiction in it and it comes out April 8th. This is actually one of the “real” things that happens this season!

Oh, oh woe is me, poor, poor pitiful me"

she is even looking like Linda Ronstadt!

Now we get to Alicia, who has been pretty much speechless up to this point…oh brother. First the rehashing of her storyline this season. Eddie, cheating, lying, jail, sentencing, Carla, Chinese food, tapes…and she says she puts her faith in God. I’m sure God has been very proud of the way she lives her life. He probably gave her tips on embezzlement too. While Alicia doesn’t seem to want to say it on television, her sentencing was postponed to March, last we heard. Ang thinks Alicia will get house arrest. Alicia says, “the point is I committed a crime.”  I can’t believe my ears! After months of swearing she is innocent and didn’t cook the books, Alicia is saying she committed a crime? Sherri asks what we have all been saying, it is hard to believe she didn’t know her husband wasn’t in the lifestyle considering how her father in law was killed. Alicia says she was naïve and in love. Please!  She is divorcing him now because he betrayed her, not because she has her own Boo who may be pressuring her to do it. Wow! Sherri asks if Alicia is seeing anybody and of course she dodges that answer like it's a fatal bullet. But, don’t we all know about the Rob LaScala “rumors,” that are all over the internet. Did anyone see that Cartier Love Bracelet with all that bling “poor single mom” Alicia is wearing?

It just dawned on me that you have been

talking about Lee behind my back for three seasons!

Next issue is how Renee and Alicia’s friendship unravels. Alicia says Renee gossips to her friends about her business. Renee says hello, you are on national television with your business. Thank you Renee, I was yelling that at the TV myself!  Sherri says Eddie is the big culprit. Drita rehashes about how Renee talked about Lee with Karen Gravano. Drita instantly goes ballistic over this all of a sudden. Renee says people were talking and Drita screams, “People are you, you did it… you ain’t never been my friend, first, second, third season..” Renee says she was a friend to Drita more than anyone ever was and then Drita agrees. WTH? Was Renee a friend to Drita or not? Wasn’t everyone talking about everyone’s husband? Weren't they all talking about Lee, Junior and Joe? Why is Drita just now blowing a gasket? Did production help Drita get riled up by maybe showing her some cutting room floor edits where Renee said something we didn‘t see? Because, as far as I know, Drita already watched all the shows from previous seasons, but this is the first time she is having an issue with Renee about it. Why not show a clip of what Drita is referring to? This is totally out of left field!

Time to discuss the men in their lives. Sherri wants to know what or who Lee looks like. Drita says, the Rock. I look up The Rock because I am clueless. I don’t think he looks anything like Lee, but I have to give Drita the benefit of the doubt since I have never seen either man. Renee loves her son, AJ, who always gives her good advice. Alicia’s brother is good looking. Ang says no one is looking for Neal. I say who cares? They still left out Rob LaScala.

And that concludes season four of Mob Wives “New Blood.” I hope to see some drastic cast changes and/or additions in season five and a lot more reality!

Let me take this opportunity to say I have always loved the concept of Mob Wives even with my strong opinions. I would like to congratulate Jennifer Graziano on an obviously successful season four and a new season five!

***********

P.S. I did look for and see the Cartier Love Bracelet on Alicia's wrist. Hard to spot it while she is moving her hand around, but VH1 took and after the reunion picture of her and if you look at her left wrist the bracelet appears to be the one furthest away from her hand. I do believe I saw diamonds spaced out on it so that one runs about $10,000 or so. Nice.

Mob Wives: Reunion Show Sneak Peek! Wow!

"You ain't never been my friend!"

This is one very intense moment between Drita and Renee. Drita and Renee always seemed to have a good relationship, and if not good, at least peaceful. They hardly interacted at all this season and when they disagreed it was over the new girls. Take Natalie. When Natalie entered the show, Renee loved her and Drita and Ang hated her...then the attitudes all reversed, Renee hated her, Ang and Drita loved her...then they reversed back. But I didn't see any real issue between Drita and Renee...until now.

I don't know what Drita was drinking or if she has been watching a Mob Wives marathon of the first three seasons, but someone put a bug up her ass about Renee. All of a sudden Drita is over the top...turnt up...at Renee for what happened and things she said in previous seasons concerning Lee. Frankly, my memory isn't that good, but all I remember on that issue was Renee encouraging Drita to get back with Lee...do you all remember that too? Anyway, I am not about to watch the first three season to see what Drita is talking about. Renee attempts to defend herself and says other people were doing the talking, not her. Drita screams: "People are YOU! You did it. Ain't nobody talking about my husband...you can go back first, second, third season, you ain't never been my friend!" Now where the hell did that come from? If what Renee said was so bad, why wait until now to rehash it?  I have my own theories. I think the show is trying to set up some new drama for season five and they will pick up the confrontation where this one leaves off. Poor Sherri Shepherd looks like a deer caught in the headlights...I wonder if she will eventually say something to diffuse the situation? I'll be watching her expression to see if this argument is real or scripted. 

Meanwhile, don't forget to watch tonight on VH1 at 10 PM EST and check out Alicia's wrist to see if she is wearing that Cartier Love Bracelet over the Eddie tattoo! 

Get More: Mob Wives (Season 4)

Mob Wives: Karen Gravano A Character In Grand Theft Auto V?

Does Antonia Bottino resemble Karen Gravano?

The New York Daily News is reporting that Karen Gravano is suing Grand Theft Auto 5 for using her likeness and details of her life for the game. Could this be true? The image does look like Karen...now what about the details? I took a look at a video of the game featuring Antonia/Karen to see what similarities I could find...there are plenty! First take a look at Antonia Bottino's profile.

Let's see...Karen/Antonia both have fathers who were underbosses in the mob. Karen's father is Sammy Gravano, Antonia's father is Sammy Bottino. Sammy Gravano worked for the Gambino Crime Family under John Gotti, Antonia's father worked for the Gambetti Crime Family, under Don Jon Gravelli. Karen's father was arrested for murder and turned informant for a plea deal. Antonia's fatheer was arrested for murder and turned snitch. Both Karen and Antonia had trouble accepting their father's cooperation with authorities. Karen and Antonia's families both moved out west to go into hiding...we know Sammy Gravano moved his family to Arizona. Both fathers made a lot of enemies. Both father were against their daughters being in a reality show...Karen in Mob Wives and Antonia in Mob B*tches. Come on...if that's not Karen who the hell is it?

Now, here is the video, the dialogue is summarized above. So what do you think of the similarities? Does the lawsuit have merit? I would hate to think that this is the only way we are going to see Karen back on television. This lawsuit is a perfectly REAL storyline for Karen on Mob Wives Season 5 along with her confrontation of pitiful Alicia!

Picture and Video credit Grand Theft Auto V

P.S. My favorite Staten Island lawyer, Elura Nanos, has weighed in on the subject of the lawsuit. Looks like Karen may have a case!

Mob Wives: Carmela's Take on Graziano Stuffed Peppas

One of my finished peppers up close!

Looks like "How to Use a Meat Cleaver" is getting a big response from Mob Wives fans. I've seen a few pictures of recipes that the fans have cooked up. I decided to give a few a try. The first one I tried is the "Stuffed Peppers." The recipe is outlined in the book.

The process is very easy. As the book explains, you brown the ground meat, set it aside. Saute the onions, garlic, fresh tomatoes & basil. Then the mixture is all combined adding back in the meat, the rice, grated cheese and half of the mozzarella cheese. Stuffed the peppers. Then you bake it at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Here's my take

First you gather the ingredients

Then you brown the meat

Sautee the ingredients and stuff peppers

In Lana's method she says to drain the meat from the juices and set it aside. I decided to leave the fat in my mixture. I also brown the meat and added everything in my frying pan. I am one-step kinda gal. I then filled my peppers. I sat them in a shallow water bath. I found 20 minutes was not long enough to cook the thick peppers thoroughly so I cooked them covered for 1/2 an hour and uncovered for another 15 minutes. Below is the end result. They proved to be very tasty.

My finished peppers! Bon Appetite!

Go out and get your copy of How To Use A Meat Cleaver and give it a try...Have fun!

Written By: Carmela Corleone 

Mob Wives: Alicia's Love Bracelet A Christmas Gift?

The Cartier Love Bracelet

(prices starting around $5,000 without diamonds)

The talk on the web is Alicia is wearing a new bracelet these days, and by bracelet I don't mean handcuffs. The article appeared in celebritydirtylaundry.com a few days ago and sparked my interest and curiosity. I am usually too busy to pay attention to jewelry when watching the show, taking notes and tweeting. Come to think of it, "poor Alicia" seems to have tons of jewelry weighing her down (along with her legal troubles) in every episode, dangling from her wrists, neck and ears. If I wore as many bracelets as she does I couldn't lit my arm, but I digress.

Curiosity got the best of me so I took a fast look at the finale again, which I know was filmed after Christmas because both Renee's book party and Alicia's sentencing happened in January. Lo and behold, Alicia did appear to be wearing a bracelet that looks an awful lot like a Cartier Love Bracelet. The price tag for such a luxury item should be out of Alicia's own reach right now because, as she said on the show, all her nine bank accounts are frozen solid by the Feds. I suppose it is possible that Eddie gave it to her during their marriage, but considering she is divorcing him at the moment and blames him for her all her legal problems, I doubt she would wear a symbol of love from him right now. So that leaves me to draw one conclusion, the same conclusion reached in the original article (which has some other very juicy details in it)...that it was a gift from her Boo aka "long time family friend", Rob LaScala. By the way, she is wearing it on the same wrist that has the infamous "Eddie" tattoo on it.

"Eddie" tattoo

I took a few shots of her wrist adorned with said bracelet and, while it resembles the Cartier, I can't be 100% sure without seeing a close up myself. What do you think?

At Renee's Party

Talking to her brother about important papers

Just an inconclusive close up

Alicia On Wetpaint, Keeping It Real!

I am going to make it a point to take a good look at the bling during the REUNION SHOW, which will air this Thursday, February 27th at 10 PM EST on VH1. It will give me something to do while I listen to more of the same BS. 

Picture Credit: Cartier Jewelers and VH1  

Mob Wives: Recap Season 4 Finale, Ep 412

Renee's New Book will be out April 8th

Link to Pre-order on Amazon

Let’s start off with an eye roll @@ instead of a drum roll! What the hell kind of finale was that? Just about every scene was either scripted or filler and no drama. I have to say I am very disappointed. I tried to talk to Mob Mistress, but she was no help since she fell asleep before the first commercial. I’m going to label each scene scripted or filler or both. Let’s get this over with…

Deck the halls, it’s Christmastime. Renee, Drita show up at Ang’s door. All the delicious food comes out. Renee tells them she has been journaling and she has been writing so much it turned into a “sex” book. Renee and Drita are surprised. Renee says it’s not about her, it’s about the lifestyle, the girls the guys and loosely based on some aspects of her life. In other words the 50 moods of Renee. The publisher is throwing a big party for her. This may actually be the only piece of “new” material in the show and I’m happy for Renee. The name of her book is “Playing With Fire” and I believe it will be coming out on April 8th. This scene is also a way of promoting Renee’s book. I wish her the best of luck

Alicia and Natalie meet for dinner. Another insufferable round of poor, poor pitiful me from Alicia. Alicia feels so alone, but never once mentions her longtime boyfriend, Rob Lascala, on the show. Can you believe it, she is still denying it. The word on the street is that he has been paying all her bills and recently bought her a Cartier bracelet to wear over the “Eddie” tattoo on her wrist. I think it’s safe to say she has moved on long ago. She feels down, defeated and anxious. I think she is a broken record. She claims she is fine by herself. She says she took her rings off the day she heard the wiretaps, she can’t get passed everything Eddie has done. What? Now she tells us? After she has been crying over the love of life, Carla and Chinese food all season long? Do you think she took off her rings and went straight into the arms of her Boo? She is still complaining about being depressed because in 48 hours she is being sentenced and the judge could send her away for 5 years. Really Alicia?  Then why does your VH1 bio say you could get 0 to 6  months or house arrest?  Which is it?  Can’t you keep your stories straight?  Scripted…and not very well.

Remember him from the Christmas Day Blog? 

Ang and Drita invite Natalie over for a visit now that Renee is in a good mood. They tell her Renee was pissed off over the tweets. Natalie says she was defending Alicia. Drita and Ang are all of a sudden angry with her and defending Renee. They think Natalie should not get involved in Alicia’s issues. They want her to stop tweeting and mind her own business. Natalie says when Renee stops she will stop. Mob Wives fighting over tweets…Please. Scripted…makes me think the tweets went out and then they decided to create some drama with them.

Renee and Ang are driving around the neighborhood looking for houses in case Ang and Neil have that baby. Like her house isn’t big enough…yeah, right! We have seen that house and it’s plenty big. They stop to look at Ang’s old house, her favorite house. Who cares? Filler Scene.

Drita takes Giselle on a casting call for a children’s clothing line. Giselle decides she doesn’t want to be there after pestering Drita for months about modeling. I don’t know if I believe that. They want to take her picture, but Giselle won’t do it, so Drita shows her how by posing herself. Drita is disappointed. But finally Giselle comes out of her shell a little. I hope they didn’t talk Giselle into doing this just to create another…Filler scene.

"Delicious"

Natalie at Renee's party, yawn.

At the Central Park Restaurant, Renee, AJ and Nikki are there with a crowd to celebrate Renee’s new book party. Ang shows up with her son, AJ. Alicia and her brother go to support Renee. Drita is next to arrive. The party is on and poppin’. And last, but not least, are Natalie and London. Natalie says she has a fun surprise for all the girls tonight. Drita says Natalie better not get out of line. Renee does a reading from her book. Everyone loves the sex scene. Renee starts dancing and she looks wonderful. So Natalie gets a bright idea. She gets on stage with a fake English accent and sings her “Delicious” song. Drita looks pissed. Drta says, “Renee just has to give her a look, like take her out.” Renee says she won’t get pissed, she will take it as a tribute to her. Renee is happy that Drita and Ang are there supporting her and their friendships are still in tact. This is just more promotion for the book. I have to wonder if VH1 financed this “Delicious” song a month or two ago so it would be out there and they could use it on the show? Real book, real party, but scripted, lousy song.

At Alicia’s house, her brother asks if she is ready for tomorrow. She says she has no choice. She wants to go over a few things with him like where all her important papers are. He is going to be looking after the boys, with their mom, if she goes to prison. Her brother does not look one bit concerned, as usual. Finally, Alicia admits she committed a crime. I thought she didn’t do anything wrong? She never cooked any books. She says, “If she ends up in prison“…yeah, right. I really believe she knows, and everyone knows, she will not be going to prison. A source of mine said she already got a plea deal and prison is off the table. I tend to believe that. Scripted scene and storyline played out to death. This storyline should be taken straight to Carto’s Funeral Home and buried.

Ang is making a salad. AJ and Neil and the fours dogs, and AJ’s girlfriend, are all driving her nuts. Neal’s daughter Briana is there too and she is having a baby. Neil wants an old fixer upper house for the growing family, instead of the beautiful mansion they currently live in @@. Suddenly, out of the blue, Ang wants to put their baby plans on hold…on the back burner…the girls are having babies, that’s enough babies. Neil instantly agrees. Wow. Just like that. Maybe when Ang is 60 they can revisit the idea @@.  A season 4 filler storyline, entirely made up. I am up to my eye balls in BS. 100% Filler.

Natalie and London are having a meal and she tells him she is a Philly girl. She will not move to New York, she has too much to give up. He doesn’t think about all her sacrifices. She says her dream is to get married. He says she likes to rush things, but it’s a process. She wants him to move to Philly so they can start their lives together. They are definitely not on the same page. Filler and scripted storyline to give Natalie something to do besides harass Renee.

Drita is going to have Christmas home this year. She is talking to the girls about making carrot cake. Aleeya doesn’t like carrot cake. It’ll be the first time in a long time they are spending the holidays together. A nice little Filler scene, we all love to see Drita “the mom.”

Alicia’s day of sentencing has finally come. It’s already been played out in the media and on social media. We know what happens. She sends her boys off to school and makes them lunches. She doesn’t know how she got to this point. I tell you how, it’s called committing a crime and getting caught. Renee prays for Alicia and sends her a supportive text. Alicia’s brother drives her to court. She says there is a small possibility she might not come home today…yeah right. Drita and Ang talk about Alicia and feel really bad for her. Oh brother…I feel really bad for me and all of us sitting through this finale, but I have to watch it and write the recap. Alicia is still blaming Eddie for her troubles. Get over it Alicia. Mostly Scripted, the going to court was real.

Nikki calls Renee and tells her she got a phone call from her friend. It seems that Junior knows that Renee went to see an attorney. Renee is very upset. Someone leaked the news, Junior found out and he isn’t happy. Hmmm who could have leaked the info? VH1? Everyone filming the show and production knew Renee went to see a lawyer and then it was televised! No leak. Excuse me for being a skeptic, but I don’t believe Junior has been writing letters and trying to get back with Renee. We know he turned informant. We know how the mob feels about informants. It’s hard to believe he would be safe on the streets of New York and he knows it. Scripted Filler.

Natalie shows up at court to support Alicia. What else does she have to do? She walked in alone and she left alone. I think she was just filmed on location and wasn’t even there that day. They needed her to call Drita and fill her in on what happened. Filler.

Renee tells Drita that Junior is being released, he isn’t in the program. Somehow Junior found out Renee went to a lawyer. She says it was to protect her family. Renee hopes and prays he moves on and leaves her alone. They are all on pins and needles waiting to see if Alicia goes to prison. Scripted Filler.

Alicia leaves court

Boo hoo, what will she do?

Natalie leaves court alone. No one has heard from Alicia. Natalie calls Drita. Natalie tells them you will never believe what the judge did! We already know what the judge did because Alicia tweeted it out the day it happened. Apparently, the sentencing was postponed because they couldn’t agree on the fines and restitution. Her lawyer must be fighting it. The prosecution wants $20,000 in restitution and $96,000 (her earnings from Mob Wives) in fines. This happened back in early January. Alicia says she is sick and can’t believe what just happened. No one can believe what just happened. Scripted.

That’s the way it ends??? Seriously??? To be continued?  She couldn’t just say her sentencing was postponed until March and the delay is over money? That is the shocking ending? Come on, we can do better than this. I am so disappointed that this is the “finale.”

Now we wait for the Reunion show. I understand all five Mob Wives will be there and they will also be in season 5. I don’t know how they can make up storylines for next season. What would they be? A Phantom Junior stalks Renee? Ang takes the baby off the back burner? Alicia is or isn’t sentenced? Drita opens another store? Natalie creates a make-up line for dead people called “Just Dead?”

an extra two cents...

This is what I want to see. I want to see the Philly chicks go home, but that’s not happening…so let’s make the best of it and get back to reality! If Alicia stays, then bring back Karen Gravano to confront her about all her lies! That’s realty! That’s keeping it real! And what about Alicia’s Boo? You know, the married guy who is so taken with her he was even on one of the episodes, in her kitchen, because he allegedly can’t stay away from her. I thought Alicia didn’t approve of Carla because she slept with a married man? Hypocrite much? How do we know Lee is working is in sports memorabilia store all day? Hmmm. Let’s get him to appear on the show. Maybe his ex-goumada should confront Drita? What is Natalie’s purpose…to be Alicia’s friend? We can do without that. How much excitement can putting makeup on dead people bring to the table? Bring in a new and REAL Mob Wife with a compelling storyline! I have my ideas for that, I’ll leave the details to the genius of Jennifer Graziano. Renee should start dating a real man, the rest of her life seems to have fallen into place. Ang will have her new grandchildren to fuss over, at least they are real.

Thanks for reading!

Mob Wives: Sneak Peek "Alicia's Sentencing" Finale Ep 412

Alicia leaves court...was anything accomplished?

I found this sneak peek of the finale. The girls are all reacting to "Alicia's Sentencing." She could get 5 years, she could have to pay a million dollars...really? This doesn't seem to jive with the truth that we already know. For one thing the Feds were looking to take the $96,000 Alicia made on Mob Wives for fines and $20,000 for restitution for the pension funds she pocketed...not one million dollars. Second of all, Alicia did go to court to be sentenced a few weeks ago. You may remember that she tweeted nothing was resolved, they are still trying to work out the restitution and fines. The sentencing was postponed till March...that's the last thing I read. So what is all this much ado about nothing? You decide. To me is just more scripted drama for the camera. It would be nice if something had the ring of truth to it once in a while.

Alicia has been crying all season about Eddie the love of her life, right? Well I cam across this interview where she states she left him four years ago and has now filed for divorce. Why all the fake tears? Everyone is writing about her long time boyfriend, Rob Lascala, who allegedly pays her bills and gave her a Cartier bracelet to wear over her tattoo of Eddie's name. Is anything about Alicia real, except for her pleading guilty to cooking the books? Here is the link to the article: Alicia Files for divorce

Meanwhile, the news was just released that there will be a season 5 of Mob Wives New Blood. Congratulations to Jennifer Graziano! However, the way the article reads to me, it sounds like all the same women will be back. I will have my work cut out for me. Enough said. Here is the video...

"The Walking Dead: Inmates" Episode Recap

The episode opens up with Beth reading from a journal entry from when she and the group first discover the prison. She reads about finally finding a safe haven and sleeping in her own bed. Beth hopes that the stay is permanent and her hope is inspired by her father.

"We can live here for the rest of our lives."

Sadly, the harsh reality is that her and Daryl are running in the woods away from walkers.

Nighttime falls and Daryl and Beth sit around a fire. Beth is desperate to search for survivors. Daryl remains silent. Beth isn't taking Daryl's silence easy and is adamant on tracking down survivors. She marches off into the woods, Daryl following her. It's the next day and they are still in the woods. Daryl notices footprints on the ground. Beth thinks they are human tracks but Daryl is less optimistic. He notices that the tracks become more frequent and concludes that whoever the tracks belong to, they got away in a hurry. Beth tells him to have more faith when Daryl tells Beth "Faith didn't help your father". Beth glares at him before scouring for food as Daryl patrols the area. Beth and Daryl come across two slain walkers. A walker rustles in the woods and sneaks up behind Beth. Daryl drags the walker down as Beth stabs it. Daryl and Beth come on and come across railroad tracks. Sadly, they come across a couple walkers eating human flesh. Daryl takes care of them and Beth looks at the carnage. As Daryl walks on nonchalantly, Beth just stands there and begins sobbing. The duo continue on, stopping at nightfall to start a fire. Despite the bleak reality, Beth wants to go on for her dad's sake.

Lizzy and Mika are in the woods, Mika crying and wanting to see Carol. Ty is leading the way, holding a safe Baby Judith. It's nightfall and Ty and the girls take a break. Ty wraps a wound on his arm. Lizzy spots a bunny and kills it. Judith starts crying. The girls are scared that the walkers will be attracted to the crying. Lizzy hands Ty a baby bottle to calm Judith. The girls hear a twig snap. The group take off. It's daytime when the girls spot grapes to pick. Judith is still fussy. The crew stops for a quick diaper change. Mika gets more freaked out. They hear a sound and Ty hands the baby over to the girls and looks in the brushes. Turns out, it was just a group of birds but Mika takes off, Lizzy and Ty (holding Judith) following her. Mika said she got scared and Ty comforts her. He tells Mika to try to stay close. Mika remarks she's not like Lizzy but Ty assures her that it's okay. The crew are interrupted by screams. He places the girls back to back, Lizzy holding the baby. Ty assures them to stay close and to either run together or fire if they have to. Much to Mika's distress, Ty takes off to help. Ty runs to the train tracks where two men and a woman are being attacked. Ty goes to help kill off the walkers but it's too late for the family. Meanwhile, baby Judith won't stop crying. Lizzy covers Judith's mouth to stifle her cries. Two walkers come out of the woods towards Mika. A gun shot is heard. Ty finishes off the walkers but not wihtout the older man being bit. A voice calls out for Tyrese. Ty turns around and to his surprise, it's Carol with the girls. The girls and Ty are stunned and happy to have Carol back.

Before he stumbles to his death, the old man tells the newfound group to follow the tracks to a "safe place". The group heads down the tracks. Carol explained that she kept looking around and tried to go back to the prison but she went when it was too late so she followed Ty and the girls. Ty suggests going back to Carol's car but Carol said it was pointless. The group catches a sign that reads "Sanctuary for all, community for all, those who arrive, survive" and then a map is shown with a place called "TERMINUS".

Sasha is tending to Bob's wound on his arm while Maggie is sharpening her knife. Bob is trying to convince Sasha that Tyrese escaped. Sasha is telling Maggie that they have an advantage with the water and are going to camp for the night. Maggie tells them that the two can stay and that she is going to track down to find the bus and find Glenn. Maggie is adamant on going. Sasha tells her they can't split but she keeps going. So Bob joins her, a frustrated Sasha following. Sasha is pissed because they should be foraging for food and shelter. The crew come across the deserted bus. Maggie runs toward the bus, the two following her. They check the bus up close to see it is full of walkers. Maggie is hellbent on getting in the bus but Bob and Sasha suggest they open the door and let one walker out at a time. Sasha lets out one, a male walker. A few more walkers are let out, none of them being Glenn. However, Sasha is overpowered by the walkers and they all pour out. The three slash the walkers, Maggie bashing one's head in the side of the bus before stabbing it's head. Maggie, still unsatisfied, goes into the bus to see what is left. Maggie notices a walker is still awake, a walker with black hair...but it's not Glenn. Maggie slashes the walker and falls onto the bus seat, sobbing at the thought that her husband is gone. But Glenn isn't dead...

In fact, he's on the second story of the now dreadful prison. He is met with a horde of walkers below but calls out for Maggie. Glenn grabs his rifle and goes into the now vacant C-Cell and back to his room. He goes back in the cell where he stayed with Maggie and pulls out his riot armor and helmet. Glen lays down on the bed to take a breather and comes across a picture of Maggie on his bedside. He begins weeping, wondering what happened to her. Glen goes into different cells and gathers supplies before heading back out where he came from. Glenn bravely jumps down as hordes of zombie surround him but the padding on his gear protects him. Before he makes his escape, he finds Tara sulking in the garden.

Glenn approaches her, asking her what she's doing. Tara isn't responding, ridden with survivor's guilt. Glenn asks her for help and hands her a gun. He then lights up a Malatov Cocktail and throws it at a nearby car, distracting the walkers. Glenn and Tara make their escape. They come across Carol's burned vehicle. As they are walking down the road, Tara explains that she trusted the Governor and that "Brian" told them all that Glenn and his crew were bad. Tara feels enourmous guilt for being part of it once he saw how the Governor killed Hershel. Glenn throws it in Tara's face how Hershel was a good man and he taught Glenn to believe, so he believe he needed to find Maggie. Before they can go further, they come across more walkers. Glenn kills a couple before realizing he can't take much and stumbles down. A walker sneaks behind  Tara so she turns and bashes his head in. A big Army truck pulls up. Tara turns around, out of breath and yelled "hope you enjoyed the show, asshole!"

A big, broad-shouldered man and his male and female companions hop out, all carrying guns. "You sure have a mouth on you," the man remarked: "What else do you got?"

Janes Notes: For starters, I LOVED this episode much more than last week's and the development of the stories between the different groups and how each survivor reacted to being outside the fence and "exposed". My guess is Beth took it the hardest. Even during the apocalypse, Beth was somewhat "sheltered" and never really participated in the fighting. She was more of the "nurturer" of the group but however, it is impressive to see her carrying on and wanting to look for the others. 

AND CAROL, I had NO idea we would see her so soon but alas, I am glad that the show had at least one or two heartwarming moments. But why did Lizzy tune out when Mika was calling for her and she had her hands over Judith's mouth? Was Lizzy actually trying to do more than just muffle Judith's cries? I'm telling ya, she reminds me of one of those twins from "The Shining". 

I forgot about Tara making it...but what happened to her sister after she shot the Governor?? Seems her downfall is her immense survivor's guilt. '

Now I'm saving the exciting part for last....MICHAEL CUDLITZ!!! 

You gotta understand, I am a HUGE fan of the cop-drama "Southland", where he played the gay veteran cop that struggled with past addictions. The show is phenomenal and I recommend if you want to see more Michael to catch the show. I am SO excited to see what he has to deliver in the coming season! He is not just a great actor but a great person too so I'm glad to see him on another favorite show of mine. 

Picture Credit: The Walking Dead Wikia
Follow me on Twitter @mobspringfield

Mob Wives: Recap “Renee’s Had Enough,” Ep 411

It’s not just Renee who has had enough, I think we all have…about lots of things…things we do not want to hear about any more! Here goes, and excuse me if I'm not all fired up this week...

Drita’s house. Renee arrives for THE sit down. Drita cooks the dinner and appoints herself “mediator.” Alicia, Natalie and Ang are already sitting and waiting at the table. Natalie is annoyed the second she sees Renee’s face, and Alicia has an attitude about Renee. Nobody is talking. Renee tells Alicia to eat something, but Alicia is a basket-case over her sentencing. And, I feel like we are all serving a sentence every time we have to hear her whine…you did the crime, now do the time (if there is any)! Alicia speaks for both herself and Natalie. Alicia accuses Renee of spreading rumors about her that are going to jeopardize her case. Renee says she would never do such a thing. There’s nothing like going on a reality show to keep your life private, right Alicia? They rehash the sentencing (again, oy vey) and Alicia suddenly attributes their issues to a “miscommunication.” Alicia says she doesn’t know who leaked the information about her, but she NOW realizes it’s no one at the table. Gee, just like that? Renee says this all started with her friend, Carla, coming up. Drita, the voice of reason and newly self-appointed mediator, says Carla is Renee’s friend for life and Renee’s loyalty lies with her. On the other hand, Renee has known Eddie, as a friend, for 30 years, so her loyalty lies with him. Natalie chimes in. She defended Alicia because she is her friend, and Renee says she understands her sticking up for Alicia. Alicia wants Renee to come to her directly when she hears anyone say something. Alicia is trying to keep her friendship with Renee and move past these issues since Renee has been Eddie’s friend for 30 years. Now all the air is cleared and they all got to eat! They even got to dessert. Drita is proud of herself. What? Just like that all the issues are resolved in a kumbaya moment? Is this for real? Of course not. Something doesn’t have the ring of truth to it. What the hell changed to get everyone so warm and fuzzy and agreeable, especially between Renee and Natalie? Way too much happened to just kiss and makeup. Next!

Can't we all just get along? I want PEACE!

Drita is at her second store location, the grand opening is soon. She is pissed because the work isn’t moving as fast as it should. Drita lost her money in Vegas and she needs to make more money. She hates the red color paint they show her, they got the wrong color. Drita is building an empire for her daughters to pay for college. Drita loves her Lady Boss sign! She still has a lot to do before the Grand Opening. Well at least the opening of the store is real, but I’m not that interested in it.

Natalie and London are wandering around looking at apartments. Looks like they are in Brooklyn, but who really cares? The building has no elevators and they keep climbing stairs up to the nosebleed floor. How the high up is this apartment already? Natalie immediately notices there is no closet space in the apartment. Where in the world will she put all that skimpy lingerie? The bedroom for her son is too small, there is no washer or dryer, and no freakin’ elevator. The Real Estate agent says for all those things she would have to pay $2,000 a month more. London doesn’t want to pay that much. Either he is cheap or has a low income. She says she has a mortgage free house in SOUTH Philly and she doesn’t really want to move into a small ass apartment. She says they need a three bedroom apartment. He doesn’t get it, two bedrooms are enough. She says what if they have a baby. He says he isn’t ready for a baby. He doesn’t want a more expensive apartment. He wants to party. She says they have a nine year old, they can’t party. She leaves. She wants a husband and a family and doesn’t want to be the one making all the sacrifices. Now this was a waste of time filler scene that no one cared about. However, for the first time I do agree with Natalie, she needs to stay in her mortgage free house in SOUTH Philly.

The naive Goddess has spoken, but who is listening?

At the Goddess’ house, Alicia says she is relieved she patched things up with Renee (what a load off her mind, right?) and can focus on her sentencing. The bank is closing all her bank accounts…all nine of them. Gee, I wonder why? Maybe they think there could be some embezzled pension money chilling in there? Or maybe they are afraid she will hide the money so she doesn’t have to pay restitution? Anyway, she keeps claiming it’s her money, but who is going to believe her?  And, she is still freaking crying over Eddie’s betrayal, but she keeps saying she isn’t with him any more, hasn’t been with him for a long time. I even heard she served him with divorce papers. The kids don’t know her sentencing is only a week away. She has to break it to them. She is scared and she would rather not think about it. She wants to be strong for her boys. If she ends up in jail it will be devastating because her boys won’t have their father or mother. Boo hoo, more crying. All she ever wanted was her family and now everything has fallen apart because she was naïve (insert extreme eye roll <@@> here). Now she has to struggle and she didn’t sign up for this, boo hoo, boo hoo. I think I have exhausted all I can say about Alicia and her situation. This poor horse has been beaten to death.

Lady Boss Grand Opening. Drita is excited because it has all come together. Alicia arrives at the store with a gift basket and she loves it. She says it’s very chic. Renee loves it. Ang loves it. It’s all fancy and her kind of style, says Ang. Drita went from giving black eyes to blue eyes, says Renee. Renee asks Alicia about court. Alicia says she is just waiting. London and Natalie show up. They both look like they are dressed from “The 70’s Show.” I’ll have to ask Fashionista to look into this retro look. London says Natalie will not respect the budget he has in his mind, so they will live in separate states. Yes! Natalie wants  more of a commitment and Alicia speaks to London about it. She doesn’t want London to hurt her. Drita is glad there is no tension or awkwardness between the girls today. They toast to the store. Another filler scene. You know what? I am getting the impression that Drita made the best deal this season. Not only did she make a pile of money from being on the show, she got a load of free advertisement for her new store.

Renee’s house. Alicia calls, she just got home from Christmas shopping with the boys. Renee tells her she is pissed with Natalie over her disrespectful tweets. Renee says she hasn’t said or done anything to her since they met at Drita’s. Renee tells her she tweeted she doesn’t condone women who sleep with married men and Natalie tweets that Renee wasn’t Eddie‘s friend and called her a lying dirty ho. Forgive me if I got this wrong, but I didn’t find the actual tweets. Renee feels she was attacked by Natalie on Twitter. Alicia wants Renee to tell all this to Natalie, not her. Renee thought they were past all the BS and now Natalie disrespects her on Twitter. Renee’s had enough! I have had enough too!

Oh Lord, Ang and Neil are at the fertility clinic. Neil’s sperm + an egg donor + a surrogate = baby. The whole thing sounds and looks like a big joke. Neil actually already looks pregnant with that beer belly he is carrying around. Ang is making a comedy out of the whole thing. If they are going to attempt to use this as a storyline, at least make it a little believable. It’s totally bogus and I don’t find it funny.

Alicia’s house. She is with the boys, writing letters to Eddie. The phone rings and it’s Eddie, surprise surprise…yawn. The boys pass the phone around very fast and then Alicia gets on. We never hear Eddie’s voice, like we did with Lee. Alicia says Eddie got the best case scenario for his sentencing. She seems to be arguing with “Eddie,” but we can’t hear his end of the conversation, so who really knows? I. for one, think she was talking to the producer and role playing. One of the boys asks her what did dad do. She says he made some mistakes and had to go away. She tells them she got involved in his mistakes and might have to go away too. She asks them to write her letters if she goes away. She is preparing her children for the possibility they might have nether parent for a while. No offense to the children, or maybe they edited it to look that way, but they didn’t have much of a reaction to the news. No one, except maybe Alicia, seems broken up about the possibility of her going to jail…makes me think she has a plea deal that doesn’t involve doing time and she has been pulling the wool over our eyes all season long. Hmmmm.

Ok, what's up with this attire? A fashion statement?

Renee rents out a beautiful suite in New York City for a pajama “Ho Ho Ho” party. Everyone loves it. Renee is in a great mood…as long as one person doesn’t come…Natalie. Alicia tells the girls that Renee is upset with Natalie over something she tweeted which may have been below the belt. They go ask Renee what happened. Renee explains what happened on Twitter. Natalie says “You were never his friend you lying dirty Ho.” Drita is pissed because they have already made peace. Ang says the peace was too good to be true and is disappointed in Natalie for breaking the truce. Renee says Natalie is out of control, out of line, and needs to go back to Philadelphia. I think @dondig should do me a favor and drive her there right now. Alicia goes upstairs to see what the problem is with Renee. Alicia agrees Natalie was out of line, but she can’t control her. Renee feels people are looking at her sideways because of  what Natalie said. Drita just wants PEACE, she is tired of them all bickering like animals. Renee’s had enough! I have to laugh. Drita, the fighter, wants peace. Ang and Drita are suddenly sticking up for Renee. Even Alicia is siding with Renee before even talking to Natalie! Is anyone as confused as I am right now? What did Drita put in her brownies at dinner?

So Mob Wives is ending their season with a fight about tweets? That’s all they could come up with? If so, please pass me some of Drita’s brownies for me and my entourage…thanks.

Mob Wives: Up Close & Personal with Lana, Renee and Jennifer Graziano

Monmouth, New Jersey Book Signing!

As blog "MobChef," I had the pleasure of chatting with Lana about her collaboration in the cookbook "How To Use a Meat Cleaver." Lana co-wrote the book with her two sisters, Renee and Jennifer. Lana, the elder of this thriving threesome, certainly has shared her passion for cooking in this book. She has owned and operated a few restaurants and she says she worked hands on and did everything herself. Lana's cooking style comes from her Italian roots and claims she is old-school. She is currently looking for a prime location to open a new restaurant with her sisters. Here are a few questions I asked:

Lana Graziano

Thanks for taking the time out to chat with me. It looks like “How To Use a Meat Cleaver” is getting a great response.  Congratulations.

Tell me, what region of Italy did your family come from, and are the recipes from there?

We came from Sicily, from the region known as Sciacca, pronounced "Shaka."

Who was the most influential person who taught you to cook?

That would be my grandmother Nora. I learned a lot from her at a young age.      

What motivated you to write a cookbook?

I wanted to take my love of cooking and share it with everyone.

I know Jennifer mentioned that you, being the older sister, cooked for her and Renee when they were younger. Did you teach them to cook?

Yes, when I was younger and I babysat my sisters, I would tell them to help with whatever meal I was making. As they got older they would often ask me how do you make this dish or that dish, and it went on from there.

If there’s one recipe everyone should try, which one would it be?

I have so many that I love, but I think the Sunday gravy fulfills everybody from the meatballs to the pasta.   

What did you find most challenging about writing the cookbook?

The most challenging thing was having to figure out how much of everything was needed when it came to ingredients because I do everything by eye and taste.

Who will "whack" that filet mignon?

What recipe is your personal favorite?

My stuffed filet mignon. I think it's because you can get really creative. Other than the breadcrumb mixture you can make it with mozzarella or without, you can add mushrooms or spinach, really it's to your personal liking and it will always be tasty. I promise. 

Tell me about how food has influenced your life.

I center food around my whole life. Everyday I think about what I'm gonna make and who is coming for dinner. I love company and family all getting together. 

As the most private of the Graziano sisters can you tell me something that the fans may not know about you?

I'm a very simple person, I love my family and friends, and really love to cook.

Jennifer mentioned you owned a few restaurants and the lines were out the door; I grew up in a restaurant so I am always curious about other experiences. Tell us about that...

I'm now looking into opening my next restaurant along with my sisters. That's something I would love to do again so my fans can come in, eat, and be merry.          

Is there anything you would like to add that we haven't discussed?

Something I would love to add is:  I'm so very proud of both of my sisters. Renee for her sharing herself with everyone whether it was good or bad because I know she has helped a lot of people out there. I would've to see more of her funny side, that's the side I Iove. I get the biggest kick out of her. And Jenn well I'm amazed at her how she has become this successful business woman and how much she has accomplished. I'm truly speechless. 

Thanks so much!
Carmela

**********

"Meat" the Graziano sisters!

I got to attend the book signing in New Jersey on Thursday, February 6th, where the girls got one on one with the audience. Clearly they sat in sibling birth order. I say that because Lana was reserved while Renee proved her ownership of  being the middle-child. She brought her huge personality with her and is just as we see her on Mob Wives. Jennifer, who is usually quiet, sat and tried to make her points, but Renee usually ended her sentences. Jennifer says Renee aggravated her as a kid, but she found some ways to get back at her. For example, they treated their food as a test of loyalty. Jennifer hid a meatball for herself and Renee found it. While she attempted to eat it, Jennifer stabbed her. Well Renee says stabbed and Jennifer says "it was only a fork."  Another time, Jennifer got even smarted and took a spoon, heated it over a candle and burned Renee with it. They share such great memories of their childhood that came from sitting at the table eating.  These are the memories that stay with you. I asked Jenn which recipe from the book was hers and she said, the "stuffed artichokes." "Sure," Renee said, "everything is yours." We all had a laugh. Jenn said they are hers, she tweaked the recipe. The girls went on to talk about the inspiration that came from their grandmother, Nora. Learning the basics from their mom, Veronica, and they even talk about their father's cooking. Mom cooked the basics like meatloaf, mashed potatoes and stew, while dad jarred his own caponata and made gravy (yes, I said it) from tomatoes that he boiled. Very old school to say the least.

Jennifer Graziano

The group asked about the show whether or not it was staged. Jennifer answered by saying that the production talks to the girls, looks for things that will get the audience's attention, they clear the location and then whatever happens happens. Renee talked about her Mob Candy line and said it's doing excellent. They asked if Natalie was still the model for it, and the answer was flat out NO! Someone asked if we would be seeing any of the other Mob Wives again. Jenn said, Ramona, no; Carla & Love, no and Karen, well it's a possibility. I was especially interested in the last part of this comment and hoped that the possibility becomes a reality. Jennifer talked about a new business they are embarking on, The Graziano Macaroni Company, that will feature foods and wine.

The cookbook holds lots of old Italian recipes, some with a modern-day twist. The Graziano family is from Sicily, as is my family, so our styles are very similar. I will try some of these recipes and blog them.  I hope you all got your own copy so you can enjoy their style of cooking from their home to yours.

Congrats to the Graziano sisters. I wish you all continued success.

Written by: Carmela Corleone follow me on Twitter @carmelacorleone

Picture Credit Manny from MTC Photography Twitter Account

"The Walking Dead: After" Mid-Season Premiere Recap

Season 4 kicks off at the prison, but this time, the prison is in shambles as herd of walkers infest the once-secured prison yards. Michonne seems to be the only one that hasn’t fled completely but instead, is observing the chaos. She notices two walkers in particular, members of Team Governor, and traps them into the spikes and makes them into her walker pets. Sadly, she stumbles upon Hershel’s head and puts (him?) out of his misery once and for all. She then heads onward into the woods within the hordes of walkers, shaken about what had become of Hershel.

Meanwhile, Rick and Carl are walking down a desolate neighborhood road. Carl is walking feet ahead of Rick, as Rick stumbles behind him and yelling at Carl to wait up. Rick is beaten up and bruised badly. The two end up coming across a small bar-b-que shack. Rick reminds Carl he stays guard while Rick clears the building of walkers. Carl isn’t having it so they both go in together. They come across a walker and Rick tells Carl to save his ammo as Rick lunges an axe at the walker’s head...unfortunately, the walker doesn’t completely fall so Carl shoots it in the head. Rick is mad at Carl for pulling the trigger but Carl mouths back that Rick didn’t kill it with the axe. They collect a little bit of food and continue on.

Michonne has her walker pets and they come across a path of footprints to follow.

Rick and Carl come across a house that they to use to settle in for the night but as usual, they make sure to clear it. Rick is barking at Carl to stay put. But Carl has other plans and knocks on the walls, yelling for the assholes to come out. Rick tells him to watch his mouth. Once again, Carls talks back. They head into the kitchen and gather food and water. Carl explores the second story of the house and comes across a boy’s room with an Xbox and flat-screen. Realizing there is no power to enjoy some Call of Duty, Carl grabs some of the electric cords and goes downstairs to tie a knot at the front door.

It’s night time and Rick decides to take extra precaution and pushes the couch towards the front door, which greatly annoys Carl. Carl assures Rick that the knot is very secure and decides to take it a step further by telling Rick that Shane taught him how to tie a knot.

“It’s a knot that Shane taught me...do you remember him?” 

^^^Probably every viewer’s reaction^^^

Rick tells him he remembers him everyday and if there’s anything snarky and smart Carl has left to say. The two settle in for the night but not before bickering some more over eating the food. Rick then goes to the bathroom and it coveres in bumps, bruises and scratches. He is beated up mentally and physically.

Michonne is in the kitchen preparing food and then cleaning her blade as she’s talking to her lover and his friend, who are sitting at a table talking about art. Michonne’s little baby walks up to her. Michonne picks her baby boy up and cooes him. The two men are talking about why it’s worth living life in a post-apocalyptic world. Michonne continues to look at them and smile, holding her baby. “What is the answer here...why?” Michonne’s lover ask. Michonne asks them who will open the wine when the two men’s arms are cut off. Atlanta is dark and decayed...Michonne screams and is horrified.....

Michonne wakes up from an abandoned vehicle she sleeps in, panting and sweating from the a nightmare.

Carl wakes up and still sees his dad is passed out on the couch. Carl gets something to eat and goes back to see his dad still not woken up. Carl furiously shakes at Rick and screams at him to wake up. All the sudden, walkers knock and rattle the front door. Carl sneaks around the house and observes the two walkers at the front door. Carl leads them away from the house and down the street. He takes them to a side road, not realizing there’s a walker that’s sneaking up behind him.

Carl stumbled back as the walkers close in around him. He shoots  the first two walkers as they topple on top of him but the third one tries to climb over the walker pile to get to Carl. Carl takes a couple shots. He struggles to get out of the corpse pile and loses his breakfast. But he still feels victorious, chiming in “I win”. Carl continues to explore the desolate road and ends up going back to the safe house.

Back in the woods, Michonne is walking along side her pets and in the middle of the zombie horde. Right next to her is a walker that looks exactly like her.

Meanwhile, Carl walks back to the house, with Rick still passed out on the couch. Carl decides to be the big bad boy he is and tell Rick how he REALLY feels about him even though he is practically unconcious;

“I saved you. I didn’t forget when you were playing farmer...I don’t need you anymore. I don’t need you to protect me anymore, you probably couldn’t protect me anyways...you couldn’t protect Judith...Hershel...or Glenn...or Maggie...or Daryl....or mom....you just wanted to plant vegetables and wanted to hide. He knew where we were and you didn’t care!....They are all gone because of you! They counted on you! You were their leader! But now? You’re nothing...I’d be fine if you died!” 

Carl then continues exploring the neighborhood and comes across another two-story house. He picks up a lawn light and tries to kick open the door but fails. He finally breaks into the house and first heads to the kitchen to get food. He then discovers a treasure: chocolate pudding-in-a-can. Carl, with his deadly grass light, explores the second story of the house. He opens the doors and checks to make sure they are clear. Before he can open another door, a walker pops out. Carl smashes the walker's hands in the door but the walker is too strong. Carl attempts to shoot the walker multiple times but is unsuccessful. The walker grabs onto Carl's legs. Carl tries shutting the door and walking into the other room to escape from the window but it proves unsuccessful. The walker goes after him, nearly biting his leg. Carl escapes, leaving his shoe behind and shuts the door behind him. Carl sees some chalk and writes "Walker inside. He got my shoe but he didn't get me." Carl chuckles and enjoys sitting on the rooftop with his chocolate pudding. 

Back in the woods, Michonne comes across a walker that looks like her and it shakes her to the core. She can't stand seeing her "dead reflection" another moment and slashes the walker. Michonne then goes on a walker slaying spree, even slashing her walker pets. Michonne cries out after, coming to the realization of what she could've become. 

Once Michonne collects herself and moves on, she continues to follow the footprints. 

It's nighttime and Carl can't sleep. He looks over and sees his dad is not awakened. Rick then starts breathing and reaches his arm out to Carl. Carl, fearing the worst, takes the gun, leans back and points it at Rick. Rick stumbles down on the couch, continue to reach out to Rick. Rick grabs onto Carl's leg and Carl breaks down, letting the gun down. "I can't do it!" he cries. Carl sobs, waiting for Rick to bite him...only Rick moans out his name...when Carl realizes that his dad is still alive. Carl continues to sob and caresses Rick's head. "I'm scared...." he whispers to his dad. 

The next day, Michonne comes across the Bar-b-que shack Rick and Carl were at a day earlier. Michonne sits down near the entrance and calls out to "Mike". She begins sobbing. "I missed you even when I was with you, back at the camp," she said. "It wasn't you who did it. You were wrong because I'm still here. You could be too and he could be....I know the answer...I know why...." After Michonne collects herself, she leaves the restaurant and follows Rick and Carl's trail. 

Rick and Carl sit on the couch. Rick warns Carl that it's too dangerous going out alone but he's glad Carl found more food. Carl confesses to eating the 112oz can of pudding. Rick tells Carl that he knows he can't make things the way they were before and commends Carl for being a man. "I'm sorry," Rick tells Carl. "You don't need to be," Carl replies. 

Michonne walks on the trail and finds the can of chocolate pudding. She continues on, and looks through the window to see Rick and Carl, alive and well, sitting on the couch. Michonne tears up with happiness and relief, seeing her friends alive and with food. She knocks on the door. Rick looks through the peephole, chuckles and tells Carl that he has a guest. 

Picture Credit: The Walking Dead Wiki 

Jane's Notes: OH where to begin?? I knew Carl was growing up but who knew that the downfall of the prison would make him so snarky and resentful towards Rick? Looks like all the animosity he kept to himself finally exploded once Rick and Carl were in a safe zone. So I have not much to say about Carl except Rick has to sit him down and give him the “no more kids’ stuff” talk like he did back on the farm. Maybe Rick’s words of wisdom gave Carl a slice of humble pie to go with that pudding. 

BUT I want to talk about Michonne because if you looked up the word “fearless” in the dictionary, her picture would be on it. While everyone else has fled from the prison and separated, Michonne lingers behind. I am very glad that this season, the direction focused on Michonne’s vulnerabilities, her demons and how she was confronted with her own worst nightmare with that walker that looked just like her. Now I haven’t read the comic so comic-readers, bear with me if this is wrong. When Michonne first held Judith, Michonne broke down. When Andrea asked about the original walker pets, Michonne showed pain and anger, not wanting to talk about it but assured Andrea “they deserved it” (the whole no-arms, no-jaws thing). Michonne seems to forgive Miek, knowing “he wasn’t himself”.  From the pieces I could put together, Mike and his friend turned and possibly went after Michonne’s baby. 

Quick note, this picture sums up my thoughts on Headless Hershel 

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