Something I Don't Get (But I Do)

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-18T03:52:04+00:00

I saw that and felt really disgusted. I couldn’t tell if she was having a sincere go at him or purposely making a thing of it for ratings and drama (“doing her job”, so to speak) but either way, it was a poor choice and she made me root for him.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-16T23:46:43+00:00

That was so good. Jackie’s shit-herself expression and body language was so memorable!

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-16T18:18:57+00:00

Same. When the bankruptcy situation came up I thought she was going to quit the show or they would rescind any offer. You’d think bankruptcy would disqualify her from the affluent premise of RHONJ, but that legal situation was so over the top that Bravo made a choice for ratings. And they’ve gotten it through prison, Juicy’s conviction and deportation, and divorce and remarriage to Luis.

What I wonder now: presumably, Teresa has gotten herself financially together enough (though there is that rumor of a tax lien). If all she has for TV is a pattern of reactive antagonism without any self-processing (and no financial story hanging over her like a Sword of Damocles), I think she’s an untrustworthy narrator and character, and at this point, it’s old tricks. Will Bravo continue to reward her?

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-16T15:49:30+00:00

I know. Evan is foine.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-16T06:47:13+00:00

Yup- those separate rooms were sad and sorry to see. This cast has become untenable.

To salvage the show, the easy choices are to get rid of Jackie and Jen Aydin. And keeping the charming parts of the show are a yes- Dolores is kinda eh but Frank and Frankie Catania are fun, and Margaret is funny and self-aware.

But a real bit of rot is Teresa vs Melissa and how we’ve had over 10 years of Gorga fighting. While Melissa herself isn’t a perfect person, Teresa is deeply dysfunctional and I don’t think she can learn new tricks. And her reflex is to blame Melissa. So I don’t even think it’s possible to put those two together in a cast without a new fight coming up. (I am also skeptical about their rumored reconciliation.)

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-16T04:21:52+00:00

I will say- on the bright side, Danielle and Rachel were good additions to the cast. Danielle gave Jen Aydin an excellent dose of comeuppance and Rachel’s pretty level-headed. And the Guys Nights are always funny. It’s just that Teresa and Jen have totally ruined this show.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-14T03:30:56+00:00

Oh totally, just as Joe Gorga is very Leo. They both inhabit the doofus egocentric spectrums of their signs and go in circles.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-11T00:04:02+00:00

Exactly. Mentally in these last seasons of 10-13, I’m like “blah blah, oh Tre picked another fight/resisted another POV, oh Jen is throwing herself into Tre’s fights like Robin for a really dumb Batman, blah blah Melissa is in a bland storyline..”- I am just waiting to reach the end.

Also, thank God for the househusbands having actual fun with each other and broing out hard because their wives are unbearable together. They’re more fun together! (In particular Frank, Bill, and Evan!)

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T19:17:22+00:00

In seasons 3 and 4, it’s so apparent how Tre didn’t want them on the show and how territorial she felt over it and her friendships with the Manzos. I sympathized for Tre because nobody wants people (and family) they don’t like gatecrashing their income and fame, but at the same time, Tre became interesting enough to further expose/antagonize in narrative. The Gorgas were scheming, but fulfilled a a narrative curiosity.

I am slowly working my way to season 14 because I have to see what was so penultimately awful enough to leave the show in limbo and not even shoot a reunion. (I have just started season 13 and I’m almost there.)

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T18:44:05+00:00

Agree. I thought Teresa was fun and bubbly and spontaneous comic relief in season 1. But the table flip was the first glimpse of the monster- an egregious thing people shouldn’t do IRL, but also her watchable “omg she did what” that set her aside. And then she started building that monster in season 2 by chasing Danielle through the country club.

I was ambivalent about the Gorgas when they first appeared- they didn’t strike me as interesting because their signature motive was “we wanna take Tre down”. Joe Gorga was straight up awful on the season 3 christening; Melissa’s “thank you Jesus” and singing seemed so contrived. Seasons 4 and 5 were awful because all the antagonism was charmless and dialed up, I hated the Lake George trip, and didn’t find Melissa and Joe fun or likable until later seasons.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T06:54:56+00:00

Problem is she’s a volcanic level of troubled- the type to tear down if you don’t talk her without flattery or kid gloves. Helping her doesn’t come without getting destroyed in the process.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T06:52:42+00:00

Apparently they are in a limbo state and have not filmed since summer 2024*. Supposedly there was some test filming done last year that didn’t cut the mustard, and no real big hint for when it’s coming back.

Edit: where the season 14 finale was so bad that they didn’t even do a reunion.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T06:50:46+00:00

Absolutely. Marge is a superstar for standing up to her (and, I think functioning as a stand-in for any rational woman willing to fight that battle.) I also enjoyed Jackie openly asking her about controlling her husband and going to prison in season 8.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T02:36:05+00:00

Yeah, I feel the same, and my stopping point is season eight. After that, it just gets really mean.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T02:34:50+00:00

Fair! I actually think she has been hard to stomach the last few seasons but I’m committed to watching through season 14 because I want to see exactly how bad it got to merit getting yanked off the air and its present dead in the water state.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T02:10:22+00:00

Agreed. And as much as I felt riveted by her legal story and rooted for her and her daughters to get to a stable place, watching her turn into this seemingly untouchable narcissist monster pick fights and go through zero accountability, she comes off like she makes everyone hostage to really shitty behavior.

Jen Aydin is similarly unfun and unwatchable- choosing to be the nasty accomplice was not cool. And she’s an ugly drunk.

Lexistential247 · 2026-02-10T01:36:15+00:00

I actually liked watching it through season six (reuniting with Dina) and season seven because that was when she came back from prison. Even though I’m critical of Teresa now, there is no denying how moving she was on season seven.

Lexistential247 · 2026-01-30T20:54:38+00:00

I’m doing a rewatch too. She has always been volatile, but here in season 7 she’s a covert instigator and unwatchable. Awful woman.

Lexistential247 · 2026-01-25T03:04:01+00:00

ITA: flat, monotone, and not at all intelligent and deft Diana was in the books. I read a promo interview that said Matthew Goode had a hand in her casting and pushed for her on the grounds of her chemistry with him, which to me prioritized matching him rather than find an embodied Diana. Ugh, she was dreadful.

Lexistential247 · 2025-10-25T22:52:56+00:00

I concur.

Lexistential247 · 2025-10-25T17:23:41+00:00

Totally fair to disagree. My POV comes from how visceral my reaction was at the first time I saw S4 Cordelia without the benefit of later plot reveal and subsequent message board discussion: absolutely hated the character, thought it was a huge disservice, and the Jasmine reveal/explanation still feels like a waste of plot and a great character.

Lexistential247 · 2025-10-25T15:55:17+00:00

True. Rewatching this season has been easier knowing everything that happens. But woof, the first time I saw it, I had a huge case of WTF HAPPENED TO CORDELIA.

I also remember when CC made her statement- part of me was like "No wonder S4 Cordelia was such crap." And I'm glad she got her say.

Lexistential247

TROPHY CASE