The Mob Wives reunion didn't feature any physical altercations. It wasn't filmed in front of a raucous live audience and nobody got up to scream a point at anybody else. There were no salacious reveals and nobody walked away with wig askew and make-up a mess. In short, it was very unusual for a reality show reunion.
While it was pretty damn entertaining, did it live up to what I wanted?
Yes and no. The major thing I was happy to see was that each woman had made some progress in their personal life, which, after investing my time getting to know each backstory, actually happened. How about that? Karen was inching her way toward being in Staten Island permanently, Carla had established a very healthy (platonic) relationship with Joe after his release, Drita is filing for divorce from Lee, and Renee was not only working hard at her stylist job, but she had finally (finally!) kicked Junior to the curb. As I've mentioned previously, no matter what I think about these ladies, I wish nobody ill will in their personal life and to see people who were obviously searching for some type of answer be able to find it and make a change was infinitely rewarding. I'm curious if any of these changes are actually going to stick for the foreseeable future; as wonderful as it is to see (for example) Renee step out on her own two feet for the first time in years, her history indicates that there's a chance it may not last and that we shouldn't be (that) outraged/shocked if Junior comes around again.
The other aspect of the reunion that I was glad happened was Carla's relatively prominent role in it. She was more of a lowkey addition to the show for most of its first season, but the fight between Renee and Carla over Carla's (now ex) boyfriend and his possibly inappropriate touching was covered pretty extensively tonight. Surprisingly, it was the most intense argument of the whole thing, as Renee was sent off in tears and even Drita was trying to play peacemaker to get things to calm down. I think the whole issue just boils down to intention and perception, as Renee's obviously not shy about letting her opinions be known about the boyfriends that enter the scene and I can see Carla being dismissive of anything negative that Renee had to say about her new man. That doesn't mean it's right, necessarily, but I can see why she may have been slow to accept that what Renee said was true. I'm still not sure why Renee wouldn't be specific about what happened or why, if Carla's such a moron, she kept defending her, but the two seemed to have squashed it. Well, at least they both acknowledge that they're tired of dealing with it and that may be all it takes to finally move on, especially since Carla's single now.
But alas, while we saw personal growth and equal screentime, we didn't get the Drita/Karen round 2 that I think most fans of the show were itching for. It was the major topic that the reunion covered and with good reason, as the tension between the two former friends was thick from the get-go. The more Karen talked, the more capital letters and exclamation points I used in my notes over the show, but in a nutshell, it still boggles my mind that she can constantly cheat on Lee and still exercise girl code on the "you should have called me" thing. Plus, the two had admittedly lost contact and weren't that close anymore, so it makes no sense how hurt Karen claims to be. I think she's just been baiting Drita the entire season with stuff like this because she knows that talking about Drita's family gets under her skin and she likes being an instigator. Also, with regards to the book, apparently the chapter that Karen gave Drita didn't relate to her or Lee in the slightest, so why did she make such a deal about Drita reading it? Especially since a few episodes beforehand, she basically said she didn't give a you-know-what what Drita thought about her book?
I know, logic has no place on reality TV, but I was pretty incensed dealing with the type of nonsense Karen was talking about. Both she and Drita seemed to be over it by the end, at least in terms of how the fight made them look, so maybe this is the last we'll hear about Lee and the book. Hopefully this is the last time I'll have to do math (re: the timelines) while watching Mob Wives, because the two just don't mix whatsoever.
After 10 episodes of breakdowns, name calling, and near smackdowns, Mob Wives finished its first season with a solid reunion special that hit on every major issue that the show had previously brought up while hinting at the future for each of the four main ladies. It was funny, sweet, vicious, and a heck of a good time that only makes me more excited to see what the next cycle of the show could involve.
Thoughts, Quotes, and Observations:
- Favorite VH1 Wives diss: "You ain't nothing but a filler, b-tch!" or "You a non-mf-ing factor, b-tch!"? Discuss.
- The previously unseen footage was okay, but I wasn't blown away by it. There were a few insults thrown about and Karen was getting hyped up in what looked like a hotel hallway, but other than that, it was the stuff we've seen in the previews.
- Victoria Gotti talkin' mess about Mob Wives is a laugh and a half. As if Growing Up Gotti was some hard hitting expose on the horrors of mob life. Please.
- As much crap as I've talked about Karen this season, I have to give her credit. She looked really nice tonight. She's still a selectively moral troublemaker who hasn't gotten what's coming to her, but her hair was rockin'.
- "I was clutching my pearls while watching that."
- I was surprised at how frank the show was about addressing the impact the show had on their family. Renee doesn't talk to her dad, neither Joe nor Lee watch, and Karen's dad watches but he gets upset about what he sees. Good for you, though, VH1, because that makes the show feel a lot more real.
- Can Wendy Williams please host every reality reunion from now on? My favorite hosts for these things are people who you can tell have an appreciation for the show, yet can still have a little fun with it, and Wendy exemplified that perfectly.
- I'm going to start using "on my son's eyes" now. Thanks, Renee.
- Speaking of Renee, how on fire was she tonight? The one-liners were hilarious. My favorite? When asked about her final thoughts and regrets: "I wish I would have lost weight before the season." Runner-up: "Call me a troublemaker 'cause I'm about to do it."
- Season 2 in the fall?! Whichever VH1 executive made that decision deserves a kiss on the mouth. Maybe even a little tongue.
Were you satisfied with the Mob Wives reunion? Did they fail to address anything? What do you think will happen in season two?
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