What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)

All I have to say about this season of MasterChef is, if by some fluke, Nathan wins, I’m never watching this show again.

This summer, TV watching has felt somewhat like when I worked in accounting and cash management. Most of the time, it was non-stop work, but there were always those couple of days out of the month where there wasn’t much to do and I’d catch up on personal phone calls. Most of the summer has been that couple of days.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

I have no idea what’s going on with this show. It was supposed to air at 8 pm and tennis was on. I repeatedly checked throughout the hour and it was still tennis. Or talking about tennis. Now I put it on at 8:50 and the show is already in progress and I don’t have a clue how long it’s been on. I’m also annoyed because this messes up my watching Return to Amish and Mary is hosting Christmas dinner. I could use a little Christmas, since it’s 110 degrees out.

Ok, I was able to catch the beginning the next time they aired it, and Dolores’s dog is having kidney issues. She gives ex-husband Frank a list of house reconstruction demands. She’s hoping to be able to pay him back for the years of his support by opening her own gym. They’ve owned gyms together before, but this time it’s all on her. He tells her to come by later so they can talk over the plans.

Melissa’s kids get ready for a fashion show at NY Fashion Week. In her interview, Melissa talks about how hard it is juggling work with the family. She tells Joe #2 that she invited Teresa to the show. They discuss how the Melissa/Teresa relationship is going. Melissa says she’ll feel like they’re really friends when she can disagree with Teresa without ducking. Joe tells her to just tell Teresa that she’s being a pita when she is because that’s what he does. She wisely responds that he can get away with it being Teresa’s brother.

Boring Jacqueline family stuff, with Siggy co-starring. In her interview, Jacqueline talks about how she’s glad Ashley is living at home. They talk about Melissa’s store opening and the rebuilding of Jacqueline and Teresa’s friendship. Siggy suggests she take baby steps and I think of Bill Murray in What About Bob?

Jacqueline visits Chris at work. He tells her to remember what Teresa and Joe #1 are going through when they get together. He says they might have underlying stress, so just forget the past and blow off anything weird. She says it will be interesting to see if the friendship chemistry is still there. What I don’t get is why everything has to be such a big deal? I have a lot of friends, but only several close friends. It’s not like you have to be conjoined twins with everyone.

Siggy has to take her daughter’s phone away. It’s the second time she’s gotten in trouble with it at school. She gives Sophie a lecture on responsibility and rules and how you need good grades to get a decent job. Here’s where I came in the first time.

Teresa, Melissa, Joe #2 and a passel of children go to a fashion show that some of the kids are involved in. They go out to eat afterward and discuss how we should all support and lift each other up.

Dolores meets Frank at the gym. They discuss getting more members and the class schedule. She says the ew gym isn’t just a hobby, but her independence.

Siggy and her kids sit down for some diner food. The kids talk about the difference between staying with their father and with her. They complain that she treats them like slaves. She says she’s the one who has to take care of the important stuff and their dad gets fun weekends. It sounds like it’s the same as most normal households where the parents live together. They try to talk to her, but she keeps interrupting and then starts to cry when her son tells her she can’t last a minute listening to him.

Joe #1 chases around with Milania (or one of those girls with an “a’ at the end of their name). Teresa tries to hurry him up because they’re going to Jacqueline’s house. Teresa is hesitant about the whole thing and we flash back to the last fight between Jacqueline and Teresa. Milania is now busy goofing around with a Sumo wrestler costume and can’t get up from the floor. Finally, Joe and Teresa make it to the car.

Joe #1 gifts Jacqueline with what looks like an entire case of his homemade wine. Teresa is excited to see Jacqueline’s kids. Joe and Chris talk while Teresa helps in the kitchen. Teresa says she just wants peace and to keep toxic people out of her life. Jacqueline says that Teresa had her own thing going on with both her and Melissa, but Teresa thinks they ganged up on her. Jacqueline talks about Teresa not talking to her about the tabloid articles, and how some of them were true. Teresa says she had no idea about it at the time and is surprised Jacqueline would think she did. I can tell that Jacqueline is gearing up to be an insensitive a-hole.

Teresa says her real friends believed she didn’t know what was going on and there must have been a disconnect between them. In her interview, Teresa says this is the last thing she wanted to rehash. Teresa tells Jacqueline that she’s hurt about her lack of trust. Teresa tells her that her brother told her not to trust Jacqueline. Jacqueline calls Joe #2 and asks him what he said. Joe is like, this was a million years ago and it’s up to you two so-called adults to work things out between you. Jacqueline hangs up and Teresa tells her that she’s not interested in anyone who’s not loyal.

Teresa reminds Jacqueline that she never questioned her when she was going through some legal issues. Jacqueline says hers wasn’t a federal bankruptcy fraud case. Teresa says that was a low blow and it’s time to leave. Teresa recaps what was said to Chris. In his interview, Chris says the girls always ruin things with some emotional nonsense. Joe says the girls always f-things up.

Jacquelie keeps going on about how you can’t compare the two cases they went through. Teresa says she did her time and took responsibility for it. Jacqueline says she doesn’t own it and had blamed her brother. Teresa says now Jacqueline is nuts, let’s go. I actually don’t remember Teresa blaming her brother for anything, but that also might have been something in the tabloids and I don’t read them often. Jacqueline insults her all the way out the door. Joe guzzles his wine before he leaves.

Chris asks what the trigger was. Jacqueline says Teresa was the one who brought up the past first and when she “came back at her,” she couldn’t take it. So much for Chris’s advice in the office. I don’t like Jacqueline. I feel badly that she has the pressure of raising an autistic child, but she’s nasty. I don’t know if she’s bored an likes to stir the pot or what, but she definitely has a ratchet attitude and looks for problems.

Teresa tells Joe #1 about Jacqueline calling Joe #2 and how insulting she was. I’m totally with her, and calling Teresa’s brother was out of line. It’s like she wanted to cause trouble between them. Joe says if you can’t repair what’s broken, sometimes it’s better to walk away. Teresa is like, I just got home, and I don’t need all this. Joe agrees that Jacqueline is a bitch.

Next time, Jacqueline babbles to Melissa, Teresa explains what happened with Jacqueline to Joe #2, and Siggy gets all weepy about family and tradition.