The Real Housewives of New Jersey

[newshound]

Really? How about the fact that she put on this dinner and was actually kind of enough to even invite Danielle. She had her kids in there....it was a family dinner. And Danielle had to do this then? Really? I thought it was totally uncalled for and out of line. What finally made Teresa snap was when Danielle insinuated that Teresa wasn't paying attention. I thought the table throwing was awesome The whole fight was pretty great. I was surprised that Jacqueline went "against" her family and stuck up for Danielle. I would've been frightened to go against Dina and especially Caroline. Eek! Great episode!

Yes, it was totally inappropriate for Danielle to make a scene at the dinner, since she was Teresa's guest. But, after several seasons of Real Housewives, these ladies had to know that the final dinner is always geared for drama. I think that's why Jacqueline said right away, "We're being ambushed." She knew what the dinner was for and I think the others did too. Teresa's behavior this whole season has been pretty calm (and Dina said she's never seen Teresa behave anything like that in 15 years of knowing her). That's why I think there had to be more going on than Teresa being peeved about Danielle ruining the party and insulting her intelligence. I think that she had to be pretty drunk AND maybe there were producers fueling the fire in other ways. I guess we'll have to see if we learn more with the extra footage on Thursday. It was a great finale, though.

[MsDiva2007]

Yes, it was totally inappropriate for Danielle to make a scene at the dinner, since she was Teresa's guest. But, after several seasons of Real Housewives, these ladies had to know that the final dinner is always geared for drama. I think that's why Jacqueline said right away, "We're being ambushed." She knew what the dinner was for and I think the others did too. Teresa's behavior this whole season has been pretty calm (and Dina said she's never seen Teresa behave anything like that in 15 years of knowing her). That's why I think there had to be more going on than Teresa being peeved about Danielle ruining the party and insulting her intelligence. I think that she had to be pretty drunk AND maybe there were producers fueling the fire in other ways. I guess we'll have to see if we learn more with the extra footage on Thursday. It was a great finale, though.

Theresa has always seemed like she has more of a fun personality and not any sort of anger problems. I think Bravo had to cut some of the dinner out because of time constraints as well as content. Danielle said something to Theresa that caused her to go off. Danielle wants so badly to belong to this group she actually would have dinner with people who don't like her.

I get the feeling if Danielle did not try to get involved with the family they would not give her a second thought. Danielle has used Jacqueline as an in to the family and Jacqueline can't see that all the two of them talk about is Danielle's skanky sexcapes and Jacqueline's family.

[lobeck]

I am suspicious Teresa took Danielle's "pay attention" waaay too seriously. A few minutes later in one of the voiceovers she mentions something about not being stupid, or dumb, something to that effect?

I definitely agree. While I could see Teresa being upset and even saying something to Danielle about her remark(s), the whole outburst of turning the table over and screaming the f-word at the top of her lungs fifty times in a 30-second span was a weeeeeeeeeeee bit too planned much...

[MsDiva2007]

I definitely agree. While I could see Teresa being upset and even saying something to Danielle about her remark(s), the whole outburst of turning the table over and screaming the f-word at the top of her lungs fifty times in a 30-second span was a weeeeeeeeeeee bit too planned much...

I am willing to bet that that something else was said to theresa by Danielle to set her off. I think she said something either about her kids or hubby to set off mild mannered Theresa. The reunion will tell us what that something was.

[Hobbes07]

This is my first time commenting on this season of Real Housewives.

Danielle bugs me. I think her relationship with her daughters is inappropriate for their age. I feel really bad for them especially since they often looked pained when they hear their mother say 'come on girls I want to talk to you'. I hate that she keeps saying that her daughters are her best friends. I'm sorry but she needs to be a mother first. The best friend part should come when those girls are a lot older.

I like that Dina and Lexie laugh a lot together. It seems like they have the type of relationship where Lexie feels comfortable talking to her mom about things. Although that draw full of candy probably contradicts that.

I lost a bit of respect for Caroline and Dina because they proved themselves to be liars last night.

As for Jacqueline, I don't know what I'd do if I were her. I get that she was torn between family and friend but she clearly does not view Danielle as her best friend like Danielle views her; whenever I see those two together Jacqueline looks uncomfortable. I think Jacqueline is only friends with Danielle because know one else is. I don't think I'd make waves with my in laws over a person who is not a really really good friend of mine. Best friends, absolutely, they are like family but not just a friend whom i could take or leave (which is the impression I get from this friendshp on Jacqueline's side).

I don't think J and Dina have much of a sister in law type relationship. You never see them alone together and when they are at a party you don't really see them talking one one one.

Caroline and Dina seem like bullies in a sense. I get the feeling that they have a hard time letting anyone in outside of 'the family'. I wonder how long it took them to let Teresa in.

What was up with that crack that Caroline said to J? 'What will this do to my mother' Was that an intimidation tactic? I would hope that any mother would be proud that J did the right thing.

[AngloAm]

Where to begin!

Okay, what happened to the stuffed toys? I'm hoping they went to a hospital.

I thought Danielle handled telling her children about "the book" pretty well. I felt terribly sorry for them learning about it in that context though, with a film crew around them.

Teresa's house is so far over the top that it gets nosebleed. I hope somebody finds something soft and sound absorbing somewhere in those stone caverns. It still doesn't look like a home but a theater set for a bad play entitled "Ostentation and its Discomforts." How far did she and Dinasaurus Rex have to walk to have their glass of wine? The house seemed so far away (yet so large and boxy) after their hike. I understand the difference in scale between my suburban bungalow and her gigantobox, but still. And D. Rex really should have shut up about the smell in the wine cellar; Joe has to have someplace to stuff the decomposing bodies of his contract victims, right?

I can't believe that on national TV D. Rex has to tell the world that her daughter's growing "tits." How ladylike. I thought the child might be embarrassed but no, she decided to talk about her bubbies to the camera. Are all women this obsessed with their mammaries? Is it straight mens' fault?

I thought that the car was handled 100% well, and that Jacqueline was never as happy as when her parents came by.

And now to "the dinner." Which as has been pointed out was a Bravo requirement. I mean when D. Rex whined "why do we have to have that woman there" the obvious answer was "because your employer wants her there, that's why."

And Danielle brings "the book" to "the dinner." Or is handed it. Either way, after appetizers but before dinner, it comes out and is laid very significantly and dramatically on the table. (I guess you want your family blow-ups on a lightly-filled stomach, after the hostess and her sisters(-in and -outlaws) make jokes about fellatio in the hearing of your children, of course, cause it's classier to make d*ck-s*cking references before everyone's full with three courses of pseudo-Italian cooking.)

And the fireworks are off! D. Rex scuttles about from pillar to post, perching on Teresa's chair awkwardly, jumping up and threatening to leave (pushed back by Andy Cohen who's determined to let the show go on until he can get into Albie or Christopher's pants).

Caroline, manipulatrix supreme, appoints herself traffic cop, while building up to do a great imitation of every gunfighter's moll in the annals of 1940's film noir.

Danielle gets angrier and angrier while the men wish they were someplace else, someplace simpler, a comradely drive-by perhaps, or a fraternal session bribing public officials, anywhere but here in the Harridan's Circus. The kids are dragged out, but not all, to protect their innocence from their parents' bad behaviour. Did anyone notice how Christopher Manzo, the 'other brother' made himself useful by entertaining the children and sitting with them. A nice guy, pretty good looking, who is funny, duitiful and good with kids. He'll be swimming in women (much to Andy's regret).

Caroline drops the bombshell that it was her (gasp) who dragged "the book" to the court of public opinion called the Chateau of Hair Art and Semi-private Confessions. Confronted with this lie-by-ommission, Dina does the obvious thing and continues to attack D. Rex, probably based on the "we're all thieves, er, as thick as thieves," line meaning that Caroline's ego and control mania is so great she's confessing to everything because it all has to be about her and her monoboob bouncing around in that shapeless "elephant" gray top (I'm not kidding she calls it that on her bravo blog).

The "ladies" all start shrieking complicated plot twists and turns all at once in their strange twisted accents, D. Rex now running around like a chicken cut her head off, Caroline wagging her finger at 50 megaHertz, and Danielle's eyebrows trying to raise in disdain (they're already high enough to keep the mirrors on her bedroom ceiling clean of whatever may get squirted up there). When! Suddenly! Jaqueline grows a backbone and calls her sisters liars because D. Rex's little tiny forearms did peck out the book on the internet, while Caroline did indeed rush it over to Gossip's Central Office, forcing it under the nose of unsuspecting patrons.

That causes great consternation with I Manzi, leading to D. Rex offering to pray for Danielle (such a nice Catholic dinasaurus, although she'll probably burn Danielle's house down with Mass candles) and Jaqueline and Caroline laying into one another, between Caroline reeling in shock that Jacqueline actually dared stand up to her. The world really did stand on its head and the fabric of reality really was torn apart. What a story for under the hair dryers on Monday!!!

Teresa, having perfected her technique on swallowing, and anxious for the party to be over so she can get back to what she does best (having Joe the Stone Man jump her bones, driving Andy to jealous tears of rage) and wondering why some women want 'preplay' (why eat a slider when you can chow down on the whole damned side of beef) jumps into the fray by opining that 'where there's smoke, there's surely a botched felony trial.' Irritated by Teresa opening a second front in the war, Danielle snaps at her wondering if she ever got her head out of Joe's lap ... er ... the raw bar tray long enough to listen to her "explanation" (long on denials, short on details).

Poor Teresa fumbles and fumes and finally works out that just like when she was three or four, somebody was being mean to her and reacts in character, shrieking obscenities and generally acting suddenly insane. Two big changes in personality in one meal - normally you have to go to a psych ward or watch Sybil in reruns to see that kind of dissociation! After a tentative try to test the strength of the specially pre-weakened table, she hurls it about, because, as she said earlier, she doesn't want to be rude. (Never mentioned violence, did she?)

Joe leaps up to drag his screaming wife into a conveniently placed extra room, where he finds himself strangely turned on (per Teresa's bravo blog) and excited and quickly gets rid of D. Rex (who'd sensed where the action was switching) and makes hot angry love to her right there on the floor. Andy, watching, twists his hands in an impotent rage. The Phillipino pool boy will not have an easy night, he vows.

Finally, proving that he doesn't belong on the show, Jacqueline's husband the handsome Chris, announces that there exists these concepts called "sanity" and "maturity" and that henceforth he expects everyone to try to live up to them. Sheepishly they file out of the wreckage, D. Rex and Caroline in high insult, hopeful Andy trotting along behind the bouncing buttocks of one or the other of the Manzo boys, the kids scarred for life, Joe and Teresa smoothing down their clothes and Danielle looking satisfied, tossing her hair and downing yet one more glass of champagne. It may be as ugly as her sordid past, but it was her victory, dammit, and she wasn't going to leave without savoring it.

And doing the waiter in the bathroom. I mean, he was poor but totally hot. Andy twisted his hands in more impotent rage.

[MsDiva2007]

I thought Dina said her and Teresa have been friends for 15 years. I don't find Caroline to be a liar. Caroline told Danielle " I did it so what? What are you going to do about it? Danielle did nothing because she knows Caroline would have beat her to a pulp and make her wish she had stayed at home with all her drama and her botox.

[luvsginger]

I have a feeling Jacqueline sought out Danielle's friendship in part as retaliation against Dina and Caroline. Caroline is a control freak and hates that Jacqueline is friends with Danielle which makes Jacqueline hold on to her friendship with Danielle even more. I don't think Jacqueline enjoys her friendship with Danielle as much as she enjoys what it does to Caroline and Dina.
What does Jacqueline's husband do for a living? How are they able to afford their lifestyle which includes flying in private planes?

[MsDiva2007]

Jacqueline's husband owns an apparel company called Signature Apparel.

Signature Apparel Group

Based in New York City, Signature Apparel Group, is a privately owned, multi-faceted apparel company. The group designs, develops, manufactures, and distributes branded apparel worldwide. Signature Apparel Group is actively acquiring brands as well as licensing opportunities. Currently, the company owns the FETISH trademark and holds the licenses for Rocawear Juniors and Artful Dodger.

[AngloAm]

Crap, did I forget about Caroline getting herself an attack dog from disgraced ex-con Bernie Kerick, her hubby's best friend? Do you think "best friend" of a law man was emphasized to counter the cosa nostra rumors?