Episode Report Card Potes: A- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Freudian Trip
By Potes | Season 4 | Episode 10 | Aired on 07.01.2012
With that, it's time for Joe Gorga to talk to Dr. Sweeney. He explains that everything was just ducky until he got married and had a kid. He expected Teresa to love his kids as much as he loves Teresa's daughters. Instead, Teresa became competitive, evil and nasty with Melissa. He points out that he accepted the dicksmack that is Joe Giudice because that's a brotherly thing to do, and Teresa should have done the same with his wife. But instead, she attacked Melissa while Joe continued to let Juicy belittle him, for the good of the family. And of course now they don't want to hang out and have Sunday dinner and whatnot, because every time they're even within the same zip code it's a complete shitstorm. You can tell that Dr. Sweeney recognizes Joe as the normal-ish one, or at least the one with some sort of minimal brain function. Joe says that he just wants respect and love and to get things back to normal, and Dr. Sweeney heads out to get Teresa.
Everyone gathers together, and Dr. Sweeney says that this should be an easy fix since both Teresa and Joe value family and want the same thing. He tells them to avoid old grievances for the time being, and to re-start the Sunday night dinner tradition so their families have a chance to get together. Is he really suggesting weekly contact? Has he ever watched the show? Also, for the next several times they get together, each of them should commit to not being a total Neanderthal in some specific way. This depresses Joe. Teresa says that there are some times they've been together when everything's great, and Dr. Sweeney says that the more positive interactions they have, the better it will be. And then Dr. Sweeney learns that Teresa and Joe are planning on going to Napa together, in a big RV. She neglects to mention that there will be a gaggle of other people participating who can't stand even the briefest glance of her burnt orange face. Even so, Dr. Sweeney strongly advises them not to share an RV, especially in the context in which they'll be drinking wine all day. Joe says that if Teresa gets out of line he'll strap her to the bumper and drag her along. And with that, their 50 minutes is up. Poor Dr. Sweeney.
As they're leaving therapy, Teresa tells Joe that if there's something bothering him she wants him to talk about it, so it doesn't bubble up later. And of course it involves tabloids. Joe saw an article saying that he took money from their mom, and that Teresa and Juicy are building a house -- or garage apartment -- for them. We revisit Joe Gorga's statement that he owned the house that his parents lived in, but then sold it, and so now he's paying their rent while he looks for another little ranch house for them. Teresa says that she didn't put that information out there, but Joe highly suspects that she's the source, because who else would give enough of a shit to make up that story. In an interview, Teresa -- apparently being played by Alexis Morell Carrington Dexter Rowan Colby in full Dynasty finery -- actually suggests that Jacqueline planted a story for cash. Bitch, please. In other news, I think Teresa's hairline is actually inching down even closer to her eyebrows. And we didn't think it was possible!