Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall inherit this episode.
This week’s Real Housewives of Atlanta was all about making peace: Lisa made up (or at least agreed to be
civil) with Kim regarding their season one reunion catfight (you know, where
Lisa accused Kim of calling her a crack whore and where Kim got mad at Lisa for
accusing her of lying about cancer—you know, that one). Lisa thinks Kim’s a
“ball of lies” but hears her out and apologizes for the comments she made about
Kim faking her sickness, whatever that sickness was. Shouting is
“unproductive,” says Lisa. More like your bread and butter, but onward.
Sheree meets Kandi at Chocolate
Pink in Midtown for some sweets and girl talk. She finds out that Kandi isn’t
going to have an engagement party out of respect for her fiance’s nephew, son,
and cousins, who were all involved in a head-on collision with a drunk driver.
Kandi and Sheree both cry, and again, it’s Kandi’s scenes that show you don’t
have to be ridiculous to provide compelling drama. Sheree and Kandi decide
they have “common issues”—both of
them are essentially single mothers. Sheree says Bob Whitfield, whom Kandi knew
because she used to date Bob’s best friend, doesn’t come around much.
Kim is at home interviewing her
new nanny, Tianna, who swears she won’t leave Kim’s progeny at home to go out
and pick up feminine products. “I love your boots,” says Tianna. “I don’t even
need to see your resume,” says Kim, who then calls her daughters “mini-mes,”
and we all say a silent prayer for Brielle and Ariana.
Most of the rest of the episode
revolves around the Housewives’ “Alter Ego” photo shoot with Atlanta photographer Derek
Blanks. Here’s how it works: the women choose one “ego” to portray, then
another that proves the complete opposite. Blanks will then merge the two
photos.
For example, Kandi, who wants to
make a statement regarding the car accident her fiance’s family was in,
portrays both a partying drunk driver and the girl hit by the driver that’s now
smashed against the windshield. Lisa is both a cute little pigtailed Girl Scout and a Mad Max-worthy
dominatrix knocking Scout Lisa off of her bicycle. Sheree is a fashionista
and a robber, and is glad to be making a joke about her divorce settlement, and
NeNe is both a pearl-clad Buckhead Betty-esque character and a stripper, a role
she formerly played back in the day and slipped back into like it was old hat
at Downtown’s Magic City strip club. Kim really stepped out of the box and played both a
proper Stepford Wife and, um, a mistress. “Kim should have no problem because
she is a mistress,” says NeNe.
Back to the peacemaker theme:
Sheree decides to break the ice with Kim after the wig-pulling episode a few
weeks back for the sake of Kandi—they should do something nice for her, they
agree; and Kandi and NeNe get over a rough patch (aka NeNe, the director of the
photo shoot, was initially being a little bossy) after bonding during the shoot.
And me and Kim? Well, she’s not happy with me or the story I wrote about the
Housewives for our September issue.
I’m not going to do a “Rotten to
Ripe” poll this week, since I think all of the women came across pretty well.
Everyone reached across the aisle, as it were, to get along.
But I do have to give a gold star
to NeNe’s husband, Gregg, who made me laugh out loud when he said, regarding
NeNe’s “ego” as a stripper, “I have to go by the bank so I can make it rain.”
Gregg—so supportive!
What do you think?Who was your favorite (or least
favorite) from last night? Catch up on all our Real Housewives coverage,
get our September cover story on the Housewives, and enjoy this preview of
next week’s episode:
