This was posted on Monday, July 3, 2017 by Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
Sometimes, season finales get overblown and end in a thud. Not the case this year.
We kinda sorta got an answer to Kirk Frost's paternity situation and his marriage situation with Rasheeda. We saw Tommie Lee and her mom Samantha start down the path of reconciliation. And the tentative detente between Joseline and Stevie J? Temporary indeed.
So where do we start?
Joseline repeated her ultimatum to Stevie J: drop Esterita or she's moving to Miami. "We're going to be everything or nothing," she says. "The ball is in your court."
That's an empty threat. She isn't leaving Atlanta and he knows it. She also threatened to keep Bonnie Bella from Stevie J. That's a real threat.
But Stevie J does not like to be manhandled this way. So he kept Esterita and skipped out on a planned joint Wendy Williams show appearance. (Yes, their absence was a big deal in the gossip columns.)
"No one controls Stevie J but Stevie J," he says. "The good guy is living large and he's always in charge."
What's worse is Joseline became increasingly uncooperative with the show. The producers even showed some of her "behind the scenes" obstinence and nastiness as well as some of her "greatest hits" from past seasons to show she has been difficult for the producers to control for years. She refused to let the show shoot her in New York when Stevie J didn't show up for the Williams show.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Will Joseline show up for the reunion? I'm sure she will. Paycheck is at stake here.
But Mimi was right: motherhood didn't change Joseline when it came to her overall attitude.
***
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kirk Frost has rarely gotten full-out angry on this show - until today.
Knowing full well he's a lying cheater, he gets way too defensive as Rasheeda's mom Shirleen laid into him over not getting a DNA test.
He starts accusing her of trying to break up the family and the producers for sowing needless drama. He does all this yelling and yelping in earshot of his kids. "He got to get mad at someone and takes it out on me," Shirleen says as she walked away.
"You've done this to yourself," Rasheeda adds.
In a separation agreement he handed to her, he turns all primary assets over to her in case they do separate and divorce and Jasmine goes after them. Rasheeda is receptive to that and ultimately signs the agreement to separate. "He made the process easier," Rasheeda says. "He knows the impact of what he's done."
Rasheeda also learns Logan is not the father, which puts "the bull's eye on Kirk's back," she notes. Did he ever get a DNA test? So far, we have heard nothing.
***
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
The mothers hold a party and invite Tommie. She doesn't know it's an intervention for her and her mom Samantha.
"The meeting of my meddling moms," Tommie says.
Deb Antney, Waka Flocka's mom, tries to create proper ground rules: Tommie's mom has to "listen with your ears, not your mouth." In other words, be humble and don't take the criticism as criticism. And for God's sake, apologize!
Naturally, Samantha takes but a few seconds to get defensive when Tommie doesn't want a hug, saying: "We're not on hugging terms ever."
"What is the reason we can't be mother and daughter?" Samantha bemoans, before telling Tommie: "You're colder than me."
Antney quickly realizes this is going south as Samantha defends her 17-year-old self for not knowing any better and not knowing how to be there for her daughter. "I stole for you," she says. "I took penitentiary chances for you."
So much for listening to poor Tommie.
"Stop! Stop!" Antney finally says.
Tommie can't deal with this. She walks away.
"You want your mom at home, not in jail," Tommie says.
Antney tells Samantha: "You were supposed to take it."
Karen King says she should have said: "I'm sorry and I'm going to do better as a mother."
The other moms say they need a therapist. "Samantha is not owning up to her responsibility for the pain she caused her daughter. The pain is no joke," Antney says. "These ladies need much more than the mother's club."
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Tommie decides to meet her mom with a professional counselor Dr. Sherry Blake. When the doc asks why Tommie has a hard time dealing with her mom, she says it's because she's a liar. "Her reasons don't add up," she says.
"You don't have a common understanding," Blake says.
Tommie wants her mom to make proper amends to her but doesn't feel like she's ever gotten them.
Samantha can't deal with Tommie's accusations yet again and walks out. "It's pointless," she says.
The bottom line: Samantha is incredible fragile and feels massive guilt.
"In order to heal, you've to feel the pain," Blake tells her. She needs closure.
"Just apologize for tonight. Let's do one day at a time," the therapist advises her once she calms down.
She returns and collapses at her daughter's knees. "I love you so much," she burbles as she hugs Tommie. "Please believe me... I'm sorry for how I made you feel."
This is a breakthrough.
"Maybe this is a start," Tommie says. "I may actually have a mother again."
In the meantime, Tommie focuses on her two daughters, hoping she never feels estranged from them the way she has felt about her mom.
***
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
And in the most pointless scene of the night, we get Tresure acting the fool yet again. It seems like the producers need one more physical fight to close out the season.
How? They had Tresure and Moriah inexplicably visit Lovely Mimi at her new nail salon despite the fact neither woman has gotten along with her. This is a recipe for stupidity.
Mimi quickly tore into the fact both Tresure and Moriah were side chicks, questioning their morality with a self-satisfied attitude that didn't sit well with the ladies. But she upped the nastiness by gratuitously calling them "ho s***." She knew full well this would get them angry. She knew full well this would increase the chances the scene would make the final edit.
Predictably, the guards came in and with knowledge no punches could possibly land, the women got riled, especially Tresure, who has more "hood" in her than Moriah. One of the guards literally lifted Tresure and carried her away.
Will we even see any of these women again next season? Doubtful.
***
They also cleaned up a few other storylines for the season in the final moments of the season before the two reunion episodes:
- Tammy Rivera is in a better place with Waka Flocka and recording music.
- Karlie Redd is happy dating the "Black Ink Atlanta" dude Ceaser and her retail stores are doing well.
- Mimi Faust said she isn't jealous of Joseline or wants Stevie J back. She just wants to protect her daughter Eva from Joseline. (She also told me she is keeping her personal dating life out of the show.)
- Yung Joc is taking a break from Karlie.
- Stevie J has no idea how Joseline will react to him skipping out on Wendy Williams and keeping Esterita on his label. But he knows she's not happy. But he is happy he gets to hang with his other kids. "A man ain't nothing without his family," he said.
- Jessica Dime is planning a wedding.
- Momma Dee said Ernest is back in her home and "we're making up for lost time."
Major no shows in the final episode: Scrappy and Melissa Scott, along with Jasmine and Rodney.
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