'Real Housewives of Atlanta' ('Dress Down and Strip Bare'): season 5, episode 9

What? Where did that come from?

I somehow missed that so-called "news" at the time and five months later, it has not come to pass. But it became the primary storyline tonight in an episode which also featured a tepid rehash of what happened in Anguilla re: Kenya.

Peter Thomas, Cynthia Bailey's husband, read about the Phaedra/Apollo rumors and everyone wondered what was going on.

The producers then tried mighty hard to show signs that there is real discord between Phaedra and Apollo which goes beyond normal marital issues.  Three examples:

1- Apollo and Phaedra argue over their booty video in front of Kenya, who is possibly going to produce it. (To give Kenya credit, she does sound like she knows what she's talking about.) Kenya found the arguing "unprofessional."

2- Phaedra - before her pastor, Kandi Burruss and Kandi's boyfriend Todd - says marriage is hard, noting Apollo's faults such as how he talks too much in the morning, doesn't do the dishes, doesn't fully appreciate how much hard work she does and (gasp!) leaves the toilet seat up.

3- Apollo, in front of Phaedra at the infamous Clermont Lounge strip club, talks about how he feels he's changed since they got married. "I feel like I have lost the sense of who I am. I have turned into a different person. I want to be that funny, juviel (I think he meant jovial) person, who laughed and cracked jokes all the time." Phaedra notes that she isn't big on the club scene (though she obviously has nothing against strippers as we learned season four.)

Ultimately, at Bar One, the couple joke about the rumor and proceed to tongue each other in front of Miss Lawrence, Derek J, Kandi, Todd and the Bravo cameras.

For whatever reason, we never see the two of them talking about their relationship in front of the cameras one on one away from the others. So what does this all mean?  If they are really in trouble, perhaps they are choosing to keep their genuine issues behind closed doors. Or not.

We see teasers which don't appear to continue this likely dead-on-arrival storyline.

And though we don't hear about Apollo's white collar crimes that led him to be in prison for six years, he did talk to Peter about being in solitary confinement for 16 months and not seeing daylight for that entire time. How he got into solitary is not noted but he did say when he did trash duty and was able to feel rain, he started to cry and felt momentarily like he was free.

In other housewives storylines:

Porsha tells her hubby she still wants twins (and can't quite recall how many bedrooms are in her spacious home) and NeNe Leakes shoots a cover for Ebony magazine.

Kenya is annoyed that Walter misled her (or she misled herself) during the Anguilla trip.  She also felt he was getting really angry with her and that triggered her since she had been abused before by another boyfriend. (From what we saw last week, he didn't seem all that angry but clearly, she's sensitive.) After a few days of cooling off, she meets with him again in Atlanta. He tells her he loves her but not enough to marry her (just enough to play her boyfriend on the show.). She is annoyed but doesn't break up with him immediately because that would crimp her story line. Better to keep stringing him along. Later, at Bar One, he pops in to have drinks with the guys but avoids her. She gets annoyed again.

She is also annoyed when Porsha tries to clear the air about what had happened before - again. Kenya would have none of it, saying she had no desire to be friends with her immature self and walks away. after a clipped "I can be a lady. I can be cordial." Yes, we have learned: it takes virtually nothing to annoy her.

"I tried to be the bigger woman," Porsha said. "Maturity doesn't always come with age."

QUOTES

"It's atmosphere. It's a distraction." - Peter Thomas' argument for men going to strip clubs. Cynthia is okay with him going once in awhile, just not every week.

"It's obvious Phaedra is a novice and she needs help. I'm a little annoyed she isn't better prepared. My time is valuable," - Kenya, always trying to find a way to show how important she is.'

"At your age, you're not married... and you consider yourself wife material. " - Walter, mocking Kenya and her unmarried self at age 40.

"I thought it was chic and posh. I have to do more research." - Cynthia, cheekily talking about the Clermont Lounge after the fact since it is anything but chic and posh.

"I don't live with time restraints. Time restraints are for people who have to abide by them." - Apollo's philosophy on life.

"I don't have time to play nice with dumb dumb." - Kenya provides a gem of a nickname for poor, sweet Porsha.

"Bottom line: Walter's not that into you. Move on." - NeNe, who hits it on the mark.

TRAILER

The trailer shows more arguments between Kenya and Walter. NeNe goes "bicoastal" by moving at least part-time to Los Angeles.

RATINGS

Last week's episode drew about 3.17 million viewers, which is above average for the season. It's still about 250,000 viewers behind season four after eight episodes but comparisons will begin to get easier because ratings began to sag at this point a year ago.

Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter. Oh, and Google +, too!