By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Sunday, January 17, 2016
Last season, NeNe Leakes left "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" with a trail of sourness, especially her broken friendship with Cynthia Bailey.
Eleven episodes into this NeNe-less season, the last original RHOA decided to come back for what appears to be a cameo appearance to clarify one thing: she has forgiven Cynthia and all is good again in their relationship.
"The queen is back!" NeNe declared, then mocked the expression Kandi Burruss would make if she saw NeNe again.
NeNe and her husband Gregg meet up with Cynthia and Peter Thomas. They play catch up. Cynthia teases NeNe for blocking her on social media. NeNe explained she needed some time to get over things.
"I was so hurt by our friendship dissolving," she said.
Bravo helpfully shows highlights from their arguments.
"NeNe was my bestie," Cynthia explained. "When we broke up, it took some getting used to."
Cynthia ultimately became buds with Kenya Moore as a replacement but it hasn't been quite as tight, which she told NeNe. Just the mention of Kenya made NeNe make that face of disgust.
"No one would be able to fill the shoes of NeNe Leakes with Cynthia," NeNe said triumphantly, referencing herself in third person. "Boop!"
***
In other story lines:
For the first time this season, we hear from Apollo Nida, Phaedra Parks' husband while he talks to his son Ayden on the phone from a Lexington prison. (He's more than a year into an eight-year stay in federal prison for defrauding people to the tune of $2 million-plus.)
"He's always excited to hear from his father," Phaedra said.
"I will see you soon," Apollo tells Ayden.
Indeed, a teaser next week shows Phaedra finally driving her kids up to Kentucky to see him for the first time since he entered prison.
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Phaedra, along with Sheree Whitfield, Porsha Williams and Kim Fields, goes up to D.C. for a Million Man March anniversary event. She also holds a luncheon with some Congress people on behalf of her Save Our Sons charity. Among those who showed up was Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia and Florida Rep. Frederica Wilson.
Everything is very noble and cool. Phaedra brings a "team" of people along to make the trip easier for her. Kim thinks differently. She just brings herself and her two sons - Quincy is two and Sebastian is eight. Sebastian is not pleased because it's a very adult day and he's supremely bored. (Kim said she chooses to parent her sons without a "team" but then again, maybe she can't afford to. She isn't exactly deep in financial largess and owes the government tax liens so she clearly joined RHOA for the paycheck.)
Some of the other women give her the side eye for leaving events to take care of her kids instead. "Sebastian wants to get his fun on," Kim explained. "Quincy wants to get his nap on."
Kim defends her actions: "I'm not being disrespectful. I'm being a mother and taking care of my kids."
There was also a point where a Congresswoman was talking about black men in a way that Kim felt was too "adult" for her eight year old so she took him out of the room and gave her own spin. Later, she leaves early before the actual march for another function in Atlanta.
Sheree's take: "Being a mom is a full-time job. I have been there myself. But it doesn't mean you shut the whole world out."
***
Kandi and Todd Tucker want to open a restaurant using Kandi's family recipes. Todd is more into this than Kandi, who is more worried about her pregnancy and taking on more than she could chew. He pitches the idea to Kandi's family members. There's a mixed reaction but it wasn't a wholesale no. And Mama Joyce actually hugs Todd, much to his shock. Is she trying to warm up to him now that a kid is on the way? Sure looks like it.
***
Kenya has been very close to her Aunt Lori, her mom Patricia's sister. Last week, she knocked on her mom's door and tried to get her to talk to her. Her mom wouldn't even come to the door.
This upset Kenya but also upset Lori, who had to take the brunt of her sister's complaints. She met with Kenya to tell her what a bad idea it was to surprise her mother like that.
"I love you very much but I think you also have to realize I love my sister, too," Lori said. "I don't judge her. She was a young girl when she found herself pregnant. I think personally, she had every right to give up her child. I don't think you've ever taken the time to look at the other side."
Kandi always found it offensive that her mom would ignore her at family functions over the years. She wants closure but it seems clear that she needs to let her mother come to her, not the other way around.
"Enough is enough," Lori said. "It's time to let it go."
Ultimately, Kenya loves Lori too much to get angry at her for saying this. She realizes that Lori truly loves her and has her back. Maybe - just maybe- Kenya will be able to follow Lori's advice in this situation.
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