‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ recap: season 12, episode 12: can Kenya “wig”gle out of this one?

ajc.com

Originally posted Monday, January 20, 2020 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

NOTE: Another NeNe Leakes-less episode!

Tanya Sam, who has kept her head above the fray so far, decides to spill some tea with Porsha Williams, Marlo Hampton and Kandi Burruss at Jeju Sauna Spa in Duluth about Kenya Moore.

That’s dangerous territory but Tanya goes for it: Kenya had left a couple of things behind in Toronto during the Caribbean Festival and asked Tanya to bring it back for her. Tanya didn’t know what was in the package but since she was crossing the Canadian/U.S. border, she felt obligated to check and see what it was.

She opened it and found a charger -- and a wig!

They all assumed Kenya wore “natural” hair all the time and “RHOA” shows clips of her bragging about it.

When confronted later by Kandi, Kenya says she only wore the wig during the festival.

Kenya: “Who cares? So I pulled a wig out of my a**. What does it matter to you?”

Kandi laughs nervously.

Cynthia, being her usual self, says: “It isn’t that deep.”

Kenya: “I think it’s deep because clearly I have a very successful hair care line [Kandi’s eyes bug out] and I think it was something that was meant to try to embarrass me if I was going to be embarrassed.”

Tanya had said she found Kenya suggesting IVF for her a bit intrusive given how little they knew each other so spreading this tea was fair game (and more camera time, natch.)

“I’ve had many conversations on the phone with Tanya about IVF,” Kenya says in her own defense. “That’s how I met Tanya. When we were in the room, she was more than happy to talk about it. She didn’t seem uncomfortable.”

Besides being annoyed with Tanya, Kenya decides to dig into Kandi.

Kenya: “I have a problem with you now. Who are you? I was trying to help you. Now you want to come and try to embarrass me.” [Kandi loves to eat. She doesn’t stop chewing.. The ire does not last.]

Kenya pivots back to Tanya, who was also annoyed that Kenya had heard about some woman who said her hubby flirted with her behind Tanya’s back but only talked about it in the group in general terms. Tanya later figured out it was her.

Kenya, angered over Tanya talking about her wig to the ladies, said: “I got your number Tanya.”

Kenya to the cameras: “She is messing with the wrong woman... Doesn’t she know I’m the shade assassin?”

Other story lines

- Closure:  Eva Marcille's five-year-old daughter Marley Rae from her crazy ex  Kevin McCall had McCall legally removed as her last name in court. She has only known Eva's current husband Michael Sterling as her dad since she was 15 months old. It was a real, authentic momentous occasion for Eva, like a weight lifted because McCall has menaced her to the point she had to get court-ordered injunctions to keep him away from her. Eva, Cynthia and Kandi later held a party for Marley Rae.

- Clearing the air: Dennis McKinley, working his way out of the doghouse after cheating on Porsha while she was pregnant, has Porsha's sister and mom and his own mom come together for a family meeting. Porsha hopes he would take responsibility for his actions and show proper repentance.

He references his infidelity delicately but specifically by actually calling it “infidelity.” “I just want to apologize to everybody. We have a lot more work to do but we’re family. At the end of the day, I think it’s very important to make a commitment to stick by each other during the downs and root for each other on the upside... I’m taking accountability for my own stuff.”

Dennis felt locked out when Porsha’s family was watching his daughter. To Porsha, he impacted not just her, but the entire family. They were on Porsha’s side, of course.

"I felt like you knew better," Lauren says.

Her mom Diane says she was hurt to think of Porsha being a single mom.

The conversation remains civil and Porsha starts crying: “It’s a work in progress. I’m going to trust that he’s going to continue to put his actions forward.”

It all works out. He seems committed to staying committed.

TRAILER: It goes for the rest of the season including a Porsha/NeNe reconciliation and Kenya's stunning divorce announcement. And why does Mike Hill lack guy friends? And there is more Kenya/NeNe drama.