Originally posted Monday, March 9, 2020 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
I’ve been dealing with a death in the family the past week so recapping “Real Housewives” fell off my radar. This is a bit of a catch-up recap including my thoughts from last week’s episode, which I watched a week late.
The growing fissures of the marriage between Kenya Moore and Marc Daly broke open in a horrible way. Kenya claimed the early part of their relationship was all roses and rainbows but in reality, it's clear she simply fell in love and ignored all red flags. She got married quickly, even dumping "Real Housewives" for a year and have a baby to please her man.
But Marc is no catch in reality. He may be good looking, run a successful Brooklyn eatery and loves his daughter and such, but he come across on TV as an entitled, arrogant, egocentrical jerk. With his contemptuous facial expressions and sarcastic remarks, he consistently belittles Kenya in front of the cameras.
Personally, I can't imagine what he is like when the cameras are off. Up to this point, Kenya has been too scared to stand up for herself, worried he'd leave her. She so desperately wants a "fairy-tale" marriage and not be alone. The reality is he thinks he's the king of the castle and can do no wrong. Why apologize when he's always right?
Kenya herself can come across as a showboat and insufferably shady gossip for the cameras but underneath that "fake smile" exterior lies a woman who just wants to be loved, "Notting Hill" style. But Marc is no Hugh Grant.
Marc doesn't express appreciation for Kenya, who based on what we see on "RHOA" is working overtime to make this marriage work while trying not to upset him, an impossible task. And when Cynthia Bailey asks Kenya about marital counseling, it's obvious Marc is no Dennis McKinley, who did the work to get back in Porsha Williams' good graces after cheating on her. Marc doesn't care enough to do counseling.
Even before this episode, it was obvious to any viewer that Marc didn’t like being married to Kenya. The fact he says that while the cameras were rolling last Sunday during his charity event is still shocking. The producers must have fallen over themselves when he said that. Then he booted the Bravo cameras out and said RHOA would never film him again.
In this latest episode March 8, we hear from Kenya about what happened that led to Marc publicly announcing the divorce and forcing Kenya’s hand to release a statement as well.
He was irritated all night during the charity event and once they were in the Uber on the way home, he told her he didn’t even want her at the event. He got so angry and aggressive, she said the Uber driver kicked him out.
Kenya says to Kandi Burruss and Cynthia that she's had issues with aggressive man in the past. Matt Jordan, her previous boyfriend, was a case in point.
“Marc never hit me but that flashed me back to an abusive relationship,” she says.
Cynthia asks Kenya if she wants a divorce. Of course she doesn’t want one even though she thinks he’s cheating on her. She was caught him texting a woman who was hitting on him.
“I think I missed a lot of red flags,” she says to the cameras. “When you’re excited and you’re in love and you feel hopeful, you ignore the red flags... The last few weeks have taught me you can’t believe who someone says they are. You have to believe what someone shows you who they are.”
She cries super hard with Cynthia and Kandi. She doesn’t want to go to Greece because she feels the other women who hate her will snicker about her misfortune.
Kenya doesn’t take the flight with the ladies but shows up anyway. She brings her nanny and daughter with her on a separate flight.
Kandi asks the ladies to please lay off Kenya during her difficult time. Marlo is going to be the biggest challenge because she feels Kenya is the biggest gossip when it comes to the other ladies so if she can dish it, why can’t she take it?
But first off, in Athens, Cynthia asks NeNe if she could perhaps talk to Kenya and provide some kind words of support.
So that evening, NeNe softly broaches the topic by sincerely asking if Kenya is okay. Kenya then thanks everyone for reaching out - except NeNe. Then when Cynthia tries to set it up so NeNe and Kenya could “fellowship” alone, Kenya gets up to leave instead, snubbing NeNe a second time.
“She’s really a sad woman,” NeNe says sourly after the fact. “It takes nothing to at least say thank you for trying.”
Then she really goes full-on NeNe by saying “F*** Kenya and her bad skin!”
Kenya tells Tanya Sams and Kandi she doesn't want to deal with NeNe, that her mind is too bogged down with other issues.
Kandi convinces her to try again so Kandi cuts some baklava as a peace offering and says she’ll tell NeNe it simply isn’t the right time to talk. But by then, it is too late. NeNe is steaming. She hates hates hates rejection of any sort.
“I don’t get ready when she’s ready,” NeNe tells Kandi. “My door is closed. We don’t have to talk ever.”
NeNe in a classic huff walks away.
NEXT WEEK: Cats, wine and old arguments between Porsha and NeNe.
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